Rias Baixas Tour and Galicia coastline (5 days)
An introduction to the shore wines of Galicia
Galicia, Albariño homeland
Rías Baixas is a peculiar land in the north-western corner of Spain that is home to an exceptional shore wine: the Albariño. The Albariño is as fresh and sometimes as verdant as the land of Galicia that has gushing rivers and a coastline more reminiscent of Scotland than Spain. The most singular trait of the coast of Galicia is the presence of the estuaries, that enter the continent and create a broken-up coastline.
This 5-day journey starts in Santiago de Compostela. Santiago is the end of the important Pilgrimage Way of St. James, where pilgrims gather after crossing half the country on a fabulous walk. It leads us to the best places of Rías Baixas. This region of Galicia boasts many places to hail: monasteries, pazos, fortresses, romanic, gothic and baroque churches.
Catoira hosts the Romería Vikinga, held on the first Sunday in August. This place is now remembered and celebrated with a festival declared of International Tourist Interest. On the second Sunday in July, the festivities of Saint Anthony of Padua celebrate the famous Gastronomical feast 'da Solla'.
Off to the southern coast of Galicia, Cambados is the place to be when craving for a visit in Albariño top cellars. Interestingly, the albariño was officially registered by the Pazo de Ferfiñanes for the first time in 1928. And then, venturing further inland, we have a chance to better understand some somptuous Pazos, like in Sisán or Baión, which history intertwines closely with the role of prominent trade developers or families who have successfully established themselves over the past centuries, most of the time through business alliances.
Northern, green Spain tour
Day 1: Santiago de Compostela
Arrival and welcome at Santiago Airport
Visit the historical town of Santiago, meander in the narrow cobblestone streets
Afternoon in Santiago, plaza del Obradoiro
Dinner and Accommodation in Santiago
Day 2: Santiago de Compostela – Catoira – Sisán
Visit Catoira
Transfer to Sisán
Wine tasting session and dinner
Accommodation in a renovated Pazo
Day 3: Sisán – Cambados – Sisán
Visit Cambados
Albariño wine in an historic Pazo, where the owner or winemaker will greet us
Free time in Cambados
Dinner in an historical Pazo. A family member will greet us with a tasting session
Accommodation in Sisán
Day 4: Sisán – Combarro – O Grove – La Toja – Sisán
Visit Combarro, a lovely fishing village with traditional horreos
Transfer to O Grove and Isla La Toja, resorts which had a more glorious past
Weather permitting, we embark onto a seafood harvesting, mussels and clams.
Dinner and accommodation in Sisán
Day 5: Sisán – Vilanova de Arousa – Iria Flavia – Santiago de Compostela
Vilanova de Arousa: visit Pazo Baión which hosts a cellar with a peculiar history
En route to Santiago, stopover in Iria Flavia, an ancient Celtiberian port
and native town of the Spanish Nobel Prize Camilo José Cela
Hail and farewell at the Santiago airport or elsewhere agreed
End of our services
We have handpicked a few classy, sometimes renovated hotels in ancient buildings, with incredible style.
In Santiago de Compostela: a boutique hotel in the old town
from 1430 € per person
Price inclusive:
- Mainland transportation to all places
- English-speaking local guide
- Welcome drink with tapas
- Deluxe private bus for all transfers
- Entry fees to wineries and performance as per the itinerary
- 4 dinners as per the itinerary, all accompanied with half a bottle of selected Spanish wine
- Between 3-5 wines for each tasting session
- All the scheduled meals of a half board program
- Accommodation in shared room
- Full buffet breakfast daily
- All local taxes and tips
NOT included in the price:
- Flights to/from the pick-up or drop-off places
- Transfers from/to the airport for participants arriving out of schedule
- Tips and gratuities to the guide / tour director
- Meals, services not specified as per itinerary
- Personal expenses, such as laundry, telecommunications, mini bar
- Wellness treatment & Spa sessions
- Travel insurance
- Lodging before or after the trip >Single room supplement: 162 € for the tour.
All prices advertized or quoted are expressed in euro (€) and are per person, based on shared room.
The advertized price on the webpage is only indicative. It is calculated on an average party size (5-6 pers), qualitative hotels out of peak season, and no extras.
It takes a bit of customization to include the holidays request and nature of the group before coming up with a tour proposal that meets your interests and expectations. The price quoted to you can be adjusted upwards to reflect possible increases in transportation costs (including fuel), government taxes (including VAT). On any specific tour, a constituted group of 5 travelers (or more) means a different quote per person than a tour with 2 travelers, as we've elaborated the tour package on an average group size of 6 (guided) and 4 (self-drive).
The information you provide us through the Get a Quote or Booking Form is important for us as it contains useful elements such as period of the year, accommodation type, group or party size, if all participants will share room or not. These points are essential to us to complete the quote in line with your budget. When we are asked to adjust itinerary or arrange tours in special periods of the year, prices can go slightly down or up, we try to moderate the price fluctuation by entering into agreements with our service providers. The accommodation availability is the main factor that can affect the advertized price of the original program.
We ask for clarity in order to streamline the communication: your group should be represented by one spokesperson. This one-to-one dialogue has many advantages over a one-to-many communication. Communication is more direct, misunderstandings are easily avoided.
Check here the easy steps of the booking process.
- Albariño grape and wines
- Walk in the vineyards
- Traditional and innovative vintners
- A rich heritage of ancient monasteries
- Picturesque fishing villages
- Exquisite fish and seafood
- The route of the camellia
- Sunsets on wine bar terraces, when the weather is not too capricious
The world of wine is a vast one and investing time in it, at your own pace, is a hugely rewarding journey. My interest in wine started like an affair with tiny thin bubbles, with the likes of Champagne and Cava. It meant the world to me.
And this was only the beginning of further deepening and reading on all wine related topics.
Swirling the glass ostentatiously and trying to talk in expert like jargon was not mush for me, so I've learned directly from the producers around me in the first place. I like to go off the beaten path, keeping away from the snobby style.
I've grabbed the wine culture in serenpidity, going for entertaining learning through the people behind winemaking. There a lots of accidental occurences that proved best learning experiences ever. I will push all of you for a stroll in the vineyards as the natural initiation to wines.
I like to see myself as an insider when it comes to Spain and Portugal, as I feel very close to the many wine regions, wineries and some exceptional people. I will enthusiastically lead your group on more than 15 different destinations.
Client Testimonials
5 days - Rias Baixas Tour and Galicia coastline
from €1.430 pp
Places of interest
- Santiago de Compostela: a millenary Celtic culture
- Cambados or the celebration of Albariño
- Catoira: a Viking enthusiasts destination
- Sisán
- Iria Flavia, a Celtiberian port