If you are planning a trip to Vigo or to the north of Spain, making time for a day at Islas Cies is mandatory. Make time to see this unique beach that has soft white sand, crystal clear water, and is almost completely natural. Islas Cies is, without a doubt, one of my favorite places I’ve seen in Spain. It’s this beautiful island off the coast of Vigo (accessible by boat only), but it’s like Spain’s little secret, because while there are a lot of people, it’s not overcrowded due to the visitor caps they have in place (I believe 2000 people per day). Islas Cies became famous after 2007 when the The Guardian news named it as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. Islas Cies is fairly large so there is plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the fine white sand and crystal clear blue water, and – if you’re lucky – see the dolphins right off the coast. Islas Cies was the first stop on our northern Spain road trip, and – dare I say – maybe my favorite place. Today I will share how to prepare before heading to Islas Cies (because you can’t just decide to go on a whim) and what to bring to make the day comfortable and incredible.
How to Prepare for Your Trip to Islas Cies
Like I said, you can’t just decide to spend a day at Islas Cies, like, tomorrow. Since the island is almost completely natural (except for a few restaurants and small market), there are visitor caps that prevent the island from getting too crowded, which protects the beauty and wildlife.
For that reason, you need to plan in advance and think about what day (or days) you would like to go. Also, consider whether you want to go for a day (like we did) or camp there (which I wanted to do, but it was totally booked!). If you plan to camp, keep in mind that the minimum is a 2 night stay, but most people go in the late afternoon of their first night, stay the night and next full day, sleep over again, and return the following afternoon. They have tents you can rent with sheets and blankets, and there are places to wash dishes, use the bathroom, etc. It looks amazing for watching the sunset and enjoying the beauty of nature. If camping isn’t your thing, there are no hotels on the island. Here is how to prepare for a day trip to Islas Cies:
- Decide which day or days you want to go and request access to the island. (Do this at least 1 month in advance) and check the Xunta de Galicia website to make sure there is availability. Click this link to check the site. Under ‘Islas Cies’, click ‘obtain authorization’. On the calendar, find a day that is green and enter the number of people you plan to go with. Enter in the information for each person and at the end, they will send you the ‘permission’ to visit the islands to your email. With this permission, you have 24 hours to purchase your boat tickets. *If you plan to camp, you don’t need to request access since this will be provided to you if there is space for camping (for information on camping, click here).
- Purchase boat tickets. There are a number of companies that take people the the islands, but the biggest (and the one we used) was the Naviera Mar de Ons. Book the tickets on their site (you will need to pay) and you will also need to enter the authorization code provided by the Xunta de Galicia. Make sure you receive email confirmation! If not, call the company (we had to do this).
- Print your access code (or have it available via mobile) as well as the boat tickets. They will ask for this before you get on the boat.
- On the day of your trip: print your boat tickets at the boat office if you don’t already have them (do this with plenty of time because there was a line when we went!)
- Arrive at the boat dock with 30-45 minutes before your trip to leave time to print tickets if necessary and find the right line/ boat- there were a few boats leaving.
I’m not sure what would have happened if we had missed the boat, or decided to come back later because they didn’t appear to really check the times, but it’s something to be aware of. Make sure you are choosing trip times that you will be happy with. For us, we left at 11 am (arrived on the island around 11.45) and returned on the 6.00 boat (arrived in Vigo 6.45). I was happy with the amount of time there, but would have been happy with a couple more hours or camping!
What to Pack for a Day at Islas Cies
Knowing what to pack for a day at Islas Cies is so important to making the most of your day. It makes the day more comfortable and run smoothly. We kind of just did things on a whim, but what we brought ended up being perfect for a few hours on the sunny beach. I am also including a few things we wish we had brought.
- an umbrella – the sun is intense. You will need some form of shade. If you don’t have an umbrella to bring, there are plenty of trees to sit under.
- cooler & ice packs – fill it with sandwiches, a couple beers, some fruit
- food – there are a number of restaurants on the island that offer an assortment of fresh foods (fish, traditional tapas and snacks, meats, salads, etc), but in the interest of saving money, we brought big sandwiches, fruit, and hardboiled eggs which we kept cool in the cooler you see above. FYI: the restaurants are all more or less the same price, but the restaurants near the camping were slightly lower.
- towels – for the beach, obviously.
- sneakers – I didn’t wear sneakers, but I wish I had. Like I said, the island is very big and when you arrive, there is a map that shows you all the different beaches you can hike to, but most are a 30 minutes or more walk. Bring sandals in your bag.
- sandals
- bathing suit
- sunscreen *important*
- water bottle – they have water stations there, but be aware that the water as a salty taste (but it is potable!)
- sunglasses
- your printed boat tickets and the QR code to access the island
- phone / camera
- hat
- extra t shirt or clothes to change into
- a small packpack – we left most of our things on the beach while we went exploring and took the backpack full of valuables
- money (cards and cash)
