# Combarro and Pontevedra

The hórreos of Combarro over the estuary, the Poio monastery, Tambo island and Pontevedra's pedestrian old town, an hour from Santiago.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/combarro-and-pontevedra · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Combarro and Pontevedra are a quarter of an hour apart, on the Pontevedra estuary, and are best seen together in a day. Combarro is the granite fishing village with its hórreos (raised granaries) right at the water's edge; Pontevedra is the city that closed its old town to cars and is toured on foot from square to square. Between the two, in Poio, are the monastery of San Xoán, Tambo island off the coast and a river with 23 mills.

## How do I get there from Santiago, Ourense or A Coruña?

By car, on the AP-9 to Pontevedra and then the PO-308, the coast road towards Sanxenxo, which passes through Poio and Combarro. From Santiago it is a good hour; from Ourense, an hour and a half on the AP-52 and AP-9; from A Coruña, a little over an hour and a half. Without a car, Pontevedra has trains on the Eje Atlántico line from Santiago, A Coruña and Vigo, and from its stations there are regular buses along the Poio coast: check the timetables at Transportes Públicos de Galicia.

## Where do I park?

In Combarro, on calle Maceira, along the As Redeiras promenade, in the Club Náutico car park, which is paid, or next to the Chancelas school. The old town is pedestrian and in summer the car parks fill up at midday: arrive before eleven. In Pontevedra, leave the car on the edge of the old town; the Parador has no garage and will point you to nearby public car parks.

## How long do I need?

A day. In the morning, the old town of Combarro with its hórreos, an hour and a half without hurrying. Then lunch in Pontevedra and the afternoon for the Museo de Pontevedra, free, and the old town's squares. With a night, add the Poio monastery, the Samieira mills trail and, in summer, the guided visit to Tambo island or the mussel boat trip on the estuary.

## What else is there on the estuary, apart from Combarro?

Water and a big island. At Easter and in summer, Naviera Mar de Ons takes you to Ons island, in the Atlantic Islands National Park, from Combarro, Sanxenxo, Portonovo, Bueu and Pontevedra, from €16, with prior authorisation from the Xunta. If you prefer to paddle, Sanxenxo Paddle Surf Club runs a three-hour paddle surf route to Tambo, with a picnic on the island, for €50. On the south shore, the Museo Massó in Bueu, free, tells the story of fishing, canning and whaling in a former cannery. And in Pontevedra, the tourist office organises in summer and on some long weekends a 1 h 45 guided tour of the historic centre for €7.

## What is special about the hórreos of Combarro?

That they are beside the water. Combarro preserves about 60 stone and wood hórreos, which here are called palleiras, and half of them line the shore, in front of the fishermen's houses with balconies and arcades. The village was declared a Picturesque Artistic Ensemble in 1972 and has seven granite crosses (cruceiros) from the 18th to the 20th centuries, such as the one in praza da Fonte, from 1771.

## When to go

From April to October: the Combarro tourist office is open from 29 March to 22 October, the estuary boats sail in summer and the light falls late over the estuary. July and August are the busiest months; the best time in Combarro is early or at dusk. In winter the village is almost empty and Pontevedra is as lively as ever, although the Santo Domingo ruins are closed from 1 November to 14 March. On Sundays, the museum opens in the morning only and the Poio monastery in the afternoon only.

## Where do I eat and sleep?

In Pontevedra, on Sundays Trasmallo, with a Bib Gourmand and a tight price, Os Maristas, in praza da Verdura, and O Eirado da Leña, with a Michelin star, are open. To sleep, the Parador de Pontevedra, in a 16th-century pazo; A Maquía, a rural hotel with a pool on the Poio coast; or the Poio monastery guesthouse.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Cambados (a 12.8 km), O Grove, A Toxa and A Lanzada (a 14.8 km), Cíes Islands (a 28.4 km), Santiago de Compostela (a 51.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Combarro old town and its hórreos** (1 h 30 · Everyone; with steps and cobbles · Free): Combarro is a granite fishing village on the Pontevedra estuary, one of the best-preserved examples of traditional architecture in Galicia, with its street layout and houses almost intact. It was declared a Picturesque and Artistic Site in 1972, and its history was tied to the monastery of San Xoán de Poio from the 12th century, when Queen Urraca gave the place to the monks, until the mid-19th century.
What to see
The hórreos are the picture of Combarro. They are granaries raised on stone legs to keep the grain safe from damp and rodents; here they combine stone and wood and are called palleiras. About 60 remain, and half of them are lined up on the same shore, facing the estuary.
The seafarers' houses give the village its character: small, terraced and facing the sea. The ground floor served as a store for fishing gear and tools, and sometimes as a small wine press; many have a narrow porch. Above, a balcony overlooks the water, with balusters of wood, iron or stone that were painted with whatever was left over from painting the boats: hence the multicoloured look of some façades.
The cruceiros number seven, all granite, built between the 18th and 20th centuries at street crossings, some as protection and others as a private person's vow. The one in Praza da Fonte, from 1771, with Christ crucified and Saint Anne, and the one in Praza de San Roque, from 1802, stand out. Some have a stone table at the foot, the pousadoiro, where coffins were rested during funerals, and they are decorated every year for the Corpus Christi procession.
How to visit
Park on Calle Maceira, on the As Redeiras promenade, at the Club Náutico (paid) or beside the Chancelas school, and go in on foot: details are in Combarro parking. The old town is pedestrianised, with narrow streets, steps and cobbles: with a pushchair some stretches are awkward. Allow an hour and a half without rushing.
The Combarro tourist office, at Carreiro do Campo 17, is open in season, Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 to 20:30 and Sunday 11:00 to 13:30; the rest of the year the Casal de Ferreirós office in San Salvador is open, on 986 833 204. In summer go early or late in the afternoon: at midday the streets fill up.
What to combine
From Combarro harbour the boat leaves for Tambo island, the one you can see opposite. Five minutes by car is the Poio monastery, which once owned the village, and very close is the Samieira mills trail. To see the hórreos from the water, the mussel boat trip passes right in front.
- **Monastery of San Xoán de Poio** (1 h · Everyone; good in the rain): The monastery of San Xoán de Poio is one of the great Benedictine houses of Galicia, a historic-artistic monument since 1971. It holds two cloisters, one of the most important monastic libraries in Spain, with more than 100,000 volumes, and a monumental hórreo. Today a small community of Mercedarians lives there; it has a guesthouse and is a stop on the Spiritual Variant of the Camino de Santiago and on the Padre Sarmiento Route.
Its history
Tradition attributes its foundation to Saint Fructuosus of Braga, in the 7th century, and in the Middle Ages it gained power through donations from private individuals and kings: Combarro itself belonged to the monastery from the 12th century. In 1548 it joined the Congregation of San Benito of Valladolid and a year later opened a highly prestigious College of Theology. The agricultural and sea revenues of the early modern period paid for the works that gradually replaced the medieval buildings. The Benedictines left in 1835, and in 1890 the Mercedarian community of Conxo, in Santiago, arrived and restored and enlarged the building.
What you visit

