Cambados is the undisputed capital of Albariño, the crisp white wine that defines Galician drinking culture. The town sits on the Salnés coast, looking out over the Ría de Arousa, and its granite streets are lined with some of the most handsome manor houses in Galicia.
The town grew from three separate nuclei — Fefiñáns, Cambados, and Santo Tomé — that merged over centuries into one. Fefiñáns is the most impressive: a wide stone square open to the sea, framed by the 17th-century Pazo de Fefiñáns, whose towers and arcades have become the town's emblem. The neo-classical church of San Bieito anchors one corner. Scattered through the streets are manor houses that testify to old Galician wealth — the Fajardo and Salgado houses, the Pazo do Couto, the former Royal Hospital. The national Parador hotel occupies the ruins of the Pazo de Bazán, also 17th century.
Every July, Cambados hosts the Festa do Viño Albariño — one of Galicia's biggest food and drink events, drawing up to 40,000 people for tastings and sales from producers across the Rías Baixas denomination. If you are here outside July, the best Albariño can still be found in the town's bars and at cellars in the surrounding villages.