As we hinted at in our last post, June has been a great month for getting out and exploring our region of Galicia, Spain. Public transportation provides several options for getting out and enjoying the area, so once the weather and our Workaway schedules aligned, we took an overnight trip to the city of A Coruña to enjoy the coast.
And what a trip it was!
Why Visit A Coruña?
You may not have ever heard of the city A Coruña before.
Don’t feel bad, because until we seriously started looking at Spain for our travel adventures, neither did we!
A Coruña, also known as La Coruña, is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is the capital of the province of A Coruña and is located on a promontory in the Golfo Ártabro, a large gulf on the Atlantic Ocean.
The city proper has a population of about 250,000 making it the second-largest in Galicia after Vigo.
A Coruña has a rich cultural heritage, with many historical landmarks such as the Tower of Hercules, a 1st-century Roman lighthouse, and the Church of Santiago de A Coruña, a beautiful Baroque structure. The city is also known for its beautiful beaches, such as Playa de Riazor and Playa de Orzán.
A Coruña is a popular tourist destination, with many attractions such as the Aquarium Finisterrae, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the historic center of the city. The city is also known for its gastronomy, with traditional dishes such as lacón con grelos (pork with turnips) and empanada gallega (a savory pastry).
Probably the biggest reason that A Coruña is a little off the radar for many international tourists is the climate. The average annual temperature in A Coruña is around 15°C (59°F), with the warmest month being August, with an average temperature of 21°C (70°F), and the coldest month being January, with an average temperature of 12°C (54°F).
So needless to say, it can be a bit chilly for some people.
When temperatures drop during the Fall and Winter, rainfall increases to an annual high of 160 mm (6.3 inches) in November. So when A Coruña experiences its coolest months, they are usually the wettest.
Not exactly a popular weather combination.
Getting To A Coruña from Taboada
There are many ways to get to A Coruña.
They have an international airport, a train station that accommodates high-speed rail, a large bus station, and maritime ports. So if you ever are interested in visiting just go to the transit planning website Rome2Rio and you will get a sense of your transportation options.
In our case, on a Monday we took the 6:52 am public Arriva bus from Taboada to A Coruña (Plaza De Ourense bus stop) for €9.25 ($10.04 USD) per person.
The entire trip took about 2 hours and took us through some really scenic countryside! The map below shows you our general route, although we stopped at several additional little towns along the way.
First Things First – A Coastal Hike!
Up to this point, we hadn’t been to the ocean since our stay in Oaxaca, Mexico. So we were excited to hear that there was a beautiful hike along the entire coast of A Coruña.
The moment we got off the bus we started our sightseeing journey! We only needed our daypacks for this overnight trip, so checking into our hotel first was completely unnecessary.
Here is a map of the route we took.
At 7.12 miles (11.45 km) in length, it was a worthy hike with some epic-level scenery!
And the weather was perfect.
The only downside was that most of the pay-to-visit tourist sites along the way were closed on Mondays. But that wasn’t a problem since we would have time to see what was most interesting to us the next day.
Here are some of our favorite scenes from the route we took.
Soon after starting our hike, we walked past A Tarraza, an excellent example of 20th-century modernist architecture.
We soon came to the wharf area, which was still pretty empty at 9 am on a Monday.
At the far end of the wharf is Castelo de Santo Antón, sadly, closed on Mondays. But we came back to visit the next day.
We continued onward for several kilometers along the well-constructed coastal walkway. This photo looks back on the path we took.
At the northernmost end of the A Coruna peninsula, we entered a network of interconnected parks that hug the coastline. In the distance off to the left, you can see the Campo da Rata and Menhirs for Peace monuments.
The views from these parks were gorgeous!
So pretty.
Wildflowers were in bloom everywhere we went.
We eventually came across the Tower of Hercules. Built in the 1st century, it is the oldest lighthouse in the world.
On the approach, ready to get a closer look at the tower.
Sadly, it was closed on Mondays too! You can pay to climb the restored tower, with remnants of the original structure inside.
From the trail beyond the tower, you can see a cave in the shoreline.
The trail started turning back towards the city proper at this point. Sometimes you would find trails leading down to secluded public beaches.
Looking out onto Playa de Orzan, which eventually merges with Playa de Riazor. Our hotel is near the southernmost end of Playa de Riazor.
What a great way to stretch our legs after a 2 hour bus ride!
Honestly, this hike was one of the most beautiful coastal walks we have ever taken. And it was extremely level, so the distance didn’t feel all that bad.
Hotel Check-In
By design, our hike ended very close to our hotel for the night – Hotel Alda Coruñamar.
So when we finished our hike we checked in, grabbed a menu del dia for lunch, and took a quick nap. Considering our early start to the day and the distance we walked, we were pretty tired.
And our hotel was great for our needs. Factoring in its location, private bathroom, and seaside room view, we were happy with what we got for €56.11 ($60.92 USD) for one night.
More Coastal Exploring at Monte de San Pedro
But we weren’t done for the day!
After napping for about 1 hour, we headed westward along the coast to explore Monte de San Pedro, a park and former military defensive point for the city of A Coruña.
And it is locally famous for its high-elevation views of the city!
So we walked westward along the coastal walkway until we reached a sculpture of an octopus.
After leaving the hotel, we soon passed the Obelisco Millenium.
The views never failed to impress from the walkway.
We eventually reached an octopus sculpture. A good landmark for finding the footpath that leads to the park above!
Directly across the street from the octopus was a footpath that led up the hillside to the park.
Looking back on the city from halfway up the trail.
The wildflowers were in full bloom here too.
And true to the rumors, the views were fantastic!