The Cloister of the Processions, the oldest, Renaissance from the late 16th century, the work of the architect Mateo López, with star vaults, corbels and keystones with figures and a Portuguese-style chafariz fountain in the centre.
The Cloister of the Portería or of the Orange Trees, from the mid-18th century, with the great mosaic of the Camino de Santiago, made between 1989 and 1992 to a design by the Czech artist Antoine Machourek, founder of the School of Mosaics.
The church, Baroque from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with a façade between two towers and images of Saint John the Baptist, Saint James and Saint Andrew. Inside, the main altarpiece with Solomonic columns and the one in the Christ chapel, with a Last Supper.
The hórreo, in the orchard, one of the largest in Galicia, resting on three pairs of legs: the most visible sign of the monastery's wealth.

The visit also includes the refectory, the Cloister of the Crossing, the exhibition rooms and the water supply.
Hours and how to get there
Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 13:00 and 16:30 to 19:30, and Sunday only 16:30 to 19:30. Turismo de Poio does not publish the entry price: ask on 986 770 244, the community's phone number. It is at Rúa Convento, s/n, in Poio, a few minutes by car from Combarro, on the way to Pontevedra. Allow an hour.
If you want to sleep inside, the monastery guesthouse answers on 986 770 000. It is a good visit for a rainy day, and combines with the Combarro old town and the Samieira mills trail, which starts from San Xoán de Poio.
- **Guided visit to Tambo island from Combarro** (2 h 45 · 2 km · Families who can walk 2 km): Tambo is the island in the Pontevedra estuary, opposite Combarro, and one of the Rías Baixas islands with the most history: it belonged to Benedictine monks, pirates attacked it, it served as a prison and a lazaretto, the army occupied it and today it is managed by the Poio council (Concello). It can only be visited in small groups with a guide, landing at the jetty, on a route of about 2 km. The visit lasts between two and a half and three hours.
What you see
Two paths lead from the landing stage. On the right is the small beach of Area da Illa, with a picnic area that belonged to the army and where pilgrimage festivals were held. On the left, to the south, the small peninsula of O Tenlo, with the beach of A Dreidá and the old Tenlo lighthouse; according to Mar de Ons, in the late 19th century Protestants held baptisms there at night.
The oldest remains are Iron Age hillforts, in the north of the island. Of the Benedictine monastery of Santa María de Gracia, which tradition attributes to Saint Fructuosus, there remain the church dedicated to Saint Michael, now a small chapel, and a fountain: the monastery was destroyed in 1589 by an attack by the pirate Francis Drake. Inland are the buildings of the lazaretto, from the mid-19th century, which worked until 1879 and then moved to San Simón island, in the Vigo estuary. Of the military camp, active from the mid-20th century until 2002, the officers' houses and the remains of an underground Navy powder store survive on the north coast.
How to book
You need two things. First, the boat ticket from Combarro harbour, sold by Naviera Mar de Ons on its website, with its times and fares. Then, with the ticket, the access authorisation, requested on the Turismo de Poio website; associations have their own procedure. Departures are in summer and places are limited to protect the island, so book ahead. The boat price does not appear in the listings: check it when buying.
Rules and tips
You may only follow the marked paths and may not enter the buildings, to avoid accidents. There are no bins or containers on the island: what you bring goes back with you to the harbour. Bring water and comfortable shoes for the 2 km. The council publishes the rules and obligations of the visit as a PDF.
With children who can walk 2 km without trouble, the mix of boat, beaches and ruins works well. Before or after, stroll through the Combarro old town, where the boat leaves from, and if you like seeing the estuary from the water, the mussel trip also passes by Tambo.
- **Boat trip on the Pontevedra estuary with mussels** (1 h 30 · Everyone): An hour and a half by boat on the Pontevedra estuary with Naviera Mar de Ons, with views across the whole estuary and the island of Ons in the distance, and a tasting of freshly cooked mussels on board. It is one of the most typical sea trips in the Rías Baixas and a comfortable way to see from the water what you later visit on land.
The route
The boat sails close to Aguete beach, the Marín Naval Military School, Tambo island, Combarro and Raxó. From the sea you can clearly see the row of hórreos at Combarro on the estuary shore, one of its most photographed scenes.
The boat also draws near the bateas, the floating wooden platforms where mussels are farmed, so common in the Galician rías and so rare on other coasts. One of the company's guides explains how mussels are farmed on them, and freshly prepared mussels are served on board with local wine or water.
Departures, times and booking
In summer it sails every day from the ports of Sanxenxo, Portonovo and Bueu. Sanxenxo is the closest to Combarro, along the PO-308 coast road. The company does not publish fixed times or prices on its listing: they are checked when booking, on its website, depending on the day and the departure port. It is best to book ahead in July and August and to reach the port with time to spare for parking.
If you have already travelled with Mar de Ons this year, or are about to, the company offers a discount on a second purchase using the locator of the first booking: useful if you combine the trip with the guided visit to Tambo island, which the same company runs from Combarro.
Who it is for
It works well for families: there is no walking, you see a lot in a short time and the pass beside the bateas keeps children entertained. Bring something warm even in summer, because the wind blows on deck, and sunglasses. If you get seasick easily, bear that in mind before booking.
Afterwards, in Pontevedra, the Pontevedra Museum is free and open until 21:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and for dinner, Trasmallo serves seafaring cooking.
- **Samieira mills trail** (2 h · 5.5 km · Families · Free): The trail goes up the Freiría river, also called the Rego dos Muíños or Rego dos Frailes, and passes 23 mills. It is an easy walk through riverside woodland and one of the walking routes recommended by the Poio council (Concello).
The route
It starts from Praza de Alfredo Romay Besada, in San Xoán de Poio, beside the Muíño de Cubo de Abaixo, and goes upriver always hugging the bank. It is 5.5 km round trip, low difficulty, along an earth track with many wooden walkways that get past the slopes and cross the stream. The woodland is ash, birch, hazel, willow and oak, and along the way there are rest areas with tables and benches. Allow about two hours without rushing, stopping at the mills.
The name Rego dos Frailes has its legend: according to tradition, at the river's source, at the place called O Busto, a nobleman who became a friar built a monastery of which nothing remains. The trail was a Blue Trail (Sendero Azul) in 2025, the distinction from the Environmental and Consumer Education Association (ADEAC), and Turismo de Poio has the information panel and a PDF leaflet to download.
When and with whom
