If there’s a town we absolutely love that would be Baiona. What to expect? A small and traditional fishing village yet catered for tourism better than its neighbouring towns, with fantastic beaches and even its own castle!
When in Baiona, you might see a lot of historical names such as Pinzon, Carabela, etc. This is because it is well known that La Pinta, one of the ships that arrived from Christopher Columbus first transatlantic voyage moored here in 1492. This is celebrated yearly in March with a full-on medieval festivity that lasts the whole weekend (“Festa da Arribada”)
Why do we love Baiona?
It is a place where you can relax on the beach, grab an ice cream, walk up to a viewpoint in the mountain, get tapas and dance all night, all in one place! And all of it hugged by some of the most beautiful seaside landscapes
What to do in Baiona?
1. Paseo do Monte Boi
Walk around Baiona’s “castle” in a beautiful coastal path with changing scenery, from rugged rocks beaten by the sea to amazing beaches, it is an easy walk that will clear your mind and bring you so much peace
2. Beaches
There are a few choices of beaches in Baiona, inside the Paseo do Monte Boi, you can find Praia da Barbeira (picture above), just outside the castle, Praia da Ribeira is a very family oriented beach with plenty of sun and calm waters.
A bit further ashore (around 15-20 min walk along the seafront) you have Praia Santa Marta and Praia Ladeira, larger beaches with traditional chiringuitos (bars on the beach)
If you walk all the way from end to end of Praia Ladeira you will reach Camping Baiona Playa which has a waterslide and views to Estuary of Foz, a lagoon formed by a river outlet.
3. Explore the Medieval Town Center
The streets in Baiona are very unique, explore them and get lost, buy some local handicrafts or souvenirs and explore some of the beautiful churches such as Colexiata de Santa María or Praza do Concello, the town hall square
4. Virxe da Rocha
Virxe da Rocha is a viewpoint inside of a huge 15m granite Virgin Mary statue, you will be seeing the whole of the coast from a little boat in her hand!
The area surrounding the Virgin is absolutely stunning too, with a little picnic area in the forest surrounding the statue
5. Monte Silleiro and Talaso Atlántico Spa
If you like hiking, Monte Silleiro is a great choice, the views over the rugged coastline are incredible! Take a bus from Baiona’s Bus station to Baredo (Curvas) where you will find the hike path
Around this area you can also find Cabo Silleiro, for that stop at Silleiro bus stop and walk back to the lighthouse
If you stop in Silleiro bus stop, you can also go to Talaso Atlántico for the day, one of the best spas around the area. You can enter their “Palace of Water” for 1h for only 17 euros (Mon-Fri, 9 euros for pensioners), Ainhoa loves this one!
6. Visit La Pinta replica
You can get into the replica of the ship that arrived from Christopher Columbus’ first transatlantic voyage in 1492. It also offers lovely views of the port
7. Dance! (or enjoy the nightlife)
Baiona’s weekends are great for dancing and enjoying the nightlife, we really love D’Sastre a tailor’s themed bar with cocktails and music, Bibendum has fantastic cocktails and gets exciting late at night. Along the same street you can find lots of bars, just follow the vibe and get partying!
Villa Rosa is the most incredible nightclub, it’s based in a house with 3 floors, serving drinks and a full-on dance floor but it is not always open so
8. Take a trip to one of the world’s most beautiful beaches at Cies Islands
If you want to visit the stunning Cies Islands, you can take a boat from Baiona using Naviera Mar de Ons. The trip from Baiona is 40 mins.
However, make sure to register with the National Park before trying to book your tickets as you will need an authorisation code, this is to keep them as beautiful as they are and prevent mass tourism.
Here is the registration website
Where to stay in Baiona?
Baiona is such a small town, anywhere would be within walking distance. If budget is not a problem we recommend staying at Parador de Baiona or Talaso Atlántico or Hotel Pazo de Mendoza. For more affordable options, browse some of the town hotels such as Hotel Bahía Baiona, Hotel Anunciada or Hotel Pinzón
Where to eat in Baiona?
Traditional Galician meal
Taberna Mendoza, not the cheapest but outstanding food! Underneath the hotel Pazo de Mendoza
Restaurante Casa Rita is also on the higher end, but the food is also good quality, the cook based on fresh catch of the day
For more affordable options, Restaurante El Túnel, Restaurante Naveira
Tapas
We really love O Refuxio D’Anton, but the beautiful thing about tapas is to get lost in the tapas streets and try a bit from each!
Wildcard options!
El Corralito, a restaurant with simple yet delicious options, specialising in chicken and eggs
La Crep Restaurante, there are two La Crep, a smaller one by the seafront that sells snacks and a restaurant in the cobbled streets that sells savoury creps, but enough for a meal! We love it!
La Pepita Burger Bar – Baiona, this chain has been increasing in popularity in the north of Spain and we can totally understand why! Amazing burgers with good quality ingredients
Dessert!
La Crep, the sweet and savory branch by the seafront will have a wide offer of sweet coffees and desserts such as waffles, crepes and ice-cream
Emilín Churrería, you should not leave Baiona without trying churros in Emilín, a churros café that has been in that same location for years!
Xeados Gamela, just a couple of doors down has amazing ice cream and freshly made iced lollies, it has been there even before Ainhoa was little!
Bico de Xeado is a relatively new chain offering delicious ice-creams, “made in Galicia”
Disfruttalo – Gelatateria artesanal for typical italian gelatto
Getting out and around
Buses leave regularly from Baiona’s bus station (Rúa Carabela a Pinta, 17, 36300 Baiona, Pontevedra, Spain) and at the Port (near the restaurant Mendoza) Lugove is the company that runs these services so you can check their website for route info . The regular service to Vigo costs 2.3 euros each way. For info regarding things to do and fares, visit the Tourism Information Office at : C/ Arquitecto Jesús Valverde, s/nº, 36300 Baiona, Pontevedra, Spain
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