In this Tour we will see the points os the city.
1) Roman Bridge: N 42° 20.704 W 007° 52.129
The Roman bridge of Ourense known as Ponte Vella or Puente Mayor, over the Miño river, was built in the 1st century AD. C. within a branch of Via XVIII or Via Nova. According to tradition, it dates from the time of Trajan, despite its constructive characteristics, it is closer to the time of Augustus. From that first bridge, only a few ashlars cushioned from the bases remain, as silent witnesses to the past. During the 12th century, the main arch of the bridge gave way, giving rise to a series of endless repairs and collapses that did not end until the 17th century, when the final reform led by Melchor de Velasco gave the bridge its present, indisputably medieval appearance, despite the fact that it was keep original Roman elements such as the starting arches of it. The first known reconstruction (1228-1229) was sponsored by Bishop Don Lorenzo and supported by King Fernando III. It is now when the current profile is given with the pointed arc and the ramps up. 7 Arches of primitive 11 preserved. On the 1st of the left bank you can still see the Roman construction (and would indicate the height of the bridge). Measuring 370 meters long, with a central arch 43 meters wide by 39 meters high, they classify it as the largest in the entire Roman Empire. The tower that appears represented in the city's coat of arms was demolished in 1839 with another twin from the Carlist era. It was declared a historical monument by Decree of the Headquarters of the State on April 6, 1961. Today and after its pedestrianization in 1989 it is one of the three main symbols of the city along with Las Burgas and the Cathedral of San Martín.
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2) As Burgas: N 42° 20.077 W 007° 51.918
The thermal springs of As Burgas are one of the most emblematic and beloved spaces in the city, directly linked to its origin. Here was born the ancient Aquis Aurienses (“the city of golden waters”), a Roman settlement formed around these mineral-medicinal springs that today keep flowing at more than 60 ° C in the heart of the Historic Centre.
Visiting them is essential to discover the history of Ourense and to understand its intimate relationship with the waters: to touch them and be surprised, to unveil their mysteries at the Interpretation Centre and to enjoy a bath in the thermal pool, practically the same way and in the same place that our Roman ancestors did two thousand years ago.
Therre hot springs located in the city of Orense. Silicate, fluorinated, lithinic and hyperthermic waters sprout from them at a temperature between 64 and 68ºC with a flow rate of 300 liters per minute. These waters are applicable to different types of dermopathies, especially itchy ones.
3) Cathedral: N 42° 20.193 W 007° 51.817
The history of the Cathedral of San Martiño is a journey of constructions and alterations, more than eight centuries of transformations that have shaped its current structure and appearance. The seo, whose first elevation date is usually between the 12th and 13th centuries, occupies a temple with a Latin cross with Compostela influences and Cistercian art, built in a late Romanesque style, already with Gothic notes. It is one of the main monuments of the city and the central element around which the streets of the historic center are articulated.
Interiors and exteriors A tour of its exterior is a true journey back in time for the attentive eye. The chevet, initially with three apses of which only one remains, takes us back to the 12th century. The south façade, with access to the Plaza del Trigo, recalls with its castle battlements the power that the bishop historically had in Ourense. The west façade, where King David plays his harp, had no access stairway until the 20th century. And the north façade, on Lepanto Street, evokes the changes that the city underwent during the turbulent 15th century. At the top stands out, due to its spectacular height, the beautiful late-Gothic dome, built in the 16th century. On the west façade, from the Plaza de San Martiño, you can see the Torre de las Campanas, more than 40 meters high. The visit to the tower is included in the entrance to the temple: crowned by the eight bells of the Cathedral, from its highest point you can see magnificent views of Ourense. The majesty of the tower breaks the symmetry of this portal, since the never-built Torre de San Martín remains in its right corner. Inside, austere and elegant lines, the atmosphere of serenity and serenity invites you to stroll through the ambulatory and its various chapels, stopping at its Romanesque Christ and the treasures of the Cathedral Museum. We will also stop to admire the chromaticism of its Pórtico del Paraíso, the majesty of the Main Chapel and the ornamentation of the Chapel of Santo Cristo. Access to the Cathedral is through the south door, in the Plaza del Trigo. During mass hours it can also be accessed through the north door (Lepanto street). The north door The north door, originally Romanesque, has Gothic additions of various origins, so that on the tympanum, under the cross, the Virgin holds the body of Christ descended. To the left of the scene is the often repeated miracle of Saint Martin breaking his cloak, and to the right the pilgrim apostle Santiago. The façade is flanked by two towers that give the cathedral a certain aspect of fortress, perhaps evoking its destruction in 1471 by Don Rodrigo Alonso de Pimentel, Count of Benavente, in an attack against the city, at that time under the protection of the Count of Lemos. If we look closely, the authors of this door have left a joke for posterity. You have to look for a character who turns his back on us. If we look down vertically from the character to the ground we will see a small hole that curiously remains with water almost all year round ...