You can do it all year. The path is earth and runs beside the river, so in the rain it can be muddy: wear shoes with grip. It is a good trail with children, because of the distance, the walkways and the mills, and with a dog on a lead. With a pushchair, better one with large wheels, because the surface is earth.
If you still have energy
The Laño path, 1.2 km and also a Blue Trail, starts from the Covelo jetty and follows the Samieira coast between small coves and oak woods, past the beaches of Covelo, O Caeiro and Laño, to the Laño viewpoint, with views over the Pontevedra estuary. You park beside the church of Samieira or at the entrance to Covelo harbour. At Covelo is the rural hotel A Maquía, on the shore of the estuary.
Also in San Xoán de Poio, the Freixa trail, 1.8 km round trip, starts from the A Seca sports area and in under a kilometre passes nine mills, seven of them restored; the Muíño de Arriba keeps all its machinery. It begins beside the Parque da Memoria, designed by the Nobel Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.
To round off the day, the Poio monastery, also in San Xoán de Poio, and the Combarro old town.
- **Pontevedra Museum, Castelao building** (1 h 30 · Rainy days, Galician art · Free): The Pontevedra Museum, run by the provincial council (Diputación), spreads its collection across six buildings in the historic centre, most of them historic. Two matter for visitors, joined by walkways: the Castelao building, at Rúa Padre Amoedo Carballo 3, with the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, and the Sarmiento building. Admission is free, and so are the guided visits to the collection.
What you see
The Castelao building is the only one purpose-built as a museum, the work of the architects Eduardo Pesquera and Jesús Ulargui, opened in 2013 on the former orchard of the Jesuit college. In its twenty-three rooms you follow the history and art of Galicia from the late Middle Ages to today, in dialogue with Spanish art from other regions, with works by Castelao, who gives it its name, Maruja Mallo, Joaquín Sorolla, Ramón Casas and Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor. Among its essential pieces the museum highlights the prophets of the Portico of Glory, the Caldas de Reis treasure and the Belvís altarpiece.
The Sarmiento building was the college of the Society of Jesus, built between 1685 and 1714 by Pedro de Monteagudo, with a two-storey cloister and a great stone staircase from 1722. It displays prehistoric and ancient archaeology, Sargadelos earthenware, ceramics from Pontecesures and other Spanish potteries, and the Sánchez Mesas-Fernández de Tejada collection of contemporary Spanish and Oriental art. The Castro Monteagudo and García Flórez buildings are closed for renovation.
Hours and guided visits
Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 21:00, and Sundays and public holidays 11:00 to 14:00. Closed on Mondays, on 1 and 6 January and on 24, 25 and 31 December. You can enter until 20 minutes before closing. The free guided visits to the permanent collection are, from 16 June to 15 September, Tuesday to Saturday at 12:00 and also on Wednesday at 18:00; the rest of the year, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 12:00. Groups of up to 25 people can arrange a one-hour tour with the education department, on 986 804 100, extension 42416.
Services and how to get there
It is fully accessible, with lifts, free loan of wheelchairs, induction loops at reception and sign-language visits. It has a free cloakroom, a bookshop, a café area on the third floor of the Castelao with wifi, and the restaurant La Ultramar on the ground floor of the Sarmiento. The museum has no car park: the nearest free ones are those of the Pazo da Cultura, the Recinto Feiral and the Sports Pavilion, and the paid ones are Santa Clara, the Market, Praza de Barcelos and Praza de España.
Next to the Alameda, the Santo Domingo ruins are another site of the museum. For a nearby meal, Os Maristas is on Praza da Verdura and O Eirado da Leña on Praza da Leña, in the same old town.
- **Santo Domingo ruins in Pontevedra** (30 min · Everyone · Free): This is what remains of the Dominican church and convent of Pontevedra, next to the Alameda, and the oldest of the six buildings that make up the Pontevedra Museum. Its Gothic chevet of five apses is exceptional in Galician Gothic, and inside are displayed tombs, tombstones and coats of arms.
Its history
The convent was founded around 1282, but what survives, the head of the church, part of the south wall and the entrance to the chapter house, comes from the works that began in 1383. It was closed on 8 December 1836 with the exclaustration and during the 19th century it had the most varied uses: asylum, women's prison, workhouse, Civil Guard barracks, infant school or conscripts' office.
In 1846, because of its poor state, the town council began to demolish it and reuse the stone, among other things to pave streets. There were further demolitions in 1880 and 1886, halted by some of the townspeople, led by José Casal y Lois and the Provincial Monuments Commission. Saved from demolition, in 1894 it was given to the newly created Archaeological Society of Pontevedra to house its museum, and on 14 August 1895 it was declared a National Monument: the first in Galicia, together with the collegiate church of Santa María a Real do Sar, in Santiago. In 1937, after the death of Casto Sampedro and the disappearance of the Society, it passed with all its holdings to the Pontevedra Museum.
What you see
Besides the remains of the convent's architecture and sculpture, there is a display of funerary sculpture, with tombs of nobles and guild gravestones, and the museum's heraldry collection. You can see it in half an hour.
Hours and how to get there
It opens from 15 March to 31 October, Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:30, and Sundays and public holidays 11:00 to 14:00; on Mondays it is closed. From 1 November to 14 March it is closed, although groups can arrange visits depending on the weather and the availability of the education department, at educacion.museo@depo.es or on 986 804 100, extension 42416, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 14:30. Arranged groups get a guided tour of about 30 minutes. Admission is free.
It is at Avenida de Montero Ríos 1, beside the Alameda. The museum has no car park of its own and suggests, among others, the paid ones at Praza de España and Santa Clara and the free one at the Pazo da Cultura; Pontevedra is easy to get around on foot.
Combine it with the Pontevedra Museum, in the Castelao and Sarmiento buildings, which is open all year. If you stay in the city, the Parador de Pontevedra is in a 16th-century pazo in the old town.
- **Boat to Ons Island from Combarro, Sanxenxo, Portonovo or Bueu** (8 h · Families and anyone who wants beach and trails; there is walking involved · Desde 16 € per adult): Ons is the large island that closes the mouth of the Ría de Pontevedra, the one you see on the horizon from the beaches of Sanxenxo. It is part of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park, like the Cíes, but it has residents, a lighthouse at the top and a quiet beach coast on the east side. In season, Naviera Mar de Ons links it with Combarro, Sanxenxo, Portonovo, Bueu and even Pontevedra city. You go in the morning and spend the day there.
From which port and when
The port you choose changes the calendar and the price:

