Tapas Route through Os Viños

Os Viños is the tapas district of Ourense's historic centre: a handful of stone streets between Praza do Ferro and the area around the cathedral, with a bar in almost every doorway. Turismo de Ourense presents it as the place in the city for going out for tapas, especially on weekend nights.

How it works

The custom is the usual one: a pincho and a glass of wine in each bar, standing at the counter, then on to the next. "One pincho, one bar", sums up the tourist office. Each place has its own speciality, so the fun is in moving on. More and more places also offer tables and a menu, in case you prefer to sit down and share plates. The city does not publish an official list of bars or pinchos, and the places change; let yourself be guided by what you see on the bar and the people inside.

In the glass, the wine of the province rules: in Ourense four of Galicia's five denominations of origin come together, Ribeiro (mainly treixadura for whites), Valdeorras and Monterrei (godello and mencía) and Ribeira Sacra (mencía for reds).

The route, street by street

Turismo de Ourense suggests this order, which you can do in a couple of unhurried hours:

• Praza do Ferro and Rúa Viriato. The natural entrance to the old town, with its fountain in the middle and terraces.
• Rúa San Miguel. Very steep, it drops down from the Ferro and has many restaurants serving traditional cooking and set lunch menus.
• Eirociño dos Cabaleiros. A small square a little apart from the busier streets, full of terraces.
• Rúa da Paz. Parallel to the Eirociño, above it, presided over by the Teatro Principal.
• Rúa Lepanto. The axis of Os Viños: almost every doorway is a bar, from the Ferro to the north door of the cathedral.
• Rúa dos Fornos. Parallel to Lepanto, with another row of bars.
• Around the cathedral. Praza de Santa Eufemia, also called Juan de Austria or dos Suaves, for the last drink with a view of the cathedral, and Praza do Trigo.

When to go and with whom

Friday and Saturday nights are the liveliest; on weekdays and at midday there are fewer people and it is a better time if you are going with children. There is no entry fee or price: you pay for what you have at each bar.

To combine with

Near the start of the route are As Burgas, the old town's thermal springs, and the tourist office, beside the cathedral steps, gives you the map of the centre. If you prefer a sit-down dinner, the Michelin-starred restaurant Nova is in the centre. In the morning, a walk along the Roman bridge and the Miño hot springs, such as Outariz, completes the day. To sleep inside the old town, the Hotel Zarampallo is two minutes from the Praza Maior.