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Ribiera is Galicia's main fishing port and is economically important, not just to Galicia but, to the whole of Spain. Sited in the lower bays, this ancient town lands huge quantities of fish and sea food and also acts as the sales room for many of the regions smaller port towns.

General information about Ribeira

Ribeira is a genuine working fishing town with a large port capable of taking deep sea fishing vessels. The town, whilst not exactly a picturesque piece of Galician urbanisation, is popular with holiday makers and gives a true view of Galicia's ancestory and seafaring history. The town is always busy and is the best spot in Galicia to get freshly caught and cooked seafood. Sardines are a local speciality.

What to see in the town of Ribeira

Tip 1. Ribeira's main appeal is that of a working fishing port. There is a large key and it has a busy market with constant deliveries of fish. The town is certainly not from a picture postcard, but it still gets a large number of holiday visitors.

Tip 2. The small towns and villages of the greater Ribeira area are worth a look. There are several of them and they are all located on the coast. This stretch of the rias baixas also has some of Galicia's best beaches, many hidden away in small coves and bays.

Tip 3. For anyone who likes fish, a plate of the local favourite, sardines, at one of the harbour side bars is a must. Ribeira has a big sardine festival in the summer and is reputed to serve the best (and certainly the most recently caught) sardines in Galicia.

Tip 4. Located only a few kilometres from Ribeira and also on the sea front is a large sand dune with a visitor centre and large beach. Called the Complexo Dunar de Corrubedo e Lagoas de Carregal e Vixan, this dune is a natural phenomenon and attracts a lot of visitors, especially if the weather is good.

Tip 5. Ribeira has a number of festivals and nearly all are connected with fishing or the sea. If you are fortunate enough to see one, you will gain an insight into the history and traditions of the town.

Where is Ribeira and how do you reach it

The closest major city to Ribeira is probably Santiago de Compostela. Reaching Ribeira from Santiago by the scenic route can take a couple of hours, but the views are good and much of the route is coastal. Taking the main highways is much quicker.

Ribeira is one of a large number of towns that holiday visitors to Galicia are likely to call in at and explore. Ribeira is not the best place from which to base a holiday, but it is an ideal stop to build into a day out driving down the sea front. Parking can be difficult in the old town.

Ribeira's fiestas and our verdict

There is no shortage of festivals in the Ribeira vicinity, it is a big town and the main festival season commences in late Spring. Below is a summary of Ribeira's most significant and well known fiesta events.

• The fiesta of the "Virgin de A Guia" takes place in May and is held in the district of "Pelayo de Carreira".
• July sees the fiesta of "Dorna"
• In August there is a big flower festival which features floral carpets and is centered near "Santa Uxia de Ribeira". This festival is apparently very spectacular and attracts many visitors from the vicinity.
• In September Ribeira has the feast of "Santa Uxia" and the festival season ends for another year.

What else is close to Ribeira

If you want a really massive beach, then near by Corrubedo bay with its mile long sand dune, life guard posts and visitors center should be the ticket.

If you are looking for artefacts or ancient ruins, then a short journey will take you to the "Oleiros" where you can look at a collection of overlapping stones that date back to the time of pre-history - or so the story goes.

A further short drive down the main highway (C550), will lead you to "Porto do Son", where you can see the ancient Celtic ruins of Castro de Barona.
Above right, the ruins at the ancient Celtic settlement of "Castro de Barona", a short drive from Ribeira.

Our verdict on Ribeira

To be honest Ribeira is not a major haven for tourists, it is a real fishing port and its attraction to the vacationer interested in Galicia should be in seeing just that. If you want to see "living history", then visit Ribeira, if you do not, then give it a miss.

We personally liked Ribeira and for me it evoked memories of the former fishing port of Hull in the UK which I had visited as a child.

The other thing that really impressed us was the multitude of attractive and extremely well serviced beaches that are scattered around the localities close to Ribeira.

So in summary, if you want a glimpse of Galicia's sea fairing and economic heritage followed by a spell on an attractive beach, albeit with pretty cool sea, Ribeira won't disappoint.

The port town of Ribeira is positioned at the very end of the Barbanza peninsula on the northern lip of the ria de Arousa (bay of Arousa) and is regarded as one of Galicia's oldest and most important seaport towns.

Approaching Ribeira from any direction takes you down from the hills that surround the town to a bay which is almost crescent shaped and features a large port. If you enter Ribeira by car there is plenty of parking available to the right of, and beyond, its large commercial dock. There is also a tourist office quite close to the dock from which you can get a town map and other visitor information leaflets.

Ribeira has much to offer the visitor. You can soak up the atmosphere of a traditional Galician fishing town and visit one of the most active fish markets in the whole of Spain. Even in the late morning crates of fish and buckets of crustaceans still arrive from the latest catch.

Ribeira - Gastronomy:

If you like sardines, then this is the place to eat them. Ribeira has a reputation for sardines and a festival that celebrates them. Even as you walk along the streets that line the harbour you are constantly aware of the smell of cooking sardines as it wafts around in the air, as there is no shortage of small bars constantly grilling them.

Ribeira - Sight-seeing:

The greater part of Ribeira towns sea front is dominated by its large port, but as you step back in to the town itself, you will find a busy and bustling hive of activity with plenty of shops and the occasional interesting building. Ribeira does have some Galician mansion houses and some old churches, but it is more the atmosphere of the place that will determine whether you like it or not.

One other thing that is worth doing at Ribeira is going to the top of mount Castro. It is more a hill than a mountain, but affords spectacular views in every direction of the bay's mouth and Galicia's Atlantic coastline.

Ribadeo is an attractive town with a castle and many colonial style buildings. It is also an early stop on one of the Caminos, or pilgrim routes. It is over 100km from the city of Lugo.

Ribeira - Our holiday accommodation and service:

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So, if you're looking for an activity holiday walking, cycling and trekking or climbing in Northern Green Spain's mountains and countryside; exploring La Coruna's fascinating Galician villages, rural towns and historic cities such as Santiago de Compostela; following the historic pilgrims' routes; enjoy bird watching, nature, fancy a spot of surfing, swimming, sunbathing or relaxing on great beaches; sampling fabulous Galician seafood or you just want to simply escape the tourism masses with a privately owned apartment, cottage or villa with a pool, call our holiday team today. We can also assist you with flights to La Coruna and Galicia, ferry travel and holiday car hire.

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