Walking on a beach 😍 #beach #beachlife #ocean #sea #nature #bikini #summer #holiday #traveling

Going to the vacation! 😍 #beach #beachlife #ocean #sea #nature #bikini #summer #holiday #traveling

Galicia’s beautiful and unique Cathedral Beach – Playa de las Catedrales in Spanish, or Praia das Catedrais (sometimes simply As Catedrais) in Galician – is one of the most impressive sights on the north coast of Spain. And that is really saying something, because the coast of northern Spain is pretty much just one beautiful beach after another for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers. Named for its towering arches resembling the flying buttresses of a Gothic cathedral, this beach is truly a natural wonder.

What is also a wonder is that you can still enjoy it in relative peace. I mean, look at it; it’s the kind of place that should be photoshoot central. I was surprised by it in the best possible way – I certainly wasn’t alone there, but I didn’t have any hint of the claustrophobic, “get me out of here” feeling I tend to get in places that have hit peak tourism.

To be clear, this beach is very well-known among Spaniards. In the summer holiday months, it gets so busy that you have to book a ticket to visit. This is not an undiscovered gem or anything like that.

But it is spectacular. And outside of July and August, it’s really not as busy as you’d expect for such a stunning and unique place in the second-most touristed country on Earth.

So where is this beach?

Cathedral Beach is on the northern coast of Galicia, about 10 kilometers west of Ribadeo and the border with Asturias.

It’s not really close to any major cities, which is one of the reasons it’s not too crowded in the low and shoulder seasons.

When is the best time to visit Cathedral Beach?

The most important thing to remember is this: The time of day that you visit Playa de las Catedrales, and to a lesser extent the time of month, are much more important than the time of year.

The most beautiful and impressive sections of the beach are only accessible at low tide. This is not a question of whether the beach looks nicer at low or high tide. The characteristic arches that give this place its name are on the far end of the beach, a little over half a kilometer from the stairs that lead you down from the restaurant and parking lot. You will not be able to cross the beach and scramble over the rocks to reach this section if the water level is too high.