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Traveling with Atlas Obscura amid COVID-19 How We’re Adapting Our Trips Destination Requirements (via Embassy Pages)The Romans once considered Galicia, the rugged coastal region of northwestern Spain, the end of the world. Today, it remains one of Europe’s least-explored corners. The region’s Celtic heritage, seafaring tradition, and language—closer to Portuguese than Spanish—all contribute to a distinct Galician identity. Here, still-working fishing villages, monasteries, lighthouses, and ancient settlements punctuate panoramic views of the sea. For most visitors, the region’s allure is the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, the resting place and shrine of St. James, but it’s the seafood bounty of the Galician coast that has put it on the culinary map. On this week-long seafood pilgrimage, we’ll delve deep into the world of barnacle hunters, oyster fisherman, lobster trap builders, razor clam-diggers, and net menders, along with the local chefs who are harnessing the incredible offerings of their coast, transforming Galician cuisine into something new and exciting. Though our focus will be seafood and the traditional artisans along this coast, we’ll be exploring all facets of Galician identity—history, folklore, architecture, music, language, and religion—and gaining a deeper understanding of its unbreakable bond with the sea.
Our partner, Culinary Backstreets: In order to create and curate this unique experience, we’ve partnered closely with Culinary Backstreets, a global guide to local eats that publishes restaurant reviews and features on local culinary culture. They bring these stories to life on culinary tours and special events, offered in 12 cities around the world, and have extensive international experience with all things gastronomical.
Gastro Obscura Trips: inspiring wonder and curiosity about the world through food and drink.
This afternoon, arrive in Vigo and settle into our hotel, located just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Ría de Vigo estuary. We’ll meet in the hotel in the early evening for a welcome drink and introductions. From there, we’ll head out for dinner, where we’ll be introduced to the stars of the Galician kitchen, shellfish and crustaceans, which we’ll be hunting down throughout the week. We’ll raise a glass to a captivating—and delicious—week ahead.
AC Hotel Palacio Universal or similar, Vigo
Welcome Dinner
This morning after breakfast, we’ll head out for an introduction to Galician history, culture, and of course, cuisine. We’ll start in the historic town of La Guardia, where we’ll have a guided walking tour of the hilltop castro, the pre-Roman ruins of Galician civilization. Meandering down to the rocky shore, we’ll tour the port and meet the people working this area, known for its rock lobsters. From there, we’ll head up the road to the town of O Rosal, where we’ll be introduced to Galicia’s other claim to fame, wine-making, by a vintner working with the local albariño grapes. Along with the wine we’ll enjoy a late lunch featuring the lobsters we encountered back in La Guardia. As afternoon blends into evening, we’ll give everyone some free time to rest or wander before our private visit to the atelier of the region’s master bagpipe-maker, where he’ll show us his work and maybe play a couple of tunes. To cap off the day, we’ll head to a traditional furancho, or wine “garage,” for a dinner of regional standards washed down with jugs of local wine.
AC Hotel Palacio Universal or similar, Vigo
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning, we’ll leave Vigo and drive to Soutomaior, a small riverside town known for its wine and oysters. At a 12th-century castle, we’ll enjoy a wine-tasting accompanied by local oysters, while learning about the estate’s founder, a nobleman believed by some to have been Christopher Columbus. The early afternoon will bring us to the picturesque seaside village of Combarro where unique stone granaries jut out from the shore. Take some time to relax and enjoy the sea breezes before we head off to meet celebrated chef Pepe Vieira. We’ll be treated to a hands-on demonstration in his Michelin-starred kitchen, then afterwards enjoy his elegant tasting menu for dinner. We’ll end our evening with a hearty night’s rest at our hotel in the city of Santiago de Compostela.
Hotel Virxe da Cerca or similar, Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we’re setting out for the shellfish hotbed of Cambados, also known for its famous white wine, Albariño. We’ll spend the morning with a local woman who heads an all-female cooperative focused on shellfish, and we’ll have the opportunity to join her for each stage of her work, from collecting clams on the shore to taking them to the market. After lunch, we’ll head across the estuary, where we’ll join a fisherman collecting mussels. He’ll take us to his hatcheries by boat and treat us to a fresh tasting, right there onboard. In the late afternoon we’ll head back to Santiago, where you can enjoy a free evening to wander and relax.
