Playa De Las Catedrales(As Catedrais beach)

Located near the town of Ribadeo in the Cantabrian coastline, Playa de las Catedrales – also called Praia de Augas Santas, Praia das Catedrais, and As Catedrais Beach – is a popular one-mile-long beach with light brown sand, some rocky parts, and many large and beautiful natural rock formations.  This beach is located on the northwest coast of Spain.  The travel organization European Best Destinations listed this beach as one of the 15 Most Beautiful Beaches In Europe in 2023.  In addition, Conde Nast Traveller magazine listed this beach as one of the “The 51 Most Beautiful Places in the World,” and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  It has also been awarded a Blue Flag because of its cleanliness – it has also been declared a natural monument by the local government of Galicia.

Playa de las Catedrales has lifeguards on a seasonal basis.  In addition to lifeguards, the area near the beach has a few amenities including restrooms, a cathedral beach picnic area, a nearby concession stand selling snacks, and a nearby wooden walkway.

Dogs are allowed here.

Playa de las Catedrales offers many fun activities, including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, swimming, surfing, skimboarding, snorkeling, tide pooling, rockhounding, paddleboarding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here is known to usually have manageable waves.  In addition, strong surfers also visit this beach on very rare occasions.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or snorkel here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, the water here can get really cold in winter.  The rocks around the beach can also make water activities difficult. 

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Playa de las Catedrales offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Cantabrian shoreline and the Cantabrian Sea, especially at sunset.  There are many interesting rock formations at Cathedral Beach Ribadeo including rocky natural arches, cliffs and sea caves – you can explore these rock formations at low tide and these rock formations also offer amazing photos.  If you like rockhounding, you can see many rocks here with a vibrant variety of colors, including gray, red, and green – some of the larger rocks here also have hidden air pockets, and they make whistling sounds when water passes over them.

If you plan to hike on the clifftop area near the beach, we recommend being careful because the cliffs near the beach are steep and unstable.  If you like camping, there is a privately owned campground near Playa de las Catedrales named A Gaivota Camping that offers a fun nearby Cathedral Beach camping experience.  If you want to explore other beaches near Playa de Las Catedrales, you can visit many beaches within a 15-minute drive, including Playas de Barreiros and Praia de Area Longa.

Playa de las Catedrales does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Playa de las Catedrales is easy – from the town of Ribadeo, you need to drive on a highway named N-634.  If you are driving along the Autovia A-8 Highway – also called the Cantabrico Highway – you can turn to N-634 through Exit 516.  From N-634, you need to turn right towards a road named LU-P-5209.  From LU-P-5209, you need to turn left towards another road named LU-P-0610.  LU-P-0610 will eventually lead you to the two large free parking lots for Playa de las Catedrales.  Once you park here, you must walk along a trail that will lead you to a staircase – this staircase will lead you to the beach. 

If you are planning to visit this beach between July 1 and September 30, please note that you need to book an online reservation for your visit – you can visit the website of the Xunta de Galicia – which is the local government body – to know more about the reservation rules. 

We recommend visiting this beach at low tide because at high tide almost all of the beach can get waterlogged.  In addition, we recommend visiting this beach early in summer because it can get crowded during this time.  The best time to visit this beach is during spring and autumn because this beach has slightly fewer visitors during this time.  Please also wear sturdy footwear and layered clothing while visiting this beach because the beach can get rocky and the weather here can be unpredictable. 

Playa de las Catedrales has many beautiful geological formations, including 30-meter-tall rock arches and sea caves – these rock formations are mainly made up of slate and quartzite, and some of these rock formations are more than 500 million years old.  They have been formed due to erosion of rocks and cliffs by wind and ocean water.  In addition, the beach received its name – Playa de las Catedrales – because it has tall rock arches resembling the soaring arches and flying buttresses of Gothic-style cathedrals.  The beach’s official name – Praia de Augas Santas – means “Beach of the Holy Waters” in the local Galician language.

There are many attractions near Playa de las Catedrales.  Parque Recreativo Laberinto Costa Marina is an amusement park that offers many fun things to do and explore including a 4000-square-meters labyrinth, an archery range, fishing games, foot billiards, and mini-golf.  The nearby town of Ribadeo has many interesting historical landmarks, including a 13th-century church, multiple historic Indiano-style buildings, and a 17th-century fort.  In addition, this town also has many interesting shopping stores and restaurants.  Paseo Maritimo de Foz is a waterfront walkway that is a 20-minute drive away and offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Cantabrian shoreline.  El circulo litico de A Roda – also called the Lithic Circles of Lugo – is an archeological site composed of multiple lithic circles.  These lithic circles are stones arranged in a circular manner and date back to the Bronze Age, around 4500 years ago.  If you are looking for another attraction near this beach, Ria de Foz is an estuary that is a popular bird-watching site, and it is home to many kinds of seasonal and migratory birds.  In addition, this estuary is also a popular site for many watersports including kitesurfing, windsurfing, boating, and surfing. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near the Playa de las Catedrales.  O Lar De Carmina offers a variety of delicious Galician and Asturian dishes including cachopo, chorizo, seafood, and fabada.  Ferpel Gastronomico is an upscale restaurant that offers amazing gourmet dishes inspired from the Asturian region – this restaurant has also been awarded a MICHELIN star.  Restaurante A Mirandilla is known for serving excellent local seafood and rice dishes.  Yenka is another restaurant that offers amazing Galician-style dishes including local seafood, croquetas, salads, and raxo a la gallega.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Rente Ao Mar is a 20-minute drive away and offers many amazing Galician dishes, including pork loin, cachelos, and chorizo.

If you are looking for a hotel near Playa de las Catedrales, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star O Cabazo offers many amenities including a gym, a restaurant, and a terrace.  The 4-Star Parador de Ribadeo is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a garden terrace, a restaurant, and a bar.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Oca Playa de Foz Hotel & Spa, which is a 23-minute drive away and offers many amenities, including a spa, a restaurant, and a pool.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Hotel Casona Lazurtegui, which offers many amenities, including a terrace and a social room with a guest-use computer.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near the beach, the 3-Star Hotel Voar offers many amenities including a pool, a garden, a restaurant, and a pavilion.