Hello,
We will be in SDC in November for 4 nights. We would love to explore the Galicia region as well as SDC. How is the best way to do this...hire a guide -recommendations?, rent a car?, bus? Where would you recommend we visit? We don't want to cram too much into day trips so suggestions on places to combine into each day is appreciated. This is our first visit to Galicia. We will be coming from Porto. Thank you.
Posted by
Washington DC
28081 posts
There's actually a good bit of rail service within Galicia, so that's an option you can add to your list. I didn't rent a car there or take a tour, so I don't know how much either would expand your list of potential destinations.
I liked A Coruna (train, as little as 37 min.), Pontevedra (train, as little as 28 min.), Betanzos (I took bus from A Coruna) and the small coastal towns/villages of Cambados and Combarra (bus). The little inland border town of Tui has an atmospheric historic center.
I do not recommend Vigo. It's dull in comparison to the other options.
Note that the train station in Santiago de Compostela is some distance from the historic center. I think I recall some steps along the way. You might like to keep that in mind when planning multiple day trips.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
Some places not mentioned by acraven that we enjoyed are Muxía, Lugo, and Baiona. Somewhat close to Baiona are the Castro Santa Trega ruins at A Guarda. A lot depends on how you decide to travel. I almost always have a rental car.
The SDC train station is one mile downhill from the cathedral.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
Twice, when I was in Santiago after my Camino was finished, I took a day long bus tour that went to Muxia and Finessterra. It cost about 49€ and was well worth it. We saw so much! I am not fond of bus tours, but this one was really good. Seeing the coast, plus a huge waterfall, women making lace, fishing villages, old Celtic ruins and learning of the history of this area was fantastic.
You could also take a bus to some of the near-by pilgrim towns, like Padron, O Pedrouzo, Portomarin, or Melide.
Posted by
OP
37 posts
Thank you for these tips! How are the roads/driving/traffic if we rented a car? We had thought about renting a car for our time in Portugal but after exploring options it seems local tour guides are very popular there so we set up private transport/guide combinations for that time. I wondered if Galicia is similar in that private guides from the area are as common or is it easy enough to explore by car/train etc?We are open to exploring by car if parking, navigation etc are not too crazy. Thanks again!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
The roads are fine and in good repair. Once outside of the cities traffic is light. Drive at or below the posted speed limit to avoid getting caught by speed cameras. My last ticket in Spain was outside of Melide (mentioned by Ms. Jo). I accelerated too soon when leaving town and got the ticket for going 3mph over the limit.
Parking varies by town. In smaller towns it’s fairly easy to find a spot. Most historic centers are pedestrian only. I’ve gotten into the habit of looking up parking lots beforehand and bookmarking them in Google maps. There are free parking lots in almost every town but you may walk a little further than if parking in a pay lot. I use Google maps for navigating and it works well for getting in to and out off towns. The roads themselves are fairly well marked. As long as you have an idea of where you’re headed and the towns you’ll pass through, you should have no problem.
If you do decide to rent a car ensure each driver has an IDP before going over. You get them from AAA for $20 and two passport photos. You can fill out the form online and print it out to save time at AAA.