Galicia is located on the Northwest coast of Spain.  Historically, Galicia was a province of Portugal and the Galician dialect is rooted in Portugese rather than Spanish. It is renowned for its seafood and the special wines of the region.  The beautiful cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela is the supposed final resting place of St James and it's here that the famous pilgrim routes terminate.  The Atlantic  coast of Galicia is quite rugged with miles of sandy beaches dotted with small towns and villages. Galicia is well off the beaten tourist track but has a lot to offer for anybody wanting to explore the diversity of Spain.  Galicia has a lot of important historic and prehistoric sites which can be visited, including some of the earliest cave paintings found in Europe.  Galicia is a gourmet's paradise.  The seafood of Galicia is famous all over Spain. 

THE COAST OF GALICIA

PHOTOGRAPH BY FRESCO TOURS

In November 2002 the oil tanker Prestige sank off the Galician coast causing massive damage to Galicia's fishing industry.  It was feared at the time that the industry would not recover so bad was the oil pollution. When the oil spill hit the coast, thousands of volunteers from all over Spain and other parts of Europe, descended on the area to help with the clean up.  Such was the response, that within a year of the disaster most Galician beaches were back to their former  pristine state.

GALICIAN NATIONAL DRESS