Places to Explore In Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria

A Coruña

One of Spain’s busiest ports, A Coruña is often (mistakenly) overlooked by travelers. While the weather can be fierce, wet, and windy, it does give...

• 3 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 11 Things To Do

Baiona

At the southern end of the AP9 freeway and the Ría de Vigo, Baiona (Bayona in Castilian) is a summer haunt of affluent gallegos. When...

• 0 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Betanzos

The charming, slightly ramshackle medieval town of Betanzos is still surrounded by parts of its old city wall. An important Galician port in the 13th...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 3 Things To Do

Cambados

This breezy seaside town has a charming, almost entirely residential old quarter and is the center for the full-bodied and fruity Albariño, one of Spain’s...

• 3 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 6 Things To Do

Cangas de Onis

The first capital of Christian Spain, Cangas de Onís is also the unofficial capital of the Picos de Europa National Park. Partly in the narrow...

• 1 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Castro-Urdiales

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Comillas

This astounding pocket of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture in the green hills of Cantabria will make you rub your eyes in disbelief. The Marqués de...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Covadonga

To see high alpine meadowland, some rare Spanish lakes, and views over the peaks and out to sea (if the mist ever disperses), take the...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Fisterra

There was a time when this lonely, windswept outcrop over raging waters was thought to be the end of the earth—the finis terrae. In fact...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Gijon

The Campo Valdés baths, dating back to the 1st century AD, and other reminders of Gijón's time as an ancient Roman port remain visible downtown...

• 3 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 5 Things To Do

Laredo

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Leboreiro

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Llanes

This beach town is on a pristine stretch of the Costa Verde. The shores in both directions outside town have vistas of cliffs looming over...

• 2 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 7 Things To Do

Luarca

The village of Luarca is tucked into a cove at the end of a final twist of the Río Negro, with a fishing port and...

• 2 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Lugo

Just off the A6 freeway, Galicia's oldest provincial capital is most notable for its 2-km (1½-mile) Roman wall. These beautifully preserved ramparts completely surround the...

• 2 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Mondoñedo

Founded in 1156, this town was one of the seven capitals of the kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to early 19th century. The cathedral...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Muros

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Muxia

A small fishing village far off the beaten path, surrounded by the stunning rocky cliffs and virgin beaches of the Costa da Morte, close to...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Noia

Deep within the Ría de Muros y Noia, the compact medieval town of Noia is at the edge of the Barbanza mountain range. The Gothic...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

O Cebreiro

Deserted and haunting when it's not high season (and often fogged in or snowy to boot), O Cebreiro is a stark mountaintop hamlet built around...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

O Grove

O Grove throws a famous shellfish festival the second week of October, but you can enjoy the day's catch in taverns and restaurants year-round. From...

• 1 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Ourense and La Ribeira Sacra

Despite the uninspiring backdrop of Ourense’s new town, Galicia’s third-largest city has bubbling thermal springs and an attractive medieval quarter whose animated streets, tapas bars...

• 1 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Oviedo

Inland, the Asturian countryside starts to look picture-perfect. Gently rolling green hills, and wooden, tile-roof hórreos strung with golden bundles of drying corn replace the...

• 4 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 7 Things To Do

Padron

Padrón grew up beside the Roman port of Iria Flavia and is where the body of St. James is believed to have washed ashore after...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Pontevedra

At the head of its ría, right where it joins the sea, Pontevedra is a delightful starting point for exploring the Rías Baixas. Its well-preserved...

• 2 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Potes

Known for its fine cheeses, the region of La Liébana is a highland domain also worth exploring for other reasons. Potes, the area's main city...

• 1 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Ribadeo

Perched on the broad ría of the same name, Ribadeo is the last coastal town before Asturias. The views up and across the ría are...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Ribadesella

The N632 twists around green hills dappled with eucalyptus groves, allowing glimpses of the sea and sandy beaches below and the snowcapped Picos de Europa...

• 3 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 2 Things To Do

Santander

One of the great ports on the Bay of Biscay, Santander is surrounded by beaches that can often be busy, but it still manages to...

• 3 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 8 Things To Do

Santiago de Compostela

You don’t need to be a pilgrim to enjoy this medieval city, which is one of the most popular and beautiful in all of Galicia...

• 10 Restaurants
• 5 Hotels
• 25 Things To Do

Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar has developed a thriving tourism industry based on the famed cave art discovered 2 km (1 mile) north of town—and the town...

• 0 Restaurants
• 3 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

San Vicente de la Barquera

This is one of the oldest and most beautiful maritime settlements in northern Spain; it was an important Roman port long before many other shipping...

• 0 Restaurants
• 0 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Tui

The steep, narrow streets of Tui, rich with emblazoned mansions, suggest the town's past as one of the seven capitals of the Galician kingdom. Today...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do

Vigo

Vigo's formidable port is choked with trawlers and fishing boats and lined with clanging shipbuilding yards. The city’s gritty exterior gives way to a compact...

• 3 Restaurants
• 2 Hotels
• 4 Things To Do

Vilalba

Known as Terra Cha (Flat Land) or the Galician Mesopotamia, Vilalba is the source of several rivers, most notably the Miño, which flows down into...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Villaviciosa

Famed for its cider, Villaviciosa also has a large dairy and several bottling plants as well as an attractive old quarter. The Habsburg emperor Carlos...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 0 Things To Do

Viveiro

The once-turreted city walls of this popular summer resort are still partially intact. The Semana Santa processions, when penitents follow religious processions on their knees...

• 0 Restaurants
• 1 Hotels
• 1 Things To Do