Noia · Muros · Ézaro · Fisterra · Muxía

Noia lies just over 35 kilometres from Santiago de Compostela. Its historic centre is one of its main draws, concentrating centuries of maritime trade and religious heritage.

San Martiño church is a fine example of so-called marine Gothic (15th-16th centuries) with a single nave, buttresses, and a seven-sided apse. Santa María A Nova combines Gothic architecture with traces of the earlier Romanesque building and guards the largest collection of medieval guild headstones in Galicia. The Franciscan convent completes the trio with a blend of Gothic and Renaissance features.

The beautiful town of Muros is a quiet stop with the official designation of Historic-Artistic Site.

Founded in the 10th century, Muros grew thanks to fishing, shellfish gathering, and sardine salting. At its peak in the 19th century it counted more than thirty salting factories.

Few coastal towns preserve their seafaring character so well. Stone houses hide old wells where fish was salted, cobbled arcades now host lively cafés, and alleys remain narrow to shelter from Atlantic winds. Nearby you will find the Franciscan convent, Romanesque churches, and plenty of maritime charm.

Do not miss the tide mill, built in the early 19th century and restored in the 1990s. It is one of the largest tide mills in Spain, combining ethnographic, artistic, and industrial value.

Beaches, dunes, wetlands, the Lobeiras islets, and the marine reserve stretching towards Monte Pindo compose one of Galicia’s most varied coastal landscapes.

Carnota’s hórreo, the town’s emblem, was declared a National Monument. At 34.76 metres long, it is one of the largest granaries in Galicia and dates back to 1768, later extended with eleven additional pairs of pillars.

Carnota beach is considered the longest in Galicia, a seven-kilometre sandbar flanked by dunes and tidal flats packed with biodiversity.

The mouth of the Xallas River, the slopes of Monte Pindo, the calm Ézaro inlet, and sunsets framing Cape Fisterra create an unforgettable viewpoint carved into the rock.

The ascent is steep, yet the reward is a sweeping panorama of the Atlantic, Monte Pindo plunging into the sea, the Lobeiras islets, and Cape Fisterra on the horizon.

The Ézaro waterfall is the only one in continental Europe where a river falls directly into the ocean. When the dam gates open, the torrent cascades more than 100 metres beside the hydroelectric museum.

For centuries this headland was believed to be the end of the known world.

The promontory rises from the reefs of O Petonciño and A Centola to Monte do Facho (242 m), where the ancient Ara Solis altar is said to have stood. Pilgrims extend the Camino de Santiago to this point, traditionally burning their clothes on the shore.

Legends describe the sun sinking into the ocean and warriors sailing west on stone boats to the afterlife. The union of rock, sea, and spirituality still defines the Costa da Morte.

When the Romans arrived, they witnessed the astonishing sunset for the first time and found the Celtic altar to the sun. Today a square in town still bears the name Ara Solis.

Built in 1853 at 138 metres above sea level, the Fisterra lighthouse guides one of the busiest Atlantic shipping lanes and remains one of Europe’s most visited lighthouses.

Standing here feels like reaching the very end of the Camino. Take a moment before starting the journey back.

Muxía is one of the most visited towns on the Costa da Morte, ending one of the Camino de Santiago variants.

Local lore tells how the Virgin reached the headland in a stone boat to encourage Saint James. The remains are the Pedra de Abalar (the hull), the Pedra dos Cadrís (the sail), and the Pedra do Timón, later joined by Pedra dos Namorados and the Pedra da Cabeza. Many visitors attribute healing and divinatory powers to them.

The Santuario da Virxe da Barca was built in 1719, later remodelled, and features twin towers added in 1958. Inside rest the counts of Maceda, benefactors of the works, along with several Baroque altarpieces.