Combarro: at Easter, on weekends in June and daily in July and August. Boarding is early, between 8:45 and 9:15. It is the most convenient if you sleep in Poio or Pontevedra and want to see the hórreos (granaries) on your return.
Sanxenxo and Portonovo: at Easter, on weekends in June and daily in July, August and September. The shipping company's information points are open from 9:30 to 15:00.
Bueu: the same calendar as Sanxenxo and it is the cheapest ticket, €16.
Pontevedra: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in June, July and August, with boarding between 9:30 and 10:30.

From Combarro, Sanxenxo, Portonovo and Pontevedra an adult pays €18.50. Ages 5 to 12 are €12 and under-5s don't pay. If you come back to a different port from the one you left from, the company may charge a supplement of €3 to €9 per person. Outward and return times are published each season on the Mar de Ons website; check them there, because the company warns they may change because of the weather or operations.
The Xunta authorisation, before the ticket
At Easter and from 15 May to 15 September a maximum of 1,300 people a day are admitted, and to buy the ticket you first need the Xunta's authorisation, which is requested on its Atlantic Islands authorisations website. It can be requested up to 90 days ahead and cancelled up to 15 days ahead. Each request covers up to 10 people and is personal: bring your ID. Mar de Ons refers you to the Xunta website to see the occupancy for each day and recommends booking early. Outside those dates, the park only admits organised groups with an accredited guide, of 25 people at most.
What to do on the island
Ons has four signposted routes and the park only lets you walk on them, so the day is put together between path and beach. The beaches the company mentions are Melide, with its dunes on the east coast, As Dornas, Area dos Cans, Canexol and Pereiró. There is a campsite with limited places for those who want to stay the night. Bring water, a cap and shoes for walking: the paths climb and in summer the sun is strong.
It is a good family day if the children can walk a couple of hours in stretches. With teenagers it works better than a village beach: there is a lighthouse, cliffs and the feeling of being on a real island. Mar de Ons does not say on its Ons pages whether dogs are allowed on board; ask when booking.
If you leave from Combarro, the day before you can walk around the old town of Combarro and sleep nearby, at A Maquía. From Bueu, before the boat or on your return, the Massó Museum tells the story of the canning and fishing that Ons also lived through.
- **Paddle Surf Route to Tambo Island with Sanxenxo Paddle Surf Club** (3 h · Anyone who can stand on a board; better with a prior lesson · Desde 50 € per person): Tambo is the wooded island at the head of the ría, opposite Combarro, and almost everyone knows it from a boat. Sanxenxo Paddle Surf Club proposes reaching it by paddling standing up: a guided three-hour route on a paddle board, with a landing and picnic on the island, for €50 per person. It is the slowest and closest way to see the ría: at water level, with the mussel rafts on one side and the island growing ahead of you.
What is included and when it leaves
The route includes the board, the paddle, the permits and the picnic on Tambo. The permits matter: the island can only be visited with authorisation from Poio council, and here the club handles it. In summer there are departures every week; the rest of the year the route runs by reservation for groups of at least five people. The club does not publish on its website the fixed departure day or the exact point from which you paddle, so ask when booking by phone or through the contact form. Its base is on the Silgar beach promenade, in the centre of Sanxenxo.
On the island the same rules apply as on the guided visit from Combarro: you only walk on the signposted paths, you don't go into the buildings and the rubbish comes back with you. Tambo has no bins.
If you've never stood on a board
Three hours of paddling is plenty for a beginner. If you have never paddle surfed, take a lesson first at Silgar with the same club: the introductory one lasts two hours and costs €30 per person in a group of three or more, €45 as a pair and €60 private, with board, paddle, life jacket, changing rooms, qualified instructor and insurance. It also rents inflatable boards from €15 an hour, and an adult is needed to sign the rental. The club does not publish a minimum age for the route; if you are going with teenagers, ask.
On the same Silgar beach the club runs yoga sessions on the board, of an hour and a half, for €30, for groups of five or more, and in summer a children's camp from Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 14:00, from €145 a week.
How it fits into the day
The route takes half a day. In the afternoon, the old town of Combarro is close by car along the PO-308, the coast road, and seeing Tambo from the granaries after having paddled out to it changes the picture. If you prefer to get to know the island at leisure with its history told, the guided visit to Tambo Island leaves by boat from Combarro.
