Mussel Boat on the Ría de Arousa from O Grove

The mussel boat is O Grove's classic outing: an hour by catamaran on the Ría de Arousa, a stop beside a batea (the floating platforms where mussels are raised), and a portion of steamed mussels with Galician wine or a soft drink on board. It leaves from the port, right in the centre, several times a day, and you don't need to know anything about boats or do any walking.

What you see from the catamaran

The boat heads towards the north of the peninsula. It passes the north coast of the island of A Toxa, Punta Moreiras and Meloxo, one of the areas with the most rafts in the ría, and in the distance you see the coast of Cambados, the south of Arousa island and the mouth of the ría, with Sálvora. At the raft the guide shows the growing ropes and explains how mussels, oysters and scallops are raised. The catamarans have underwater viewing, an area below deck with windows onto the seabed, to look through while the boat is stopped.

The mussels are steamed with a splash of white wine and served in their shell, freshly made. It is a tasting, not a meal: think of it as an aperitif.

Who to go with and how much it costs

Two O Grove shipping companies run the route, at the same price in 2026: €20 for adults, €10 for ages 3 to 12 and free for the youngest.

• Cruceros Rías Baixas sails from March to December, with more departures at Easter and from July to September. The trip lasts an hour and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Its ticket office is at Rúa Beiramar, 46.
• Cruceros do Ulla sails all year, with a trip of an hour and a quarter and morning departures between 11:00 and 13:30 and afternoon ones between 17:00 and 19:00. It allows pets if you tell the ticket office before boarding.

Both are booked on their website, with a calendar of departures by day. With your booking, go to the port ticket office 15 to 30 minutes beforehand to exchange it for the ticket or boarding card. In July and August departures follow one another every half hour, according to the Mancomunidade do Salnés, but they fill up all the same: book the day before at the latest.

Getting there and parking

Boarding is at O Grove port, beside the catamaran station. There is free parking in the port area. On Fridays there is a market and parking is reduced, so arrive with time to spare or park further away.

After the boat, the centre is a stone's throw away: Beiramar, on the same port avenue, has cooked fish and seafood since 1980. If you carry on with an afternoon by the water, the A Toxa thermal club is ten minutes by car.