I am going to be in A Coruña the first week of August for a wedding. I'll then have about 4 days to travel around Galicia by car before heading back to Madrid for the plane out. Does anyone have any special places in Galicia that they would suggest for a visit? ¡Gracias!

okay, I will begin with some suggestions and I know others will give you some ideas too! Near A Coruña you should go to the town of Betanzos Betanzos virtual for some photos, and here for some background in English. It is especially nice for the Fiesta de San Roque ( not sure of the date...but I think it is in August) the fiestas are great there.

If you can swing down to Lugo you can walk on the Roman wall that surrounds the old part of the city.

Another must-see would be Santiago de Compostela. And if you could go to Cabo de Finisterre to see "the end of the earth" it is absolutely gorgeous. photos of Finesterre

There is a beginning...have fun! Galicia is THE most beautiful part of Spain...
esperanza
(can you tell that my roots are in Galicia? )

The Año Júbilar Xacobeo continues until November, 2004 so there should be no shortage of happenings in/around Santiago in early August. I was there last week (first in Vilagarcia de Arousa, then in Santiago de Compostela). The Pilgrims' Mass at 6:00 PM Saturday ends with the Botafumeiro swinging above the crowd: definitely a don't miss!

Take the toll road from Santiago to Túy, then go to LaGuardia (on the coast) and drive up Monte Santa Tecla. There's a 3rd Century B.C. Castreño (Celtic) village preserved there. Then drive up the coast road to Baiona, Columbus' landfall when he returned from his first Voyage of Discovery on the Niña. There's also a Parador in Túy and one in the Castle of the Conde de Gondomar in Baiona

A friend who was there last month had the option of flying to a'Corunha or Santiago. He chose the former but regretted it. Said he should have flown Madrid-Santiago and Santiago-Madrid. For the time saved and the additional convenience I decided it was better to spend a few extra Euros and fly: I got 60-euro E-Tickets from SpanAir and Air Europa (Renfe costs 38.50 euro & takes about 9-hours). If I took Renfe I would have arrived around 22:30 and on the return leg I would have had to leave a day earlier and stay overnight in Madrid. SpanAir got me to Santiago at 12:30; I had a 7:05 AM Sunday AM departure on AirEuropa for Madrid connecting with Continental flight 63 (11:25 AM for Newark).

Galicia will be very crowded with tourists during August.

Thanks, that sounds great. It's the second suggestion of the Castle of the Conde de Gondomar in Baiona that I've gotten in as many days so I think we're going to have to check it out.

If you can make it, head to the parador in Baiona. Although it's been over 10 years since I've been there, I still think it was the best night I spent anywhere. It's just soo fascinating to sleep in a castle and be able to go out and look at the ocean in the morning.

Enjoy and be sure to let us know how it goes.

That's three: The Castle of the Conde de Gondomar is the Parador in Baiona. It's a beautiful spot, but if you don't have your August reservations made, I think you might as well forget it.

Hi there,

I watched a programme on British T.V. about Galicia and it does look lovely. Another place on my wish list to visit !!

I managed to snag a reservation at the Castle of the Conde de Gondomar for one night. We'll spend a couple of days exploring the Rias Bajas and then take a day following the southern route (along the 525/120) for a leisurely return to Madrid. Thanks everyone!