# Ribeira Sacra and the Sil canyon

A catamaran along the Sil canyon, tastings at Doade, the Balcones de Madrid and Monforte de Lemos, an hour from Lugo and Ourense. What to book and where to eat on Sunday.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/ribeira-sacra · Revisado: 2026-11-13

The Ribeira Sacra is the stretch of the rivers Sil and Miño where the water runs wedged between slopes hundreds of metres high, and those slopes are covered in terraced vineyards. They have been worked by hand for centuries, and the Romanesque monasteries hidden in the forest gave it its name. This page focuses on the Sil canyon on the Lugo bank, between Monforte de Lemos and Doade, on the viewpoints and walkways of Parada de Sil, on the Ourense bank, and on the Miño side, between Pantón, Belesar and Chantada. If you set out from Ourense, the Santo Estevo catamaran and the hot springs have their own page at Ourense.

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

By car. Monforte de Lemos is the gateway: from Lugo it is a little under an hour and from Ourense about 50 minutes on the N-120. From Santiago or Pontevedra, allow nearly two hours. From Monforte to the Ponte do Sil bridge landing stages it is 18 km and about 20 minutes along the Castro Caldelas road, the OU-0605. Doade, with its bodegas, is ten minutes further, uphill.

Within the Ribeira Sacra there are no buses that are of use for getting from a landing stage to a bodega and a viewpoint. Without a car you can reach Monforte, but not the canyon. The roads are narrow and winding, and to cross from one bank of the Sil to the other you have to find a bridge. Always allow more time than the map says.

## Which boat should I choose?

Two boats leave from the Ponte do Sil bridge, one on each bank. The Diputación de Lugo catamaran is the cheapest, €9 and €5 for the reduced fare, and the one that goes furthest: two hours to the monastery of Santa Cristina, with compulsory booking on its website. Opposite, at A Abeleda, leaves the Catamarán Río Sil catamaran, an hour and a half for €13, at 11:00 and 16:00, and also the Algueira bodega's boat. The Diputación boat at Belesar, on the Miño, is suspended until the end of the season; on that river the small boats of Belesar now leave.

For a full Sunday, take the 11:00 boat. You finish around one o'clock, in time for lunch at Doade.

## Bodegas, food and viewpoints

In Doade there are two bodegas that open for visits by reservation and combine well with the boat. Regina Viarum runs sessions from Thursday to Monday in winter, with a tasting of three to five wines and a glass on the terrace. Algueira is open every day except Wednesday and has its own restaurant, O Castelo. On the same estate as Regina Viarum is Vértigo, with a Michelin star. If you are driving, choose the shortest tasting or let someone else drive.

On the Ourense bank are the Balcones de Madrid, granite balconies over the deepest part of the canyon, and the monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil, among chestnut trees, which opens Tuesday to Sunday by reservation. For walking, the PR-G 98 links the two in an 18 km loop from Parada de Sil, and the Mao river walkways are an 850-metre stroll over the water, open all year. On this bank, the Ronsel do Sil bodega shows its terraces with a tasting and a tapa for €18.

## The Miño side: Pantón, Belesar and Chantada

North of Monforte, the Miño forms a wide reservoir with meanders and vineyards that run down to the water. From the Belesar landing stage two small boats leave, from Sacra Activa and Vista Sacra: the boat on the Miño runs from one hour, from €30, to almost three with a stop and a tasting at an old bodega, for €48. Five minutes away, the Vía Romana bodega runs tours of 60 to 90 minutes, from €18, one of them through the sloping vineyard. On the way, at Ferreira de Pantón, the Cistercian monastery opens its Romanesque church every day and the nuns sell their sweets. It is all brought together in a day on the Miño.

## And in Monforte?

Monforte deserves half a day. The Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua, known as the Galician Escorial, holds paintings by El Greco and Andrea del Sarto; on Sundays there are tours at 12:45 and 16:45. The Wine Centre explains the landscape and gives tastings of three wines at 12:30, and the Railway Museum is the children's stop. Up on the hill, the Parador occupies the monastery of San Vicente do Pino next to the keep, which in November 2026 is temporarily closed.

## How long do I need?

A Sunday is enough for the boat, a bodega or a meal and a viewpoint at sunset. With a night, add Monforte and the Balcones de Madrid first thing, with the mist at the bottom of the river. With two, there is room for the walking route and Santa Cristina.

## When to go

In May everything is green and the boats sail daily. From September to early November comes the grape harvest and then the colour: the vines turn yellow and red. In summer it is hot at the bottom of the canyon and there are more people. From November to March many places open only some days: Regina Viarum, Thursday to Monday; Santa Cristina, Tuesday to Sunday; the catamarans, mostly at weekends. The Monforte tourist office publishes a guide every month with all the opening hours.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Unusual places to stay in Spain
- Cerca: Ourense (a 33.9 km), Las Médulas (a 58.6 km), Lake Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria (a 71.0 km), Peneda-Gerês (a 95.5 km · Portugal)