Hotel Virxe da Cerca or similar, Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast, Lunch
This morning is yours to sleep in and relax, or set out and explore the city on our own. We’ll meet back up in the afternoon to unravel the mysteries of the famous pilgrimage destination of Santiago de Compostela. Walking around the city, we’ll visit the area’s significant historic sites, including the cathedral, as well as a few of the more hidden corners. After a break to rest our feet, we’ll enjoy a festive dinner together.
Hotel Virxe da Cerca or similar, Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast, Dinner
In the morning we’ll head to what local sailors refer to as the “Coast of Death,” where stone crosses on the shore mark lost ships. Here, some of the world’s finest barnacles cling to dramatic cliffs pounded by the surf. We’ll meet with a local barnacle hunter who’ll introduce us to his work and explain how he “reads” the sea on his dangerous daily hunts. We’ll also meet one of the last artisans practicing a traditional method of drying conger eel. After walking along one of the minor paths of the St. James pilgrimage route, we’ll end at a lighthouse on the tip of a cape. Since ancient times this stretch of coast has been a site where pilgrims watch the sunset, believed to be a gateway to the beyond—Greek and Roman ruins attest to that. We’ll watch the sun sink into the water before feasting with our new friends, the barnacle hunter and eel dryer, at a local taverna serving exquisite seafood and other local specialties. After our final celebratory meal together, we’ll head back out to the rocks for a special purification ritual known as queimada. Involving shots ladled out of a pot of flaming brandy by a toastmaster, the ritual’s roots may be Druid or Gallego-Cuban or a mix of both—and, like all of the week’s experiences, it is uniquely Galician.
Hotel Virxe da Cerca or similar, Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today, depart for home or your next destination. Until next time!
Breakfast
The listed price of the trip is per person based on double occupancy.
You’re in good company. Solo travelers typically make up about half of our small groups. With curiosity at the center of our experiences, there’s a natural camaraderie that develops over the course of a trip. We have two options for you:
Shared Room (subject to the latest Covid-19 guidelines): You'll be matched with another solo traveler of the same gender.
Private Room: Have your own room, subject to availability, for a supplemental cost of $380 for March 2022 and $490 for September 2022. When booking, please select the single room package option.
Travelers should be reasonably fit and feel comfortable walking 3 to 5 miles over the course of each day and remaining on their feet for long periods of time. Our last day includes a short scenic hike along the coastline, which will involve walking on a dirt path. Throughout the trip, we will be spending time on rocky shores, in small seaside villages, and while in Cambados, aboard a boat.
Note that the trip begins in Vigo and ends in Santiago de Compostela. Vigo’s Peinador Airport has direct connections to Madrid, Barcelona, London, Paris, Lisbon, and other nearby cities, while its Guixar Railway Station has connections to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Porto, and more. We recommend that you arrive in Vigo by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart from Santiago de Compostela anytime on Day 7.
Due to the region’s seafood traditions, there will be a number of meals during the trip that are exclusively shellfish, and which won’t have vegetarian substitutes. While most of our trips can generally cater to vegetarian and vegan diets, this culinary itinerary has more limited options. If you are neither a pescatarians nor omnivore, it will be hard to fully participate in this trip; however, if you are still keen to join, let us know—if you pack enough back-up snacks and are willing to miss out on some of the group meals, then we’d be happy to work with you on that.
Visas are not required for U.S. citizens visiting Spain. If you’re not a U.S. citizen, please check the requirements or get in touch with us to ask.
Joining this trip directly supports the unsung heroes of the kitchen—hardworking, independent people running some of the most economically vulnerable businesses in the cityscape who, through their daily working life, preserve local traditions embedded in food. Aside from the financial support that comes from your trip fees, you can contribute to the preservation of community spirit and memory by sharing the stories of the places and people we visit, and honoring the traditions we encounter along the way.