Europe
Spain
Galicia
Province of Lugo
Ribadeo
Things to Do in Ribadeo
As Catedrais Beach

As Catedrais Beach, Ribadeo: Address, Phone Number, As Catedrais Beach Reviews: 4.5/5

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As Catedrais Beach

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As Catedrais Beach
4.5
4,682
#1 of 20 things to do in Ribadeo
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Top ways to experience As Catedrais Beach
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The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
15 within 3 miles
La Yenka
597
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • European • Spanish
O Lar de Carmina
207
0.7 mi$$ - $$$ • Spanish • Diner
Bar Restaurante Playa de Las Catedrales
47
220 ft$$ - $$$
Pulperia mario
158
0.9 mi$$ - $$$ • Spanish
El Chiringuito
62
1.2 mi$ • Barbecue • Spanish
Casa do Merlo Restaurant
45
1.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • Spanish • Vegetarian Friendly
Pipo's
110
1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • Spanish
Restaurante la Barrica
19
2.2 mi$ • Mediterranean • Spanish
A mirandilla
336
2.7 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Spanish • Gluten Free Options
A Cofradia de Rinlo
2,337
2.7 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Spanish • Healthy
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Attractions
9 within 6 miles
A Rapadoira Beach
170
Beaches
Praia Dos Castros
1
1.3 miBeaches
Playa de Altar
3
Beaches
Paseo de Laredo
5
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Iglesia Parroquial de Sta. Maria do Campo
6
Religious Sites
Playa De Rocas Blancas
1
Beaches
Playa de Os Bloques
3
Beaches
CENIMA-Centro de interpretación de la Mariña Lucense
Speciality Museums • Architectural Buildings
Oficina de Turismo de Foz
Visitor Centers
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
4,682 reviews
Excellent
3,554
Very good
830
Average
193
Poor
40
Terrible
65
lobacchus
Barcelona, Spain1,896 contributions
Must
Aug 2020 • Family
A must visit place. It is "just" a beach, but will never forget the geometries. Few tips to consider:
- access is free but limited to certain amount of people per day,.so you must book in advance through the website.
- you can not go anytime: due the tides literally disappears twice a day
Written August 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Tom D
Mataro, Spain27 contributions
Beautiful but busy beach
Aug 2020 • Couples
To quickly cut to the chase and cover the basics - make sure you book early and time your visit to correspond with the low tide. If not you’ll have wasted your time making the trip.
The beach itself is beautiful as are the rock formations. The problem lies with the inevitable hordes of people that descend at the peak times - do not be fooled by some of the advertising that suggests a deserted, untouched location. Up to 3000 people can visit per day and this quota is normally filled I believe.
Even so it’s well worth a visit and this whole area is full of beautiful scenery and towns. I’ve also heard comments from people worrying about access via the steps. Honestly, don’t worry - you would have to be I’m severely bad shape to have any difficulties here and I saw people of all ages going up and down.
Written August 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Ane
5 contributions
Not worth it in august
Aug 2021 • Couples
Not worth it. The beach by itself is nice but the amount of visitors that we encountered in august makes it definitely not worth it. It was impossible to proper pictures. Nevertheless, I would consider visiting this beach in June or September.
Written August 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Elias Biplob
Dhaka City, Bangladesh3 contributions
Amazing piece of nature.
Aug 2020
Catedrais Beach, on Spain's northwest coast, is a beautiful natural creation, in my opinion. As a beach lover, I like this phenomenon, which is one of the best-kept secrets in this region. I've traveled to many countries, but none compare to Spain, especially when visiting a seaside place like Catedrais Beach. It is assuredly to reach the world-famous beach at any time recognition of natural arches made in the rocks.
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
JDSoui
Crowley, TX5,975 contributions
Words do Not Describe the Beauty
Dec 2019
There are few places with such majestic views as Paia de Catedrais. The beach at low/high tide and morning/evening is an experience like none other.

Photographers - know high/low tide to access the beach. Also bring hip waiters to access areas that in many occasions may still have standing water for ideal pictures.
Written December 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Arale
Vancouver, Canada474 contributions
Not to miss
May 2013 • Couples
This is one of these places that are different, that step aside and should not be missed if you have the opportunity to go there. This is not the classical beach you'd visit because of the white sand, turquoise waters and fantastic beach bars. This is no Caribbean Sea, this is an area of the Atlantic Ocean were the sea is tough and cold, or at least tougher and cooler than many people seem to expect (for example Arcachon, in France that is northern compared to Ribadeo but still the sea and climate are warmer). This beach is ALL about its gorgeous, scenic rock formations that remind of Gothic flying buttress. And believe me, they really are something.

As many people said, carefully choose the time you visit it. If you arrive during hide tide (or close to) there is nothing especial there to see. You MUST go there during low tide to enjoy a walk through the beach or at least, if you can not go down there, to see the beach from above at its best.

My suggestion is to check the timetable posted at the official website: http://www.playadecatedrales.com/mareas.php

If you go in the summer, there is plenty of people during the day and in my opinion not worth it. There are other beaches in the area to enjoy a quite sunbath. Since there are two low tide points each day, it shouldn't be difficult to go there after 8 pm. Remember that the sunset in Galicia is later than anywhere else in Europe since they use CET (that means in the summer the watch shows UTC +2 but the sun says UTC-1, three-hour-difference!) or early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Just check the low tide timetable, sunrise and sunset times and make your choice.

The rest of the year there shouldn't be any huge problem with crowds, just, again, remember to check when the low tide will be the day you plan to visit.