## Qué hacer
- **Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil to Santa Cristina** (2 h · All ages · Desde 5 € per person): This is the Lugo Provincial Council's boat route through the Sil canyon, and the one that goes furthest in: it leaves from the Council's jetty at Ponte do Sil, in the municipality of Monforte de Lemos, beside the bridge on the Castro Caldelas road, and sails downstream along the Santo Estevo reservoir to the area of the Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil monastery. It is about two hours, round trip, with a guided tour on board, and it is also the cheapest in the canyon.
Downstream, towards Santa Cristina
On leaving the jetty the boat passes beneath the vineyard slopes of the Lugo bank, that of Doade and Amandi, with wineries hanging over the water and stone terraces that drop almost to the river. Then the canyon closes in and enters its steepest stretch, that of the granite walls. The guide tells the history of the Ribeira Sacra, its monasteries and how vines are grown on those slopes. The turning point is the area of Santa Cristina, which appears among chestnut trees on the Ourense slope; the Provincial Council describes the route as a round trip and does not announce disembarkation.
The large catamaran is called Mencía and its lower deck is accessible. Bring a layer even if it is sunny: on the canyon water it is cooler than above.
Price and who pays less
The standard fare costs €9 and the reduced one €5: it applies to the Carné Joven, students, pensioners, the unemployed, large families, people with disabilities and children aged 4 to 12. Ages 0 to 3 do not pay, but the child needs a ticket. Groups of more than 30 people pay €7 and €4.
Named ticket and ID to hand
Boarding is by booking only, at reservas.rutasembalses.es. Tickets are named: when buying them you are asked for the first name, surnames, ID or passport number and date of birth of each passenger. On the day of departure, report to the jetty at least 30 minutes early with the document and, if you pay the reduced fare, with whatever justifies it. Dates and times are not published separately: they are seen in the website's calendar when you choose a day.
Pets are not allowed on board, except assistance dogs. If you use a wheelchair, call before buying on 982 260 196, from 9:00 to 20:00: access depends on the level of the reservoir that day.
Getting to Ponte do Sil
From Monforte it is about 20 minutes along the OU-0605, the Castro Caldelas road, to the bridge over the Sil. The jetty has a café to wait in. On the opposite bank the shorter A Abeleda catamaran departs. If you want to see Santa Cristina inside, the monastery visit is made by road or on foot along the PR-G 98 route. The boat fits into the plan Sunday in Monforte de Lemos.
- **Balcones de Madrid viewpoint, in Parada de Sil** (45 min · All ages, with care at the edges · Independent · free): On the Ourense bank, on the outskirts of Parada de Sil, granite blocks jutting out over the void form natural balconies with wooden railings and low stone walls. From them you see the Sil hundreds of metres below and the vineyards of the Lugo bank opposite. Turismo de Galicia presents it as perhaps the best natural viewpoint in the Ribeira Sacra, and Turismo Ribeira Sacra as the best known in the area. It is also called the Os Torgás viewpoint.
Why it is called that
It is not that you can see Madrid. From here, says Turismo Ribeira Sacra, the women used to say goodbye to their husbands when they left to work away. Many were wafer sellers from Parada de Sil who toured the fiestas of Madrid and other Spanish cities with their wafers and their songs. In the village there is a monument to the wafer seller.
What you see
The balconies are on several levels, linked by stone steps, with benches to sit on. Opposite, across the canyon, the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain association points out the sanctuary of Nosa Señora das Cadeiras, on the Lugo bank, and in the distance, Monforte de Lemos. Below, the river is wedged between forested slopes and vine terraces. Turismo Ribeira Sacra recommends going at dusk, when the water seems still and turns a dark blue. Early in the morning, with luck, the mist still fills the bottom of the canyon.
Getting there
By car, from the municipality of Parada de Sil, take the carretera do Castro to the OU-0605 in the direction of A Teixeira; after 160 metres turn left following the signs. It is about four minutes. You leave the car in the designated car park and walk about 200 metres along a dirt track to the balconies. On foot, from the centre of Parada de Sil, it is about a kilometre. It is free and open at any hour.
The PR-G 98 route also passes here. From Doade, via the Ponte do Sil bridge and Castro Caldelas, allow about 50 minutes of mountain road.
With children and to combine
With children, hold their hands: the balconies have railings, but the stone steps to the lower levels call for care and the ground around is not protected. The viewpoint is a short stop that fits well with a visit to the Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil monastery, about ten minutes by car from the village, or with a catamaran trip from Ponte do Sil, which sees the same canyon from the water.
- **Catamaran through the Sil canyons from A Abeleda** (1 h 45 · 12 km · All ages · Desde 13 € per adult): The A Abeleda jetty is on the Ourense bank of the Sil, in Castro Caldelas, opposite the Doade jetty, on the other side of the bridge. Two guided boats leave from here on the Santo Estevo reservoir: the Catamarán Río Sil catamaran and the Brandán II of the Algueira winery. Both make a round of an hour and a half among terraced vineyards and rock walls that, according to the shipping company, exceed 500 metres.
From the jetty to the canyon and back
Catamarán Río Sil asks you to be at the jetty half an hour before departure; a quarter of an hour at the very latest. The boat leaves on time and waits for nobody, so if you are going to be late, let them know. Boarding and disembarking take between ten and fifteen minutes. Then there are about 12 km of circular route through the canyons, with a guide who explains live the landscape, the remains of monasteries and how vines are worked on the slope. There are viewpoints and corners that can only be seen from the water.
The boat has 360-degree views and shelters you from the rain, and has a toilet. There is no bar service or food on board: you can bring your own water or a snack. The 11:00 departure returns at about 12:45 and the 16:00 one at about 17:45. You do not need to be fit: everyone from small children to older people does it.
Departures by season
In high season, from July to September, there are departures at 11:00 and 16:00, and they may add others at 13:00 and 18:00. At Easter and over the Pilar long weekend four boats a day sail. From October to June the base is 11:00 and 16:00, with fewer departures on weekdays. In winter there is only one, at 11:00, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and at Christmas there is no service. The calendar for each day is seen when you book.
Tickets, booking and cancellation
Adults pay €13; over-65s and ages 13 to 17, €10; ages 4 to 12, €5, and under-4s do not pay. In high season everything goes up €1. Book on its website or on 649 610 221, also by WhatsApp, and pay by card, Bizum or in cash at the jetty. Cancelling is free up to 24 hours before.
The other boat: Algueira's Brandán II
The Algueira winery, in Doade, has its own boat from this jetty: a guided trip of an hour and a half with explanations about the Ribeira Sacra and its wine. Book on its website, which shows times and price when you choose a date. It combines well with the tasting at the winery and with lunch at O Castelo, on the other side of the river.
Eighteen kilometres from Monforte
From Monforte it is 18 km, about 20 minutes, along the OU-0605 towards Castro Caldelas; from Castro Caldelas, 12 km. The road is fine for any car. You park free in line beside the road, and there is more room across the bridge, beside the Doade jetty. If you prefer a longer, cheaper boat, the Provincial Council's sails from Ponte do Sil, on the other bank. The full day with wineries is in the plan Sunday of boat and wineries in the Sil canyon.
- **Visit and tasting at the Regina Viarum winery, in Doade** (1 h 10 · Adults; minors accompanied): A guided visit to the Regina Viarum winery, in Doade (Sober), with a screening room, a commented tasting in the tasting room and a final glass on the terrace, hanging over the Sil vineyards. You choose between three, four or five wines: 65 to 75 minutes in all.
What you see and taste
The visit tours the facilities with a guide, passes through an audiovisual room and ends in the tasting room, where the wines are discussed. The winery says it works to bring out the best of mencía, godello and tempranillo, and the tasting adjusts to the number of wines you choose: about 65 minutes with three, 70 with four and 75 with five. Afterwards, the terrace stays open for those who have done the visit, during public opening hours.
