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Galicia: the Rías Baixas – Route Guide

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Santiago Compostela cathedral — Galicia: the Rías Baixas
Photo: Fernando Pascullo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where the Camino ends, the seafood coast begins. South of Santiago's incense-swung cathedral, drowned river valleys shelter mussel rafts, granaries on stilts and Rodas, a beach the guidebooks keep calling the world's best, on an island you need a permit to visit. Octopus, albariño, repeat.

Galicia: the Rías Baixas is a 140 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 3–5 days; the plan below is the 4-day version for July, built from 115 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

3–5
days
140km
distance
4
Stops
115
curated stops

Plan your own version → 3-day plan · 4-day plan · 5-day plan · best time to go

The route

Santiago de Compostela→ 60 kmPontevedra→ 30 kmVigo & the Cíes Islands→ 25 kmBaiona

What you'll see

Catedral de Santiago de Compostela
Explore the grand Romanesque cathedral with diverse facades and towering Baroque entrance.
Santiago de Compostela
Santa María a Maior
Wander through the Gothic cathedral completed in 1559.
Pontevedra
Islas Cíes
Spot beaches, birds, and marine life on these islands.
Vigo & the Cíes Islands
Islas Cíes
Discover pristine beaches, nature, and marine life on this archipelago.
Baiona
Museum of the Galician People
Explore exhibits on coastal life, traditional trades, costumes, archaeology, and Galician culture.
Santiago de Compostela
Santo Domingo
Stroll through the ruins of this once-grand convent, now cared for by Museo Provincial.
Pontevedra
Museo Quiñones de León
Admire over 1500 works of art and city history.
Vigo & the Cíes Islands
Virgin of the Rock
View the towering stone monument of the Virgin of the Rock.
Baiona

Choose your length

3-day plan20 stops · 4.5 h transit6.7 stops/day · 1.5 h transit/daySee the full plan →4-day plan26 stops · 5.5 h transit6.5 stops/day · 1.4 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan33 stops · 5.4 h transit6.6 stops/day · 1.1 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: June, July, August, September

Cíes Islands boats run daily — reserve the free visitor permit ahead — and the rías are warm enough for long albariño lunches over the water.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →