Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Vedra

What to see and do in Vedra (Santiago, A Coruña): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Vedra

Palace of Ximonde 3.6 km
Palace of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla 4.1 km

Towns near Vedra

What to see in Boqueixón 5.5 km · 5 places
What to see in Teo 7.9 km · 9 places
What to see in A Estrada 11 km · 42 places
What to see in Santiago de Compostela 12 km · 30 places
What to see in O Pino 16 km · 14 places
What to see in Padrón 17 km · 36 places
What to see in Pontecesures 17 km · 10 places
What to see in Ames 17 km · 5 places

Spain › Galicia › A Coruña › Santiago › Vedra

What to see and do in Vedra

Vedra
Village
Vedra is a municipality of about 4,900 inhabitants in the south of the province of A Coruña, in the valley of the Ulla, a river that here forms the boundary with Pontevedra. Its name probably comes from the Latin vetera, old or ancient. Settled since prehistory and later by Romans, Sueves and Visigoths, Vedra attracted the Compostelan nobility from the 15th century onwards, who built numerous noble houses and pazos here; since the 17th century it has been organised into twelve parishes, recalled on its coat of arms by as many scallop shells. Its ties with Santiago de Compostela have given the Ulla comarca the nickname of the vegetable garden and orchard of Compostela. It is home to the baroque pazo of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla, famous for its camellia gardens and for an avenue of centuries-old olive trees arranged in a cross.
Palace of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla
Monument
The pazo of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla stands at the site of Ortigueira, in the parish of Santa Cruz de Ribadulla, in the municipality of Vedra, overlooking the Ulla valley. It was built by the Abraldes family and bought in the 16th century by Juan Ibáñez de Mondragón; in 1811 Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos lived there, and it was also the residence of a Marquis of Ribadulla, a title granted by Charles II in 1683. The garden holds more than two hundred species, an avenue of centuries-old olive trees laid out in the shape of a cross, and a collection of camellias with two-hundred-year-old specimens up to nine metres tall; it also preserves the baroque fountains of la Nogueira, la Coca and that of el Santiaguiño, from 1670, next to the chapel joined to it by an arch in 1676. It was declared a Ben de Interese Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) on 11 December 2001.
Palace of Ximonde
Monument
The Pazo de Ximonde, in the parish of San Miguel de Sarandón, overlooking the Ulla valley, was the country residence and birthplace of the Counts of Ximonde, a title held by the Cisneros family from 1766 that played an important role during the Carlist Wars. The current building, in baroque style with a square-cornered floor plan, was rebuilt in the 18th century on a 16th-century structure, within a walled twelve-hectare estate with wooded areas, gardens, vineyards among the oldest in Galicia, and a salmon reserve. Its façade bears a coat of arms with the Cisneros crown and swan. Among its owners the second count, Pedro Cisneros de Castro y Ulloa, patron of Galician culture, stood out. After the death of the last countess it passed to the Puga family, until it was put up for auction in 2009.
Avenue of the Olive Trees at the pazo de Ortigueira
Nature
A path of olive trees laid out in the form of a cross within gardens with more than two hundred species, centuries-old trees inscribed in the Galician register of singular specimens and an award-winning collection of camellias.
Milestone of Caligula of Vedra
Curiosity
A milestone column from the time of the emperor Caligula found in the concello in 1867, testimony to the passage of a Roman road through the Ulla valley, where half a dozen castros are also known.
Declaration of the pazo de Santa Cruz de Ribadulla as an asset of cultural interest
Historical milestone
The ensemble formed by the pazo (Galician manor house), its historic gardens and the farm estate that surrounds it receives on 11 December 2001 the highest protection of Galician heritage, which shielded its groves and its monumental walks.
Wine of the Ribeira do Ulla subzone
Food and drink
The vineyards of the slopes of the Ulla form the northernmost subzone of the Rías Baixas denomination of origin, with a predominance of albariño and of the red espadeiro variety on the riverside plots.