The winery also organises grape harvest days and rents spaces for events; if you are interested, ask the wine-tourism team.
Hours
From 2 November to 31 December and from 1 January to 30 April it opens Thursday to Monday (Tuesday and Wednesday, closed), with slots at 11:30, 13:00, 16:00 and 17:15, and another at 18:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. From 1 May to 1 November there are slots every day at 11:00, 12:15, 13:30, 16:00, 17:15, 18:30 and 19:45. At Easter and on the Constitution Day long weekend (3 to 8 December) there are special hours with six slots a day. Arrive 10 minutes early and show your booking at reception.
Booking and rules
Book on its website. The rate is non-refundable, but allows one free change of date or time up to 7 days before, subject to availability. The website does not show the price on the wine-tourism page; it appears when you book. Visits are in Spanish and Galician; for English you must write to enoturismo@reginaviarum.es. Minors may attend accompanied by their guardian. You cannot bring in outside food or drink. Places per visit are limited, so in high season it is best to book in good time.
Worth bearing in mind
If you are driving, choose the three-wine tasting or let someone else drive: the canyon roads are narrow and winding. Parking is free and has a fast charger for electric cars, and the winery declares itself accessible.
Next to the winery is the Vértigo restaurant, with a Michelin star, to end the visit with a meal. According to the winery itself, the Ponte do Sil jetty is about 4.6 km away, to continue the day on the catamaran from Ponte do Sil. In Doade itself you can do another tasting at Adega Algueira.
- **Tasting at Adega Algueira, a family winery in Doade** (Adults): Algueira is a family winery on the Francos road, in Doade (Sober), with terraced vineyards above the Sil. The visit tours the winery, explains how a slope where almost everything is done by hand is worked and ends with a guided tasting of its wines. It is the place to do a full day in one spot: tasting, boat through the canyon and lunch at its restaurant, O Castelo.
What you see and taste
The standard tasting includes the guided visit to the facilities, the history and philosophy of the house, an introduction to work in the vineyard and winemaking, and the commented tasting of a selection of its wines. The winery works only with its own grapes and native varieties: in white, godello, treixadura, albariño and loureiro; in red, mencía, caíño, sousón, brancellao and merenzao. It has vineyards in two different areas: Amandi, with very sunny slopes and slate and schist soils where the mencía goes, and Cortezada, with quartz and gneiss, for the whites. Some plots, they say, have slopes of up to 85 degrees beside the river.
Its range has a dozen wines, from the young and fresh to those with more structure; among them are the Mencía Joven, Pizarra, Carravel, Risco, Serradelo, Fincas, Brandán, Cornamús, Cortezada and Escalada. Which are opened at each tasting depends on the day.
For professionals and advanced enthusiasts there is a professional tasting on request: a visit to the winery and terraces (subject to conditions and availability), a technical talk on Ribeira Sacra viticulture and a minimum of six wines among whites, young reds, aged wines and native varieties. Request it by email at reservas@algueira.com.
Booking, hours and price
By booking only, through the calendar on its website or on 982 410 299 (the Monforte tourist office also gives 698 171 168). Open every day except Wednesday. The winery does not publish the price of the tasting on its website; it is shown when you choose a date in the booking system or you can ask by phone.
Boat and lunch on the same day
The house boat, the Brandán II, leaves from the A Abeleda jetty and makes a trip of an hour and a half through the Sil canyon, among terraced vineyards; it is also booked on its website, subject to availability. If you prefer the catamaran, see the catamaran from A Abeleda.
The restaurant O Castelo, next to the winery, is open from 13:00 to 15:30 every day except Wednesday, with Galician cooking designed to go with its wines. On visit days it offers a closed wine-tourism menu at €49 per person, with pairing; the children's menu, ages 2 to 12, costs €25. It is paid at the restaurant.
Getting there and what to combine
Doade is on the Lugo bank of the Sil, in the municipality of Sober. In Doade itself is another winery you can visit, Regina Viarum. If you are driving, spread out the tastings or let someone else drive: the canyon roads are narrow and winding. To sleep nearby, the Casa Grande de Rosende is in the same municipality.
- **Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua and its Grecos** (45 min · Teenagers and adults · 5 €): The building you can see from anywhere in Monforte, on the flat ground beside the river Cabe: a school with a Herrerian façade of more than 100 metres that, because of its size, is called the Galician Escorial. It is also known as the Cardinal's College, for the man who had it built, and the College of the Society, for the Jesuits who ran it. Today it is run by the Piarists. The guided visit enters the church and the museum in the former sacristy, with paintings by El Greco and Andrea del Sarto.
Its history
It was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries by Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro, to provide education for the area and all of Galicia. It was run by the Society of Jesus and, from 1873, by the Piarists. The complex occupies a large esplanade in the centre of the town: the school, the church of Nosa Señora da Antiga, the cloister and the museum.
What you see
The guided visit tours the façade, the monumental staircase, the cloister, the church and the museum-picture gallery. In the church the walnut high altarpiece stands out, by Francisco de Moure from the early 17th century, and the bronze statue of the cardinal, by Juan de Bolonia (Xoán de Boloña). The museum, in the former sacristy, holds a small collection donated by the cardinal himself: books, documents and liturgical vestments, and above all a picture gallery with two oil paintings by El Greco and five panels by Andrea del Sarto.
Hours and entry
It can only be seen on a guided visit. In November 2026, according to the municipal guide, there are slots on Friday at 16:45, Saturday at 11:30, 12:45 and 16:45, and Sunday at 12:45 and 16:45. Entry costs €5. Hours change with the season: in summer there are more slots on weekdays. Confirm on 667 925 072; the foundation that manages the visits also answers on 982 023 495 and at visitasescolapios@gmail.com. The entrance is at Praza da Compañía 50.
How to combine it
It is on the flat ground, ten minutes' walk from the centre and the Wine Centre. In the morning, the boat through the canyon; in the afternoon, the 16:45 slot and a stroll through the Jewish quarter and the old bridge over the Cabe. If you are with children, the Railway Museum is also in Monforte. To sleep, the Parador de Monforte occupies the former San Vicente do Pino monastery at the top of the town.
- **Ribeira Sacra Wine Centre, in Monforte** (1 h · Adults · Desde 3 € per person): On rúa do Comercio, in Monforte's pedestrian centre, between Plaza de España and Plaza del Doctor Goyanes, the Ribeira Sacra Wine Centre explains how vines are grown on the slopes of the Sil and Miño. It is the easiest way to understand the landscape before going to the canyon, and to taste wines from several wineries without driving from one to another.
The building and the exhibition
It occupies a historic 18th-century building that has been a hospital, a casino and a town hall. The rooms are arranged around a central courtyard and form an interactive exhibition on the wines and growing area of the Ribeira Sacra Designation of Origin: the terraces on very steep slopes, the varieties and the work of what they call heroic viticulture here. The same building houses the headquarters of the D.O. Ribeira Sacra Regulatory Board and the municipal tourist office.
Visits and tastings
Every day there are two guided slots with advance booking: at 12:30, with a tasting of three wines, for €7.50, and at 18:00, with one wine, for €3. Ages 6 to 16 pay €1.50, under-6s do not pay and groups of more than 15 people pay €2.50 per person. Book on 982 404 715 or 641 983 195.
Wine shop and tapas
The wine shop opens every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 20:30, with a wide selection of D.O. wines and accessories for serving them. It also has a tapas bar with wines from the area and typical dishes. If you like a wine on the visit, it is the place to buy it or to ask which winery to visit next; at the tourist office, in the same building, they have the monthly guide with the hours of wineries, boats and monasteries.
To combine
The 12:30 slot leaves the afternoon free for the Railway Museum, open Wednesday to Sunday, or for the guided visit to the Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua, on the flat ground beside the river Cabe. If the next day you go to the canyon, the Doade wineries, such as Algueira and Regina Viarum, are a few kilometres away by winding road: better to spread the tastings across the days.
