Galicia is the Spain that surprises everyone who arrives expecting sun and heat — a green, rainy, Celtic corner of the country with a food culture built on the finest seafood in Europe and a pilgrimage tradition that has been drawing travellers for a thousand years.

Santiago de Compostela is the destination of the Camino — a medieval city of extraordinary beauty, built around a cathedral that is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture in Europe. The Plaza del Obradoiro, with the cathedral facade and the Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos, is one of the great public spaces in Spain.

The Rias Baixas are the estuaries of the south Galician coast — a landscape of mussel rafts, fishing villages and vineyards producing Albarino, the finest white wine in Spain. The towns of Cambados, Pontevedra and Baiona are all worth a day of exploration, and the seafood — percebes, navajas, vieiras, pulpo a feira — is extraordinary.

The Camino de Santiago is one of the great walks of Europe — a pilgrimage route that has been walked for a thousand years and is as beautiful as ever. Bella Via designs Galician itineraries that combine the Camino with the food culture of the Rias Baixas and the medieval splendour of Santiago.

Galicia rewards those who arrive with time and leave with a deeper understanding of the Spain that most visitors never find.