Galicia: Historical and Natural Route

This full day tour is perfect to explore one of the lesser-known peninsulas along Galicia’s coast and discover the history and natural beauty of the region, visiting some of the best examples of Galicia’s past – from the Neolithic to the medieval.

Some of the highlights of this tour include:

• Walking tour of Noia. This coastal town is perfect to soak in the details: their Galician corn flour and seafood empanadas and countless pastries, the town was built up in the Middle Ages as the port for Santiago de Compostela. This marine village tells its story through its legends, including that the rainbow from Noahs ark ended here, and Noah sent his granddaughter Noela to populate the region after flood. The medieval part of the town houses jewels like the Santa Maria A Nova (nowadays a museum), with more than 500 intricately carved gravestones from between the 14th and 17th centuries – the most in Europe), and the San Martiño church, built like a fort in the typical gothic style of the region.
• We will then head into the heart of the Barbanza Peninsula, a land of stark contrasts divided by the Sierra de O Barbanza mountain range, an enormous granite hulk that dives into the sea separating the Rias Baixas of Muros-Noia from the Ria de Arousa. Within a relatively small area, its natural environment includes beautiful natural landscapes and archeological sites like:
  • The Sand Dunes of the Corrubedo Natural Park. We will take one of the nature hikes through the zone and along the massive sand dune that passes along the beach.
  • A Curota Mountain. A spectacular lookout from the mountain top overlooks the Rias Baixas region.
  • The Axeitos Dolmen megalithic site, including one of the best preserved dolmens in Spain, dating back over 6000 years.
• We will finish off the day with a visit to one of the local fishing villages.