Some of you have asked us about going to a neighboring beach or doing a short excursion in the weekend, so we suggest you two short trips to do on your own.
The first trip is to A Coruña, which is 60 km far from Santiago. It has nice urban beach, some nice arquitecture around the harbour, and a lighthouse dating from the Roman Empire. You can do a half-day excursion (beach or sightseeing) or a whole day excursion (both). To go there:
- Take a train to Coruña (schedule, directions to railway station). The round trip is around 10 €, trip lasts 40 mins, and train frequency is about 40 mins.
- Once there go to the bus station (5 mins walk) and take the bus in the bus stop outside the bus station. (Urban buses are red, you’re taking the wrong bus if it is not red!)
- Bus number 1 (your stop is “Plaza de Maria Pita”) takes you to the city center. Bus number 4 (your stop is “Plaza de Pontevedra”) takes you to the beach.
The second trip is to Cies Islands, which are close to Vigo which is 100 km far from Santiago. The islands are a natural park and have really nice beaches. The boat to the island takes around an hour so it’s only worthy if you do a whole day excursion. To go there:
- Take a train to Vigo (schedule, directions to railway station). The round trip is around 15 €, trip lasts an hour and a half, and train frequency is about 40 mins.
- Once there go to the maritime station at the harbour (“Estación Marítima”) (20 mins walk).
- Boat trip takes around an hour (tourism office website with the different boat companies info). Do not forget to check when is the last boat to get back to Vigo!
For more info or other trips, check at the Tourism Office in Santiago.