- **Galicia Railway Museum, in Monforte** (1 h · Families · Desde 5 € per person): Monforte grew up with the railway: in 1883 Alfonso XII opened the Madrid–A Coruña line and the town became a railway junction in inland Galicia, which drove its economy until the mid-20th century. The Galicia Railway Museum occupies the former steam traction depot, one of the most important of its time in Spain, beside the tracks. It is the stop children like most on a day of wineries.
What you see
The most striking piece is the building itself: the roundhouse, a horseshoe-shaped shed with 38 radial tracks and a turntable for moving the locomotives, which Turismo Ribeira Sacra presents as unique in Spain. You reach it by a small train inside the museum.
The collection mixes steam, diesel and electric. The museum lists, among others, the Mikado 141F-2111, locomotive 308 "Yeyé", the electric 7722 "La Inglesa", from 1953, the Renfe Alco 1800 318.012 and the Mitsubishi 269-601. There is also the "Confederación", which the museum presents as the most powerful steam locomotive on the Spanish railways, lent by a private owner. Among the carriages are a 1929 saloon car, the "King's Car", a restaurant car and the saloon car of the Railway Regiment, as well as a trolley and workshop and crane vans.
For children there is a five-minute children's train circuit and a small park of ride-on scale trains. A free audio guide can be heard on your phone by scanning a QR code.
Hours and price
Wednesday to Friday, 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00; Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00; public holidays, 12:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 19:00. Monday and Tuesday, closed. The November 2026 municipal tourist guide gives €5 for individual entry; Turismo Ribeira Sacra publishes a child's fare (€2) and says guided visits are only for groups with booking. The museum warns of closures at Christmas and in January; confirm beforehand on 982 418 421 or 606 401 982.
Getting there
It is on the extension of rúa Padre Feijóo, in Monforte de Lemos, on the other side of the tracks from the centre. From the LU-633 turn onto rúa Juan Montes, cross the tracks and continue along the street that runs parallel to them to the museum.
To round off the day in Monforte
A good hour is enough to see it unhurriedly. It combines well with the Ribeira Sacra Wine Centre, in the centre, and with the guided visit to the Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua. At the top of the town, in the former San Vicente do Pino monastery, are the Parador de Monforte and its dining room, the De Lemos Restaurant.
- **Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil Monastery** (45 min · All ages · Desde 2 € per person): A Romanesque monastery hidden in a forest of centuries-old chestnuts, the souto de Merilán, on the slope of Parada de Sil, far above the river. It is one of the images of the Ribeira Sacra: the stone church with its openwork rose window, the crenellated tower, what is left of the cloister and the silence of the grove.
Its history
It is a Benedictine monastery originating in the 10th century. It was independent during the Middle Ages, when it was one of the most important in the Ribeira Sacra, and after the 16th-century reform it became a priory of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil. The reform of the cloister and the paintings in the church date from that time. The monks lived off chestnuts and vines, and the 19th-century confiscation brought final abandonment.
What to see
The church is Romanesque, from the late 12th or early 13th century, with a Latin-cross plan and three semicircular apses, the central one higher. The façade has an openwork rose window at the top, and the portal, splayed, has three archivolts with zigzag mouldings and capitals with plant motifs. Inside, the nave is covered with a double-pitched wooden roof on pointed arches, and the central apse keeps 16th-century Renaissance wall paintings with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Dominic, Saint Anthony and Saint Thomas, and above them Saint Lucy and Saint Barbara. In a side chapel there is a Romanesque altar.
Beside the north wall rises the bell tower, defensive in appearance, with battlements and a pyramidal roof. The entrance gate to the precinct, at an angle to the church, bears on the intrados of its arch the symbols of the four evangelists. Of the cloister two galleries remain, with arches from the 16th-century reform. Before going you can see the 360-degree virtual tour linked by Turismo Ribeira Sacra.
Hours, entry and booking
For the period from 13 October to 8 December 2026 it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00; on Mondays it is closed. Visits are suspended from 9 December 2026 until March 2027. In spring and in September the hours change (mornings and afternoons at weekends), so check the calendar on the website before going. Entry costs €2 and is free for under-14s, official guides, holders of the Carné Xove, residents of Parada de Sil and people with reduced mobility. Book at turismo.ribeirasacra.org because capacity is limited. Information on 689 683 713.
Getting there
By car, along the road that leaves next to the Parada de Sil town hall: about ten minutes. There is parking, toilets and wifi. At Easter (Thursday to Sunday) and from 1 July to 13 September access is by shuttle bus only, booked together with the ticket; and since 2026 you cannot drive up in a private car outside opening hours.
From the water you see it at the end of the Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil, and on foot the PR-G 98 route reaches it from Parada de Sil. Very close are the Balcones de Madrid, the canyon's best-known viewpoint.
- **PR-G 98 route through the Sil canyon and Santa Cristina** (6 h · 18 km · Fit hikers): A waymarked circular route of about 18 km and six hours along traditional paths and dirt tracks around Parada de Sil, on the Ourense bank of the canyon. Turismo Ribeira Sacra rates it medium difficulty and 842 metres of cumulative ascent (and as much descent); Turismo de Galicia reckons six and a half hours. It gathers the best of this bank: groves of centuries-old chestnuts, the Balcones de Madrid and the Santa Cristina monastery.
The route
It starts at Praza do Barquilleiro, in Parada de Sil. It goes down into a deep valley with many old chestnut trees, follows a stream for a little over a kilometre and climbs again towards Fondo de Vila. From there it goes to the Balcones de Madrid and continues along the canyon rim, with views of the Sil, until passing the Santa Cristina monastery, surrounded by chestnuts, where you can go in if it is open. The final climb takes you back to the village.
Turismo de Galicia lists the places it passes through: Parada de Sil, Sardela, Entrambosríos, San Vitoiro, Fondo de Vila, O Fental, As Fontiñas, Portela, A Galiña, Castro and Chamoso. Along the way there are vineyards, ancient oak groves, ovens, drying sheds and mills.
Shorter versions
The PR-G 98.1 variant, of about 700 metres, links Parada de Sil with Fondo de Vila and lets you cut the route in half. For a short walk, it is enough to go from Praza do Barquilleiro to Fondo de Vila and the Balcones. The route is not suitable for bicycles.
Before setting out
Check the hours of the Santa Cristina monastery if you want to go in: it closes on Mondays and suspends visits from 9 December to March. Services are in Parada de Sil; the official page lists springs, but bring your own water and something to eat, because the hamlets along the way are small. With six hours of walking and over 800 metres of ascent, set out early, especially in summer, and in hiking boots. The GPX track can be downloaded from the Turismo Ribeira Sacra website.
From Ourense you reach it by the OU-536 to Vilariño Frío and the OU-0604 to Parada de Sil. Information from Parada de Sil Town Council, 988 208 010.
If you are looking for something shorter
The route's own page suggests visiting the Mao river canyon, near Parada de Sil, and walking its wooden walkways from the Fábrica da Luz: a walk beside the water, in the shade. If you only want the view, the Balcones de Madrid are 200 metres from their car park.
- **Boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a Winery or a Waterfall** (2 h 50 · 12 km · All ages · Desde 30 € per person): At Belesar the Miño widens into a long, still reservoir, wedged between slopes of terraced vineyards that run down to the water. It is the other face of the Ribeira Sacra: less stone canyon than on the Sil, more broad river, meanders and villages on the banks. From the Diputación jetty leave two small boats from local companies, Sacra Activa and Vista Sacra, carrying eleven to fifteen people. The Diputación de Lugo's large catamaran, which also used to leave from here, is suspended until the end of the season.
Which route to choose