- **Guided Walk Around Pontevedra's Old Town with Turismo de Pontevedra** (1 h 45 · All ages; a walk along pedestrian streets · Desde 7 € per adult): Pontevedra is better understood with someone telling you why its squares are called what they are. The municipal tourist office organises a guided walking tour of the old town lasting an hour and three-quarters, with a guide, for €7. It leaves from the office in Praza de España and goes into four monuments that many visitors only see from outside.
The route
The tour links the squares that shape the old quarter: Praza da Leña, Praza da Verdura, Praza de Teucro, Praza de Méndez Núñez and the Cinco Calles. It goes into the ruins of Santo Domingo, the sanctuary of the Virxe Peregrina, the church of San Bartolomé and the basilica of Santa María. Along the way the guide talks about the food, the festivals and the Portuguese Way, which crosses the city on the road to Santiago.
Dates, price and booking
There are no tours all year: they are scheduled at Easter, in summer and on some long weekends. The next round is the December long weekend of 2026: on the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th at 11:45, and on the 5th at 11:45 and 16:45. In summer 2026 there were departures at 11:30 and 18:30 from 1 July to 10 September (Sundays and public holidays, mornings only), and at Easter, at 11:30, with a second departure in the afternoon on the central days.
General admission costs €7. The reduced price, €5, is for the unemployed, students, retirees, residents of Pontevedra, large families, people with disabilities and anyone staying in Pontevedra: show your proof at the start. Under-12s don't pay. Book on the calendar on the Turismo de Pontevedra website; the tour needs at least 8 people and, if that isn't reached, the organisers write to you with alternatives. It is in Spanish. Look for the guide with the green umbrella in front of the tourist office, in Praza de España, on the corner with Avenida de Montero Ríos.
Other ways to see the city with a guide
In summer, the same office schedules a night tour of the Lérez bridges, which leaves from the Mercado de Abastos, at Rúa Serra, 5, lasts an hour and a half and costs €8, with a reduced price of €5 and free up to age 12. In late August 2026 there were also free paddle surf routes on the Lérez from the river beach, for over-7s who can swim. There is also a theatrical tour in July and a tour adapted for people with sensory diversity. Check the calendar for each on its website before you go.
After the walk, the Pontevedra Museum is free and open until 21:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and for lunch, Os Maristas is in the same Praza da Verdura.
- **Massó Museum in Bueu, the Sea Museum in a Former Cannery** (1 h 30 · Rainy days; those curious about fishing and industry · Free): The Massó Museum tells how the coast of the Ría de Pontevedra lived from the sea: navigation, fishing, salting, canning and whaling. It is in Bueu, on the south shore of the ría, inside the restored buildings of the former Massó Hermanos canning factory, beside the port. It belongs to the Xunta and admission is free.
A museum that was born inside a factory
The Massó family had its cannery beside the port of Bueu and kept navigation instruments, documents, old books and models of historic ships at home. According to Museos de Galicia, Guglielmo Marconi's visit to the factory in 1928 is at the origin of the idea, and in 1932 the brothers added another floor above the oldest part of the cannery to open the museum. Over the years it added the history of the factory itself, of the whaling stations and of fishing. The cannery closed in 1994 and that year the Xunta bought the museum.
Today the exhibition is toured in two large blocks: the conquest of the sea, with the history of navigation, and the exploitation of the sea's resources, with canning, whaling, port activity and salting. There are also temporary exhibitions. Allow an hour and a half to see it unhurriedly.
Opening hours and rules
From October to May it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00, and from June to September, Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:30. On Sunday, all year, from 10:00 to 14:00. It is closed on Mondays, public holidays, 11 November and 24 and 31 December, and in summer also on 16 July. It is at Rúa Montero Ríos, s/n, in Bueu, 29 km from Vigo, and there are regular buses to Pontevedra, Marín and Cangas.
You can take photos for personal use, but without a tripod or selfie stick. Large bags, umbrellas and food are not allowed in, and only guide dogs are admitted.
Guided tours for groups
The museum organises free one-hour guided itineraries for groups of at least 10 people, with prior booking on 886 151 101 or by email: there is one of the permanent exhibition, another on the factory's architecture, another on the work of the women of the sea on land, one devoted to wood in canning and boatbuilding, and one that continues to the old salting house of Mourisca, on Cape Udra. When requesting it you must give the date, time, a name with a mobile number and the number of people.
To round off the day in Bueu, in summer the boat to Ons Island leaves from the same port, the cheapest ticket from Mar de Ons, and from Sanxenxo, Portonovo and Bueu, the cruise of the ría with mussels. If you go on a Sunday, combine it with the Pontevedra Museum: both close at 14:00.

