Please check the maps if you want to locate Galicia in the world.

You can arrive here:

On foot: Yes, you are not going to believe it but if you are a fitness fanatic Galiza has the biggest, oldest and longest signalized route in the world: the way of the stars. Also called the route of Santiago because during the middle ages there was a commercial, strategic and even religious flux of people coming to this end of the world having the city of Santiago de Compostela as their main point of reference. Even in present times there are plenty of people who do it remembering the old spiritual feeling. In ancient times the line made by the Via Lactea in the sky was the only guide for those travellers. Nowadays you will find signs and assistance points in every few kilometres. You can begin your trip from France going through the Basque Country, interior Spain and finally arriving into Galicia. There are places to stop and sleep by night and meet other walkers from all around the world. In the hostals they all gather and I, talk enjoy nature, art and health.

By sea: This is the most common way to arrive to Galicia. Vigo, Corunha and Ferrol are the main Galician cities due to their sea-ports. Coruña has a good port where transatlantics stop and people enjoy the facilities of this pretty industrial and maritime town: five star hotels, golf, sports, etc. are located in Corunha's and Vigo's areas. There are plenty of small ports all in the litoral of Galicia although it has to be mentioned that this is very dangerous sea for sailing if you are not familiarized with it and are a real expert. Most of the ports are also devoted to fishing activities and only some of them offer facilities for small ships travelling around the Atlantic ocean. YOU OUGHT TO CONTACT THE GALICIAN OFFICIAL AUTHORITIES BEFORE PLANNING ANY ARRIVAL BY SEA TO GALICIA. ANY UNAUTHORIZED ARRIVAL WILL BE SERIOUSLY PERSECUTED AND IT IS STRICTLLY FORBIDDEN. COAST IS CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED. YOU ALSO NEED TO BE SURE THAT YOUR SHIP DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY ITEM, ARTICLE OR SUBSTANCE THAT IS ILLEGAL WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. ALL PASSANGERS MUST HAVE THEIR IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHORITAZION TO ENTER THE EUROPEAN UNION, OTHERWISE THEY WILL BE INMEDIATELY REPATRIATED.

THOSE WHO TRY TO AVOID THESE LAWS WILL BE SERIOUSLY PERSECUTED.

If you need technical, professional maritime support the best contact point for a well planned visit are the local portuary authorities of your base-port. Galician ports have relations with every sea country in the world: we are a growing superpower as far as the sea is concerned.

Galician is the natural language when contacting other ships in the area, although Spanish, basic English and standard international code can be used.

If you use predominant winds navigation note that your natural next step will be Ireland, Great and continental Britany and Northern Europe. Plan contacting points in both Galicia and Ireland, U.K., France, Danemark, Netherlands or Norway before arrival. For coastal navigation only small areas will fit your needs.

Please contact us with your maritime official references, identification according to your flag requirements and technical details of your ship as well as desired time of arrival in order to help you if your regional maritime association needs any assistance to reach its Galician counterparts.

By plane: As Irish or German residents who have had a strong emigration movement towards the New World during the last centuries, Galicians are spread all around the planet. With the arrival of aeronautics and the beginning of a more eurocentric economic system a big airport was built at Santiago de Compostela. A large Galician private company is being created so best offers and opportunities are expected to increase. But by now, regular, direct flights with other parts of Europe are being done by several international companies. From an international point of view the best option is taking the direct flight from London to Santiago de Compostela. If you are coming from a non european country that is the easiest and best way: London - Santiago de Compostela. Do not try to use other combinations in the peninsula Barcelona - Madrid - Lisbone as it is just a waste of time and money. Thus from any part of the world take a plane to London and from there to Compostela. For the international traveller this is the best, and quickest option. Much better than any other scale: go directly to London and in less than 2 hours you are in Galicia.

Another good option is Porto. This northern portuguese city is probably the best way to arrive to Galicia by plane if you can not find a direct flight to Santiago de Compostela or it looking for more competitive offers. Usually air companies flying to Porto offer free taxis from this portuguese town to your hotel in Galicia. Tell your local booking office to ask for details (usually they don't know but they can solve it with a phone call to the airway company). Arrival at Porto is almost the same as arriving in Santiago de Compostela as there are very good motorways which run from northern to southern Galicia allowing very quick car travels (in less than 2 hours you are in Vigo). Porto is as good a option as Compostela.

If you travel from South America you should consider using Madrid or Lisbon as your reference instead of London or any other european capitals. These airports have frequent flights to these areas which can be more economic. Any other good scale airports for Santiago de Compostela are: Frankfurt and Zurich-Geneve. From North America and Oceania always take London-Santiago de Compostela-London. From other countries of Europe take Paris, Frankfurt or Zurich, if you haven't a direct flight to Santiago de Compostela or Porto. Use optional routes if you have no other ways of booking.

A good alternative to London is Switerzland. This country has very good conections to other places of the world. There are frequent charters from Zurich and Geneve to Santiago de Compostela. Ask your booking office to plan a Zurich/Geneve-Santiago de Compostela flight if you have a direct conection with Switerzland from your country. Sometimes this option is even better than London.

By train: Are you sure you want to come by train? Please take a map. See where Galicia is. That is the last corner of Europe ! Yes, if you are a real adventurer, enjoy looking at the landscapes while the train runs slowly, or if you are a fanatic in playing cards with your friends (well, if you travel alone you can always play solitaire with a dec of 51) ... then the train is the best option for you. You must be in the habit of eating sandwiches and crisps or that kind of fast made food that trains usually have. Ready? O.K. Go for it. Come by train.