This was the view soon after entering the park, with the Tower of Hercules in the distance. It wasn’t the highest point in the park though.
Gun batteries from World War II.
Here is a closeup from the opposite side.
Excellent views! We sat here for several minutes before moving on.
Even facing away from the city, the scenery was stunning.
After we were done, we stopped at a local supermarket for some light snacks (and wine) to bring back to our hotel room for our dinner. By the time we returned to our hotel, we probably added another 5 miles of hiking to our day.
We were feeling the burn after over 13 miles of walking, so we crashed pretty early (by Spain standards) when we were done eating.
Exploring the Historic Old Town
The next day we woke up, gathered up our things, and checked out of our hotel. Our hotel had no coffee or breakfast service, so there was no reason to hang around!
Instead, we walked to a nearby cafe next to Playa de Raizor to soak up caffeine, as well as the views, for an hour or so.
A cafe Americano was only €1.50 ($1.63 USD – including a small cookie), so we both got two and just enjoyed having a slow morning.
A nice way to start the day.
Afterward, we decided to wander the streets of the historic old town area and check out whatever caught our attention.
The pedestrian-friendly walkways were pretty empty at 10 am, when most sensible Spaniards were still waking up.
Concello da Coruña in Maria Pita Square.
After walking the winding streets for a while, we found ourselves back at the wharf area where a huge cruise ship was docked. They had just let their passengers off to explore the area, so the old town was more crowded with tourists than the day before.
But not terribly so.
Now that’s a big boat!
We then decided to head back to Castelo de Santo Antón (which we hiked by the day before) since we were so close. Thankfully it was open and not very crowded.
A very picturesque castle.
Admission was only €2.06 ($2.24 USD) per person, which we thought was an odd number to choose. Inexpensive, but surprisingly they didn’t round off to the nearest €0.05!
The castle and museum were bigger than they seemed from the outside and were packed with cool artifacts from different stages of Spanish history.
Looking back at the castle entrance.
This side alcove contained frescoes and funerary relics.
The museum portion had quite a few rooms filled with historical relics.
The small collection of arms and armor was impressive.
An ornate breastplate.
And the strong Catholic church influence was ever-present.
And the views from the castle ramparts were excellent!
From the top of the castle, you were treated to panoramic views.
Looking back toward port.
A nice composition.
You can see the cruise ship through the murder hole.
A British couple was kind enough to take our picture!
As we were wrapping up we got a text from our Workaway hosts Lisa & Stewart. They told us that they would be in A Coruña soon on unexpected personal business, and would have to stay there for the next several days. So we all got together over lunch and enjoyed an excellent €13 menu del dia at one of their local haunts!
After lunch, we had a little time to kill before our bus back to Taboada departed. So we all walked the coastline of the Santa Cristina Beach area, which we hadn’t explored yet.
Santa Cristina Beach is popular with vacationing Spaniards, who fill the beach in July. But in early June it isn’t so bad.
It was a nice way to wrap up our time in A Coruña.
Afterward, we went with Lisa & Stewart to help them check in to their AirBnB and had a cup of tea together. We would be on house/garden/pet sitting duties while Lisa & Stewart were in A Coruña, so we knew we be busy while they were gone!
As the time for our bus departure approached, Rhonda and I walked to the main A Coruña bus station, which was only a 30-minute walk away, to catch the last return bus to Taboada of the day.
Closing Thoughts On Our Trip To A Coruña
Rhonda and I were surprised at how much we enjoyed A Coruña, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been.
A Coruña isn’t too large to get overwhelmed by. The city is extremely walkable, oozes with history, and has a wonderful old town you can lose yourself in for hours. And the coastal parks and ocean views are spectacular! It is easy to get into nature whenever you want, and locals take full advantage of the natural beauty that surrounds them.
Also, A Coruña has an extensive and easy-to-navigate public bus system which makes having a car unnecessary for travelers like us. We didn’t make much use of it, but we would if we made a longer slow-travel stay here in the future.
The cherry on top of all of this is the cost of visiting A Coruña is manageable, at least by European city standards. I can’t think of any coastal city in the USA where you can find nice sea-view accommodations for ~$60 USD. And the costs of groceries and eating out are no different than anywhere else in Galicia, so long as you go where the locals go.
Looking back, we barely did any of the usual tourist things in A Coruña. Aside from the castle, we didn’t explore any of the museums or other pay-to-enter tourist haunts. Nor did we explore the old city very thoroughly.
That said, we really enjoyed our visit.
If we have time we would love to return to A Coruña and do a deeper dive. Honestly, this could be our favorite city in all of our travels, at least so far.
Who knows, maybe we’ll spend a month here in the future.
Until next time…
Thanks for reading!
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6 thoughts on “Our Overnight Trip To A Coruña (Spain)”
Hi! Just found your blog and it’s been so helpful. We are doing very similar slow travel as you and are similar ages too. We sold everything to slow travel the world full time. Thx for all the great info.just finishing up SE Asia. Latin America is next for us!
6 thoughts on “Our Overnight Trip To A Coruña (Spain)”
Hi! Just found your blog and it’s been so helpful. We are doing very similar slow travel as you and are similar ages too. We sold everything to slow travel the world full time. Thx for all the great info.just finishing up SE Asia. Latin America is next for us!
Glad you’ve enjoyed reading about our travels. We hope to get to SE Asia too, but find the temperatures a little intimidating.
A great trip!! Spain is beautiful…..
We agree!
I may have drooled a bit looking at those cuirass. Lovely armor.
I hear you, but wait until we post pics from the Spanish Royal collection in Madrid! 🙂