Cangas Center
Located on the north bank of the Vigo estuary, the municipality of Cangas de Morrazo has a lot to offer you. It belongs to the region of the same name, where there are also towns such as Moaña or Bueu and is located on a small peninsula 40 kilometers long and 10 wide.
Therefore, in Cangas there are many wonderful beaches and natural landscapes, monuments, hotel establishments and restaurants where you can enjoy the extraordinary Galician cuisine. Also, if you want, you can visit the city of Vigo, which is located just on the other side of the estuary. To get there, you have a line of boats that make several trips a day in both directions.
What you can see in Cangas de Morrazo
Cangas and its surroundings are quite populated. They have almost 30 inhabitants. And there is no shortage of monuments and natural places in the area that you will be interested in seeing. We are going to mention the most outstanding ones.
Monuments
La Ex-collegiate church of Santiago de Cangas It was built in the XNUMXth century, although its current appearance is due to a reform made in the XNUMXth century. Don't miss its Renaissance façade or the flamboyant Gothic basketry that crowns it. Inside, you will be impressed by the baroque altarpiece where the Christ of Minerva stands out.
El monumental complex of Darbo It is made up of the church of Santa María, built in the XNUMXth century following the canons of rural baroque; a fountain of the same style and a cruise (cruiser in Galician), as well as the alpendres de fair, buildings made to store implements and merchandise, complete the set.
A view of Aldán
Similar is the monumental complex of Hio, made up of practically the same elements. But his transept, erected in 1872, is even more impressive. For its part, the façade of the church of Santa María is a sample of the XNUMXth century Romanesque.
The churches of San Ciprián de Aldán and Coiro, of neoclassical and baroque styles respectively, and the Hospital Chapel, in which you will be impressed by the symbols of the Inquisition, complete the monumental heritage of Cangas de Morrazo. Without forgetting the skate houses typical of this area (they are named for the external staircase that serves as access).
Natural landscapes
The entire Morrazo region is beautiful. But two places stand out from the rest. One is the mount Facho, located on the town of Donón and from which you can get an extraordinary view of the Vigo estuary. In addition, in its surroundings are the remains of an old pre-Roman fort from the Bronze Age.
And the other is the Sailing Coast, which is at the extreme end of the Morrazo peninsula and is part, together with the Cíes Islands, of the Atlantic Islands National Park. It is an impressive natural landscape of enormous ecological wealth in which Cape Home and Barra beach also stand out.
The impressive Costa da Vela
What you can do in Cangas de Morrazo
Cangas is a large town, which is why there are many shops, bars and restaurants where you can savor the exquisite cuisine of the area. You will find many of the latter in its charming fishing port. And, if you want to have even more variety, just cross the estuary and visit Vigo.
However, one of the great attractions of Cangas are its spectacular beaches. Among them, La Rodeira, in the heart of the town and along whose promenade you can walk while observing a beautiful panoramic view of Vigo; that of Limens, with its dunes and pine forests, or those of Menduiña and Areabrava, already in the Aldán estuary.
But even more impressive will be those found in the Cape Home, that is, on the edge of the Morrazo peninsula and already in the open sea. It is the case of the Melide beach, magnificent for you to do surf if you feel like it; that of Nerga, surrounded by forests, and that of Barra, with its impressive mobile dune.
On the other hand, if you like hiking, a great idea is to walk up Mount Facho. It is a very simple route that runs along a dirt path and only lasts 30 minutes. During the ascent you have extraordinary views of the Vigo estuary and the Cíes Islands. For fans of landscape photography, it is a priceless route.
Gastronomy of Cangas de Morrazo
A plate of mussels
Visiting Galicia in general and Cangas de Morrazo in particular and not trying its gastronomy is almost a sin. Therefore, we are going to tell you about the most typical dishes of the area and other culinary delicacies that you can taste in it.
It goes without saying that, being in the Vigo estuary, Cangas offers you the best fish and seafood. Among the former, turbot, monkfish, conger eel or lamprey, as ugly in appearance as they are exquisite in taste.
And, as for seafood, practically all, although the spider crab, crab, red shrimp and clams stand out. However, three of these are typical of the area: oysters, octopus and the mussels, the latter grown in rafts located in the estuary itself. To accompany these delicacies, you cannot miss a good bottle of Albariño.
But, apart from fish and seafood, there are other typical dishes in Morrazo. Magnificent is, for example, Moaña's beef. And exquisite are more humble dishes such as pork shoulder with turnip greens or empanadas, for example, with scallops or cockles.
Finally, you must try desserts such as pancakes, a kind of open and sweet tortillas. But also the cool ones, similar in their ingredients to the previous ones; The donuts; gingerbreads or cottage cheese.
In short, both Cangas de Morrazo and its surroundings have a lot to offer you: wonderful natural landscapes, history and monuments and magnificent gastronomy. All this without mentioning its wide and excellent hotel offer.