The Most Beautiful Places in Ourense Province

Ourense is the only Galician province without a coastline, and it shows in a good way: this is Galicia’s inland heart, all river canyons, mountains, and hot springs, with a quieter, less touristed feel than the coastal provinces. It also shares part of the Ribeira Sacra with Lugo, so there’s some overlap with our other regional guides, but Ourense has plenty that’s entirely its own. Here are the places we’d point people to first.

Ourense city and its thermal riverside baths

Ourense city is one of the few places in Europe where you can bathe in free, natural hot springs right in the middle of an old town. The Termas de Outariz and As Burgas springs are the best known, and there’s something genuinely unusual about soaking in naturally heated water with the old bridge and cathedral in view. The old town itself, with its Roman bridge and compact medieval centre, is easy to explore in half a day.

Ribeira Sacra, the Ourense side

The Ourense side of Ribeira Sacra gives a different angle on the Sil canyon than the Lugo side does, with viewpoints like the Cabezoas miradoiro and access to catamaran routes along the river. The monasteries and terraced vineyards here are just as striking, and combining an Ourense-based trip with a Ribeira Sacra day is an easy way to see both without much extra driving.

Serra do Courel

A mountain range in the eastern part of the province that feels a world away from anywhere else in Galicia, closer in character to the mountains of neighbouring León. Slate villages, chestnut forests, and some of the best hiking trails in the region make this a favourite for anyone wanting to get properly into the Galician countryside rather than just pass through it.

Lago de Sanabria area and the Trevinca mountains

Technically the Trevinca massif straddles the border with Castilla y León, but the Galician side, around A Veiga and the Serra de Queixa, has genuinely dramatic high-altitude scenery, including some of the highest peaks in Galicia. It’s a good destination if you want mountains rather than coastline, and it gets far fewer visitors than better-known parts of the region.

Allariz

Often mentioned as one of the prettiest towns in inland Galicia, and it earns that reputation. The old town sits along the Arnoia river, with stone bridges, medieval streets, and a riverside walk that’s especially good in the warmer months when the water is low enough to sit beside.

Castro de San Cibrao das Las

One of the largest and best-preserved Iron Age hillfort settlements in Galicia, giving a real sense of what pre-Roman life in the region looked like. It’s a quieter kind of attraction, more about the atmosphere of the site and the views from it than any single dramatic feature, but worth the stop if you’re interested in Galicia’s older history.

Practical notes for visiting

Ourense province is landlocked and hillier than the coastal provinces, so driving times between highlights can be longer than distances on a map suggest, especially getting out to Serra do Courel or the Trevinca mountains. Ourense city makes a good, central base for the thermal baths, the old town, and day trips into Ribeira Sacra, while the more remote mountain areas are better suited to those with a full day or two to dedicate to them.