Towns and places worth visiting in Ourense

Whilst Ourense certainly does not have the number or scale of towns and cities found in the other Galician provinces, it still has many places worth a visit.

The countryside of this province is comparable with anywhere in Galicia and the River Mino, and network of smaller rivers that connect to it, make parts of this area quite spectacular. The province has two national parks, the "Baixa Limia-Serra do Xures", which is a combination of meadow land and forest and the "Monte O Invernadeiro". The "Monte O Invernadeiro" in particular is known for its mountain ranges including those of Queixa, Invernadeiro and San Mamade. This province is popular with fly fishers, river boaters, walkers and bird watchers. We also saw cyclists

Towns in Ourense worth visiting

Unlike Galicia's other provinces, Ourense has only one significant population and that is found in the capitol city itself. Large towns are also limited, but some do have monasteries, convents or castles close by, so here are a couple worth considering.

Los Peares

The village of "Los Peares", is small, but has two nearby national parks and is overlooked by a mountainous backdrop. It is sited at the junction of two of Galicia's main rivers, the "Mino" and the "Sil" and has the "Ribas" monastery only a short distance away.

Ribadavia

Ribadavia is another town with a closely situated monastery and is picturesquely set in an area known for its vines and wine production. The monastery is from the Dominican order and both are typically near a river.

Some of the other better known towns and villages in the Ourense province include: Puebla de Trives, Xinzo de Limia, Verín, Bande, el Barco de Valdeorras, Carballico, Celanova and Viana do Bolo. The town of Monforte de Lemos, in Lugo province, is actually only a short distance from Ourense city and worthy of a visit if you want to see a hill top monastery.

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