GALICIA: Road trip through the estuary Ría de Muros e Noia (Muros-Fisterra)
View from the top of Monte Louro, A Coruña
I’m going to tell you about a place that I know very well. It is located in Galicia, in the province of A Coruña and I was lucky enough to start school there as a little kid. Back then, I didn’t really appreciate the beauty of my birthplace even though my dad wouldn’t talk about anything else. Now, if I had to pick a paradise on Earth, I would always choose Galicia -and specially these places I’m about to show you. This route is plan for two days and will take you along the estuary Ría de Muros e Noia -from Muros to Fisterre. You will discover paradisiacal beaches with incredible clear water and smooth white sand, waterfalls, amazing outlooks and even some petroglyphs. If you like nature, photography and you want to disconnect, this is your place.
DAY 1. MUROS, SAN FRANCISCO AND LOURO
Muros
Muros, A Coruña
We start the route in this Galician fishing village that dates back to the 10th century. The plan here is to see the port and walk around the old part of the village. Even as a kid, I was astonished by its narrow streets. If you go to Muros on Tuesday or Friday morning, you will enjoy the town flea market where you can get some of the local products: cheese, bread, natural grown vegetables or fruit, liquor. It is a must to try licor café, a Galician liqueur made of coffee. But be careful, you may have the feeling that you are drinking only coffee and end up totally wasted!
2. San Francisco
San Francisco beach and Monte Louro
Welcome to paradise. In the town of San Francisco you will find the most gorgeous beach you will ever see, San Francisco beach. Its smooth white sand, its clear -and freezing- water, and its incredibly beautiful sight of the Monte Louro will make you feel like you are the luckiest person on the planet.
You can enjoy a walk on the boardwalk or have a drink in one of the terraces with views to the sea. I love this place so much because it is not one of those city beaches that are right next to giant buildings and hotels. It is quite the opposite.
San Francisco beach at night
Monte Louro and San Francisco beach
Monte Louro
What else can I do in San Francisco?
Map of the area of San Francisco, A Coruña.
Espadanal Beach
If you enjoy swimming in crystal water, have a swim in the beach “Praia do Espadanal”. The sand is incredibly smooth and the water is crystal clear and a little bit cold ;)
Me swimming in the Espadanal beach
San Francisco do Rial Monastery and Via Crucis
San Francisco do Rial Monastery
The original building of the monastery was a crematorium built in 1223. Later, a Romanesque chapel was built in the same place and in 1432 it started to function as a monastery. The church has a gothic style. Now, a camping site is located within the area of the monastery.
From here, you can take a hiking route known as “o calvario” -the calvary. It will take you up a mountain following the Stations of the Cross or Via Crucis, a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion. The Stations were built in 1877. This hike will only take you 5-10 minutes to walk to the top. You will enjoy a great view of the town of San Francisco, Monte Louro and the estuary Ría de Muro e Noia.
Views from the top of “O Calvario”
Try the ice cream “Bico de xeado”
Picture taken from the website Bico de Xeado
Enjoy a natural homemade ice cream while sitting on the beach. Bico de xeado is a Galician ice cream company that was created when a farm owner realized that he couldn’t make his living anymore out of selling milk. He decided that, instead of producing milk, he was going to use the milk to make natural creamy ice creams. It was such a success that now the company has ice creams shops all over Galicia. You can enjoy original Galician tastes such as licor café, café de pota, chesnut, hierbabuena (mint) but of course your favourite tastes too. You can find Bico de xeado in one of the stalls at the beach. It’s situated towards the middle of the boardwalk and you’ll recognize it because it’s not the typical looking beach stall. This one is made out of wood.
3. Climb Monte Louro
Monte Louro is a 241 meters high mountain that separates the estuary from the Atlantic Ocean. It is not a difficult hike to the top and totally worth it. The views from the top are breathtaking. Here you can check more about the route.
Me conquering the top of Monte Louro. You can see the “Area Maior” beach, the sand dunes and the lagoon “As Farxas”. I will tell you about this area later on.
4. Petroglyphs “Laxe das Rodas”
Picture taken from Wikiloc
If you like pre-history, you can visit the petroglyphs known as “Laxe das Rodas”. It is a cave painting dating from the Bronze Age. It is formed by two spirals spinning in opposite direction and completely surrounded by little holes. Some authors believe it represents a calendar based on the movement of the sun and moon.
DAY 2. ROAD TRIP TO FISTERRA
How long is the route?
As you can see in the screenshot, the distance from Louro or Muros to Fisterra will only take you about an hour but it depends on how long you want to stay in each location.
PLACES TO SEE ALONG THE ROUTE:
1. Area Maior Beach
View of the sand dunes and Monte Louro
We start day two visiting the area known as Area Maior beach. It is a Natural Park with a unique landscape in the Galician coast. You can enjoy the beach, the Atlantic Ocean, the mountain Monte Louro, the lagoon “As Xarfas” and the sand dunes up to 14 meters high. The lagoon is separated from the ocean by the sand dunes and it houses a variety of fauna and flora unique to the area. The park is often visited by migratory birds -such as herons - that can be observed in any of the two bird hides built for this purpose. In rare occasions, when the tide is really high, the salt water from the sea enters the lagoon. That is an spectacle to see.
The beach here is never crowded due to its size. The area closest to the mountain is destined to practice nudism. Surfers enjoy this beach a great deal due to its crazy waves. I’m not a surfer but I enjoy it too! Be careful though, the tide is not to be trusted.
