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Sunday

We start our journey in Gijón, historic, commercial, and industrial, where the sea, the gentle hills and the city combine, making it one of the most attractive cities in the north of Spain. Its mild climate invites you to enjoy it all year round. The San Lorenzo beach, the promenade, the marina, its Black Week, its social life and its festive atmosphere invite you to get to know the city. You should take a stroll through the seaside neighbourhood of Cimadevilla and climb the hill of Santa Catalina, where you will see Chillida’s sculpture ‘Elogio del Horizonte’, and from where the Cantabrian coast offers a beautiful panoramic view. Among its many attractions, Gijón has a network of museums and a wide range of cultural activities: International Film Festival, Ibero-American Book Fair, Railway Museum, International Bagpipe Museum, Jovellanos’ Birthplace, Nicanor Piñole Museum, Revillagigedo Palace, the Laboral City of Culture... And if you have not yet succumbed to its charms, it is time to try a hearty fabada (Asturian white bean stew) or other Asturian delicacies such as cachopo (cheese and serrano ham stuffed steak), washed down with a few ‘culines’ (splashes) of Asturian cider poured in the traditional way, or its unbeatable rice pudding. On the way to Galicia, a stop in Avilés to visit the Niemeyer Museum and typical fishing villages such as Candás, Luanco, and Cudillero is well worthwhile, with majestic mansions of Indianos (Spanish emigrants who became rich in Latin America) dotted all over the area!

Monday

Following the coast along the Northern Jacobean route of the Camino de Santiago, we arrive at Ribadeo, a seaside town in Lugo on Galician and Asturian border. At the end of the route, the Parador of Ribadeo, a Galician mansion at the mouth of the river Eo, offers us the necessary rest to visit places of great beauty and several beaches, including the Playa de las Catedrales, one of the most spectacular in the world for its set of cliffs over 32 metres high, sculpted by the wind and the sea, forming arches and vaults, declared a Natural Monument, and the Ría de Ribadeo, included in the Biosphere Reserve of the river Eo, Oscos and Tierras de Burón, a natural inlet of great ecological and environmental importance, and also the setting for all kinds of nautical and sporting activities. We also recommend visiting the Fort of San Damián, Puente Do Santos or the nearby town of Castropol. Here, you can delight your palate with the great creations and products of the north with typical dishes of traditional Galician cuisine such as seafood, empanada, lacón, arroz caldoso (soupy rice) with lobster from the Cantabrian sea, hake on a skewer from Puerto Celeiro or the delicious sirloin of suckling veal with cheese sauce from Cebreiro.

Tuesday

Without leaving the coast, we reach Ferrol, one of the most unknown corners of Galicia. A seafaring, naval and military city, in its emblematic district of La Magdalena, the nerve centre, we will find the town hall and other important modernist buildings, and where the Parador awaits you, a stately mansion with a seafaring air. The hotel is a typical Galician mansion with white-glazed galleries, surrounded by a beautiful maritime environment. A good plan is to stroll around the old seafaring quarter, next to the marina, and stop for some tapas or take a sightseeing boat trip along the estuary. If you like naval history, the Castle of San Felipe, the Fortresses and especially the Arsenal. Built in the 18th century in the spirit of the Enlightenment, it is a complex of hydraulic works and buildings that is unique in Europe, including the Naval Museum, a must-see and very entertaining visit. We recommend a stroll through the streets of the Canido neighbourhood, which has become an international centre for street art thanks to the initiative of painting meninas on the façades of buildings, with a festival that has been held since 2008 on the first weekend in September. Just over twenty minutes away by car, in the municipality of Mugardos, you can visit another beautiful military fortress in the Ferrol estuary, La Palma Castle. Make the most of the opportunity to try its famous and unique Mugardos-style octopus. The region is also rich in natural elements, with numerous beaches open to the Atlantic Ocean, spectacular headlands and natural viewpoints, and natural parks such as Fragas do Eume. Other nearby towns worth a visit are Cedeira, Ortigueira and Cariño to the north and Pontedeume and Betanzos to the south. A visit to the city of A Coruña is also a must.

Wednesday and Thursday

Baiona awaits us on our way to the Atlantic coast. Of Roman origin, in 1493, the caravel La Pinta arrived in its port, becoming the first town in Europe to have news of the discovery of America. An event that has given rise to a multitudinous period festival that is celebrated annually at the beginning of March. In this beautiful coastal town in the south of the Rías Baixas, there is much to visit, such as the Church of Santa María, the iconic fortress of Monterreal where the Parador is located, the Trinity cross, a splendid old town, its pazos (manor houses) and emblazoned mansions or its promenade with a marina of great importance. The surroundings of the town also offer numerous places of great beauty where you can enjoy dreamy sunsets such as Monte de A Groba, from where the Rías Baixas look like a sober and colourful watercolour, the cape of Sillero or the nearby Cíes Islands, which invite you to visit their cliffs, beaches and dunes, their seabed and their virgin paths. And supposing that at this stage of the trip you have not yet succumbed to the charms of crustaceans, bivalves and cephalopods, it is time to enjoy good seafood paired with one of the best whites in the world. And if you’re looking for atmosphere on summer nights, this is an ideal destination, where you can enjoy the terraces facing the sea and the many busy bars and restaurants.