Rías Altas: Viveiro, Mondoñedo and Galicia's North Coast

The Rías Altas of Lugo province are the wildest and least known stretch of Atlantic coast in all of Galicia. While the Rías Baixas (Vigo, Pontevedra) concentrate the tourism and the Rías Medias (A Coruña, Ferrol) are more built up, the Lugo Rías Altas — Ribadeo, Foz, Viveiro, O Barqueiro — retain an authenticity and beauty recalling the Galicia of decades ago. The cliffs are higher, the beaches rougher, the villages smaller, and the sense of standing in a forgotten corner of the Atlantic far more intense.

Viveiro is the capital of the Lugo Mariña and one of the most charming towns on the whole Galician coast. Its old quarter, ringed by medieval walls with three original gates — the Porta de Carlos V being the most monumental — keeps cobbled streets, crested mansions and the Romanesque church of Santa María del Campo. The ría of Viveiro is among the loveliest in Galicia, with calm water, fine-sand beaches and subtropical vegetation that includes giant eucalyptus and century-old camellias.

Mondoñedo, inland barely 30 km from the coast, was capital of the old Kingdom of Galicia and preserves monumental heritage out of all proportion to its size: the cathedral, one of Galicia's four, with a 14th-century Gothic rose window and medieval frescoes; the Seminary, a monumental neoclassical building; and the Fonte Vella, a medieval fountain bearing the royal arms. The Muíños de Mondoñedo (watermills) and the annual medieval fair round out a visit that reveals a deep, barely touristed Galicia.

The coast road between Viveiro and O Barqueiro (LU-862) is one of the finest on the Galician seaboard: it winds between cliffs, hidden coves, beaches reachable only on foot, and small fishing villages where gamelas — traditional wooden boats — rock in the harbours. O Barqueiro, at the end of the route, is a picture-postcard fishing hamlet with houses stepped above the ría and an atmosphere that has not substantially changed in decades.

Practical notes: the Galician coast sees frequent rain, even in summer, though less than inland. Wet-weather gear is essential. The coast roads are good but relentlessly curving. Fuel in Viveiro, Mondoñedo and Foz. For food, Galician seafood is the best in the world: percebes, velvet crabs, spider crabs, clams a la marinera. In Viveiro, Restaurante Nito is a benchmark. To drink, an Albariño or a Godello from the Ribeira Sacra.