Last week taking advantage of the good weather we made a trip to Las Islas Cíes. We went on the ferry to the Cies Islands leaving from Vigo’s Maritime station. It is also possible to leave from Cangas de Morrazo or Baiona but to us Vigo was better option.

The Cíes Islands Ferry – Pirata de Nabia

Top deck in Pirata de Nabia

A must when going to the Cíes Islands is to buy the ticket in advance to be able to choose the day and the schedules that best suit you as the daily number of people allowed on the island is limited. By reserving your tickets in advance you will also be able to choose the first ship leaving to the Cíes islands and the lates to return in order to spend as much time as possible in the Cíes Islands.

For our trip we chose the Piratas de Nabia ferry company. The duration of the trip was about 35 minutes. We went on the top of the boat to admire the views and to see if we spotted any dolphins, they are easy viewable in the Ria de Vigo. However we were not lucky and did not spot any.

Upon landing at the pier of the Cies Islands we see the restaurant at the end of the pier and on the left side lies majestic Playa de Rodas, the best beach in the world. Leaving the pier behind we find a map of the Cíes Islands that includes possible routes on the islands. We decided to take the Faro of Cies Route and as it indicates it will be 3,5Km of walking route, roughly about 3 hours round trip. It is the most easy going route, we pass Lake Cíes and we see some crustaceans besides a Cuttlefish. Sadly we did not have enough time to take a photo of the scene.

The Cíes Islands Jetty

One of the Restaurants’ Menu

Rodas’ Beach

Cíes Islands Map

Moving on forward we go through the camping site and start to take on the steep hill upwards. As we go up the views are becoming more spectacular. We can see perfectly the lighthouse Da Porta to our left and on the horizon we can also see the South Island.

Faro da Porta

Finally we reach the peak where the lighthouse is built. The views are really spectacular. We had a small break to rest and we kept busy enjoying the views. It was worth our while getting up here.

View from the Cíes Lighthouse

View from the Cíes Lighthouse

Once we regained our strength, we decided to go down the same path that we climbed. It is more enjoyable in the descent as it is more rested and with an excellent view ahead we continue to enjoy the surroundings and the views that it offers us. We went down through to the beach of Rodas where we stopped for a sunbathe and a few dips on the sea it was time to catch the ferry back to Vigo.

It has been a great day in the Cíes Islands, the weather has accompanied us, we have been able to enjoy the Islands walking and relaxing on the beach, you can not ask for more. On the ferry trip back to Vigo we already plan our next visit to the Cíes Islands.

Playa de Rodas

Here ís a short video of our trip: https://youtu.be/Y6fM9PGZLoM