Words by Louise Searle. Surf comp images courtesy Poullenot / WSL
Within the beautiful region of Galicia in NW Spain lies the vibrant city of A Coruña. Day or night there’s always something to do here, it’s one of the most fascinating cities in northern Spain with culture, good food, golden beaches and surf too.
The first thing you notice about A Coruña is the lengthy seafront promenade. Coruña’s city beach is a long 1.5km sweep of golden sand with decent surfing waves with Playa del Orzan at the east end and Playa de Riazor at the west. It’s cool place to grab a surfboard, an empanada and head to the beach to hang out for the day.Post surf you can’t beat the Termaria Thalasso Spa for a chill out. For €25 there are salt water pools, different saunas, Turkish baths, Japanese Rotenburo… Termaria Thalasso it’s a perfect place to finish off the day.
With its city-by-the-sea feel giving it a Brighton-like vibe, there’s loads to do when you’re not hanging on the beach. There’s a medieval quarter, Maria Pita square, the new Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, the Picasso House Museum and the street-fashion shops of the Orzán district behind Riazor beach, the World Heritage listed Torre de Hércules, and the Aquarium Finisterrae. There’s also a lovely 16km walkway and bike path, Paseo Marítimo, which runs all the way from the port, around the peninsula, along the beaches out to the west.
Once the sun sets head to Calle Estrella Coruña’s prime tapas area, there’s a vibrant scene and everyone spills out onto the streets, eating tapas and drinking Estrella Galicia, A Coruña’s signature beer until dark. Then it’s off to dinner proper. Galicians pride themselves on their local cuisine and the seafood is excellent. The inhabitants of A Coruña are famous for living well: either during the day or at night and with its great beaches, amazing authentic food and a dash of culture A Coruña is a great destination for a travelling
surf girl.
During our stay at A Coruña, the city held held it’s first World Qualifying Series surf event, the Pro A Coruña Surf Fest. Unfortunately the wave gods didn’t play ball and the contest was held not at the city beach of Orzan but 30 minutes drive away at Playa de Caion. Nevertheless, the inaugural Pro A Coruña Surf Fest, was an exciting new event hosting all categories of surfing for a total of 150 athletes, including some familiar British faces Keshia Eyre, Emily Currie and Peony Knight who came fourth. For more go to www.worldsurfleague.com
If you need some gear or fancy a surf lesson, check these out:
Surf Shops:
Vazva www.vazva.es
New Wave Store www.nwstore.es
Pure Surfing www.puresurfing.es
Walls www.facebook.com/wallssurfshop
Raz www.raz.es
Schools and Surf Camps:
Vazva www.vazva.es/vsschool
La Vieja Escuela www.laviejaescuela.com.es
Prado www.pradosurfescola.com
Surf Costa da Morte www.surfcostadamorte.com
Art Surf Camp www.artsurfcamp.com / www.artsurfcamp.co.uk
Raz www.raz.es/pages/escuela-de-surf
Image courtesy Daniel Almeida
You will be spoilt for choice in La Coruña, give these restaurants a try:
Miga
New innovative bistro located at España Square. It offers delicious Galician contemporary cuisine.
www.migacoruna.com
O Lagar da Estrella Restaurant
Cosy restaurant on the lively Estrella Street. High-quality food in a relaxed atmosphere.
www.facebook.com/olagardaestrella
Jaleo Restaurant
A classy restaurant with yummy casual food is located at the animated Galera street.
www.vinotecajaleo.com
Culuca
Traditional Galician bites with a modern twist, located at Arteixo Avenue, near Plaza de Lugo.
Bocanegra Restaurant
Cool restaurant in downtown, located at Riego de Agua Street, between Rosalía Theatre and María Pita Square. A nice place to enjoy tasty original food.
www.facebook.com/BocaNegra-Coruna-180408285633099
For more on A Coruña go to www.turismocoruna.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/turismocoruna
Twitter: twitter.com/CorunaTurismo
Instagram: www.instagram.com/corunaturismo
Louise Searle was a guest of Turismo La Coruña (turismoCoruña.com) and the Hotel Meliá Maria Pita, Avda de Pedro Barrié de la Maza 1 (+34 981 205000, melia.com). Vueling Airlines (vueling.com) flies daily from Heathrow to La Coruña.
