Chantada's main draws are its wine country landscape and the Roman and medieval history embedded in the countryside around it. The town centre is a starting point rather than a destination in itself.
The big set-pieces are the Embalse de Belesar — the reservoir that defines the southern landscape and the Ribeira Sacra vineyards above it — and the surviving stretches of Roman road running south toward Monforte de Lemos. The riverside village of Belesar is worth a stroll, and on a clear day the hilltop Ermita do Faro opens up wide views over the valley.