Boat and winery, with Sacra Activa. The shared route lasts 2 hrs 50 and is the one that shows most of the river: about 12 km downstream, turning after the island of Maiorga, in Pantón, and stopping at the Ecosacra pier, a former adega de garda (storage cellar) in Pincelo, in Chantada, where two wines are tasted with local produce. Ecosacra does not make wine; it is a recovered old cellar. Adults, €48; ages 5 to 17, €30; under-5s, free.
Private boat with waterfall, with Sacra Activa. Two hours for your group around the Cabo do Mundo meander, with drinks on board and a five-minute walk down to the Augacaída waterfall, one of the highest drops in Galicia, about 40 metres. It costs €350 for up to eleven people and €420 for up to fifteen; it leaves at 11:30.
One hour on the Miño, with Vista Sacra. The shortest trip, from €30 per person on a twelve-seat boat. For groups there is another of two hours with waterfall, something to eat and a swim if the weather allows.

Times, booking and parking
Sacra Activa's shared route leaves at 11:00 every day from 1 July to 12 October and, outside those dates, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends; in the afternoon, at 18:00 in July and August and at 17:00 the rest of the season. It needs six confirmed people the day before: if that isn't reached, they let you know and refund your money. Vista Sacra shows free times when you choose a date on its website. Always book ahead; both boats fill up early in summer and at harvest time.
Parking beside the jetties is very small. From 18 July to 6 September 2026 the Consorcio de Turismo put on free shuttles to Belesar; check whether they are repeated. Departures depend on the reservoir's water level.
Who it is for
Everyone. Sacra Activa takes children from babyhood and its boat is equipped for people with reduced mobility; the walk down to the waterfall, however, is a path. It is one of the few river trips that accept a dog: one per booking, if you tell them beforehand.
- **Visit and Tasting at the Vía Romana Winery, in Belesar (Chantada)** (1 h · Adults; children from age 7 with grape must · Desde 18 € per adult): Vía Romana is a Ribeira Sacra D.O. winery in A Ermida, beside Belesar, on the Chantada bank of the Miño. It publishes visits at fixed times all year and is in the same Belesar as the Miño boats, so it combines well with a trip on the river. There are four visits, from one hour to an hour and a half, and all end with a tasting.
Which visit to choose

