Inland Galicia: Lugo, the Sil canyon and hot springs
Walk the Roman walls of Lugo, look into the terraced canyons of the Ribeira Sacra and soak in open-air hot springs in Ourense.
- Distance
- 230 km (143 mi)
- Driving
- 3 h 10 min
- Suggested days
- 4
- Stops
- 8
- Countries
- Spain
- Updated
- August 13, 2026
At a glance: 4-day road trip of about 230 km (143 mi) with 8 stops, from Santiago de Compostela to Outariz hot springs. About 3 h 10 min of driving in total.
Route description
Leave Santiago east on the A-54 to Lugo, the only town in the world with its Roman walls complete; the walk around the top takes about 40 minutes. Lugo is also a good place for tapas, often served free with a drink in the old town.
Head south on the LU-546 to Monforte de Lemos, with a castle keep and a Renaissance college on its hill. This is the start of the Ribeira Sacra, where the Miño and Sil rivers run in deep canyons lined with terraced vineyards and old monasteries.
Cross the Sil and follow the narrow roads along the south rim to the Balcóns de Madrid viewpoint at Parada de Sil, then on through chestnut woods to the Monastery of Santo Estevo. Catamaran trips on the Sil start from jetties at the bottom of the canyon. The roads are steep and tight, better for vans than large motorhomes.
End in Ourense, where hot water rises in the middle of town at As Burgas. Along the Miño just outside town are open-air thermal pools such as Outariz, both free and paid, lovely on a cool evening. Autumn, with the grape harvest and golden chestnut woods, is the best season.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Santiago de Compostela
Spain - 2102 km
Lugo
Spain - 30 km
Roman walls of Lugo
HistoryLugo, SpainThe only Roman town walls to survive complete, a circuit of about two kilometres that you can walk on top of. Free and open at all hours.
- 468 km
Monforte de Lemos
Spain - 519 km
Balcóns de Madrid, Sil canyon
ViewsParada de Sil, SpainA viewpoint over the deep canyon of the Sil in the Ribeira Sacra, with terraced vineyards clinging to the walls. The roads down to the river are steep and narrow; catamaran trips run from the jetties below.
- 613 km
Monastery of Santo Estevo
HistoryNogueira de Ramuín, SpainA Benedictine monastery with three cloisters in the woods above the Sil, now largely a hotel but with the church and cloisters open to visitors. The forest road here is lovely in autumn.
- 722 km
Ourense
Spain - 86 km
Outariz hot springs
NatureOurense, SpainOpen-air thermal pools by the Miño on the edge of Ourense, some free and some in a paid Japanese-style spa. A riverside path links them with other pools along the bank.
