Combarro. Seafaring district. Historical-Artistic Complex

About this heritage

Combarro is a parish in the municipality of Poio, in Pontevedra. It is a town located in the Pontevedra estuary which, in addition to nature, offers its visitors other leisure options such as the San Xoán monastery, its rich and varied gastronomy and wines of international fame, a wide variety of white sand beaches and crystal clear waters and the fishing town of Combarro, declared a national artistic site on 30 November 1972.

Combarro is a seafaring town linked to the sea. A sample of the popular construction of Galicia. Between the sea and Combarro, its line of hórreos (the hórreos are typical constructions of Galicia, their main function was to keep the grain crops safe from humidity and animals). They are usually made of stone with wooden parts. Its design prevented mice from getting inside them.

But returning to Combarro, the best way to get to know it is to walk its streets starting from the wide Plaza da Chousa (Chousa square), it is a wide space open to the sea, from here we can go to see its historical and artistic centre, walk through its narrow streets, flanked by beautiful traditional seafaring houses. The historical complex is built on a large granite slab giving the houses a more rustic look.

Combarro also has its most modern part, with its port and its promenade where visitors have everything they need to enjoy this town.

To learn more

In Combarro, there are up to 30 hórreos (traditional raised granaries), forming a particular complex due to the number of them and their location in front of the sea.

Besides the hórreos in Combarro you can also see another typical Galician element such as the cruceiros. This are religious elements that are usually located at many crossroads. Of the 6 elements that can be seen in Combarro, half represent victory over evil. Some of the cruceiros also have a table in the shape of an altar.

But Poio is not only sea. Castrove mountain offers other opportunities for leisure and enjoyment of nature, since from its highest points it is possible to see both the estuaries of Pontevedra and Vilagarcía. Its peaks are close to 600 metres, the highest being 613 metres, and can be reached on foot. The more adventurous can get lost along the innumerable trails and forest paths it contains.

In Poio, you can enjoy the largest redwood forest in Europe, just follow the signs that you will find from Poio Monastery on the way to Escusa.

In Poio we can also visit its Monastery, the Archaeological Interpretation Centre of Caeira and its more than 20 beaches. Nearby we can also enjoy the Meis golf course and other interesting proposals such as the Columbus Museum House, the Memory Park, natural spaces, festivals and much more.

To know it better

Poio´s municipality, in Pontevedra, has several points of interest where different landscapes can be seen. Among them we can mention the monastery of Poio - dating from the 7th century, which is where the monastery's library is located with more than 100,000 pieces and the Mosaics museum; the historical-artistic complex of Combarro, which is one of the largest groupings of hórreos (traditional raised granaries) in Galicia, and the Combarro marina, where you can see an authentic traditional seafaring and fishing quarter of Galicia.

Combarro represents the Galician architecture. Its seafaring district, built over the sea, maintains the architectural style of the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition, it contains the largest concentration of hórreos of Galicia. These are constructions designed to store food such as wheat, potatoes or onions so that they are kept away from animals and moisture and can be better preserved.

Poio is a municipality located in the centre of Pontevedra province. With an area of about 34 km² it is divided into five parishes: San Salvador, San Xoán, Combarro, Samieira and Raxó.