The Galician holiday town of Noia is located in the Noia-Muros bay on the North West coast of Spain, just above Portugal. It is a 40 minute drive from the historic city of Santiago de Compostela and lies adjacent to the popular coastal resort of Porto do Son.

Although Noia is worth a visit on its own merit, it is also ideally located for visiting other seaside towns like Muros, Porto Sin and Boiro and of course anyone holidaying in this part of Spain is bound to want to see Santiago de Compostela.

What makes Noia worthy of note is not just its location, but its history and appearance. Noia has existed for well over a thousand years and was, for 700 years, the seat of the Archbishop. It has two churches dating back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries and many other ancient buildings in its original mediaeval quarter. An unfortunate feature of Noia, but one typical of this region, is the constant presence of decrepit old buildings adjacent to well maintained ones. This is the result of the land registration laws, or lack of them, in Galicia. If you can ignore this failing, Noia is an attractive town with many tapas bars, plenty of shops and the feel and atmosphere of a genuine Spanish town. Noia still has a thriving market and the locals speak their own language, Gallego.

Noia