Galicia Railway Museum, in Monforte

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.