Esencia, the entry-level: 60 minutes around the winery, with views of the vineyard, and three of its best-known wines. €18.
5 Sentidos: the whole winery with a guide and five wines, in 70 minutes. €25.
Heroica: 90 minutes outside, among the vines, to see what in the Ribeira Sacra they call heroic viticulture: narrow terraces, slopes where no machine can go and harvesting by hand. You finish with three wines. €30. Wear comfortable shoes; there are 35% gradients and it is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Premium: the complete visit with five wines and local bites, 75 minutes, €35. From two people and with 48 hours' notice.

Those over seven pay €5 (€10 on the Premium) and taste a grape must, so it can be done as a family.
Times and how to book
In winter there are slots on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12:30 and 16:30, and on Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00, 13:00 and 17:00; Sunday and Monday, no. From June to September 2026, every day at 11:00, 13:00, 16:30 and 18:00. Book on its online calendar. By phone they answer on 982 462 069 Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 19:00, and on 683 504 509 at weekends and public holidays, from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00.
The winery also has a tavern with views of the terraces, to enjoy its wines at leisure with tapas. In summer it opens Thursday to Sunday, from 12:30 to 15:30 and from 16:00 to 21:00; outside that period, ask.
Getting there and what to combine
Belesar is a village at the edge of the Miño reservoir, between Chantada and O Saviñao, reached by car along winding roads that go down to the bridge. From the Belesar jetty leave the boats on the Miño of Sacra Activa and Vista Sacra: a boat in the morning and a winery in the afternoon is the perfect day on the Miño side.
- **Visit to Ronsel do Sil, Winery and Terraces in Parada de Sil** (1 h · Adults; minors accompanied · Desde 18 € per adult): Ronsel do Sil is a small winery on the Ourense bank, in Sacardebois, in the municipality of Parada de Sil, about 10 km from the village and near Santa Cristina. It was founded in 2010 and works about two hectares of very steep terraces above the Sil, all harvested by hand. The visit is short and personal: the winery, a walk among the vines and a tasting with a tapa. It is the winery that is handy if you spend the day at the viewpoints of Parada de Sil, far from those of Doade.
What you see and what you taste
You start in the winery, where they explain how it is made, and go down to the vines on the terraces above the river. The reds are mencía and merenzao, a little-planted Galician variety; the whites, godello, treixadura and dona branca. Below the winery, beside the Sil, they have planted a garden of native Galician varieties, which shows at a glance how many different grapes there are in the area. The tasting is of wines from those varieties, with a tapa. It belongs to the Ribeiras do Sil subzone of the Ribeira Sacra D.O.
Price, times and booking
The visit lasts about an hour. It costs €18 for adults and €9 for ages 12 to 18; under-12s don't pay. It is open on weekdays and at weekends. Book with the form on its website at least 24 hours ahead, choosing morning (from 11:00 to 14:00) or afternoon (from 17:00 to 20:00); the winery then calls you to settle the day and time. To ask beforehand: 685 877 740 or 629 259 244.
Getting there and what to combine in the day
The winery is in Abarxa, Sacardebois, and gives its coordinates on the website (42° 23' 1" N, 7° 31' 8" W): put them into your sat nav. In the morning the visit to the monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil fits, and in the afternoon the Balcones de Madrid or the Mao river boardwalks. If you want the long walk, the PR-G 98 starts in the same municipality.
- **Mao River Boardwalks, from A Fábrica da Luz (Parada de Sil)** (45 min · 850 m · Families; the PR-G 177, experienced walkers · Free): The Mao is a tributary that runs down, hemmed in, to the Sil through the municipality of Parada de Sil, and its last stretch is walked along wooden boardwalks hung above the water. They start at A Fábrica da Luz, a former hydroelectric plant converted into a hostel, and cross the river by a wooden bridge. It is about 850 metres, open all year: the easiest walk to see a canyon from inside, with the water a few metres away and not from a viewpoint.
The short walk and the long loop
The boardwalks. From A Fábrica da Luz the path follows the bank of the Mao along wooden walkways to the end of the section. It is 850 metres each way; unhurried, round trip, allow less than an hour. They are fine for going with children. With a pushchair, ask first at the Parada de Sil tourist office (689 683 713).
The PR-G 177, Canón do Río Mao. If that feels like too little, the same start opens a waymarked route of 16.5 km as a loop, about 6 hrs 30 and medium difficulty. It follows the boardwalks to where the Mao meets the Sil, climbs to Barxacova and San Lourenzo de Barxacova and reaches Forcas, the highest point, via Miranda. It returns to the Mao by the medieval bridge of Conceliñas and by the canle vella, the plant's old canal, towards the chapel and necropolis of San Vítor de Barxacova. There are very hard slopes at the end; if you want to avoid them, start at San Lourenzo de Barxacova and do only the southern part, 11.5 km. It is not for bikes.
Getting there and parking
From Parada de Sil, take the OU-0605 towards A Teixeira and follow the turn-off to the A Fábrica da Luz hostel or to San Lourenzo. From Ourense, take the OU-536 towards Trevinca and, past Valilongo, the OU-CV-303 towards Cristosende: on crossing the Mao is the hostel. The council does not publish its own parking; leave the car without blocking the access and arrive early in summer.
Who it is for
For a quiet while between the visit to Santa Cristina and the Balcones de Madrid, with or without children. The long loop needs strong legs and a whole day. In Parada de Sil there are restaurants, accommodation, a campsite and a health centre; in Barxacova, the hostel.
- **Monastery of Ferreira de Pantón, Romanesque with Cistercian Nuns** (40 min · All ages): In Ferreira de Pantón, a stone's throw from Monforte, a monastery of Cistercian nuns is still inhabited, founded as Benedictine and passed to the Cistercians at the end of the 12th century. The nuns are still there, with a life devoted to prayer and work. The Romanesque church can be visited every day morning and afternoon, and on the way out you can buy the sweets the nuns make in their workshop.
What you see
The church is from the 12th century, with a single nave and a semicircular apse, and the best is in the stone: sculpted capitals and corbels, well worth looking at closely. Inside there is a 16th-century wooden coffered ceiling with Mudéjar influence and a 17th-century wooden crucifix. In 1975 a Romanesque carving of the Virgin and Child turned up, walled up in a window in the north wall. The cloister is Renaissance, from the 16th century, and holds the tomb of Countess Fronilde Fernández. The 18th-century Baroque buildings preserve the cells called das donas, with eight original fireplaces.
Opening hours and sweets
The Concello de Pantón publishes the visiting hours: every day from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30. It publishes no price or guided tours; if you go as a group, call the council beforehand (982 456 005). The nuns make almendrados (almond biscuits), tejas, alegrías, coquiños, golosas and almond tarts from traditional recipes, and sell them only in the monastery's own shop. They also have a small guesthouse and offer monastic retreat days; they are requested on its website.
How it fits into the day
Ferreira de Pantón lies between Monforte and the Miño, so it is a good gateway to that side of the Ribeira Sacra. It is a half-hour stop before going down to Belesar for the boat on the Miño or to the Vía Romana winery. In the same municipality there are other Romanesque churches declared monuments, such as San Miguel de Eiré, Santo Estevo de Atán, with 15th- and 16th-century wall paintings, and San Fiz de Cangas; the council does not publish hours for them, so ask there before going. For the art of Monforte, the Antigua college is a few minutes away.

## Dónde comer
- **Vértigo** (Restaurant, Doade, Sober, €€€€). Qué pedir: the Esencia menu if it is your first time; dishes without meat or fish, only on the menú carta
- **O Castelo, restaurant of Adega Algueira** (Restaurant, Doade, Sober, €€€). Qué pedir: the Galician caldo and the Caurel kid, or the €49 wine-tourism menu with four house wines
- **De Lemos Restaurant, at the Parador de Monforte** (Restaurant, Monforte de Lemos, €€€). Qué pedir: home-made empanada, pulpo á feira and the caramelised filloa
- **Vía Romana Tavern** (Bar, Belesar, Chantada). Qué pedir: a house mencía with some tapas, before or after the winery visit

