Melide is a small Galician town where two routes of the Camino de Santiago — the French Way and the Primitive Way — converge. Most pilgrims pass through on their way to Santiago de Compostela, about 50 kilometres further west, and the town has grown a lively hospitality scene around them.
The first thing you notice in the old centre is the smell of baking. Traditional ovens turn out melindres (sugar-topped pastries), amendoados (almond cakes), and ricos, a butter-and-aniseed pastry made only here. The Festa do Melindre in May celebrates these with a full pastry festival and traditional craft displays.
Melide is also one of the best places in inland Galicia to eat pulpo á feira — octopus served on a wooden plate with olive oil, paprika, and coarse salt. Several pulperías in the town centre compete for the claim of the best.
The surrounding area has a scattering of interesting heritage: the medieval bridges at Furelos and Leboreiro, the Church of Santa María de Melide with 16th-century murals, and the Castro da Graña hill fort dating from the 7th century BC. The Terra de Melide Museum in town covers the region's archaeology.