For this day trip I wanted to do things I actually like because I’m super bored and depressed from not traveling. I left out the cathedrals, city centers, and “old towns” because those are boring to me. With BlablaCar, I took a 7-hour day trip from Vigo to A Coruña (and I literally arrived in A Coruña the moment they closed borders in Galicia). Anyway, this is a guide for people who don’t want to spend more than a day (or 12 hours) in a nearby city, but still want to say they visited.

1.) Walk along Praia de Riazor

The city’s main beach is about a 25-minute walk from the train station. It isn’t the most stunning of beaches in Galicia, but for a city center beach, it’s actually quite nice. Luckily I came on a sunny day and there weren’t many people there.

2.) Climb the Torre de Hércules

From Praia de Riazor you can catch bus 6, which will lead you all of the way to Torre de Hércules, an ancient Roman lighthouse. There is a small admission fee to climb to the top, but I was perfectly content admiring the tower from afar.

3.) Watch the sunset at Praia das Lapas

There is a very pretty beach below Torre de Hércules. It’s small and secluded, so I could only imagine how nice it would be during the summer with a cute, emotionally available boy. As of now (COVID-19 times) the front entrance was blocked off, however, I did see a few people in the evening.

4.) Visit the Aquarium Finisterrare

Finally, you can spend your last few hours in A Coruña getting lost with the beautiful fish at the Aquarium Finisterrare— and it’s only a 15-minute walk from the Torre de Hércules. The admission is only 4€. Make sure to check out the seals and view of the sea outside!

A Coruña is nice, and I would have preferred to go for at least a day. I don’t know anyone who lives there that could drive me around to the nice beaches and hidden spots that tourists don’t see, so I shall return once more for maybe 12 hours this time because there are a few other obvious landmarks I didn’t have time for. However, my 7-hour trip satisfied my A Coruna curiosity for the meantime!