Combarro's old quarter — the barrio histórico — is a compact network of granite-paved lanes connecting the waterfront to the church of San Roque and the small square at its heart. The houses are traditional Galician stone construction: thick granite walls, wooden balconies enclosed in glass (the characteristic Galician solaina), and carved lintels over the doorways.
The quarter was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1972, which has preserved its character but also concentrated tourist attention on a place that was, within living memory, a working fishing village. The fishing boats still go out. The atmospheric lanes still fill with nets spread to dry. But on summer weekends it can feel overwhelmed by day-trippers from Pontevedra and the coastal resorts. Midweek and outside July-August, it recovers its quiet character.