Things to Do in Galicia, Spain: City Guides

Things to do in Galicia include exploring Atlantic islands, green hills, historic cities and a coastline shaped by fishing and the sea. In Spain’s northwest, Galicia offers a distinctive combination of ocean, rivers, rias, forests and living cultural traditions. Neywo has free audio guides for 3 cities in Galicia, with 178 narrated places in total across 10 walking tours.

What to see and do in Galicia

Explore Galicia’s Atlantic coastline

The Atlantic is the defining presence in Galicia. The region stretches from Portugal in the south to the Cantabrian Sea in the north, with a coastline that includes rias, cliffs, beaches, islands and working ports. Its coastline extends for more than 1,600 kilometres when islands and islets are included.

The Cíes Islands, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada Island form the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. Together, they show the different sides of Galicia’s coastal landscape: open Atlantic scenery, islands, cliffs and protected natural spaces. A Illa de Arousa is the largest and most populated island in Galicia.

See the green inland landscapes

Away from the coast, Galicia becomes hilly. Low mountain ranges lead towards higher mountains in the east, while forests and green hills cover much of the landscape. Rivers run throughout the region, giving Galicia its poetic name: the country of a thousand rivers.

The meeting of rain, rivers, woodland and ocean helps explain why Galicia can feel so different from the Spain many visitors expect. The Atlantic keeps winters notably mild for this latitude, while rain remains a steady part of the region’s character. Along the coast, summers are tempered rather than severe.

Visit Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela gained special importance during the Middle Ages through devotion to the Apostle James. That religious history shaped Galicia’s place in the Christian world and made the city one of the region’s essential destinations.

The Santiago de Compostela audio guide includes 55 narrated places. Its highlights include the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the Monastery of San Francisco do Val de Deus, the Church of Saint Dominic of Bonaval and the Church of Santa María la Real del Sar.

Discover La Coruña and the Tower of Hercules

La Coruña is one of the cities available on Neywo in Galicia, with 74 narrated places. The city’s highlights include the Tower of Hercules, the Monument to Emilia Pardo Bazán, A Coruña, Breogán and Casa del Hombre.

The Tower of Hercules also reflects Galicia’s long relationship with the sea. The region’s coastal identity is not only natural or poetic: ports, fishing and maritime trade remain part of everyday life. La Coruña offers a way to encounter that connection in an urban setting.

Explore Vigo’s maritime character

Vigo is another important place to visit in Galicia, with 49 narrated places on Neywo. The city’s narrated highlights include the Monument to García Barbón, the Monument to Jules Verne, the Monument to Méndez Núñez, Vigo, and the Monument to Curros Enríquez.

Vigo is also home to one of Europe’s leading fishing ports. It handles fish and seafood as well as other cargo, making it a particularly clear example of how the sea supports Galicia’s livelihoods, trade and cuisine.

Learn about Galicia’s ancient history

Human presence in Galicia goes back to the Middle Paleolithic. At Eirós Cave in Triacastela, animal remains and Neanderthal stone objects preserve evidence from that period.

The region later entered the Roman Empire after the Cantabrian Wars and became a Roman province. After Roman power weakened, the Suebi established a kingdom with its capital at Braga before it was absorbed by the Visigoths. Following the Islamic conquest of much of the Iberian Peninsula, Galicia became part of the Christian kingdom of Asturias.

During the Middle Ages, Galicia was sometimes ruled by its own kings. At other times, it was linked to León and later Castile, while retaining its own legal customs and culture. This long history helps explain why Galicia remains culturally distinct within Spain.

Experience Galician language and culture

Galicia has two official languages: Galician, or galego, and Spanish. Both are Romance languages. Galician also has a deep literary tradition, connected to Galician-Portuguese and its rich lyric writing of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Music remains another important expression of identity. Traditional Galician music has distinctive folk styles, with some similarities to those of neighbouring Asturias and Cantabria. Contemporary culture also includes rock, hip-hop, poetry and modern songwriting.

Carnival is known in Galicia as Entroido. Its history is complex: the celebration was once disliked and even forbidden by the Catholic Church. Today, language, literature, music and Entroido all form part of the region’s distinct cultural identity, alongside its demands for recognition and self-government under the Statute of Autonomy.

Taste the food of the Atlantic

Galician cooking begins with the waters around the region. Fish and shellfish are central to the available picture of local food, naturally reflecting a coastline shaped by fishing. The importance of the industry is especially visible in Vigo, whose port handles fish and seafood as well as other cargo.

Here, the sea is more than a backdrop. It is part of the economy, the working life of coastal communities and the food served at the table. Exploring Galicia therefore means encountering the Atlantic not only in its landscapes, but also in its markets, ports and cuisine.

Explore Galicia with Neywo

Neywo offers free audio guides for 3 cities in Galicia, with 178 narrated places in total and 10 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Choose a city and explore its streets independently. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Discover Galicia while walking through Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña and Vigo, and let the route connect the region’s history, culture, monuments and relationship with the Atlantic.