Ferrol

Ferrol (sometimes also referred as El Ferrol) is a 66,799 inhabitants Galician town located in the inner part of the ria of Ferrol. It has a very important port linked to industry and military uses, one of the most important ones in the northwestern part of Spain. Ferrol and its metropolitan area from an aglomeration called Ferrolterra (aprox. 200,000 inhabitants). It's also the starting point of the English Way to Santiago de Compostela.

How do I arrive to Ferrol?

  Ferrol's economic importance makes it quite well communicated, specially compared to other places in such distant locations. 

• Boat: Ferrol is starting to become popular for cruises to stop here.
  
• Train: Ferrol is connected with A Coruña by 7 daily train (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes) which stop in Betanzos (aprox. 40 minutes far from Ferrol) and Pontedeume (aprox. 20 minutes far from Ferrol). From Ferrol it can also reach Viveiro (aprox. 2 hours) and Ribadeo (aprox. 3 hours) by FEVE.
  
• Bus: there are buses every 30 minutes from A Coruña reaching Ferrol (aprox. 45 minutes) and also from Betanzos (aprox. 1 hour) and 7 daily buses to Santiago de Compostela (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes) too. There are also buses to Pontevedra (aprox. 2 hours 20 minutes) and to Vigo (aprox. 2 hours 50 minutes). Ferrol is also connected with other Spanish cities like Madrid, Bilbao or Gijón.
• Car: if you rented a car, it's 20 minutes from Pontedeume, 30 minutes from Betanzos, 40 minutes journey from A Coruña, 50 minutes from Ortigueira, 1 hour journey from Fisterra and 1 hour 15 minutes far from Santiago de Compostela and from Lugo too.

History

There have been found archaeological ruins and objects which date back to the Neolithic, so they can be considered the first inhabitants of Ferrol. Afterwards Gallaeci tribes (who belonged to Celtic culture) lived here till it was conquered by the Roman Empire. But the town of Ferrol was first mentioned in the 11th century as a small village. From the 12th century Ferrol belonged to the House of Traba (one of the most important families in Galicia and Spain) and later the House of Andrade (from the 15th century) becoming an important fishing and trade harbour. During the 16th century it was used by Phillip II of Spain in his wars with England (like the Spanish Armada). In 1726 Phillip V of Spain settles here the North Spain Grand Shipyards (making the village grow spectacularly). After the Peninsular War it lived some decadent years till Marquis of Molina times it became an important naval construction point. Francisco Franco, who led Spain during his 40 year dictatorship, was born here and during those years the name of the town was El Ferrol del Caudillo. The town suffered the industrial restructuring till the beginning of the 21st century.

What can I visit in Ferrol?

Ferrol is said not to be an attractive town but it surprises its visitors, especially district of A Magdalena, built from the 18th century onwards with perfectly parallel streets, crystal and iron balconies and beautiful streets like rúa María, rúa Real and rúa Magdalena.

These are Ferrol' main attractions:

• Ferrol Naval Museum (9:30-13:30 Tue-Fri; 10:30-13:30 Sat-Sun; free): museum displayed the way old museums are, but with an interesting collection of objects like old diving suits, coins found in wreckages and many ship's mockups.
• Naval Construction Museum (10-20 from Jul to Aug; 10-20 Tue-Sun from Sep to Jun; 2€/ 1€/ free  adults/ retiree/ students and kids): the largest of its kind, this museum offers an introduction for everybody to the construction of ships, explaining the different techniques used all over the time. It's also interesting the fact that is located in a 18th century industrial unit.
• Ferrol Co-Cathedral (10:30-13 and 18-20; free): 18th century Neoclassic style church which was awarded in 1959 with the title of co-cathedral.
• Herrera Gardens: park with a monument to Cosme Churruca, an admiral of the Royal Spanish Armada. It's also a viewpoint of Ferrol's harbour and the ria of Ferrol.
• La Merced Chapel: 20th century Modernist church built by R. Ucha, Modernist arquitect who built a lot in Ferrol.
• St. Francisco Military Church: 18th century church with no towers. Next to it there's the Chapel of the Third Order, which dates back to 1766.
• Ferrol Natural History Museum (9:30-13:30 and 16:30-20:30 Mon-Sat; 10-14 Sun; free): surprising museum for nature lovers that has one of the largest collections of cetacean' bones collection in the world. There's a big collection of sea shelves too.
• Going 10 km out of Ferrol Old town there's St. Felipe Castle (10-14 and 16-20; free), 18th century castle which is the most important military construction, whose construction was ordered by King Philip II of Spain. The building itself is quite attractive but it provides great views of ria de Ferrol.
• Around Ferrol there are some nice beaches like Doniños Beach, San Xurxo Beach, Esmelle-A Fragata Beach.

Rúa Real, in the district of A Magdalena

Ferrol Naval Museum

Fragas do Eume Natural Park

 Just 19 km south from Ferrol there's Pontedeume (Puentedeume in Spanish), a 7,7884 inhabitants town in the estuary of river Eume. The architecture in town is a mixture of wonderful houses, squares and porticoed streets like rúa Real. The town is very linked to Andrade family (just like Betanzos) and there are some buildings in town that belonged to them such as Andrade family castle (13th century castle used currently as a hotel) or Andrade family fortified tower (11-13:30 and 17-20:30 from Jun to Sep; 11-13:30 and 17-19 from Oct to May; 2€/ 1€  adults/ childs), located in Pontedeume Old Town, 14th century tower that hosts currently an interpretation center about Andrade family. Just 7 km east there's Fragas do Eume Natural Park, a park that contains one of the best examples of Atlantic forest in the whole European continent. This wonderful place is great to get in touch with nature (with different species of trees, anphibians, birds and mammals), breath fresh air and unwind. It also has some historical remains like some cruzeiros or the Monastery of St. Xoán de Caaveiro (free), 10th century monastery founded by St. Rudesind to host the amount of hermits who lived in the area around the year 934.

Where can I eat in Ferrol?

One of the best places to eat here is rúa Pardo Baixo, with restaurants offering menus for less than 12 euros. Some recommendations to eat in Ferrol are Casa Rivera (rúa Galiano 57), Frank (rúa San Francisco 57), O Lagar (rúa Igrexa 132) or Nautic (rúa Igrexa 32).

Posted in: Europe,Galicia,Spain