Sailing the Rías Baixas and Cíes Islands: a 7-day route
The Rías Baixas are Spain's Atlantic sailing area: deep, sheltered inlets in southern Galicia with the islands of a national park lying across their mouths. A week from Vigo or Baiona covers roughly 90 nautical miles in short legs: the white beaches of the Cíes Islands, Ons, the fishing village of Combarro, the mussel rafts of the Ría de Arousa and back to Monterreal. Plan around two things the Mediterranean does not have: park permits and tides.
Where to charter a yacht for the Rías Baixas?
The two bases at the southern end of the area are Vigo, the city port inside the Ría de Vigo, and Baiona, a historic harbour at the ría mouth. You can charter a yacht in Vigo or rent a sailing yacht in Baiona, or compare all bases on our yacht charter in Spain page; charter yachts from local bases can be booked on Ship O'Hoi, bareboat or with a skipper. Charter weeks usually run Saturday to Saturday. To sail bareboat you need a licence the charter company accepts, see our guides to the boat licence in Spain and the ICC; otherwise hire a skipper or choose a crewed yacht.
A 7-day sailing itinerary from Baiona or Vigo
This loop visits the islands first and comes back down the coast at the end of the week; from Vigo, start and finish there instead. Distances are approximate, estimated from the chart; plan every leg with up-to-date charts, a pilot book and the tide tables.
Day 1–2: Baiona or Vigo to the Cíes Islands (approx. 7–9 nm)
Take over the yacht on Saturday and sleep in the marina. On Sunday cross the Ría de Vigo to the Cíes, the southernmost islands of the Illas Atlánticas national park. Anchoring is allowed only off Rodas, Nosa Señora and San Martiño beaches. Rodas, on the ría side facing the mainland, is more than a kilometre of white sand forming a barrier between two islands, with the Lago dos Nenos lagoon behind it. Go ashore by dinghy at the Rodas quay; the Carracido quay belongs to the Vigo port authority and is off limits without its permission.
Tip: you need both park authorisations before you go (see Rules below). A yacht without a holding tank may not stay overnight at the islands; without one, or without a permit for the night, make the Cíes a day stop.
Day 3: Cíes to Ons (approx. 10–12 nm)
Leave the Cíes through the northern channel and sail north past Cabo Home to Ons, the park's second island group at the mouth of the Ría de Pontevedra. Anchoring is allowed only in two zones: Dornas-Castelo on the east side and Melide beach in the north-east. The Dornas quay belongs to the port authority and may not be used without its permission, so land by dinghy. The islet of Onza is a reserve where landing is prohibited.
Tip: each island has its own daily quota of anchoring permits, so book every island day as soon as your dates are fixed.
Day 4: Ons to Combarro (approx. 10–12 nm)
Sail east into the Ría de Pontevedra to Combarro, about 6 km from the city of Pontevedra. Its protected old quarter has about thirty hórreos (stone granaries on stilts) along the waterfront, plus fishermen's houses and stone crosses. Porto Deportivo de Combarro has 33 visitor berths, 3 m of water inside and listens on VHF 9.
Tip: the Ría de Pontevedra has several mussel-raft areas; route between them in daylight and keep a proper lookout.
Day 5: Combarro to Vilanova de Arousa for Illa de Arousa (approx. 22 nm)
The longest leg runs out of the Ría de Pontevedra, around the O Grove peninsula and into the Ría de Arousa, home to most of Galicia's mussel rafts. In the middle of it lies A Illa de Arousa, Galicia's only island municipality, joined to Vilanova de Arousa by a road bridge finished in 1985, with the Carreirón natural park at its southern end. Marina Arousa in Vilanova has waiting pontoons for visiting yachts and answers on VHF 9 and 16.
Tip: if the wind is against you or the forecast deteriorates, skip Arousa. Combarro to Sanxenxo is only a few miles across the ría.
Day 6: Vilanova de Arousa to Sanxenxo (approx. 20 nm)
Retrace the route out of Arousa, around O Grove and back into the Ría de Pontevedra to Sanxenxo, a popular beach resort. Its municipal marina has 450 berths and offers transit berths by the day; the high season there runs from June to September.
Tip: in summer contact the marina ahead of arrival.
Day 7: Sanxenxo to Baiona or Vigo (approx. 18–20 nm)
Sail south past Ons and Cabo Home, stop for lunch at the Cíes if you hold a permit for the day, and cross back to Baiona. In 1493 the caravel Pinta, returning from Columbus's first voyage, reached port here, making Baiona the first town in Europe to hear of the discovery of America. The Monterreal fortress on the headland is now a parador, and a walk of about 3 km around its walls looks out over the bay. The Monte Real Club de Yates has around 40 visitor berths and listens on VHF 9. Crews from Vigo continue about 10 nm into the ría to return the yacht on Friday evening.
