Experience
Adega Gil Armada
Cambados, Galicia, Spain
Visits to this bodega and distillery in Cambados include the beautiful 17th-century Fefinans Palace, its gardens, and ancient forest and vineyards.
Best for ages: 18+ | £6
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Rias Baixas Wine Region
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Last updated: 04 November, 2022
South of Santiago de Compostela, the Rias Baixas is a series of four estuarine inlets (Ria de Muros e Noia, the Ria de Arousa, the Ria de Pontevedra, and the Ria de Vigo).
As well as being famed for exceptional seafood, this small area of 4,000 hectares boasts more than 6,500 wine producers, with vines uniquely trained into pergolas to allow air to circulate away from the wet soil. Some farmers grow another crop underneath, or allow farm animals to graze there.
Rias Baixas produces a dry, mineral, aromatic wine from the Albarino varietal, and the area is divided into five sub-regions, each with a subtle difference. Cambados, in the Val do Salnes and an hour’s drive from Santiago, is the capital and oldest sub-region, and one of the best to explore.
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Destination Guide >Experience
Bodega Pazo Baion
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
An impressive 500-year-old estate with a striking manor house in the Val do Salnes, with six different tastings to choose from.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Bodega Pazo Rubianes
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Founded in 1411 and one of the biggest estates in the region, with guided tours of the house, 15th-century wine cellar and botanical gardens.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Bodegas Martin Codax
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Founded in 1985, Martin Codax is the biggest and best-known winery in the Rias Baixas region, and is synonymous with Galician wines. They offer tours, tastings and wine-themed experiences from Monday to Saturday.
Best for ages: 18+ | £4
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Price: Free
Minimum age: 18
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
If you’re touring the region independently, it’s important to ring ahead before visiting; most of the vineyards are small and may need prior notice to ensure there is an English-speaking guide for the tour.
Local tour operators run one and three-day wine-tasting trips around the region, or it’s possible to book whole gastronomy and wine-themed week (see operators below).
When to do it
You can visit the vineyards and wineries all year round, though in winter the weather is often wet and the leafless vines are bleak.
Cambados, a small coastal town in the region, holds a famous five-day wine festival (Fiesta del Albarino) in early August – the perfect occasion to immerse in the local Albarino wine, whilst enjoying concerts, theatre and street performances and parades.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Full Day Excursion to the Rías Baixas and Isla da Toxa
Discover the most beautiful of the Galician Rias Baixas in this full day visit, where you will get to know the most important of this region...
€39 | Rating 4.5 / 5 [14 ratings]
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Excursion to Rias Baixas (Boat with mussels and wine)
This excursion aims to bring the traveler to one of the most interesting routes in Galicia, the one that runs along the southern coast of t...
€55 | Rating 4.74 / 5 [89 ratings]
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
A Quinta Da Auga Hotel
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[42.3 miles]
Just outside Santiago, an enchanting hotel in an 18th-century papermill, surrounded by gardens with a spa and gourmet restaurant.
Official star rating:
Hostal Suso
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.3 miles]
The best cheap and cheerful option in Santiago’s historic centre, with lovely owners and a great café.
Official star rating:
Hotel Pazo de Altamira
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.6 miles]
A friendly, stylish three-star boutique hotel with a popular restaurant, a five-minute walk from the cathedral.
Official star rating:
Parador de Santiago
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.7 miles]
Oozing old-world charm, this luxurious hotel and superb restaurant, right by Santiago’s cathedral, has hosted guests since 1499.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Santiago de Compostela
Galicia, Spain
Charming, lively granite city with a magnificent cathedral at the end of Europe’s most famous pilgrimage trail.
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Overview >Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Cathedral of Santiago
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.6 miles]
A Romanesque and Baroque jewel, Santiago’s mighty cathedral offers a fitting climax to the end of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
Best for ages: 18+ | £9
Fiesta of the Apostle Santiago
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.7 miles]
Spain’s patron saint is celebrated in July with music, dancing, fireworks and dramatic swoops of the Cathedral’s massive incense burner.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 2 days
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Overview >Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Experience
Museum of the Galician People
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.9 miles]
Housed in a former convent, this ethnographic museum is dedicated to the cultural heritage of Galicia. Learn about the local culture through their exhibits of traditional costumes, archaeological finds, music, crafts and artworks. Don’t miss the famous triple spiral staircase, beautiful garden and sculpture by Chillida.
Best for ages: 18+ | £3
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Experience
Galician Contemporary Art Centre
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain[43.9 miles]
This art centre, founded in 1993 and housed in a striking granite building designed by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza, exhibits works by established international artists as well as leading Galician ones. There’s a panoramic terrace on top.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
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Cape Finisterre
Fisterra, Galicia, Spain[72.2 miles]
Pagan and Christian legends, and sunsets at the end of the world, wait at the ‘true’ end of the Camino de Santiago.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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