## Dónde comer
- **Trasmallo** (Restaurant, Pontevedra, €€). Qué pedir: the fish of the day from the fish market, which changes daily; Angus presa if anyone does not want fish
- **Os Maristas** (Restaurant, Pontevedra, €€). Qué pedir: contemporary sharing plates on the square
- **O Eirado da Leña** (Restaurant, Pontevedra, €€€€). Qué pedir: the Curricán menu if it is your first time; the long Palangre if you are not in a hurry

## By car: By car to Combarro, on foot in Pontevedra
Combarro is a quarter of an hour from Pontevedra along the coast road, the PO-308. The practical approach is to park on the edge of each old town and do everything on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 55–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Pontevedra, Casa do Barón** (Hotel): The Maceda pazo, the first Galician parador
The Parador occupies a Renaissance pazo from the 16th and 17th centuries, with a neoclassical façade, on Rúa do Barón, inside Pontevedra's old town. It was the home of the Counts of Maceda and later of the Baron of Casa Goda, hence the name Casa do Barón. It joined the Paradores network in January 1955 and was the first in Galicia. Turismo Rías Baixas lists it as a four-star hotel with 47 rooms.
Inside, what people remember is the carved stone staircase that rises to the bedrooms and the antique furniture in the lounges and rooms. It has a garden with a terrace, a bar and the restaurant Casa do Barón, serving traditional Galician cooking.
What the stay includes
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. Reception is open 24 hours, there is a luggage store, room service, air conditioning and free wifi in the common areas. Children of any age are welcome; those up to two years old do not pay if they sleep in a bed already in the room. Bookings of more than five rooms may have special conditions.
Paradores does not publish a fixed rate: the price depends on the date and the room type, and it is worth checking on its website. If you are walking the Portuguese Way, which passes through the city, ask about the pilgrim prices advertised in the Camino guides.
No garage in a pedestrian old town
Pontevedra's old town has restricted traffic and the Parador has no car park of its own. On arrival, staff point you to the nearby public car parks. From the motorway, the exit Paradores recommends is Pontevedra Norte, then follow the signs to the Burgo bridge and the Parador. If you come on foot from the bus station, it is about two and a half kilometres.
Once you have left the car, you do not need it in the city. The Pontevedra Museum and the Santo Domingo ruins are within a few minutes' walk, as is Praza da Leña, where you can eat at O Eirado da Leña. Combarro, with its hórreos over the estuary, is a quarter of an hour by car.
- **A Maquía** (Small hotel, desde 125 € / night): A white-sand beach below Castrove
A Maquía is on Avenida do Laño, in Samieira, a parish of the Poio council, on the north shore of the Pontevedra estuary and on the slope of Mount Castrove. A few metres on foot, according to the hotel, is a wild beach of fine white sand, with the mussel rafts and Tambo island in the background. Turismo de Poio lists it as a one-star rural hotel with 25 beds.
The distances given by the house: Combarro 2.5 km, Sanxenxo 6, Pontevedra 9, Vigo 30 and Santiago 77. Without a car it is not practical; with one, you are at the hórreos in ten minutes.
Sea-facing doubles and two suites with jacuzzi
There are seven double rooms, all with sea and pool views and a television; they are also the ones that accept pets. The special room (superior double) adds a hydromassage bath and sea views. The suite has a jacuzzi and looks onto the estuary. And El Refugio, which they call a junior suite, is separate from the main building, with a jacuzzi, terrace and its own garden; whoever sleeps there still uses the breakfast and the pool.
The 2026 prices per night, including VAT and breakfast:

Double: €125 in low season, €135 in mid and €145 in high.
Special: €145, €155 and €165.
Suite or El Refugio: €185, €195 and €205.
Extra bed: €27 all year.

