Must-see attractions in Rías Baixas

From the hamlet of Donón, 4km west of Hío, the windswept, rocky cape Cabo de Home stretches 2.5km south. It's strung with walking trails and a few…

Galicia's most spectacularly sited prehistoric settlement is poised majestically on a wind-blasted headland overlooking the Atlantic waves, 4km southwest…

This 18th-century country mansion, 13km northeast of Cambados, is surrounded by wonderful gardens containing 800 flower species, a large albariño vineyard…

The Edificio Sarmiento, pride of the Museo de Pontevedra, occupies a renovated 18th-century college. Its absorbing collection ranges over Galician…

The Soutomaior castle-palace, amid enormous and beautiful gardens, is well worth a 21km drive northeast from Vigo. Displays inside the castle, which dates…

The handsome 17th-century Pazo de Fefiñáns steals the show on visits to the small, family-run winery that's housed in it. The basic one-hour tour (€7)…

Dune-backed Praia A Lanzada sweeps a spectacular 2.3km along the isthmus leading to O Grove. It's Galicia's most splendid stretch of sand, and enticingly…

This beautiful, 1km-long crescent of sand links the northern Illa de Monteagudo to the central Illa do Faro, with a lagoon behind it.

Three of the six buildings of Pontevedra's eclectic museum are closed long-term for restoration, but the others are well worth your time. The Edificio…

Directly south (uphill) from the old town, this verdant park is a magnificent place to be when the sun is dropping into the ocean behind the Illas Cíes…

This ruined 15th-century church is now roofless but still has its four semicircular roof arches intact, and is surrounded by a well-kept cemetery with…

The Parque Nacional de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia is a national park comprising four small archipelagos off the Rías Baixas. The beautiful Illas Cíes…

The 14th-century Igrexa de Santa María A Nova is a classic of Galician ‘maritime Gothic’ style. Surrounded by a pretty cemetery, it houses a collection of…

A young, innovative winery, with eye-catching deep-blue bottles, Mar de Frades offers one-hour tours of its vineyard and modern installations 9km east of…

The famous Cruceiro de Hío (so famous it has its own car park) stands outside the Romanesque San Andrés de Hío church. Sculpted in the 1870s by Ignacio…

Galicia’s best-known winery, a large, modern, cooperative operation 2.5km east of Cambados, offers tastings and a variety of tours. It's essential to call…

A long swath of sandy beaches stretches southwest of the city. Best is 1.2km-long Praia de Samil, beginning about 5km from the city centre. It's backed by…

Padrón is the last stop before Santiago de Compostela on the Camino Portugués pilgrim route, and pilgrims make a beeline for the Igrexa de Santiago, next…

Praza da Ferrería has the best selection of cafes in town and is overlooked by the Igrexa de San Francisco, said to have been founded in the 13th century…

This interesting small island, part of the Parque Nacional de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia, has a mainly rocky coast, a lighthouse, an abandoned…