Ribadeo
Lugo · Galicia
Ribadeo is a municipality in the Spanish province of Lugo in Galicia. It has a population of 10,023 (INE, 2011) and an area of 106.2 km2 (41.0 sq mi). It is the capital of the A Mariña Oriental comarca.
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Origins
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History
The first well-known settlements date from Iron Age such as the Gallaecian hillforts of Grovas, Fornelo, Meirengos, Cárcovas, Pumarega, Torre and Aira da Croa. All of them were inhabited by the Gallecian tribe of the Egovarri. During the 6th century the first texts referred to this county as part of Britonia. During the 13th century, Ribadeo received privileges from the king Ferdinand II. The town began as a settlement beside the estuary, occupying what are now the docks of Porcillán and Cabanela, and later expanded on to higher land. It had a wall - more for customs purposes than for defence - of which some remains are still preserved. Along with Viveiro and Mondoñedo, it was one of the three main medieval towns of the former province of Mondoñedo. It was granted a town charter by Fernando III, permitting a weekly market, which is still held. For a while the town was royal property and was then granted to a French nobleman, Pierre de Villeines, in recognition of his services to Enrique de Trastámara. After Villeines there were several further transfers of ownership; the county of Ribadeo became a possession of the House of Alba. The present Count, the twenty-seventh, is Carlos Fitz-James Stuart Martinez de Irujo. Ribadeo's peak as a town coincided with that of its port, being a focal point of the trade of Cantabria with the Baltic region: it was the only point of entry for imports of liquor (Kümmel) from the port of Riga. For this reason the beverage became known as Kúmel of Ribadeo. In the mid-nineteenth century the port went into decline due to competition from other ports such as Gijón. The coat of arms of the town is of medieval origin. It depicts waves of the sea on which are superimposed a golden key at an oblique angle and a silver star. The key symbolizes the town's incorporation into Galicia, and the star its northern location. Until the late seventeenth century the coat of arms lacked the star and the key was in the upright position. This older version can be seen carved in stone in 1699, in the chapel of the Virxe do Camiño, at which time it was already ancient.
Monuments
•O Cargadoiro
•Fernando Villaamil
•Xacemento de Louselas
•Recuperación do borde litoral das praias de Rochas Brancas e Cabalar
•Albergue de Peregrinos de Ribadeo
•Edificio de Aduanas de Ribadeo
•Casa do Patín
•Igrexa de Santa María do Campo
•Pazo de Guimarán
•Casa da Aduana Vella
•Casa da Axudantía
•Casa de Sela
What to visit
•Miradoiro das Carrallas
•Soportais
•Miradoiro do Cargadoiro do Ferro
•Mirador de La Mirandilla
•Ascensor Panorámico
•Paseos en barco
•Miradoiro de Santa Cruz
•Miradoiro de Loktudi/Loctudy
•Castillo de Trenor
•O Cuartel Vello
•Torre dos Moreno
•Casa do Bispo ou Torre das Cabanas
Gallery
Festivals
September 2026
Festivals this month
- 8 · September Santa María 📆 Add to my calendar
Rest of the year
- July: Ribadeo Indiano (10)
- August: San Roque (16) · Festas Patronais
What's on
Street market
•Praza de Abastos — Rúa José Vicente Pérez Martínez
Gastronomy
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Trails and hiking
•Camiño do Norte (Galicia) (CdN, 170 km)
•Ruta de las Playas y de la Linera (10 km)
•Camino del Norte (Asturias) (CdN)
•Senda Costera Tapia de Casariego - Figueras
•Etapa 28 Senda Costera Tapia de Casariego - Vegadeo (GR 204)
Routes passing through Ribadeo
Services
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Famous people
•Pedro Gómez Sarmiento y de Ulloa, cardenal, presidente del Consejo de Castilla, arzobispo de Santiago de Compostela y obispo de Tuy, Badajoz y Palencia (1478-1541)
•Luz Pozo Garza, poetisa española
•José Alonso y Trelles, escritor gallego-uruguayo
•Antonio José Valín Valdés, obispo católico español
•Bebel García García, futbolista español
•Daniel Pedrosa Loureiro, futbolista español
Town hall
Alcaldía: Daniel Vega Pérez
Web oficial: http://ribadeo.gal/
Town hall of Ribadeo
Alcaldía: Daniel Vega Pérez Web oficial: http://ribadeo.gal/
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How to get there
- 🚗 90 km from Lugo (about 64 min by car)
- 🚗 123 km from Oviedo (about 87 min by car)
- 🚗 138 km from Gijón (about 97 min by car)
🧭 Travelling around the villages of Spain: a practical guide — Opening hours, transport, money and customs, before you set off.
- ✈️ 102 km from Asturias airport (about 72 min by car)
- ✈️ 139 km from A Coruña airport (about 98 min by car)
Practical info
🅿️ Where to park
- Where to park · 0.1 km away
- Where to park · 0.1 km away
- Where to park · 0.1 km away
🏧 Nearest cash machine
- Banco Santander · 0 km away
- Caixabank · 0.1 km away
- Banco Santander · 0.1 km away
⛽ Nearest petrol station
- Repsol · 0.9 km away
- Valcarce · 1.3 km away
- Eroski · 1.4 km away
ℹ️ Tourist office
- Hospital Asilo de San Sebastián e Lázaro · 0.4 km away
- Rúa Ibáñez · 0.4 km away
- Oficina de Turismo de Ribadeo · 0.4 km away
🔭 Viewpoints
- Viewpoints · 0.6 km away
- Viewpoints · 0.7 km away
- Viewpoints · 0.9 km away
🏖️ Where to swim
- Praia dos Bloques · 0.9 km away
- Praia das Cabanas · 0.9 km away
- Where to swim · 1 km away
Buses
3 paradas de autobús en el municipio:
•Castropol
Pharmacy and health
•Farmacia
•Farmacia Montserrat
•Farmacia Mª Carmen
•Farmacia Pedro
•Farmacia Virginia
•Centro de Saúde e Punto de Atención Continuada de Ribadeo — Rua Reinante
•Casa del Mar
•Consultorio médico
Wall and news
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Obituaries
There are no obituaries published right now in Ribadeo.
In loving memory
There are no memorials in Ribadeo yet.
Videos
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