© ParadoresEnxebre A Pinta, at the Parador de Baiona
What to order: zamburiñas á grella, pulpo á feira and bakery empanada, to share
geocalia
Day itinerary · 42.22° N · 8.90° W
Mussels on the boat, oysters in the street and dinner on the Baiona wall.
A boat past the mussel rafts as far as Rande with mussels, oysters at the Pescadería, the Museo do Mar and, as evening falls, the Monterreal wall and dinner in Baiona.
Leaving from
Part of Cíes IslandsStarry skies in Spain
Add to my trip
Total time13 h
By car30 min each way
Boat1 h 30, in summer
Museum€5, closed Mondays
DinnerSaturday, at the Parador
DifficultyEasy
PermitNot needed
Best timeLate June – September
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Pontevedra 30 min by car
to the Vigo Maritime Station; paid parking at Ribeira do Berbés
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1
Mussel Rafts in the Ría de Vigo, by Boat to Rande or a Visit to a Raft
Mar de Ons · 1 h 30 to Rande with mussels on board · times and price when booking
+34 986 225 272
- 5 min on foot
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2
Oysters on Rúa da Pescadería and the Climb to Monte O Castro, in Vigo
Arcade oysters opened in the street; you pay the oyster seller, and the drink at the bar
- 15 min by car5 km
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3
Museo do Mar de Galicia, in Alcabre (Vigo)
€5 · ría aquarium and hillfort · in summer, in the afternoon 16:30 to 20:30
- 30 min by car20 km
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4
Monterreal Fortress and the Monte Boi Walk, in Baiona
almost 2 km at the foot of the wall, from A Cuncheira to the Clock Tower
- 10 min on foot
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5
Enxebre A Pinta, at the Parador de Baiona
inside the fortress · on Saturday, dinner 21:00 to 23:00 · booking on 986 355 000
Avenida Arquitecto Jesús Valverde, 3, 36300 Baiona · +34 986 355 000
Restaurant €€€Book -
Back home
in Pontevedra around midnight
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Mussel Rafts in the Ría de Vigo, by Boat to Rande or a Visit to a Raft
If there is no quota for the Cíes, or the sea does not let you out, the Vigo ria makes a whole day with no permit and no ferry to the islands. In the morning, the boat of the mussel rafts; at midday, oysters in the street; in the afternoon, the museum that explains what you have seen, and to finish, Baiona, its wall and dinner inside the fortress.
Before you set off
Book the mussel boat on the Mar de Ons website: in summer it leaves every morning from Vigo and from Cangas, and the time and price show when you choose the day. Do it on a Saturday: the Museo do Mar is closed on Mondays and Enxebre A Pinta, at the Parador de Baiona, serves dinner on Saturdays; in summer it opens every day, but confirm dinner when you book a table. Keep the booking reference if you later go to the Cíes with the same company: you get a discount on the second purchase.
The day, hour by hour
9:30 · Set off. From Pontevedra, half an hour to Vigo harbour; from Santiago, a little over an hour.
10:30 · Boat among the mussel rafts. An hour and a half on the inner ria: the fishing port, A Guía, Cangas and Moaña, the raft fields and the Rande bridge. A guide explains the farming and on board there are mussels with wine, water or soft drinks.
12:30 · Oysters at the Pescadería. Five minutes from the jetty, in the Casco Vello. The oyster sellers open Arcade oysters in front of you and you sit at the tables of the bars along the street.
16:30 · Museo do Mar de Galicia. In Alcabre, in a 1887 cannery. The quayside aquarium recreates the seabeds that run from the museum to the Cíes cliffs, and on the site you can see an Iron Age hill fort.
18:45 · Monterreal promenade. In Baiona, almost 2 km at the foot of the wall, from A Cuncheira beach to the Clock Tower, with the Cíes opposite.
21:00 · Dinner at Enxebre A Pinta. The Parador's informal restaurant, inside the fortress: pulpo á feira, empanada, queen scallops to share.
23:00 · Head home. On the motorway, in Pontevedra around midnight. If you prefer to stay in Vigo, swap Baiona for sunset at the O Castro viewpoint.
Time1 h 30
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
© Paradores
Camping Islas Cíes Restaurant
What to order: pulpo á feira or in caldeirada, and grilled fish from the estuary; for something quick, the self-service
Opens in the campsite's season; no bookings, except groups of more than 20
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Cíes Islands
A summer Saturday, when Mar de Ons's mussel boat leaves every morning and Enxebre A Pinta is open for dinner. It is the plan for a day with no quota for the Cíes or with a rough sea: it does not need the Xunta permit.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1No permit
Neither the mussel-raft boat nor the museum needs the Xunta permit.
- 2Split hours at the museum
It closes at midday and reopens in the afternoon.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
The museum, €5; the boat, the price Mar de Ons shows when you book; the oysters, what the oyster seller charges; dinner, between €35 and €60.
Does it suit children?
Yes: the boat requires no walking and the museum's aquarium keeps them entertained.
Can you do it outside summer?
The mussel boat sails in summer; the rest of the year you are left with the oysters, the museum and, on Saturday, dinner in Baiona.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/cies-islands/itineraries/mussel-rafts-oysters-and-museo-do-mar
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.