Rías Baixas

The essentials of Rías Baixas

  • • Excursion to the Cíes Islands
  • • Wine tasting in a D.O. Rías Baixas winery
  • • Walk through Combarro among centennial hórreos
  • • Seafood feast in O Grove or Cambados
  • • Surf, sail or kayak in A Lanzada
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Description

Rías Baixas are the four large Atlantic estuaries on the south coast of Galicia, distributed between the south of A Coruña and Pontevedra province: Ría de Muros e Noia, Ría de Arousa, Ría de Pontevedra and Ría de Vigo. A deeply indented coastline dotted with islands, archipelagos and peninsulas, where the sea enters inland for dozens of kilometers forming tranquil bays, white sand beaches and viewpoints overlooking the open ocean and interior mountains. It is probably the most photogenic coastal landscape in Galicia, and undoubtedly its richest pantry.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""\

Practical information for Rías Baixas

Everything you need to know for your visit to Rías Baixas

How to get there

How to get there

By car Public transport
By road, AP-9 highway from Santiago de Compostela to Vigo and Tui. Airports: Vigo (VGO) and Santiago (SCQ), both with daily flights from Madrid, Barcelona and several European capitals. AVE train from Madrid with stops in Pontevedra, Vilagarcía and Vigo (approx. 4 h). Boat to the Cíes Islands from Vigo, Cangas and Baiona in season.
Area Information
As a base, Sanxenxo and O Grove concentrate the largest hotel offer on the coast; Pontevedra and Vigo offer city with good connection to all the estuaries; Cambados is the best option for wine tourism. The fishing villages (Combarro, Bueu, Cangas, Baiona) preserve an authentic atmosphere outside the high summer.
Geography
Rías Baixas are four large inlets of the Atlantic on the south coast of Galicia: Muros e Noia, Arousa (the largest in Galicia), Pontevedra and Vigo. Very indented coast with islands (archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, Sálvora), peninsulas (O Salnés, O Morrazo) and long sandy beaches.
Flora & Fauna
Pine, eucalyptus and mixed oak forests inland; on the coast, dunes, marshes and halophilic meadows. In the sea, very high biodiversity: common and bottlenose dolphins, occasionally whales, colonies of cormorants and yellow-legged gulls on the islands. The rafts are a key artificial habitat for mussel, scallop and juvenile fish.

Things to do in Rías Baixas

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What to see in Rías Baixas

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Accommodations in Rías Baixas

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Frequently asked questions about Rías Baixas

Get answers about Rías Baixas

From late May to September, with July and August as peak summer (more people and better bathing temperatures). June and September offer the perfect balance between stable weather and fewer crowds. The Festa do Albariño in Cambados (first week of August) is one of the essential events.
Yes, during the season (Easter Week, weekends of May-June and daily from mid-June to mid-September) boats depart from Vigo, Cangas and Baiona. It is mandatory to request prior authorization in the Xunta de Galicia (autorizacionillasatlanticas.xunta.gal) and reserve the boat. The number of daily visitors is limited.
Rías Baixas are the four large estuaries of the south (Muros e Noia, Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo), wider, more open and Mediterranean in climate. Rías Altas are north of Fisterra (Ferrol, Ortigueira, Ribadeo), narrower, rough Atlantic and with higher cliffs. Baixas concentrate tourism, gastronomy and vineyards; Altas, wilder nature.
By road, AP-9 highway from Santiago de Compostela to Vigo and Tui. Airports: Vigo (VGO) and Santiago (SCQ), both with daily flights from Madrid, Barcelona and several European capitals. AVE train from Madrid with stops in Pontevedra, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Vigo (approx. 4 h).
The fish markets and restaurants of O Grove (seafood capital), Cambados, Bueu, Cangas and Rúa Pescadería in Vigo (fresh oysters on the street) offer product from the estuary at reasonable prices. The Festa do Marisco in O Grove, in early October, is the biggest gastronomic event.