Noia in la Coruna province

Noia is a costal town that is popular with tourists, many of whom visit it to see the old medieval parts of the town. Noia started life as a small fishing village, but it was an important location in medieval times and was once home to the Arch Bishop.

Noia has quite a number of festivals from those lasting a day to those extending to a week.

There are a number of good beaches close to the town and the towns of Porto do Son and Muros lie either side of Noia and little bit further around the ria (estorial bay).

Some general information about Noia

Unlike many Galician towns, Noia has a well documented history dating back over a thousand years. This is due in part to the previous presence of the areas Arch Bishop in the town, and also because Noia was once a busy port and had important ship yards and fishing docks.

Today Noia is one of Galicia's larger and more tourist appealing towns. It has a compact and attractive centre along with a more modern, or at least updated, main plaza (alameda). The town benefts heavily from tourism and has plenty of bars and a strong cafe culture. It also has some large supermarkets, one in the town centre and another one just outside of it.

What to see and do in the town of Noia

Tip 1. Noia has a famous medieval area with some buildings dating back up to 1000 years. Although fairly small, this part of the town is one of the best and most complete medieval areas in Galicia. Within this part of the old district there are three very old squares.


Tip 2. Within the medieval area, Noia has its famous church of Saint Martin with the former Arch Bishop's residence close by. This church is architecturally and historically important and its portico is said to copy that of Santiago de Compostela's cathedral. The church faces a square that is overlooked by some nice tapas bars.

Tip 3. Every August Noia has a multi day festival attracting visitors from many of the surrounding towns and villages. This festival has music, dance, food and a range of typical Galician festivaties. The complete event takes a year in the planning.

Other local festivals include the medieval fiesta in May which lasts three days and sees the town and its shopkeepers and bar staff adorned in medieval outfits.

Tip 4. Just outside the town, and now located on private property, is an example of an ancient celtic burial site. The site is several thousand years old and is represented by a collection of large stones.

Tip 5. Driving out of Noia and upwards into the hills offers some stunning scenic views, whilst driving down the coast in either direction leads to several beaches of varying sizes and degrees of sunworshiper activity. During autumn many of these beaches become the harvesting grounds for the different shellfish found in the area.

Where is Noia and how do you reach it

It takes about 45 minutes to reach Noia from the regional capital of Santiago de Compostela by car. The town is also close to Muros in the same bay.

There is a large hotel just outside Noia that caters for international visitors and there are a couple of smaller hotels close to the town. Travelling to and around Noia is best done by car although there is a bus station with regular buses to places like Santiago de Compostela.