What to see in Monforte de Lemos

Monforte de Lemos is a city in the south of the province of Lugo, Galicia It is the capital of the Tierra de Lemos region and the Ribeira Sacra Its origins lie on Mount San Vicente, where the former monastery of San Vicente do Pinos is located, now a Parador de Turismo, from where the views of the city are breathtaking. 

Below we tell you the essential places to see in Monforte de Lemos and its surroundings to make the most of your visit to this beautiful city. We recommend that you reserve at least two or three days if you want to see all the sites that appear in the post. 

1. Historic center of Monforte de Lemos

The first thing you should do when you arrive in the city is take a stroll around the city and explore its atmosphere. This is the only way you can discover the charm that surrounds it.

You will be struck by the Monforte Parador, which stands on a hill overlooking the entire area. You can drive up there, as there's plenty of parking.

You can visit the old monastery and enter the cloister. Right next door is the tower of the tribute, you can visit and climb up to enjoy incredible views of the entire city.

Going down from the parador through narrow streets, you will reach the Jewish quarter where you'll find old houses and streets named after trades. There are abandoned houses and others under restoration., It's a charming neighborhood. If you access it from the heart of the city, you have to cross a lively pedestrian street and climb a steeper street.

👀 ¡Plans by Monforte de Lemos!
Guided tour of Monforte de Lemos
Private tour of Monforte de Lemos. You choose!

Walking through the city you come to  the Piarists, also known as the Galician Escorial It's a building that houses a school and classes, so visits focus on the monumental area. You can admire its impressive façade and access the entrance with its monumental staircase, the cloister, the church, and the art gallery.

We were in the area at night, and the building was sparkling with nightlights. There were some kind of fountains that projected water from the ground, and each jet of water appeared illuminated with a color.

There are many bars and restaurants in that area where you can sit down for dinner and a drink. We really liked the atmosphere.

2. Viewpoints of the Sil River

One of the best things to do in the surroundings of Monforte de Lemos is to visit the different viewpoints over the Sil River,  which are located along both banks of the Sil River canyon and allow you to enjoy the views and the vineyards cultivated on both sides. If you spend a few days in Monforte, it's definitely worth going outside the city and getting to know the surrounding area in detail. So that you can organize the visit At the end of the article, we leave you a map with all the places you have to visit. In addition, here we link you to an article about the Best places to stay in Monforte de Lemos based on our own experience spending several days in the area.

Vilouxe Viewpoint

From here you can see the bend formed by the Sil River at that height. Access to the viewpoint is very easy from the village; just park your car at the entrance and you'll access the viewpoint from there. 

Cabezoas Viewpoint

The Cabezoas Viewpoint is right next to the road, where you can park on one side, so you won't have to walk to get there. From there, there are also fantastic views of the bend of the Sil River There's a metal walkway that overlooks the void and allows you to get a little closer to take photos or admire the landscape (although there are usually people waiting to take their photo).

⛵ If you want to make one special activity!
We recommend you hire a guided tour which takes you to all the viewpoints, making stops and ending with a boat trip along the Sil River, contemplating the entire riverbank.

Castro as Xariñas Viewpoint

It is one of the most spectacular viewpoints of the area. It has two wooden walkways that take you several meters into the void. Opposite, on the Lugo shore, are rock walls that are possibly the tallest in the canyon.

Balcony of Madrid

One of the most popular viewpoints in the area, so named because Galician women would climb to this height to say goodbye to their husbands who were leaving for other lands in search of work.

There are more viewpoints you can visit, but in our opinion, stopping at the ones we've mentioned is more than enough to get a feel for the area. Keep this in mind if you don't have much time, as there are still many things to see.

3. Monasteries of Santo Estevo, Santa Cristina and San Pedro

The visit to the viewpoints can be combined with the excursion to the monasteries of Santo Estevo de Rivas de Sil, Santa Cristina de Rivas de Sil y Saint Peter of Rocas which are monasteries embedded in the landscape and capture the mysticism implicit in the landscape.

Monastery of Santo Estevo de Rivas de Sil

The monastery of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil is an impressive complex that represents the extensive monumental heritage which extends throughout Galicia.

You can stay at the monastery, since it is also Parador de Turismo and at the same time enjoy its surroundings, where there are oak forests that invite you to lose yourself in them and evoke ancient Galician legends. Please note that car access may be restricted during the summer, even on some weekends, but there is a nearby parking lot from which you can walk down to the Parador.

The place is so beautiful and so full of mystery that the Galician writer María Oruña set her book there, the forest of the four winds, in the premises of this monastery-parador.

Monastery of Santa Cristina de Rivas de Sil

It is located at the banks of the Sil River In the middle of an oak and chestnut forest. Upon arriving, you'll see a small chapel, and beyond it, the monastery. Words cannot convey the feeling of moving among its stones or peering through its stone stairs and windows. The monastery can be visited inside, and although it's undergoing renovations and currently only the empty rooms are visible, it has a special charm.

From our point of view, it's one of the most beautiful monasteries, but if you go during the high season, keep in mind that getting to the monastery isn't possible in your own car. You'll need to hire a car. shuttle bus It takes you there and gives you about half an hour to enjoy the area. It then picks you up at the same location, although you can also wait until the next drop-off point if you'd like to stay a little longer.

Monastery of San Pedro de Rocas

This monastery is probably the most visited in Galicia, and the truth is that when we arrived, we understood why. You can park on the road, just before reaching the monastery, or at the monastery itself, in a small parking lot located at the entrance. Once there, you'll find two monasteries:

• A new building with an interpretation center and several staff members who, free of charge, will explain the history of the site with a very interesting talk and video. It's a good idea to learn about the monastery's history before visiting, as it provides context that helps you better appreciate the beauty of the area.
• The old monastery is no longer in use; it burned down numerous times, so only the stone remains. The highlight of the place is the monastery's unusual bell tower, carved from the rock itself. You can climb up a staircase, also carved from the stone, although we don't recommend it if you're afraid of heights. The other interesting part of the visit is the chapel, with altars carved into the rock itself, and the monastery cemetery is located around the bell tower.

