Ribadavia is a town in Galicia in northwest Spain, with a population of 5000 in 2024. It has an old quarter but is short of visitor accommodation.

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Map of Ribadavia

Ribadavia is on A-52 from Ourense to Vigo on the Atlantic coast, where it joins A-9 running north-south across Galicia.

An hourly bus from Ourense takes 40 min, making several stops through town. Long distance buses don't call here.

Most trains rush through non-stop. Only one train a day stops here, coming from Ourense (20 min) and trundling onward to Vigo Guixar.

42.2931-8.13911 Ribadavia railway station is 500 km northeast of town centre.

Town is small enough to walk. Taxi firms are Taxi Ribadavia (+34 69 093 6005) and Gorrión (+34 65 366 2989).

• 42.2874-8.14361 Praza Maior is the pleasant pedestrianised square in the heart of town, lined by colonnaded old buildings.
• Castelo dos Condes de Sarmiento is the ramshackle ruin south of Praza Maior, built in the 14th century and abandoned in the 17th. It's open M-F 09:30-15:30, Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 10:30-14:30.
• Porta Nova by the east foot of the castle is one of the few remnants of the city walls, built in fits and starts from the 12th century but demolished in the 1830s.
• Xudaría was the Jewish quarter, the warren of little alleys off Praza Maior, though the site of the synagogue is unknown and the Museo Sefardi has been closed for years. "Sepharad" (סְפָרַד) is Hebrew for Iberia, and the Jews of Iberia arrived with the Romans. They thrived under Muslim rule but were expelled from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1496 to form a large diaspora.
• San Juan Bautista is a Romanesque church 100 m north of Praza Maior. It was built in 1164 for the Knights of St John, who ran a hostel for pilgrims.
• Santa María Magdalena 100 m northeast of Praza Maior is no longer used as a church.
• 42.2886-8.14222 Museo Etnolóxico, Rúa Santiago 16, ☏ +34 98 878 8720. Tu-Sa 10:00-20:00. Exhibiting the town's cultural history, such as the wine trade. Labelling is only in Galician. Free. (updated May 2025)

• Santiago - St James - is a Romanesque church south side of the museum, built around 1200.
• Casa da Inquisición is the building with crests on its facade, 50 m west of the museum at Rúa Salgado Moscoso 26, corner of Rúa de San Martiño. Circa 1605 several in the town were denounced for secretly practising Judaism, by a fellow called Xerónimo Bautista de Mena, aka "the snitch". The Spanish Inquisition was based here while they set about the holy work of torturing confessions from those named then burning them at the stake; names led to other names, and so on. The crests are those of the Inquisitors, whose snowballing task was not impeded when the snitch was found dead in the street.
• Santa Marta 1 km east of town is supposed to be a viewpoint, but the trees have grown tall and blocked the view, the surrounds are trash-strewn, and the ruined Convent of Santa Marta is obscured beneath a vineyard.

• Casa da Cultura is a performance space within the council offices at Rúa Celso Emilio Ferreiro 4, 200 m southwest of the castle.
• Golf: several courses around Ourense and Vigo but none local.

Supermercados Froiz is the most central supermarket, at Rúa do Progreso 10, open M-Sa 09:00-21:30.

Eating places cluster near Praza Maior. They include Rebus, La Terraza de la Vinoteca, Ribeiro e Xamón, Restaurante Plaza, O Castelo, A Comanda, Taverna Papuxa and O Birrán.

• Bars: a dozen or so in the central alleys and more on the avenue further north.
• Wine: Ribadavia is part of the Denominación de Orixe Ribeiro wine-growing region. Galician wine is mostly white and crisp, like Portuguese.

Most visitors just day-trip, and the town has little accommodation.

• Hostal Plaza is a basic place west corner of Praza Maior, at Rúa Mera Soto 1.
• As Casiñas is on Praza San Xoán next to St John the Baptist church.
• Área de autocaravanas is a grubby caravan and motor-home lot by the riverside 200 m south of Praza Maior.

As of May 2025, Ribadavia and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.

• Ourense is industrial but has an old quarter and geothermal hot springs.
• The border with Portugal is about 25 km south. Several crossing points, the motorway crosses at Tui.
• Vigo is a busy fishing port and has an old centre.