Betanzos: Old Town, Pilgrimage Routes and River Landscape

With its historic old town, Betanzos is an open-air museum that illustrates seven centuries of local history, architecture and tradition. The Igrexa de Santa María do Azogue is a Gothic church built between the second half of the 14th century and the first half of the 15th century. As an asset of special cultural interest, it is classified as a B.I.C. The Parque del Pasatiempo is an extraordinary encyclopaedic park from the late 19th century and is considered one of Galicia’s particularly unique cultural creations. A visit leads across various levels, through grottoes and passageways, and along a symbolic and visual tour.

Culture and History

The Museo das Mariñas is housed in the former Santo Domingo monastery, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, and contains more than 5,000 objects. The Capela da Madalena dates from the 18th century and is associated with a former hospital for people with leprosy dedicated to Saint Lazarus. The Convento de Donas may date back to the 11th century and may have been associated with a community of Benedictine monks; as a result of the confiscation of church property, it was finally closed in the first half of the 19th century.

The Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is a Gothic religious building from the second half of the 14th century and is now classified as an asset of special cultural interest (B.I.C.). It preserves the sarcophagi of various members of the Andrade family. The Iglesia de Santiago dates from the 15th century and was built by Fernán Pérez de Andrade “O Mozo” over an older Romanesque church. The Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Quinta Angustia is an 18th-century church with a Latin-cross plan and an example of Galician Baroque.

The Porta da Vila is a medieval city gate also known as Puerta Real, decorated with the coats of arms of Galicia, Castile and León, as well as that of the city of Betanzos. The coat of arms of Galicia on the Porta da Vila is considered the oldest surviving depiction of this emblem in the region. The Feria Franca Medieval is a historical re-enactment during which Betanzos’s old town recreates medieval crafts, markets and the atmosphere of times gone by.

Routes and Pilgrimage

The Camino Inglés is a historic pilgrimage route from Ferrol to Betanzos that connects the coast and inland areas, natural landscapes and medieval towns. On the Pontedeume–Betanzos stage, pilgrims reach Betanzos after crossing the Mandeo via A Ponte Vella. The southern Santa Tor gate of the Iglesia de Santiago was used by pilgrims travelling to Santiago and visiting the sanctuary of the Remedios.

The Oficina de Turismo de Betanzos provides pilgrims with information about the route of the Camino, the town’s cultural heritage, available services and the next stages; it also offers the stamping of pilgrim credentials and personal guidance. The Ruta Os Caneiros follows the Mandeo to Campo dos Caneiros and passes through wooded, natural areas. The Ruta Os Muíños de Pelamios runs through the former Batán de Pelamios and along the remains of mills, canals and watercourses.

Landscape and Nature

Betanzos is part of the Mariñas Coruñesas e Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve. Parts of the municipality are also included in the Natura 2000 network as special protection areas for birds and Sites of Community Importance. At the mouth of the Mendo and Mandeo rivers, the Ría de Betanzos has extensive coastal marshes alongside the urban area, as well as a small harbour and boats.

Walking Routes and Architectural Heritage

The Ruta del Modernismo is a walking tour through Betanzos visiting the most important examples of modernist and eclectic architecture. The Ruta de los Oficios is a cultural route through Betanzos that explores traditional occupations and former craft and commercial sites in the town. The Rutas de los hermanos García Naveira are a cultural route through Betanzos presenting the social, educational and architectural heritage of Juan and Jesús García Naveira.

The Iglesia Parroquial de San Martín de Tiobre is a Romanesque church from the 12th century with a rectangular plan, a single nave, a rectangular apse, a pointed triumphal arch and sculpted capitals in the Santiago style.

Art and Printmaking

The CIEC, the Centro Internacional de la Estampa Contemporánea, is a printmaking workshop and museum housed in a modernist building created by Rafael González Villar for the Núñez family. The Fundación CIEC offers visitors activities through which they can observe, learn about and practise the creation of graphic works, as well as produce prints. The CIEC collection comprises more than 3,000 works by established and emerging printmaking artists.

Traditions and Flavours

The Globo de San Roque is a handmade paper construction that rises every year as the highlight of the San Roque celebrations and represents one of Betanzos’s defining traditions. The Jira dos Caneiros is a popular, community-oriented pilgrimage tradition associated with the Mandeo River. The Tortilla de Betanzos is a gastronomic symbol of the town and part of its inherited local culinary tradition. In Betanzos, you can taste the light, fruity local wine in traditional establishments identified by a laurel branch on the door.

Further destinations: Aranga. Places in the same higher-level area: Artes, Sobrado, Brión de Arriba, Camariñas, Serra de Outes, Ordes and O Carballal.

To the higher-level travel overview: Coruña.