Northern Portugal and Galicia, Spain (Vianna do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, A Guarda, Combarro, Villagarcia de Arousa, Cambados, Sanxeixo, Porto Novo, O Grove, Pontevedra & Tui) - no, not another road trip...
Well, for our wedding anniversary, we decided to go on a quick road trip to Northern Portugal and Galicia, in Northern Spain. Our first stop is Vianna do Castelo, a beautiful place in the north of Portugal, we wander around the historical town and have a very nice lunch with wine for 3.50 euros each, only in Portugal! After lunch, we go up to see the beautiful church Santa Luzia and check out the amazing views of the town and the Atlantic Ocean. We drive all the way to the nice town of A Guarda, already in Galicia. Then we progress to the amazing town of Combarro in Pontevedra, where we check in at the nice Xeito Hotel. The hotel is on the highway but the double glazing makes it very quiet and the location is perfect, 100 metres from the historical town.
As we have been to Galicia before and seen the bigger towns such as Santiago de Compostela, Vigo and La Coruna, this time we concentrate on the smaller towns and villages and of course, the seafood and the wine. We also have been reading about the Rias,Baixas (sea inlets), another great reason to visit the region.
After a lovely local breakfast of cafe con leche and tostadas con tomate y aceite (toast with blitzed tomatoes and olive oil) we jump back in the car and start to explore the place. We begin with Vilagarcia de Arousa, a nice, seaside town with a lot of seafood but not a lot to see. Next stop, the beautiful town of Cambados, with amazing plazas and an incredible historical town. Then we mogo to the very nice seaside towns of Sanxeixo and Porto Novo, where we try the local seafood (Pulpo a feira and Choclos fritos) and some fabulous local beer. We then visit the towns of O Grove and Pontevedra with their gorgeous churches and ruins, also part of the Camino de Santiago.
We finish the day visiting the absolutely amazing old town Combarro. Combarro is the place our hotel was and we had beautiful views of the Ria (estuary) of Pontevedra from our window, just gorgeous. Just 100 metres away from our hotel is the historical town of Combarro, definitely our favourite town in this region. Just take a stroll down its historic, granite paved streets, dating bak to the 1700's, and you can appreciate traditional Galician houses. Walk down the monumental Rua do Mar, bustling with dozens of places open for business, and you are invited to try the local seafood and several tipes of local wine and liquor. Definitely, you should not miss Combarro!
Next morning, we start to make our way back home to Portugal and our first stop on the way back is the very picturesque Tui, on the border of Spain and Portugal and set on the Minho River. We had high expectations and Tui does not disappoint. Also part of the Camino de Santiago, Tui has an historical town dating back to the XV and XVI centuries and has incredible architecture, all built in stone, including churches, covents, Jewish and Moorish landmarks and cobbled streets as well as amazing river views. Recommended!
On our way back home, we stop at the lovely town of Ponte de Lima, in the North of Portugal. As usual, the North of Portugal doesn't disappoint, and we just fall in love with Ponte de Lima immediately, with its medieval bridge, beautiful architecture, romantic squares and fountains and beautiful paths following the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. After visiting Ponte the Lima,, we make our way to amazing Porto, where we do a bit of shopping and have lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Pedro dos Frangos. Now it's time to head home, till the next trip, take care!
