A trip with my dog to As Catedrais beach (Playa de las Catedrales, Spain)

This May, I took a trip with my dog to As Catedrais beach in Spain. The name means “Cathedrales beach” and you may also find it referred to as Playa de las Catedrales in castellano spanish.

The area in the Ribadeo municipality of Galicia is famous for its rock formations that form natural arches and caves. It is a beautiful site and definitely worth a visit with your pup if you are nearby. Just make sure to come during a time when dogs are allowed on the beach.

If you are looking to spend a few days in the area, I can recommend staying at Refugio o Castro near As Catedrais with your dog. The place is a dream!

WHEN TO VISIT AS CATEDRAIS BEACH WITH YOUR DOG

Please do come in the off-season. As far as I can tell, dogs are allowed on the beach except from May 15th to September 15th and during Easter (spanish source). So if you want to take your pup along, come early or late in the year.

And trust me: You will enjoy it more this way too. In the high season, the spot is full of tourists and you even need to make a reservation between July and September to go down to the beach. Say what?

HOW TO VISIT AS CATEDRAIS BEACH WITH YOUR DOG

You can either park your car directly near the beach or if you are staying in the area you can walk along the coast on the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantábrico. I would highly recommend the latter.

To me, the walk to and from the beach was almost more beautiful then the Cathedrales beach itself. There are also plenty of smaller beaches along this trail where you and your pup are likely to have the whole beach to yourselves! The water is all sorts of blue and for me, the whole area felt a like a dream. It is just beautiful, rugged and peaceful.

In terms of visiting the famous Cathedrales beach: Do make sure that you know when the tide is low. In this area, the difference between ebb and flow is very significant and you can only really explore the As Catedrais beach during low tide. So plan your visit accordingly!

There are a few stairs going down to the beach and then it’s up to you to find your way between the various beach parts and the cliffs.

The water at the Cathedrales beach is very shallow during low tide, perfect for a bath for yourself as well as your four-legged friend. It is also quite impressive to be able to walk between the huge cliff formations, knowing that in a few short moments they will be swallowed by the sea again.

My dog is usually a bit weary of the sea due to the waves, but here she could not wait to get in!

In May the water was still a bit cold but lovely. Very refreshing after the long walk along the Ruta del Cantábrico.

There are showers available as you head back up from the beach so that you can directly get the salt off yourself and your dog if you wish to. Very convenient!

HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR

We spent only about 30 minutes on the As Catedrais beach itself because even in the lower season, there were quite a few other people there. The other nearby beaches are also very nice and there we were all on our own. Much nicer in our view!

Also, the tide can come in again very quickly, so unless you plan your visit perfectly you probably can’t spend more than a few hours there.

I would say that this visit is suitable for most people but you do have to climb down (and later up!) some stairs to reach the beach itself. I would not suggest taking a pram down to the beach.

THE BOTTOM LINE

We enjoyed the visit to As Catedrais beach. The cliff formations are interesting to see and my dog liked exploring the beach and climbing some of the rocks. However, we actually preferred our walk along the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantábrico as well as spending time on the more quiet beaches in the area. Definitely a good place to visit with your dog before May 15th or after September 15th!