Also, this is Northern Galicia, so the clima is Oceanic, closer to French Britanny's than to Barcelona's, so don't go there expecting sunbaths and heat all year round. You may have them in the summer - but nobody can guarantee that.
Written September 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MookieTBuenos Aires
Asuncion, Paraguay14 contributions
Worst beach ever!
Sep 2012 • Friends
It was such a disapointment! No civililzation, no beach bars, no restaurants, no 5 star hotels!
It is in the middle of nowhere!
If you want a Piña Colada, no dice.
No stairs, no elevator you have to actually WALK!!!
Written February 28, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Scottish-German
Inverness, UK64 contributions
Amazing natural rock formations
Sep 2015 • Couples
This was one of the best things we visited - the beach is called 'Playa de las Catedrales but for GPS we needed to put in As Catedrais. I note that for Ribadeo they are Trip Advisors no 1 and 2 of things to do in the area but they are the same place. Heading west from Ribadeo its a couple of junctions on the motorway and then its signposted as As Catedrais. There is a payable 50Cent toilet near to the first parking area you come to. That car park was full but if you continue along the coast heading west there is another rough ground parking area on the left but no toilet so you have to walk back to the toilets near to the first parking area. There is also a café/bar and some stalls which you pass on the way to the beach from the second parking area. Both parking areas converge into the same route to the beach down some steps. You do have to complete a form before they allow you to enter the beach with name, passport number address etc - I did wonder if this is incase someone gets caught by the tides or if it was just for market research but without the completed form no entry to the beach. The rock formations on the beach are just spectacular. We asked on arrival how long we had. We were aware entry was just 2 hours before and 2hrs after high tide. We were also aware that the tide comes in very quickly. We had just over an hour. In my opinion the best pictures are to be had if you walk east - you can then look back through the 'keyhole' - hole in rock and you can walk under all the arches and go inside a very large cavern with 3 'keyholes' looking out to sea. It really is amazing. We then had enough time ...well just...to walk past the steps back up and go as far as we could west. It was nice too but the pictures were better going east. We also got wet feet so good we had our crocs on. The water was pretty cold although a few brave souls went for a quick dip. The water come in very fast as its quite flat. Wear shorts if poss. Going east is pretty difficult for the less able bodied as within 50 yards you either have to climb over a mound of rocks and jump down on to the sand or you can go around this pile of rocks and through a pool of water which is about thigh level deep - fine if you have your swimming costume on. Some people stripped off and carried their trousers and shoes - some climbed the rock - its not that high - just a bit slippery - others waded in fully clothed which was a bit weird to see but then this is an amazing place so I can understand that they wouldn't want to miss seeing it. The weather was quite cloudy so the photos could have been better. However the next day was really sunny so as we were staying just 20 minutes away we decided to return to this amazing place which we timed much better with the tides so we got further east and west from the steps. You can check the tide times - just google 'tides spain' - it links you to tides4fishing.com - select Lugo then Ribadeo - As Catedrais is between Ribadeo and Foz - but nearer to Ribadeo and you can get the low tide time to plan you day there. But don't dally - the waves are huge and the tide comes in really quickly. Its also spectacular to look at from above when the tide comes in - there are paths and walkways right along this part of the coast with lookout points to look down on the beach. There's also an amazing restaurant just a few kms west of As Catedrais - follow the walkway round the coast until you come to the next beach. Its called La Yenka and is more or less the first building on the left you come to - opposite the beach but note although the café/bar is open, the restaurant doesn't open until 1pm. But I would say it was our best lunch - value and quality on this entire Spanish trip with a menu del dias of 12.50 euro if you sit inside the restaurant - 3 courses and coffee!! -
Written September 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Dominika
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia4 contributions
Awe inspiring natural wonder
May 2015 • Solo
A must see when you travel to Spain. Fantastic rock formations literally take the breath away - it is the most beautiful "cathedral" I have ever been too. Plan your visit in a way to be able to see both low and high tide - it gives you different perspectives and allows you to appreciate the most beautiful features of this natural wonder. I traveled in May and the place was almost empty at some times, not many tourists, although their numbers rose as the low tide approached. I recommend traveling in mid-May to see the surroundings covered in flowers. Take a stroll not only down at the beach, but also along the coast - there is footpath going both ways above the rock formations, and you can have some stunning views from there, or just sit down, look at the sea and relax. It can be chilly and windy, and the water is really cold - be prepared for that, as you have to cross through the water at some points to get to see that famous arches (depending on how low or high the tide is). Well worth the visit.
Written October 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Talia R
Frankfurt, Germany17 contributions
Most beautiful beach in Spain
Oct 2014 • Family
Spain is a great country for vacationing but most people usually go to the South/ costa brava / Costa del sol. Galicia is one of those hidden secrets. Known mostly for the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia offers an amazing coast with sandy and very clean beaches, amazing food and not the over-tourism which is known in other parts of Spain. Playa de las Catedrales has long been one of those well-kept hidden secret in Galicia (not anymore since it was filmed for National Geographic). Make sure you go in the afternoon when the tide is low so that you get to walk on the beach and visit the rock formations. Both the beach route and hill route should be "walked" as they offer different views of this amazing landscape. Summer, especially August, can get crowded but out of season you shouldn't have any problems (September/October is great! Still very much warm and almost no tourists). Make sure you bring your flip-flops or wear shorts (at least pants which you can pull up) since you can get wet by the water/waves even by low tide.
Written October 24, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about As Catedrais Beach
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