The point of reference if you want to come by train is Paris. From the french capital you have good conections with any capital of Europe you may choose as your starting point. From Paris it takes a day (22 hours) to arrive to Galicia and there is a train daily. If you are under 25 it is a very reasonable option to take an interail ticket and visit any of the biggest cultural towns of Europe before or after arriving to Santiago de Compostela: Berlin, Praga, Milano, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam...

By bus: Hey, what is happening to you? Bus? Please take that map again. Look at it. You are not going to be able to stand up and take a look at other vagons. You have to sit in the same place all the journey. You will pass the landscape very quickly and it is always surrounded by the black colour of the motorway... no views from a lonely bridge over a small river...

Think about it. Anyway if you need to come by bus, do it. If your point of reference in Europe is London there is a bus from Victoria Station to Santiago de Compostela. The only moment of pleasure is when you take the ferry and cross the channel. After that... France is a long country, the basque country is just a small stop to eat something quickly and the interior of Spain is of never ending plane land. As far as Paris is concerned, there are regular buses to main Galician cities.

The only advantage of taking a bus is that: it is a little bit quicker than a train, and it is cheaper. If you travel alone it is very easy to meet other people as it is a long journey and a small place.

Please, even if you are used to hard, long travels or if you come by bus you are going to loose one day in Santiago as you will need at least another one to recover.

By car: Oops! You've got a car, you've got a caravan. You want to use it. Well, let me tell you that you will need plenty of time. It is possible to arrive to Galicia in a day from Paris, Germany or Switzerland making small stops. If you are travelling from northern Italy or eastern countries take Switerzland as your point of reference. From there it takes a day. Take that map of Europe out again: a long journey. If you want to come by car it is a very good and clever option to plan visiting other places of Europe, from anywhere you had set up your starting point you will have the chance of visiting France and Spain. It is impossible to arrive to Galicia by land withouth crossing these countries. The possibility of a direct ferry from England is being studied by several companies, meanwhile, and if you are coming from continental Europe, think of the beauties witch Spain and France have to offer: relax, make small stops in a rural tourism house in the lovely french countryside, visit the Basque Country, go to the Pyrinees, enjoy Spain. After a long journey of lonely, sunny plain land, you will find round mountains and more green round mountains. Rivers, woods, small stone houses, praderies, cows and horses will appear before your eyes... you have arrived to Galicia.

If you happen to travel from Africa you can enter via Andalousian Spain. Controls are quite strict. There is not a good comunication system or direct motorways yet as the comunication axis there is the Mediterrenean coast. The best option will be 1 Cadiz or Sevilla to 2. Madrid or Lisbon and from there 3. Corunha-Santiago-Vigo-Porto motorway axis. As far as we know, we have no news of people doing or even being able to do this route in a regular way. If you do please contact us, we will be happy to hear from you.

Please note: Santiago de Compostela is a town considered world heritage , therefore for those who use caravans it is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to park in the city. You will need to make a reservation in a camping. There are very good ones in the outkirts of Santiago: Val do Dubra, Fisterra and Bergantinos. If you enjoy nature, maritime landscapes, megalithic monuments, celtic setlements and rural life, this is your best option. It takes an hour to travel from these places to Santiago or Coruña. There is at least one bus a day from these villages to the main towns. If you come during the summer there are thousands of festz-nos, salsa and folk concerts, gastronomic events and fairies in the countryside. People here speak Galician although in almost every small village there is someone who can speak any international language. Spanish is understood by everyone even if older people and some young people do not speak it fluently or have problems to express themselves in this language.

Young people speak English fluently enough to maintain a basic conversations. Do not visit, travel to places or events unless your hotel or camping manager has allowed you to do so. If you need a guide, ask in the place where you stay: ALL GUIDES MUST HAVE AN IDENTIFICATION CARD FROM THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT OF GALICIA. Use only official guides to make guided travels. Services of a guide range from 10.000 ptas half day to 20.000.ptas It is really worth the money.

Please note: one of the highest reasons of mortality in Europe is traffic accidents. Although the car gives you some freedom to stop or change routes as you want, an intelligent, careful designed, tourism agency assisted plan combining train, buses, roural houses, small hotels and campings will be much better. Talk to your local agency, they will be able to find you a place to stay even in the most remote place of Gascogne (southern France) or Palencia (northern Spain). If they need any help, please refer them to us.

In any place you want to stop, either in France or in Spain or while enjoying your stay in Galicia, there are rent-a-car or rent a bike agencies that can offer you their services if you really need them.

Think of it. You contribute to less pollution in this planet and you will have a safer trip. Thank you.

By bike: A sports fanatic hem? Please read the on foot option. All the facilities will work for you.

GALICIA IS A VERY FRIENDLY, INEXPLORED AND UNKNOWN COUNTRY. IT IS FULLY EQUIPPED TO MAKE YOUR TRIP A REAL EXPERIENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

BEFORE COMING TO GALICIA PLEASE BE SURE THAT:

-You have legal papers (identification cards, passports and authorization of entry if needed).

-Meals range from 5.000 ptas a cheap restaurant to 15.000 medium or up to 75.000 in very selected ones. It is possible to eat small tapas from 500 to 1.000 ptas in the traditional "tabernas". You will need an average of 40.000 pesetas a day per person for a medium quality stay. Provisions for sailors as well as fuel or equipment for your ship follow the international standards.

-You have a plan of the places you want to visit, know how much you are going to spend and how long you want to stay.

-You have talked with your local travel agency and have booked your return flight. You have insurances, health assistance and car assistance if needed to be in Galicia for the period of time that you want to stay. If your local agency needs assistance contact us.

ENJOY YOUR VISIT. THINK. LEARN. GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME. RELAX. BE HAPPY.