Hello. My wife and I are traveling in Portugal and Spain in late september early october. We enjoy outdoor activities, good meals and a drink or two at the end of the day. I was thinking of leaving Porto, then spending 2 nights in Baiona, 1 night A Coruna, and maybe 2 in Oviedo. Any suggestions on this leg of my trip would be welcomed. Thanks
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4964 posts
You have not indicated your means of transport and where you fly home from.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
Are you on your way east to the Basque Country? I ask because Oviedo is not in Galicia. It's a town with several historic churches and certainly worth visiting, but it is far from lively. I'm wondering whether you'll be happy there for two nights. For outdoor activities--though I'm not sure about the time of your trip--the Picos de Europa area might be worth considering. The scenery is very nice, and I loved the old stone town of Potes despite its being rather touristy.
You haven't mentioned Santiago de Compostela, which is the probably the reason most people go to Galicia. It has a very atmospheric historic center, though there are naturally a lot of tourists/pilgrims.
I enjoyed A Coruna a lot and also the nearby town of Betanzos. I do not know Baiona at all.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
I’ll assume you’ll have a rental car. Not reiterating places already mentioned, coming up from Porto you’ll cross into Spain by Tui. It’s a small town with little to see. About 20 minutes west of it at A Guards are the Celtic ruins at Castro de Santa Trega. They are up a hill that affords a great view of the surrounding area. There is a nominal charge for visiting it. Following the coast north to Baiona (33km) you’ll pass Pilgrims walking the Portuguese Camino. The road follows the coast. In Baiona we stayed at the Parador that is inside the Castelo de Monterreal. One can walk along its wall. The town was fun to walk around, but it is small and there are no wow sites.
West of Santiago de Compostela is Muxia. The scenic part of the town is at the coast that is rocky, the lighthouse, and the small Santuario de la Virgen de la Barca chapel. Way up north is Cabo Ortegal. It affords nice views of the area and if you’re lucky the wild horses will be there when you are. From it, heading east, is As Catedrais beach with its arched rock formations. It is best seen at low tide when you can walk along the beach and beneath the rock formations.
Inland you’ll find Lugo at its UNESCO World Heritage site, Roman wall that surrounds the town. It too is fun to walk along. The entire distance around the wall is about 2km.
If you do make it to Oviedo, Asturias and like old churches, just outside of town is the Romanesque Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco and the Pre-Romanic Church of San Miguel de Lillo. In town is the Pre-Romanesque Iglesia de San Julián de los Prados - Santullano.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thanks for your replies. I will have a rental car and will return to Porto for the fight home after spending my last 3 days in the Douro Valley or Guimaraes area.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
If you happen to pass near Puebla de Sanabria on your return to Porto, it has a nice, small castle and very compact historic center. We spent a night there, but it would make a nice 2-3 hour stop. You could cross over into Portugal by it or just down the road near Verín. Puebla de Sanabria Is about halfway between Oviedo and Guimarães.