High season is Easter and July and August. Low season runs from 7 January to 30 April and from 16 October to 23 December, so in November you pay the lowest rate.
Lounges, garden and breakfast
It has several lounges with large windows and sofas for reading, a spacious dining room where breakfast is served, and the garden with the swimming pool, with views of the estuary. Reception is open from 8:30 to 22:00: if you arrive later, let them know. Outside July and August the house also hosts celebrations, so ask if there is one on the day you go.
Walking from the door
The Samieira mills trail starts at the hotel itself: about 10 km along the river, two to three hours, with more than twenty mills on the way. Combarro and its hórreo old town are a short drive away, and from its jetty leaves the guided visit to Tambo island, the island you see from the beach.
- **Poio Monastery Guesthouse** (Hostel, desde 50 € / night): Sleeping inside the monastery
The guesthouse occupies part of the monastery of San Xoán de Poio, the Benedictine cenobium that has been home to a community of Mercedarians since 1890. The Benedictines left it in 1835 with the confiscation of Church property, and its foundation is attributed to Saint Fructuosus, in the 7th century. The building is declared a historic-artistic monument, and the guesthouse presents itself exactly that way: a stay inside a monastery with centuries of history.
Turismo de Poio registers it as a one-star hotel, with 308 beds: it is a large house, very different from a hotel with charm. It is a waypoint on the Spiritual Variant of the Camino de Santiago, so many guests are pilgrims, but people coming to spend a weekend in the Rías Baixas also stay here, as do groups and people attending meetings: the house has several meeting rooms and a hall for 350 people.
Rooms and 2026 rates
The guesthouse publishes its 2026 rates per night, with breakfast included:

Single: €55 in high and mid season, €50 in low.
Double: €68 in high, €65 in mid and €55 in low.
Triple: €88 in high, €85 in mid and €70 in low.

Dinner costs €16 and an extra bed, €20. Children aged 0 to 2 stay free if they do not use a cot or extra bed, and those aged 3 to 13 get a 45% discount on the meal board. At the moment lunch and full board are not available: if you are spending the day out it is not a problem, but it is good to know. The website does not detail the room equipment or check-in and check-out times; ask when booking.
The monastery at the door
Sleeping here puts the monument on your doorstep. The Cloister of the Processions, Renaissance from the 16th century, has rib vaults and a Baroque fountain in the garden. The Cloister of the Orange Trees, Baroque, from 1747 to 1749, is covered by a mosaic of about 200 m² that traces the French Way of the Camino de Santiago. The church mixes Renaissance and Baroque, with the high altar from 1735, and in the Christ chapel is the tomb of Saint Trahamunda. In the garden stands an hórreo that Turismo Rías Baixas presents as the largest in Galicia. The monastery has free parking.
Getting there and booking
It is at Praza do Mosteiro 2, in San Xoán de Poio, between Combarro and Pontevedra, a few minutes by car from both. From here it is easy to go down to Combarro's old town, with its hórreos over the sea, or cross to Pontevedra to see the museum and the old quarter. Book on 986 770 000 or by email; the guesthouse website also gives the address hospederiappmm@gmail.com, besides the one in the council listing.
### Servicios
- **Combarro car parks**: Calle Maceira, As Redeiras promenade, Club Náutico (paid) and Chancelas school

## Car-free: By train to Pontevedra
Pontevedra is on the Atlantic Axis train line, with Santiago and A Coruña to the north and Vigo to the south. Combarro is less than ten minutes from the city's train and bus stations, with regular buses along the Poio coast.
Presupuesto orientativo: 55–100 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Pontevedra, Casa do Barón** (Hotel): The Maceda pazo, the first Galician parador
The Parador occupies a Renaissance pazo from the 16th and 17th centuries, with a neoclassical façade, on Rúa do Barón, inside Pontevedra's old town. It was the home of the Counts of Maceda and later of the Baron of Casa Goda, hence the name Casa do Barón. It joined the Paradores network in January 1955 and was the first in Galicia. Turismo Rías Baixas lists it as a four-star hotel with 47 rooms.
Inside, what people remember is the carved stone staircase that rises to the bedrooms and the antique furniture in the lounges and rooms. It has a garden with a terrace, a bar and the restaurant Casa do Barón, serving traditional Galician cooking.
What the stay includes
Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. Reception is open 24 hours, there is a luggage store, room service, air conditioning and free wifi in the common areas. Children of any age are welcome; those up to two years old do not pay if they sleep in a bed already in the room. Bookings of more than five rooms may have special conditions.
Paradores does not publish a fixed rate: the price depends on the date and the room type, and it is worth checking on its website. If you are walking the Portuguese Way, which passes through the city, ask about the pilgrim prices advertised in the Camino guides.
No garage in a pedestrian old town
Pontevedra's old town has restricted traffic and the Parador has no car park of its own. On arrival, staff point you to the nearby public car parks. From the motorway, the exit Paradores recommends is Pontevedra Norte, then follow the signs to the Burgo bridge and the Parador. If you come on foot from the bus station, it is about two and a half kilometres.
Once you have left the car, you do not need it in the city. The Pontevedra Museum and the Santo Domingo ruins are within a few minutes' walk, as is Praza da Leña, where you can eat at O Eirado da Leña. Combarro, with its hórreos over the estuary, is a quarter of an hour by car.
- **Poio Monastery Guesthouse** (Hostel, desde 50 € / night): Sleeping inside the monastery
The guesthouse occupies part of the monastery of San Xoán de Poio, the Benedictine cenobium that has been home to a community of Mercedarians since 1890. The Benedictines left it in 1835 with the confiscation of Church property, and its foundation is attributed to Saint Fructuosus, in the 7th century. The building is declared a historic-artistic monument, and the guesthouse presents itself exactly that way: a stay inside a monastery with centuries of history.
Turismo de Poio registers it as a one-star hotel, with 308 beds: it is a large house, very different from a hotel with charm. It is a waypoint on the Spiritual Variant of the Camino de Santiago, so many guests are pilgrims, but people coming to spend a weekend in the Rías Baixas also stay here, as do groups and people attending meetings: the house has several meeting rooms and a hall for 350 people.
Rooms and 2026 rates
The guesthouse publishes its 2026 rates per night, with breakfast included:

