Let’s go on a road trip to discover what lies beyond big cities. We would like to suggest several routes so you can hire a car and go exploring.

The Galician district of Salnés, in the province of Pontevedra, has the honour of being the cradle of one of Spain’s supreme varieties of white wine – albariño. Made from the grape variety of the same name, these wines are young, fresh and fruity, with the right touch of acidity, making for a delightful experience on the palate and pairing to perfection with one of the region’s main products – seafood. Apart from the wines, touring this grape-growing region is packed with enticements as the land is redolent with spectacular scenery, dominated by the presence of the Arousa estuary and its typical country homes, known as pazos, as well as its hórreos (granaries raised on stilts), its cuisine and, needless to say, the affable character of its people.

You are bound to have a host of experiences in the numerous wine cellars you will encounter on your way. The Pazo de Rubianes is the most spectacular example by far. Designated a “Garden of International Excellence”, and with a history going back 600 years, this priceless country manor is surrounded by gardens likely to enchant any nature lover. For its part, the magnificent example of 16th-century Galician stately home that is the Pazo de Señoráns will take you back in time. In the town of Sanxenxo stands the Adega Eidos, built in a far more modern style than the preceding ones as its facilities date from 2003. It affords some excellent views of the Pontevedra estuary. Also built in more contemporary style is Paco & Lola Wine Cellar and Vineyards, founded in 2005, with over 22 hectares given over to vineyards and wines increasingly more in vogue.

And, in between moving from one wine cellar to the next, we recommend stopping off at the Cambados Wine Museum where you can learn about the history, art, geography, grass-roots culture and all viniviticultural aspects of the Rías Baixas DO.

A Pause Along the Way
Man does not live by wine alone and at some point you will need to refuel, so your best option is to do so in the typical ambience of a local pazo. One such manor that is well worth visiting is the Pazo Carrasqueira, a fine example of typical Galician architecture. Built in the 18th century, it has now been turned into a nine-room hotel, with its own albariño cellar of course. Another interesting option is Lagar de Costa, a family winery with lodgings that offer a tour of their vineyards and the island of A Toxa.

The Festa do Albariño in Cambados
Each summer the heartland of albariño wine production is given over to the Festa do Albariño in Cambados.Designated a Tourist Interest Site in 1990, this is the crowning event related to albariño wine-making. What started out in 1953 as a contest between wine producers, promoted by Bernardino Quintanilla Álvarez and Ernesto Zarate, is currently a full-blown festival, with concerts and all kinds of activities suited to all audiences. This year the festival takes place from 2 to 6 August and provides the ideal excuse for tasting the great local albariños in an incomparable setting and ambience, a great final fling after a route through this spectacular wine-growing region.

Book your Vueling to Santiago de Compostela, less than an hour away from Cambados, and gear up to tour this viticultural region dotted with pazos and homesteads full of charm and great wines.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

If you're still undecided about where to go this summer, we're about to make it easy for you. We have prepared a few ideas, both popular and less well known, that will get people talking this year.

Christmas means decoration, gifts, ornaments, rituals, celebrations and much more. But, it is also a season when we probably have some extra leisure time. If you use it this year to visit A Coruña, you can get involved in a number of activities scheduled up to the moment the Three Wise Men arrive. Here, then, are our Christmas tips, and an introduction to two restaurants with Michelin stars not far from the city.

Atlantic Christmas

The María Pita Christmas Village opens to the public in early December and offers children’s activities, magic, games, music and gifts. Toddlers and infants will have a whale of a time here with the plethora of activities tailored to their needs. Children, the main focus of Christmas cheer, will be treated to a new edition of Nadaliño, a show featuring games and educational activities hosted in Palexco.

The A Coruña Science Museums have also scheduled a special programme for the season which entails learning while having fun. As ever, the festivities come to a close with the Grand Cavalcade of the Kings (Three Wise Men), a parade through the city’s streets, full of surprises, on the magical night of 5 January.

But, not everything has been devised for children. We adults can also enjoy these festivities. So, if you’re coming to A Coruña, be aware that there are numerous concerts on offer, as well as the premiere of several musicals and an Afro-American Gospel Music Festival.

Lastly, in the afternoon of the 31st, the customary San Silvestre Coruñesa race starts in the Plaza de María Pita and finishes at the Obelisco, for those who want to see the old year out in good shape and shed some of the calories acquired during the long holiday week.

Gastro-Visit

While you’re here, we recommend a getaway to two restaurants in the area with a Michelin star:

As Garzas
O Porto de Barizo, Barizo, 15113 Malpica de Bergantiños, A Coruña
Chef: Fernando Agrasar

Located in the heart of the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), opposite the Sisargas islands, the restaurant is housed in the hotel of the same name, a building with large windows that seem to lean out over the cliff edge. The dining-room is a relaxing, modern space with a formidable fireplace and just eleven tables set around it. The cuisine at As Garzas bears a sea flavour – that of the Atlantic in pristine state. Their chef, Fernando Agrasar, asserts that the cuisine is not avant-garde but creative. Sans impositions or any pointless elaborateness.

Key to the menu is the Galician fish and seafood, crafted into veritable pleasure bites. While liable to seasonal variation, grouper and  sea bass always take pride of place. The rices, too, especially their lobster rice. Apart from an impressive seasonal menu, As Garzas also offers a carefully curated menu for “those reluctant to make a choice”. There are 12 to 14 dishes in all (bearing in mind that two of them are desserts), which vary in terms of the season and market, with innovation as the restaurant’s hallmark.

Retiro da Costiña
Av. de Santiago, 12. 15840 Santa Comba, A Coruña
Chef: Manuel Costiña

Set in a stately manor halfway between Santiago de Compostela and the Costa da Morte, each area in the Retiro is meticulously designed for enjoying each occasion. For appetizers, a wine cellar with a star-studded ceiling, while lunch and dinner are hosted in a spacious, stone-walled dining-room. And, for after-dinner, an elegant salon with a fireplace.

Retiro offers market cuisine with the most appetising dishes in season. No kidding – Galicia rules! So, it requires no effort to find such marvels as razor clams from Fisterra, grouper from Aguiño, hake from O Celeiro or oysters from O Freixo. Aside from the delicious menu, Manuel offers two tasting menus, one of which is carefully paired by the sommelier. And, there’s more – the wine cellar! In addition to a striking wine list, they have another featuring liqueurs, each with over 800 items. Enological gems such as 40- or 50-year-old Macallan whisky.

There you have it – what’s in store for you if you visit A Coruña over Christmas. Check out our flights here.

Text by Turismo de A Coruña

Images by Turismo de A Coruña, Retiro, As Garzas