O Grove
O Grove in general
O Grove is a municipality situated in Galicia, Spain. Examination of the old sea maps shows that O Grove was an island in the past. However thanks to the strong winds that gathered sand into the isthmus, O Grove is today connected to the mainland at the beach Lanzada.
Inhabitants live from fishing and farming oysters and scallops. These sea products are often on menus of the local restaurants. Near O Grove is the well-known spa, Illa dela Toxa, specialized for skin and respiratory diseases.
How to get to O Grove
You can travel by plane, car, bus or train to O Grove. Vigo is the airport 65 km away from the city center and the international airport Santiago de Compostela is 80 km away. From the airport, you can take a taxi to the bus or rail station. From these stations, there are direct buses and trains to O Grove.
What to visit
Monastery of Santa Maria in Armenteira was built in the 11th century by the Cistercian order. This order was found at the beginning of the 11th century by the knight Ero de Armenteira. After the sale of church lands in the 19th century, the monastery was abandoned, but today it has been rebuilt.
The monastery’s tower, the cloister and the kitchen are made in Baroque style. San Juan Monastery was built in the 7th century in Renaissance style. During the 19th century it was abandoned, but today monks from the Order of La Merced (“order of mercy”) live there. Basilica Santa Maria la Mayor built in the 16th century is a jewel of the Gothic architecture in Spain.
This magnificent church has a sculpture of Christ that lies next to the south doorway. Museum of Contemporary Art has works in different disciplines: architecture, video, fashion and design. This is the place where many conferences are held and the place that displays national and international exhibits. Also, there is a tendency of encouraging the research of avant-garde Galician authors.
Beaches
O Grove has magnificent beaches. If you get off the road that leads to La Toja Island, you reach the Vilamarin, a very big, sandy beach. Raeiros Grove, also known as Manoco is a beach with turquoise blue water. Perfect beach for fishing and bathing is Playa de Lobaquera. Located in the town, it has parking facilities and the shipyard is close to the beach.
For those who are looking for a peaceful place for fishing, Pateiro beach is the perfect match. Situated next to the Celtic necropolis excavations, this beach is surrounded by rocks. Mexilloeira is divided into two parts. One part of the beach is straight and another is shell-shaped. This lovely beach is surrounded by sand dunes. Near the San Vicente sailing club, there is a quiet beach called Espino, perfect for a family vacation with small children.