Vía Romana Tavern
What to order: a house mencía with some tapas, before or after the winery visit
In summer, Thursday to Sunday
geocalia
Day itinerary · 42.42° N · 7.48° W
The broad Miño of the Ribeira Sacra, by boat in the morning and among the terraces in the afternoon.
The Cistercian monastery of Ferreira de Pantón, a boat trip of almost three hours on the Miño from Belesar with a stop at an old winery, and an afternoon visit and tasting at Vía Romana.
Leaving from
Part of Ribeira Sacra and the Sil canyonUnusual places to stay in Spain
Add to my trip
Total time9 h
By car1 h 15 each way
By boat2 h 50 on the Miño
DifficultyEasy
Cost€75–100 pp
Best timeJuly, August and September
BookingBoat and winery
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Lugo 1 h 15 by car
via Monforte de Lemos to Ferreira de Pantón; nearly an hour from Lugo or Ourense
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1
Monastery of Ferreira de Pantón, Romanesque with Cistercian Nuns
opens at 10:00 · fifteen-minute stop and the nuns' sweets
- 30 min by car19,8 km
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2
Boat on the Miño from Belesar, with a Winery or a Waterfall
Sacra Activa · Miño route + Bodega Ecosacra at 11:00 · €48 · minimum six people
+34 988 060 306
- 5 min by car2 km
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Vía Romana Tavern
tapas and wines by the glass · Thursday to Sunday, 12:30–15:30
A Ermida - Belesar, s/n, 27500 Chantada · +34 650 114 060
BarBook - Carry on on foot
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4
Visit and Tasting at the Vía Romana Winery, in Belesar (Chantada)
5 Senses tour · 70 min · €25
+34 982 462 069
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Back home
Via Chantada or Monforte
Approximate cost
About €66 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Monastery of Ferreira de Pantón, Romanesque with Cistercian Nuns
The Miño side of the Ribeira Sacra is visited less than the Sil canyon and is a different landscape: a broad reservoir with meanders, terraced vines that come down to the water and hamlets on the banks. This day covers it from top to bottom: Romanesque with nuns at Pantón, almost three hours by boat from Belesar with a stop at an old winery, and in the afternoon a Chantada winery with its tavern. It works in summer, from Thursday to Sunday, when all the opening times coincide.
The day, step by step
10:00 · Mosteiro de Ferreira de Pantón. It opens at ten. A quarter of an hour for the 12th-century Romanesque church, with its capitals and corbels, and to buy almond sweets or tejas at the Cistercian nuns' shop. Do not linger: the boat does not wait.
11:00 · Boat on the Miño from Belesar. Sacra Activa's shared route leaves from the Diputación jetty and lasts 2 h 50: about 12 km of river, turning round after the island of Maiorga and stopping at the Ecosacra jetty, an old adega de garda in Pincelo, with two wines and local products. Adults, €48; ages 5 to 17, €30. It needs six people confirmed the day before: if that is not reached, you get your money back. The car park is small; arrive with time to spare.
14:00 · Vía Romana tavern and winery. In A Ermida, next to Belesar, five minutes away. The tavern opens Thursday to Sunday from 12:30 to 15:30, with traditional tapas to nibble after the boat. At 16:30, the 5 Senses visit: the whole winery and five wines in 70 minutes, for €25. If you prefer to walk among the vines, ask for the Heroica, 90 minutes and €30, with slopes of 35%.
18:00 · Head home. Via Chantada towards Lugo or Santiago, or via Monforte towards Ourense.
What you need to know
The boat and the winery are booked on their websites, the boat days ahead in July and August. Bring swimwear and something warm: it is cooler on the river. Whoever is driving should taste only the first wine at each tasting; the roads down to Belesar are winding.
Time40 min
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
O Castelo, restaurant of Adega Algueira
What to order: the Galician caldo and the Caurel kid, or the €49 wine-tourism menu with four house wines
© ParadoresDe Lemos Restaurant, at the Parador de Monforte
What to order: home-made empanada, pulpo á feira and the caramelised filloa
Vértigo
What to order: the Esencia menu if it is your first time; dishes without meat or fish, only on the menú carta
Open at midday; closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Ribeira Sacra and the Sil canyon
From July to September, Thursday to Sunday: the boat sails daily at 11:00 from 1 July to 12 October, Vía Romana runs visits every day from June to September and its tavern opens Thursday to Sunday. In October the boat still sails, but the winery returns to its winter hours.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the boat first
It is what fills up most and what sets the day's timetable. Then the winery.
- 2With a dog
Sacra Activa admits one per booking, if you tell them beforehand. At the winery, ask.
We'd skip it
If you come from Monday to Wednesday, the Vía Romana tavern is closed: eat in Chantada before the 16:30 visit.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Boat with tasting at Ecosacra, €48; 5 Senses visit, €25; plus whatever you nibble at the tavern.
Can you do it with children?
Yes. On the boat, ages 5 to 17 pay €30 and under-5s do not pay; at Vía Romana, from age seven, €5 with grape juice.
And outside summer?
The boat runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends until the end of the season, and Vía Romana in winter runs sessions from Tuesday to Saturday: a Friday or a Saturday works, with the 17:00 visit.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/ribeira-sacra/itineraries/boat-and-wine-on-the-mino
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.