I'll be spending a week in Galicia and am trying to put together an itinerary. I'll be leaving from Los Angeles April 6 and will probably then fly into Galicia from Madrid on the 7th. I'll then fly back into Madrid on the morning of the 14th and head home.

How should I divide up the trip between day-trips and my home base(s)? At first I thought I'd spend the entire week in Santiago de Compostela and do day trips but the more I read about the Rias Bajas and Rias Altas I don't know if this is the way to go. Should I break it up and spend 2 nights in La Coruna doing day trips along the northern coast, 2 nights in the Rias Bajas (Vigo or Pontevedra?)and do day trips to other cities like Tui/Bayona/ etc..., and end with 3 nights in Santiago?

I don't want to try to push too much into every day but I'm also a person that doesn't like to just relax on my vacation either. I'll be traveling by myself and am
just beginning to learn basic spanish. I enjoy historical sites and churches in
particular -not much into the outdoorsy stuff.

Also, I'll be returning in September for 17 days in Northern Spain - Barcelona across through Asturius - so I didn't want to cover a large geography with this shorter trip.

I'd love to get some advise on where to stay and how long in each location,possible day trips, restaurants/tapas (I've heard the food is excellent), hotels, etc....

Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

How were you planning on getting around in Galicia, by car or bus? A car would make your plan B a lot easier to do with the freedom of stopping in a village or coastal town for a few hours before moving on. Without a car you may find yourself always trying to catch a bus.
If you find yourself in Padron, there's a great rural home called Casa de Marcelo ph. 981 81 02 10. If you are interested in seeing how lace is made, Camariñas (northern coast) is the place to go. It's amazing the skill these women have (mind boggling how they do it). Monte de Santa Tecla and Isla de la Toja are also interesting stops but difficult to reach without a car (you'd probably spend the whole day trying to get there).
Don't forget to try Tarta de Santiago, one of my favorites! If you want to make it at home, be sure to get a few bags of ground almonds to take back with you (and speaking from experience, make sure your husband doesn't think they are breadcrumbs)! Be sure and try the baked scallops (Vieiras) while you're there, they are to die for! If you're into smoked cheese, San Simon is my favorite; Tetilla is also popular but IMHO not as yummy! And, of course, you've got to have the octopus. I must go; I'm salivating just thinking about it.

[ 02-10-2002: Message edited by: nevado ]

I agree with Nevado that having a car will make it much easier on you to do the sightseeing you seem to want to do. Nevado talked about a lot of wonderful gallego specialties, but failed to mention La Empanada Gallega...it is in almost every tapas bar in Galicia, so you cannot miss it. It is a large "pot pie" like food yet it is finger food, it isn't saucy. It can be filled with meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, etc. It depends on the family...my family makes one of bacalao and one of chicken (my favorite!) It is amazingly delicious. As a matter of fact, Penelope Casas' book Tapas has a wonderful recipe for Empananda de Vieras (scallop empanada). Whenever I make it I get rave reviews.
As for places to go in Galicia: Santiago can take a few days to explore, so enjoy and don't rush it. If you like ceramics, a Galician ceramic company "Sargadelos" makes beautiful blue and white (their trademark) dishes and statues. They have store in Santiago on rua Nova, 16. If you plan to go to Camariñas, you should go to Cabo Fisterre (the end of the world)...it has a spectacular panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the end of the Spanish coast.

I also love Santa Tecla, the celtic settlement...(although the museum needs a MAJOR renovation, the actual settlement is impressive.)
Whatever you do you will love Galica, its food (!!), its ambiente, and its people. Buen viaje.

Hola!

CathyM you say you will be traveling by yourself. I was thinking of doing a similar trip at some point by car since I didn't get to see Santiago on my first trip, just some rural areas in Cabana ... Galicia seems like a pretty safe place for a woman to travel alone, does anyone have anything to add to that?

Another point is that folks speak mainly gallego over there, at least in my experience. Luckily I was traveling with a gallego on that trip, but I found that most people, while very friendly and full of smiles, didn't make an extra effort to speak to me in Spanish (I am completely fluent). Just something to keep in mind ...

CathyM also don't forget to try pimentos de padron, percebes as well as the octupus and empanada, all washed down with ribeiro or alvarinho wine. I'm with nevado ... I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Churrito

Esperanza, how about sending some of that empanada you make! I feel like Homer Simpson, hmmmmmm, empanadaaaaaa!
My husband (poor guy, I only mention his mess ups) just happened to break TWO of my sargadelos baking dishes this past weekend. I was almost in tears.
Here's something funny, while in Padron, I couldn't find the pimientos on the menus for the life of me. We were there during their feria and it had a nice "pueblo" feeling about it (I love those small town ferias in Spain)!

[ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: nevado ]

OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!! Now I'M excited about this thread. After talking with my ladyfriend in Madrid, we've come to an agreement about spending a few days in Galicia during Semana Santa, mainly in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA!!!! WOO HOO!!! You can be sure I'll be looking up all of Eddie's old postings about this region of Spain which neither I nor my ladyfriend have visited.

Saludos, MadridMan

Hi!

When I was in Galizia I spend some days in A Coruña and some days in Vigo. From Vigo you can visit easily all the Rias Bajas (Tui, Cambados, Pontevedra, Islas Cíes ...). But, from A Coruña it was a bit difficult to reach an see the north of Galizia because it was too far. From A Coruña we visited Santiago, Finisterre and other places.

A car is needed to travel freely and to reach all these places.

Bye.

MM, I was in Santiago for Semana Santa a few years ago and the processions were very nice. There weren't tons of people and you could get right up there in the front row, making for great photo ops. Sounds like a great way to spend a few days!

I was so surprised and excited with the responses to my posting.

I should have been more specific, but unfortunately I will not have a car and will rely on bus and train travel. I can't drive a stick and it would be difficult navigating and driving by myself in addition to the expense of the rental.

I'm so happy to hear that MadridMan and his lady friend will be journeying to this area and hopefully can reap the benefits of his research on this area too.

Now I have additional specific questions:

1) It appears that there is more to see in the Rias Bajas versus La Coruna. Perhaps I should spend 4 nights (with a day trip to La Coruna) in Santiago and 3 nights in the the Rias Bajas. Would this be too long in each of these places considering I'd be doing day trips? Or is La Coruna worth 2 nights or at least 1?

2) I had heard the processionals weren't all that great in Santiago and it really wouldn't be a big deal to go over Semana Santa. I have a "buddy pass" I'm using to fly so I can go anytime (standby only however). I made the decision to go after Easter figuring there would be a good possibility I would get on flying standby and with only a week don't want to risk loosing days on either end of my trip. Is it worth the risk to make it for Holy Week (I'd have to leave March 23 and return easter Sunday)?

Thanks again, everyone for all of your help.

[ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: CathyM ]

Cathy, I wouldn't change your whole plan just to see the processions, they are nice but nothing compared to Sevilla, for example. If you were there, fine, but I wouldn't risk not getting a seat to try and be there for Semana Santa (unless you can talk MM into inviting you to a quemada).
As for A Coruña, I think a day trip would be just fine but I'm sure others would argue it deserves more time. I think choosing two places to "set up camp" is a wise choice since you're not getting a car.