La praia de Queiruga beach

If you like your beaches with golden sand and large waves, then the beach at "Queiruga", should fit the bill. This beach is in the "A Coruna" province of Galicia and is located at the southern entrance to the Noia-Muros bay. It is approximately 40 minutes drive from the beach of "Testal" in Noya (see the Noia section of this guide) and 15 minutes from Ribeira. We found this beach by accident, it is one of many with a small and barely noticeable sign, but that in our opinion is very good. It also has some great looking villas close to, and over looking, the beach. Below, a view of la playa de Queiruga (taken July/August 2004).

The beach at Queiruga is about a mile long and is nearly always virtually deserted. On Wednesday 4th August 2004 we spent an hour and a half watching a school of dolphins about 40 metres off shore. The first two we saw jumped vertically out of the water about 30 feet from us, which at the time was not very comforting - dolphins do look like sharks when you are in the sea with them.

Queiruga is at the southern entrance of the Noia-Muros bay (the Spanish call it an estuary or "ria"). It is also in a kind of conurbation of small coastal towns known as "Porto do Son". The seaside town of Muros itself can be seen in the distance on the opposing side of the bay's mouth to Queiruga.

In addition to Queiruga, this stretch of coastline has a number of other stunning beaches running along it and some of them are quite breathtaking. The key to finding them is simply spotting the inconspicuous signs and then driving down an often narrow road that turns into a track. Most of the time there will be a parking area at the end and the beach will probably be accessed by a timber boardwalk. Beaches like this are nearly always quiet although they may be lacking in services like showers and cafes.

As an ocean facing beach, Queiruga has a slightly coarser grained sand than the beaches you will typically find occupying the "rias". The sand is also golden brown as opposed to the bleached white of the more secluded and protected bay beaches.

If you do visit Queiruga you need to any drinks or snacks with you, there are no retail outlets of any kind within walking distance of the beach.

Beach safety at Queiruga

If you have not visited Queiruga beach before you need to be aware that when the tide is in there is a massive slope, some 20 to 30 feet deep, from the high tide line down to the sea. If this slope is not visible (i.e. the tide is not out) beware, you may be in for a shock and the current can be VERY strong. If you walk down this slope to get to the sea then don't worry, there is no further surprise in store and the current will be moderate. If you have been to the beach at "praia de Luz" in Portugal, Queiruga is similar, but possibly better.

Right, a view of Queiruga, looking across the beach. The photo does not show the severity of the slope which runs down from the sands to the ocean.