Discover Viladesuso: Castro, Ruta Mágica and Heritage

Viladesuso offers several distinct points of interest for your stay: the Mirador Cano dos Mouros Castro settlement, located at an altitude of 290 metres; the Ruta Mágica de Oia; church architecture; and the waterscape of the Viladesuso River. If you are looking for a hotel in this destination, you can plan your stay around whichever of these aspects interests you most.

Castro settlement and Ruta Mágica de Oia

The Mirador Cano dos Mouros is in the parish of San Miguel de Viladesuso, at an altitude of 290 metres. It is an ancient Castro settlement and is probably more than 2,500 years old. The altitude and the cautiously worded estimate of its age offer two distinct points of reference: its location and its long archaeological history.

The Ruta Mágica de Oia is 15 kilometres long, follows a linear route, and is of low-to-moderate difficulty. It passes through the parish of San Miguel de Viladesuso and offers views of the Atlantic coast. It also features groups of petroglyphs and the remains of fortified settlements. The route combines natural and historical heritage. This distinguishes it from the Mirador as a single archaeological site: coastal views and several kinds of historical traces appear side by side along the way.

Church and local history

The parish church of San Miguel de Viladesuso has a rectangular floor plan that narrows in the area of the main chapel. A tower is attached to the south side of the main façade. The main altar also has its own history: it was brought from Tui and originally belonged to the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Escola de María. This chapel was founded in Tui in 1728 during a mission led by Jesuits.

The church is associated with the Portuguese Coastal Way. Behind the Igrexa de Viladesuso, there is access to the mills of Villela. The Muíños de Serraseca are also among Viladesuso’s notable heritage sites. These two references to mills point to different named locations and add further local heritage sites to the church’s architectural history.

Ponte Broi was built over the stream of the same name in 1808. The rock engravings in Viladesuso were classified as Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC) in 1975. The dates refer to different events: 1808 is the year the bridge was built, while 1975 is the year the rock engravings were classified. The coast is also home to the remains of Roman saltworks.

River landscape and route planning

The Boi River, also known as the Viladesuso River, has several waterfalls and pools. It rises near the Sobreiras (cork oaks) do Faro. Sobreiras do Faro was designated a private natural area of special interest in January 2011.

A 2.3-kilometre unpaved path leads to the Viladesuso River. As its condition may change, you should take the surface into account when planning your visit. The information about the Ruta Mágica de Oia and river access describes different options: a 15-kilometre route of low-to-moderate difficulty and a shorter unpaved path whose condition may vary.

Discover more destinations: Santiso, O Meixoeiro, O Morrazo, Nigoi, Bamio, A Cañiza, Ponteareas, Moaña

For the broader travel overview: Pontevedra.