Tip: charter yachts must be back on time, so keep the last leg short and leave early if the swell is building.
| Leg | Distance | Overnight | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baiona or Vigo – Cíes | approx. 7–9 nm | Anchored off Rodas (permit, holding tank) or back to base | Rodas beach, Lago dos Nenos |
| Cíes – Ons | approx. 10–12 nm | Anchored at Melide or Dornas-Castelo (permit) | Melide beach, second park island |
| Ons – Combarro | approx. 10–12 nm | Porto Deportivo de Combarro | Hórreos on the waterfront |
| Combarro – Vilanova de Arousa | approx. 22 nm | Marina Arousa | Illa de Arousa, mussel rafts |
| Vilanova de Arousa – Sanxenxo | approx. 20 nm | Sanxenxo marina | Beach resort |
| Sanxenxo – Baiona or Vigo | approx. 18–20 nm | Home marina | Monterreal fortress, the Pinta story |
Rules and safety in the Rías Baixas
- Illas Atlánticas national park: the Cíes, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada form the Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia, declared in 2002; most of its 8,480 hectares are sea. By law you need written authorisation both to navigate and to anchor in its waters.
- Two permits: first a navigation authorisation, then an anchoring (fondeo) permit for each day. The navigation authorisation is issued to the boat's owner on a form sent to the park office and is valid for three years; on a charter yacht that means the charter company, so ask whether the yacht already holds one. Anchoring permits are then booked online, day by day, in strict order of request. If you cannot use a day's permit, cancel it before 12:00 that day. Start at the park's navigation and anchoring page.
- Daily limits: the park's management plan caps anchoring in high season (15 May to 15 September plus Easter) at 75 to 125 boats a day at the Cíes across the three anchorages, 60 to 70 at Ons, and 15 to 20 each at Sálvora and Cortegada (management plan, Decree 177/2018).
- Inside the park: maximum 4 knots, no loud music or horns, anchor outside the buoyed 200 m bathing zone off the beaches and leave a corridor to the quays. No recreational fishing or spearfishing, scuba diving only with a permit, all rubbish goes back ashore. Keep at least 100 m from dolphins, porpoises and seabirds. For rented boats the charter company is held secondarily liable for any offence by the skipper or crew.
- Mussel rafts (bateas): Galicia has 3,337 of these floating platforms, most of them in the Ría de Arousa. Each is a grid up to 27 m long with ropes hanging deep below it, swinging on its moorings, and they are grouped in marked areas. Never sail between rafts and avoid the areas at night.
- Tides: unlike the Mediterranean, the range here reaches about 4 m, with high and low water roughly every six hours. Check depths at anchor and in harbour against the official predictions from Puertos del Estado (also in its iMar app) before every leg.
- Swell and fog: the MeteoGalicia coastal forecast for the Rías Baixas zone gives wind, sea state, visibility (fog) and the Atlantic swell from distant storms separately, in three periods a day. Read it with the AEMET coastal forecast for Galicia before leaving the rías.
- Emergencies: Salvamento Marítimo on 900 202 202, 112 or VHF channel 16.
- Licence: from 1 October 2026 everyone driving a rented boat in Spain needs a licence; the old licence-free rental of small boats has ended. For a bareboat yacht you need a licence that covers its size and sailing area and that Spain recognises; the ICC is the safe choice. With a skipper or crew you need none. See our boat licence in Spain guide.
Best time to sail the Rías Baixas
The main season is summer. The park treats 15 May to 15 September (plus Easter) as high season, which is also when ferry visitors to the Cíes and Ons need their own authorisation. The park's resource plan describes the prevailing winds as northerly to easterly and the sea as cool, 12 to 18 °C in summer, and rainfall is lowest from July to September. Outside summer, North Atlantic storms send in more swell, so the rías become the playground and the islands a fair-weather trip.
FAQ
Do I need a permit to anchor at the Cíes Islands?
Yes. You need the park's navigation authorisation for the yacht plus an anchoring permit for each day, booked online in order of request. Ask your charter company about the navigation authorisation first.
Can I stay overnight at the Cíes or Ons?
Only in the designated anchorages, with a valid anchoring permit, and only if the yacht's toilet has a holding tank. Otherwise make them day stops.
Is the Rías Baixas suitable for a first bareboat week?
The legs are short, but tides of up to 4 m, mussel rafts, fog and swell ask for more attention than the Mediterranean. With little tidal experience, hire a skipper.
Can I sail on to Portugal?
Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal lies roughly 25 to 30 nm south of Baiona along open coast, beyond a normal week's loop. Ask your charter company first whether the yacht may leave Spanish waters.
Planning a warmer week? Read our guide to sailing the Costa Brava from Palamós or Roses. The Atlantic is cool even in summer, so check our list of what to bring on a yacht charter.
