PANORAMIC TOUR ALONG THE COAST FROM LA CORUÑA TO THE RÍA DE BETANZOS (Estuary of Betanzos)

In a nutshell

The visit to the historic centre of La Coruña combined with a more unusual experience, a journey of discovery of the estuaries of the "Crystal City".

Main stops

• Galerias
• St. Anthony's Castle
• Tower of Hercules
• Pontedeume, mouth of the River Eume, Tower of Andrade
• Galician Forest and the estuaries
• Ría de Betanzos (Estuary of Betanzos)

The programme

• After leaving the port, we head for the City's seafront to begin our scenic tour.
• The galerias, buildings with huge glass façades which have earned La Coruna the nickname "City of Crystal", file past before our eyes . Indeed, in the past when the sea was closer to the city, the windows reflected the sun's rays on the water surface creating new, endlessly changing light effects.
• We then admire St. Anthony's Castle; originally built as an island fortress, the castle is now an archaeological museum connected to the city by a strip of land.
• The Tower of Hercules, the next stop on our journey, is the only lighthouse in the world built by the Romans that is still in use today. We stop in this enchanting place to capture the tower in our souvenir photos. This symbol of the city even figures on the La Coruña coat of arms with the bones of Geryon, a giant who, according to the legend, was killed by Hercules and is buried below the lighthouse.
• We board the coach again and head for Pontedeume, a small town in the Gulf of Artabro, in the Ría di Ares (Ares estuary), at the mouth of the river Eume. When we arrive in the town, we make a brief stop to admire the 14th century Tower of Andrade from the exterior. The tower, which is 18 metres high and 11.5 metres wide, is the last remnant of the Pazo de los Andrade, a palace incorporated in the old city walls that was gradually demolished to make room for new traffic circulation roads.
• We return to the coach and continue our tour along the coast. We can admire close-up the lush Galician forest and the estuaries. Along the way we are spellbound by beautiful views of the ocean, some of the most beautiful beaches in the region, and wonderful views of picturesque villages.
• We then stop to savour some delicious tapas in a traditional restaurant with views of the Rìa de Betanzos before returning to the ship.

Good to know

• We recommend that you book early because only a limited number of places are available.