From left to right: Atlantic ocean, Area Maior beach, sand dunes and “As Xalfas” lagoon.
If you enjoy water sports, you can take water sport classes here in the school Abel Lago Watersports.
2. O Ancoradoiro Beach
O Ancoradoiro beach
If you are still not satisfied with the crazy waves, then come to the beach next doors- O Ancoradoiro beach. Totally wild. High winds. White sand. Great tan. Crazy tide, please be careful!
Surrounded by pine trees, the area has plenty of places for a picnic.
3. Cemetery and granary of Lira
Grave decorated with sea shells
If you are a creep like me who enjoys visiting graveyards and places like that, then you will love the cemetery of Lira. The best part, at least to me, is that the graves are decorated with sea shells and there are no tombstones. This graveyard is not unique, you can find decorations like this in many cemeteries in the Galician coast. However, I point it out for three reasons: it is along the route, the views from the cemetery are really beautiful and finally, it is near the raised granary of Lira which is the second longest granary of Galicia. It measures 36.53 meters long (119 ft) and has 22 legs.
Raised granary of Lira
4. Carnota Beach and raised granary of Carnota
The beach in Carnota is the longest beach in Galicia and -according to many- one of the most beautiful. This half moon shaped beach is 7km (4.3 miles) long. In the village of Carnota you can also visit the third longest granary of Galicia.
5. Ézaro Falls
Views from the outlook in Ézaro
Our next stop takes us to the Ézaro falls which are 40 m high. To see the falls up close you need to take a boardwalk. After that, make sure to go to the outlook. The views from the top are incredible - you can see the waterfall and the river Xallas reaching the ocean and the infamous area of the Galician coast known as “the Death Coast”. I will explain more about this name later in the article. From here, you can even see our last destination - Fisterra.
6. Fisterra or “The end of the World”
Me standing at the end of the world.
“Fisterra” comes from the latin “finis terre” which means “end of the world”. This is the name that Romans picked when they got here. You can easily imagine why. When you reach the lighthouse, the only thing you will be able to see is the endless ocean. This is the place where many pilgrims choose to end their “Camiño de Santiago”.
The lighthouse was built in 1853 and it uses a horn to let ships know they are approaching the coast when it’s foggy. You can also wonder why this area of the Galician coast is called “Costa da Morte” (The Coast of Death). Many ships sank in the area after crashing against the sharp rocks.
If you want to know more information about the history of this place, you can visit the Museum of the Sea placed in the Castle of San Marcos in Fisterra.
Interesting facts:
Would you like to spend the night in a real lighthouse? Now you can do it in the lighthouse of Fisterre which is refurnished as a hotel.
Did you know that the name “Costa da Morte” (The Coast of the Death?) was actually given by English people due to the amount of ship wreckages in this area?
There is a hiking route entitled “Ruta dos Naufraxios” (Ship wreckages hiking route) that takes you along some of the places where a lot of the ships sank.
Where can I eat?
Restaurante O’Caldeirón, San Francisco, Louro. You absolutely need to check this place. It is a gorgeous restaurant right by the beach placed in the building of an old salting plant. The food is delicious, specially the lobster.
Restaurante Enxebre, San Francisco, Louro. If you are really hungry and enjoy eating a lot, then this is your restaurant. Their speciality is the “churrasco” - grilled meat.
Pensión Antonio, San Francisco, Louro. Great place to enjoy tapas or the menu of the day. The meat here is always really good.
Casa Columba, San Francisco, Louro. Good place to eat the menu of the day or tapas.
Cervecería A Caña, San Francisco, Louro. The best tapas here are the calamares (squid), chipirones (baby cuttlefish) and navallas (razor clams).
Cristal Burger, San Francisco Louro. Nice play for burgers, pizzas and bocadillos.
Where can I sleep?
HOSTALS AND HOTELS:
Hostal Solymar, San Francisco, Louro.
Hostal Sahorta, San Francisco, Louro.
Hostal Arli, San Francisco, Louro.
Hostal Restaurante Formoso, San Francisco, Louro.
Pensión Antonio, San Francisco, Louro.
CAMPING SITES:
Camping San Francisco, beautiful and comfortable camping placed within the terrains of the monastery. It is my personal favorite. It has great facilities, a restaurant and a shop.
Camping A Vouga, right by the beach “A Vouga”.
Camping Ancoradoiro, situated between the Area Maior beach and the Lariño beach.
SPECIAL PLACES TO STAY:
If you are looking for a romantic gateway or a unique place to stay, you should check out these places. However, you need to book in advance because they are always full.
Cabañitas del Bosque. Stay at wooden cabins on trees in the nature. You will also have a spa in the terrace!
Nidos de Carnota. Luxury cabins with views to the sea, chimney, kingsize round bed and big bath tube.
Cabañas Fisterra. Very similar to the other cabins.
Casa do Zuleiro. The hotel is located in a small rural village and the building is absolutely gorgeous. Disconnection is guaranteed. However, the prices are quite expensive -we paid 155€ for just one night. We chose a suite with jacuzzi in it. It includes a small bottle of champagne or wine, snacks in the room, and a breakfast buffet.
Hotel o Semaforo de Fisterra. Stay in a real lighthouse!
Is there anything else worth seeing?
The other side of the Estuary has amazing places to see, check my article that follows the route from Noia to Corrubedo.