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4) Plaza Mayor: N 42° 20.135 W 007° 51.832
The Plaza Mayor has been for centuries the heart of the Old Town, and continues to be the main meeting point in the city. Spacious, bright and porticoed, it has an irregular shape and the peculiarity of being one of the few largest squares in Europe with a slightly sloping floor. The Plaza Mayor (formerly Plaza del Campo) houses some of the main monuments of the city. The space is centered on the façade of the Town Hall, a work by Queralt that occupies the only side without arcades. Next to it is the Old Episcopal Palace, with which it seems to compete in majesty. The other three sides are the arcades that form the Espolón, a former noble promenade that has now been converted into one of the most lively terrace areas in the center. Above it, beautiful facades of noble houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a design by Vázquez Gulías for Fermín García's house (now converted into an exhibition space) adorned with tiles, a beautiful example of modernist architecture in Ourense.
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5) A Chavasqueira: N 42° 20.810 W 007° 52.704
A Chavasqueira is the first thermal area that we will find on the Miño Thermal Route , a few meters from the spectacular Millennium Bridge . It is the closest to the urban center. It is a set of small natural outdoor pools, adapted for bathing and built in stone. The temperature of the water for the bath is around 40 °.
The place was formerly known as "Caldas do Bispo" , in reference to Cardinal Quevedo, who in the 19th century ordered to condition them for the greater comfort of the patients who came to the place looking for a thermal cure. The bishop himself adapted a space for his private enjoyment, a stone temple that can be seen inside the thermal station . The complex is also closely linked to the now defunct As Caldas spa.
The pools are located in a large green recreational area and have changing rooms, toilets and lockers for use by bathers. Next to the river bank, already in the water, there is a sculpture of a mermaid, the work of the sculptor Acisclo Manzano , which, depending on the flow, can sometimes be seen completely or partially covered.
Due to its mineral-medicinal properties, the waters of A Chavasqueira are especially suitable for skin and locomotor disorders .
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6) Muíño da Veiga: N 42° 21.092 W 007° 54.628
Located practically on the bed of the Miño river, it is an open-air thermal complex at the foot of an old wooden mill (an acea ) totally restored, from which it takes its name ( muíño is the Galician word for "mill"). It is surrounded by a wide green recreational area, which blends with the riverside vegetation of the place.
The complex is made up of five pools: a main glass of 200 m2, a second of 130 m2 and two other smaller ones of 55 and 45 m2, in addition to a glass of cold water for contrast baths. Bathing water is around 40ºC here. The whole enclosure is fed by various upwellings flowing at temperatures between 65 and 72ºC, some of the hottest on the Peninsula.
The waters of these hot springs are weakly mineralized and alkaline: bicarbonate-sodium, fluorinated and silicated.
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7) Outariz: N 42° 21.014 W 007° 54.879
The Outariz and Burga de Canedo thermal area is the largest in the city, with multiple bathing facilities that extend along the right bank of the river Miño. These are two sets of outdoor thermal pools located in a large landscaped recreational area, with a children's area with swings. The Outariz area has one cold water pool and three hot water pools, while Burga de Canedo has a cold pool and three double hot pools. A pedestrian walkway connects the bathing area with the other bank of the river, where there is a large parking area. The bathroom area has changing rooms with lockers and toilets available to users. The waters of the area are weakly mineralized, hyperthermal, alkaline, fluoridated and silicate. They emerge at various points between the cracks in the granite rock, with large flows with a temperature around 60ºC.
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For this route you can go by bike.
If you want to go by car, you must pak in one parking close Alameda, and later the point 4, you can go to the hot waters and park in one of them. The waters are conected with a hike. The parkingas are:
Aparcamiento Reza (Pozas Maimón) 83XQ+83 Outariz
Aparcamiento Muíño da Veiga 932R+WJ Orense
Aparcaminet Chavasqueira 84XC+3Q Orense
If you want, from the point of Plaza Mayor to Outariz there is a touristic train for 0,78€ travel (
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All of the route from Puente Romano to Outariz has 7,7 Km, later you can to return to Ourense 4 Km
Other possibility is walk the four pints and take the touristic train and down in the hot waters that you want. If you want, prove the waters and spend some hours in one of them. They are publics and free (there are private too).
Later you can eat something in the old streets near the Cathedral.
Any doubt? (
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