## By car: A canyon explored by car
The Ribeira Sacra has no useful public transport between jetties, wineries and viewpoints: it is done by car. The roads are narrow and winding, and crossing from one bank of the Sil to the other means finding a bridge. Plan fewer stops than the map suggests.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Monforte de Lemos** (Hotel): The Parador de Monforte occupies the San Vicente do Pino complex, at the top of the hill that dominates the town and the Lemos plain: the Benedictine monastery, the palace of the Counts of Lemos and, attached to them, the medieval keep. It is a four-star hotel. The monastic community dates back to the 9th century, but the building you see was built between 1626 and 1802, and the rooms are arranged around its neoclassical cloister. The common areas are in the palace's former rooms.
Rooms around the cloister
Paradores offers basic, standard and superior doubles, duplex rooms, a junior suite and an adapted room. Turismo de Galicia notes family rooms and a babysitting service, useful if you are travelling with small children. All have air conditioning, heating, wifi, television, minibar and safe. When booking, ask for yours to overlook the cloister.
Pool over the plain, jacuzzi and gym
In season an outdoor pool opens with views of the Lemos plain. There are also a jacuzzi and a gym. There is a lift, a laundry and a terrace with garden. Outdoor parking is free and the garage, paid, has an electric car charger.
For eating you do not need to go out: the De Lemos restaurant serves inland Galician cooking at midday and at night, every day, and the café is open from 11:00 to midnight.
The town on foot, the canyon by car
From the door you walk down to the old quarter and the centre. In the town you have the Colegio de la Antigua, with its two paintings by El Greco, the Ribeira Sacra Wine Centre and, a little further away, the Galicia Railway Museum. The keep, next to the Parador, is temporarily closed according to the tourist office.
For the canyon you need the car: the Ponte do Sil jetty, with the Provincial Council catamaran, is about 20 minutes along the Castro Caldelas road, and Doade, with its wineries, a little further on.
Closed from 3 January to 1 March 2027
The Parador closes from 3 January to 1 March 2027. If you are travelling near those dates, confirm on 982 418 484.
- **Casa Grande de Rosende** (Small hotel, desde 67 € / night): Casa Grande de Rosende is a pazo that the Díaz Varela family built in 1511 in Rosende, a hamlet of Sober in the Lugo part of the Ribeira Sacra, not far from the edge of the Sil canyon. The wall of the old manor house encloses more than 10,000 square metres of gardens and vineyard. Inside remain the chapel and the lounges with frescoes by Juan Bernardo de Castinandi, a Galician painter trained in Rome, and much of the period furniture.
From the 16th century to the House of the Misses
The house was extended in the late 18th century. In the mid-20th century some sisters of the family lived in it, and in the hamlet it was called the Casa de las Señoritas. In the late seventies the Vieitez family bought it and opened it to rural tourism in the late nineties. In 2005 a fire destroyed much of the building, and it was rebuilt respecting the original architecture.
Thirteen rooms and one extra bed
There is one special double room and twelve doubles, all with full bathroom, television and telephone. For rates, the website distinguishes standard, premium, suite and single. The extra bed only fits in the premium and costs €20 in low season and €22 in high: bear it in mind if you are travelling with a child. Prices include VAT:

Standard: from €67 in low season and €82 in high.
Premium: from €77 and €92.
Suite: from €90 and €108.
Single: from €54 and €65.

High season is Easter and 15 July to 15 September. The website published a winter closure from mid-December to February; ask the dates for this winter before booking.
House breakfast and tasting dinner
Breakfast is not included: it is a buffet with home-made sweets, house cured meats and fruit from the garden, for €10. Dinner, of traditional inland cooking, is a tasting menu for €24 plus wine. There are two dining rooms, three indoor lounges and one outdoor, a library, a games room, a television room and a tennis court. Wifi and parking are free, there is a laundry service and they rent bicycles.
Animals are admitted, with prior notice. For those who play, there is an 18-hole golf course about 5 km away, at Augas Santas, and a 9-hole one in Monforte, about 12 km away.
Packages with boat and winery
The house sells two-night packages outside high season that combine accommodation, breakfast and, depending on which, tasting dinner, a catamaran on the Sil, a winery visit with tasting and a visit to a pottery centre. See the day's price on its website. If you prefer to organise it yourself, from here you go down to Doade for the tasting at Adega Algueira and the catamaran from A Abeleda, or cross to the Ourense bank towards Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil.
- **Rectoral de Anllo** (Country house, desde 80 € / night): The Rectoral de Anllo is an 18th-century Galician manor house in Anllo, Sober, restored as a country house. It is surrounded by trees, in the Lugo part of the Ribeira Sacra, between the Cabe river and the Sil. It keeps original frescoes by Bernardo Pérez de Castinandi, an 18th-century Galician painter, and the cooking uses seasonal produce, much of it from its own garden.
A bath in every room
All rooms have a full bathroom with bath and bidet, and cotton bed linen and towels. The house lists three types: double, double A and suite; among the suites, the website highlights three with their own names, Marilín, Orballo and Amanece. It does not publish how many rooms it has in all or what distinguishes the double A from the double: ask if the view or size matters to you.
2026 prices by season
The double costs €80 in low season, €90 in mid and €100 in high. The double A, €90, €100 and €110, and the suite, €100, €110 and €120. The extra bed is €20, or €25 in high season. High season is 2 to 5 April and all August; mid, from 27 March to 1 April, 15 to 31 July and 1 to 13 September; the rest of the year is low season. The house itself warns that the dates are indicative.
Breakfast is extra: €9 for the basic and €15 for the full. Dinner costs €29 with bread and water; other drinks extra. It is zero-mile cooking, from the garden and in season.
Library, sun gallery and garden
Life in the house centres on the common areas: a garden where you can also eat, a terrace facing the sunset, a wooden sun gallery, the library with reading room and the fireplace, and the dining room. There is free wifi in the common areas, free private parking and a laundry service. The website says nothing about dogs or a policy for children: if you are travelling with either, check beforehand.
The canyon around
The house suggests hiking and fishing on the nearby rivers, the area's rural Romanesque and the Sil canyons. On the other bank, already in Ourense, are the Mao river walkways and the Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil monastery. Os Chancís, with its jetty, is in the same parish of Anllo. Another historic house nearby, also with Castinandi frescoes, is Casa Grande de Rosende.
- **Parador de Santo Estevo** (Hotel, desde 119 € / night): Monks' cells above the canyon
The monastery of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil was founded in the 10th century and grew over the centuries, so it mixes styles: it has three cloisters, one Romanesque, one Gothic and one Renaissance. Today it is a Parador. It is in Nogueira de Ramuín, on the Ourense bank of the Sil canyon, surrounded by forest and with views of the slopes of the river.
The rooms occupy the monks' former cells. There are standard doubles, superior doubles and junior suites, with contemporary decor inside stone walls, air conditioning, minibar, safe and flat-screen television; there is a lift and accessible facilities. The spa is in the monastery's former cellars and has an outdoor jacuzzi looking onto the forest.
Arriving by car along the Ourense bank
The Parador is set apart from the villages, surrounded by forest, and you arrive by car: from Ourense it is 28 km on the A-52, or you follow the N-120 towards Monforte and turn off at Penalva towards Luintra. Large coaches cannot come down to the door. The outdoor car park is free, partly covered, and there is a charger for electric cars.
Having dinner here makes sense, because there is little around. The restaurant serves inland Galician cooking, with chestnut and wines from the Ribeira Sacra, and fish from the rías. The spa circuit costs €35 for guests (€30 with the Amigo de Paradores card). If you are going with children, bear in mind that children under 4 do not enter the spa and that those aged 4 to 12 pay half and have a separate timetable worth asking about.
When to go and what it costs
It closes in winter: from 3 January to 1 March 2027. In the calendar on its website, a double for November 2026 comes from €119 room only, and some days reaches about €190–200. There are rates with breakfast, half board, non-refundable rates and special prices for Amigos de Paradores.
From here, close by, are the monastery of Santa Cristina, in the forest on the same bank, and the Balcones de Madrid over the deepest part of the canyon.