Single: €55 in high and mid season, €50 in low.
Double: €68 in high, €65 in mid and €55 in low.
Triple: €88 in high, €85 in mid and €70 in low.

Dinner costs €16 and an extra bed, €20. Children aged 0 to 2 stay free if they do not use a cot or extra bed, and those aged 3 to 13 get a 45% discount on the meal board. At the moment lunch and full board are not available: if you are spending the day out it is not a problem, but it is good to know. The website does not detail the room equipment or check-in and check-out times; ask when booking.
The monastery at the door
Sleeping here puts the monument on your doorstep. The Cloister of the Processions, Renaissance from the 16th century, has rib vaults and a Baroque fountain in the garden. The Cloister of the Orange Trees, Baroque, from 1747 to 1749, is covered by a mosaic of about 200 m² that traces the French Way of the Camino de Santiago. The church mixes Renaissance and Baroque, with the high altar from 1735, and in the Christ chapel is the tomb of Saint Trahamunda. In the garden stands an hórreo that Turismo Rías Baixas presents as the largest in Galicia. The monastery has free parking.
Getting there and booking
It is at Praza do Mosteiro 2, in San Xoán de Poio, between Combarro and Pontevedra, a few minutes by car from both. From here it is easy to go down to Combarro's old town, with its hórreos over the sea, or cross to Pontevedra to see the museum and the old quarter. Book on 986 770 000 or by email; the guesthouse website also gives the address hospederiappmm@gmail.com, besides the one in the council listing.

## As a family: Hórreos, boats and a river with mills

Combarro can be seen in an hour and falls short of a full day with children: combine it with a boat trip on the estuary in summer or with the Samieira mills, and finish in Pontevedra, flat and pedestrianised.

### What works best
Combarro's hórreos over the water, at a child's eye level

The mussel boat trip on the estuary, an hour and a half, in summer

The Samieira mills trail, 5.5 km with walkways

The Pontevedra Museum, free and indoors

### Where to sleep
A Maquía, with a pool and a beach

Parador de Pontevedra, in the centre

### Where to eat
Trasmallo, in Pontevedra's old town

### Good to know
Combarro's streets have steps: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

Tambo can only be visited with a ticket and authorisation

### Qué hacer as a family
- Combarro old town and its hórreos
- Guided visit to Tambo island from Combarro
- Boat trip on the Pontevedra estuary with mussels
- Samieira mills trail
- Pontevedra Museum, Castelao building
- Boat to Ons Island from Combarro, Sanxenxo, Portonovo or Bueu
- Guided Walk Around Pontevedra's Old Town with Turismo de Pontevedra
- Massó Museum in Bueu, the Sea Museum in a Former Cannery

## Consejos

### Combarro, early
First thing in the morning the streets are empty and high tide leaves the hórreos over the water.

### Sunday, the other way round
Museo de Pontevedra in the morning, as it closes at 14:00, and Poio monastery in the afternoon, as it opens at 16:30.

### Plan Tambo in advance
Buy the boat ticket and request the access authorisation on the Turismo de Poio website before going.

### Comfortable shoes
Combarro has steps and cobbles; Pontevedra, many squares that call for walking.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How far is it from Pontevedra to Combarro?
A quarter of an hour by car on the PO-308.

### Can you go to Combarro without a car?
Yes: train to Pontevedra and a regular bus along the Poio coast.

### How many hórreos are there in Combarro?
About 60, and half are lined up beside the estuary.

### How much does the Museo de Pontevedra cost?
It is free. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00 and on Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00.

### Can you visit Tambo island?
Yes, in summer, with a guided visit: a boat ticket from Combarro and authorisation from Turismo de Poio.

### Can you go to Ons island from Combarro?
Yes, with Mar de Ons: at Easter, on June weekends and daily in July and August, for €18.50 for adults, with Xunta authorisation.

### Are there guided tours of Pontevedra?
Yes, the tourist office's: 1 h 45 for €7, at Easter, in summer and on some long weekends.

### Where do I eat on Sunday?
In Pontevedra's old town: Trasmallo, Os Maristas or O Eirado da Leña.