Finisterre

Finisterre is a very famous fishing port, it is well known throughout Spain and you will see many signs directing you towards it and discover several tourist leaflets suggesting you visit it. The signs will call it Fisterra and it is at the western most point of Galicia, known as the costa da morte. I find this charming little fishing village to be extraordinary. The scenery is breathtaking, Cabo Finisterre is magic, the Romanesque churches on the way are beautiful , the village is inviting, friendly, helpful people are kind. I love this place and its fine people. I will return.

There are two areas of potential tourist interest in Finisterre. The first is a small castle ruin on the hill above the town and the second is the port area at the foot of the town. I entered the city and was able to view the sunset over the ocean and Finisterre captured my heart.

Finisterre is a working fishing village and there isn't a big focus on tourism, which you will either find as a plus or a minus. There are no quaint churches, no rambling parades of terraced cottages. Flower laden squares and colonnaded medieval buildings are all absent and the archetypal image of the pretty Galician seaside town is, for once, a myth.

Good seafood at a good price. Fisterra has many café bars that serve the freshest seafood to be had. These bars are nothing special to look but don't pass them by. The sardines, squid and various other catches are prepared and cooked, sometimes within minutes of being landed, and they are second to none. You eat looking out at the port and quite possibly having the boat that caught them within your gaze.

The castle at the top of the town may offer some additional interest to visitors of Fisterra. It certainly affords good views out to sea and back into the ria de Corcubion, but the ruin can be explored in a matter of minutes.

The "Coast of Death"

In the times of the Romans and Celts, Finisterre (called "finis terrae") was considered to be at the farthest edge of the north westerly land mass and was described as "the end of the earth" (in Latin, "finis terrae" means "end of the world"). Finisterre also possesses a reputation for being on "the coast of death", since many vessels have left the port, never to return. Finisterre's main claim to fame is its continued activity as a Galician fishing port and if you wonder down to its harbor you will see and smell the fishing nets, laid out to dry.

Summary

Finisterre does not pretend to be anything other than what it is, a working fishing town with fantastic views of the Atlantic, and if this is what you want to see, then you won't be disappointed. If you want to see a town that genuinely represents Galicia’s sea faring past, Finisterre will not disappoint and if you combine that with some port side eating you'll find the trip worthwhile.