## As a family: Boat, trains and viewpoints for going with children

With children, the Ribeira Sacra works if you swap wineries for boats and trains. A catamaran in the morning, lunch and, in the afternoon, the Monforte Railway Museum: an unhurried day with little driving.

### What works best
The catamaran from A Abeleda: 1 h 30 with no effort, ages 4 to 12 for €5

The Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil: €5 for ages 4 to 12, free up to 3

The Monforte Railway Museum, with locomotives up close

The Balcones de Madrid, a short walk to the viewpoint, hand in hand

The Santa Cristina monastery, among chestnut trees

### Sleep
Rectoral de Anllo, with a garden and extra bed

Parador de Monforte, with a seasonal pool and spacious rooms

### Eat
O Castelo, at Algueira, with a terrace

De Lemos Restaurant, at the Parador, open every day

### Worth knowing
On the Provincial Council boat, children under 3 need a ticket, even if free

The canyon roads have many bends: stop if anyone feels carsick

At the viewpoints, the edges are not always protected

### Qué hacer as a family
- Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil to Santa Cristina
- Balcones de Madrid viewpoint, in Parada de Sil
- Catamaran through the Sil canyons from A Abeleda
- Galicia Railway Museum, in Monforte
- Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil Monastery
- Boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a Winery or a Waterfall
- Visit and Tasting at the Vía Romana Winery, in Belesar (Chantada)
- Visit to Ronsel do Sil, Winery and Terraces in Parada de Sil
- Mao River Boardwalks, from A Fábrica da Luz (Parada de Sil)

## With young children: The canyon from the boat, without walking

For the youngest, the canyon is best seen from the water: the boats are calm, have a guide and do not ask you to walk. Off the boat, the train museum is the stop that lasts longest.

### What works best
Catamaran from A Abeleda, free for under-4s

Catamaran from Ponte do Sil, free up to age 3, with a ticket

Railway Museum, with real locomotives

### Sleep
Rectoral de Anllo, with a garden and extra bed

Parador de Monforte, with a lift and a pool in summer

### Eat
De Lemos Restaurant, at the Parador, with long hours

Bring something for the boat: the crossing lasts between 1 h 30 and 2 h

### Worth knowing
A baby carrier is better than a pushchair at viewpoints and monasteries

It is cool on the water: an extra layer for the child

Arrive at the jetty 30 minutes early

### Qué hacer with young children
- Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil to Santa Cristina
- Catamaran through the Sil canyons from A Abeleda
- Galicia Railway Museum, in Monforte
- Boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a Winery or a Waterfall
- Mao River Boardwalks, from A Fábrica da Luz (Parada de Sil)

## With friends: Boats, Terraces and Wineries above the Sil

The Ribeira Sacra combines canyon scenery, boats on the Sil and the Miño and wineries with terraces above the sloping vineyards. For a group it is a slow-paced plan: you sail, taste and eat looking at the river.
For a group, the Ribeira Sacra needs organising: ideally a boat with a winery or waterfall on Saturday, a long tasting with lunch on Sunday and accommodation among the terraces to serve as a base. The boat trips have a minimum number of people and the wineries are visited by reservation, so settling the number of friends before calling avoids last-minute changes.

### What works best
The boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a winery or waterfall: one to three hours, from €30 and with a minimum of six people, so it suits a group

The catamaran through the Sil canyons from A Abeleda: an hour and a half, from €13

The tasting at Regina Viarum: three, four or five wines with a glass on the terrace above the Sil

The tasting at Adega Algueira, a family winery in Doade, which combines with a boat and a meal

The visit to Vía Romana, in Belesar, from €18, among the terraces

The PR-G 98 route: 18 km and six hours through the Sil canyon, for the keenest walkers

### Where to sleep
The Casa Grande de Rosende, a pazo from 1511 with thirteen rooms and a walled garden and vineyard

The Rectoral de Anllo, an 18th-century manor house with a library with a fireplace and a home-cooked dinner at €29

### Where to eat
Vértigo, with one Michelin star, on the Regina Viarum estate above the canyon

O Castelo, at Adega Algueira, with a €49 pairing menu

The Taberna Vía Romana, its wines with tapas above the Miño terraces; in summer, Thursday to Sunday

### Keep in mind
Boats and tastings require booking and, at times, a minimum number of people

In winter some boats sail only on Fridays, weekends and public holidays

The terrace roads are narrow: name a driver before the tasting

### Qué hacer with friends
- Balcones de Madrid viewpoint, in Parada de Sil
- Catamaran through the Sil canyons from A Abeleda
- Visit and tasting at the Regina Viarum winery, in Doade
- Tasting at Adega Algueira, a family winery in Doade
- PR-G 98 route through the Sil canyon and Santa Cristina
- Boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a Winery or a Waterfall
- Visit and Tasting at the Vía Romana Winery, in Belesar (Chantada)

## Consejos

### Book the boat beforehand
The Diputación boat only lets you on with a ticket bought online, and you must be there 30 minutes early with your ID.

### Check which day each place closes
Algueira closes on Wednesdays; Vértigo, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; Santa Cristina, on Mondays.

### Drive slowly and with time in hand
Between Doade and Parada de Sil there is almost an hour of bends, even if they look close on the map.

### Bring a waterproof layer for the boat
On the water and in the shade of the canyon it is quite a bit cooler than at the top.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the catamaran along the Sil canyon cost?
€9 for the Diputación de Lugo one from Ponte do Sil, with a reduced fare of €5; €13 for the Catamarán Río Sil one from A Abeleda, with €5 for ages 4 to 12.

### Can you take a dog on the boat?
Not on the Diputación one, which admits only assistance dogs. To the viewpoints and the walking route, yes, on a lead.

### Can you see it in a day from Lugo or Ourense?
Yes. Leaving at 9:00 you reach the 11:00 boat, have lunch at Doade and still have time for a viewpoint or Monforte.

### Do you have to book the bodegas?
Yes. Regina Viarum and Algueira only receive visitors by prior reservation.

### Where do you eat on a Sunday?
At O Castelo, at Algueira, and at Vértigo, both in Doade and open at midday, or at the Parador de Monforte restaurant.

### Does the boat on the Miño from Belesar run?
The Diputación de Lugo one does not: it is suspended until the end of the season. The small boats of Sacra Activa and Vista Sacra do leave, from €30, with a minimum of six people.