👀 Look closely!
Around the altars are tombs carved into the ground, and legend has it that each monk dug his own tomb: ora et labora. This meant that after death, matter returned to the earth.

If you walk around the area, you will see a path that leads to the Fountain of San Beito, located less than a five-minute walk away. If you continue along the path, you'll reach a circular route that takes you up the mountain to the monastery parking lot. It's a short walk, less than 5 kilometers.

4. River walk through the canyons of the Sil River

In the area, there are two options for river trips through canyons formed by rivers: the Miño or the Sil. 

We chose to take the boat ride through the Sil canyons, Since some friends had previously recommended it to us. There are several options for booking the boat trip. After evaluating the schedules and price, we decided to book it online at link We've provided the information below. At this link, you can find all the information you need to book and enjoy the river trip.

Although seats are allocated when you book the river cruise and the upper deck seats usually fill up first, once the cruise is underway, you can access the deck and sit wherever you like.

The tour is guided and enjoyable. We loved it; the views are beautiful. They explained to us that grape harvesting in such rugged terrain with difficult access was and is truly complicated, a fact we were able to see during the walk. They also explained the types of grapes grown in the Ribera Sacra and the type of wine produced in the area. We think it's worth taking this excursion to see the areas we've seen from the viewpoints from a different perspective.

At the end of the boat ride, you can have a drink at a bar with a terrace just outside the pier. We recommend sitting outside, from where you can admire the Sil River and all the boats passing by.

5. Light factory and footbridges over the Mao River

Afterwards we headed by car to the Fábrica de la Luz, which is located in the Mao River Canyon. It is currently a hotel and hostel, and from there you can head to the route of the footbridges over the Mao River.

The route runs, as its name suggests, on wooden walkways that zigzag through the forest, with descents and ascents, ramps and stairs that add a special charm to the route, which is quite pleasant and lasts less than 1 km. After walking along the walkways, you will reach a bridge that crosses the river. If you follow it, you can enjoy a river beach formed by the dammed waters of the Sil River, in the Santo Estevo Dam.

We arrived quite hot, and we were truly grateful for a swim to cool off. If you don't feel like swimming, you can always sit for a while and enjoy the scenery and watch the fish from the shore.

⚡ Bring your swimsuit
If you go during the summer season you can take a dip in the river.

6. Visit to a winery with DO Ribeira Sacra

We had to finish the day's excursions in the best possible way and for this we had previously hired a visit to one of the wineries from the area. What better way to experience the winemaking process firsthand than after seeing where the vines grow and the difficult harvesting process explained to us on the boat traveling the Sil River. At least we already knew the names of the most typical grape varieties in the area.

The winery we chose to visit, after researching the different types of tasting that each one offered and the environment in which they were located, was Regina Viarum The winery is located about 20 km from the Footbridges of Mao River, although you will see that the roads are very narrow and with quite a few curves, so it will take you a while to reach any winery.

Before starting, we were gathered in a room where they began to tell us about the history of the area and showed us a video explaining the relationship between the local climate and the different grape varieties. We then toured the facilities, where they explained the winemaking process to us. Afterward, we went to the room where we could taste the wines we had previously selected.

The tasting offered two, three, or even five different types of wine. In the tasting room, you sit at tables with high stools, and while you taste the wines, the guide, a very friendly and enthusiastic woman, taught us some tricks on how to describe wine based on its flavor, color, and other characteristics. She even taught us how to look good and how to act like experts to impress family and friends.

At the end of the tasting, you can go out to a huge terrace With breathtaking views, you can finish tasting the wines. We sat there for quite a while, enjoying the views of the vineyards over the Sil River. If you'd like to buy a bottle, there's a small counter at the exit where you can buy as many bottles as you want.

The only drawback I would point out about the visit is that it wouldn't be a bad idea to include a small appetizer to accompany the wine tasting. They only give you a small bag of breadsticks for every two people, and in our opinion, it falls short.

Our recommendation when booking the visit is that book at least three wine tastings We had two and felt it was a bit short. Plus, if you only order two wines, you won't get to try the famous white wine from the Ribeira Sacra. If you're a wine lover, you can opt for the five-wine tasting, which will let you try all the grape varieties available in the area.

🍷 Visit the winery!
Visit to the Regina Viarum winery
Ribeira Sacra tourist train

7. Waterfalls

We weren't able to see or explore all the sites that make up the Riviera Sacra around Monforte de Lemos. We would have really liked to see the waterfalls (waterfalls), and we know there are some in the area, which we've marked on the map below. In our case, there wasn't time for more, as we were just leaving for La Coruña.

8. Viewpoints over the Miño River

We didn't have time to visit any of the viewpoints overlooking the Miño River because we had been advised to visit the Sil viewpoints, but that doesn't make them any less impressive.

Here are some of them:

• Viewpoint of Erbedeiro
• A viewpoint Grixoá
• Viewpoint of Sernande

When we look back, the memories of those days in Monforte, the strolls through its streets, and the stay at the parador inspire us to plan another trip to the area at another time of year, perhaps with at least a one-day stay at the Parador de Santo Estevo.

Map to visit Monforte de Lemos

Map to visit the surroundings of Monforte de Lemos

If you want to read other articles ideal for your trip that complement What to see in Monforte de Lemos you can visit our posts about Galicia.