Padrón: The first steps of the Jacobean tradition and land of the renowned peppers
Back to Galicia tours
This tour will take us back in time to the Roman Galicia and the origin of the pilgrimage tradition and pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Discover the origin of the famous peppers, which of course we will taste accompanied by the local white wine.
According to tradition the pilgrimage town of Padrón owes its name to the stone or "pedrón" nested on the shore of the Arousa estuary, to which the boat carrying St. James’ body from Jerusalem was moored. Until that time this place was known as Iria Flavia, a large Roman city of great importance for its commercial activity. Since then Padrón becomes the land start of the pilgrimage route for the maritime pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Our tour will take us to the Old Town with its medieval past that can be seen in its narrow streets and small squares. Two of the five gates of the town walls that guarded the village until the 18th century still remain. A visit to the botanical garden is also highly recommended, boasting more than three hundred different species with exotic specimens, some of which are unique in Spain.
| Tour price (VAT included) | ||||||
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| People | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | More than 6 |
| €/person | Please enquire | Please enquire | Please enquire | Please enquire | Please enquire | Please enquire |
The literary tradition of Padron dates back to the Middle Ages and is home to troubadours, novelists and poets as RosalÃa de Castro or the nobel prize for literature Camilo José Cela.
We will make our way to the small village of Herbón, where internationally recognized Padrón peppers are grown. Its origin is related to the monks of the Franciscan convent of Santo Antonio de Herbón, who brought the seeds from the New World to plant in the garden of the monastery. Herbón is washed by the waters of the River Ulla within surroundings of great beauty and environmental wealth. In previous times, lamprey fishing was a very important activity, and Roman fisheries are still kept in excellent condition, authentic works of hydraulic engineering that shape the lower reaches of one of the main rivers of Galicia.
Padrón welcomes every Sunday of the year thousands of people to their popular market where you can buy anything you may need as well as enjoy the "pulpo á feira" (octopus) in some of the stalls that set up in the vicinity of the enclosure.
