Morning
In order to discover the essence of local gastronomy, a good option is to visit the Market, which reaches its peak activity in the early hours of the day. In addition to strolling through its noble building, it is also interesting to visit the labyrinthine stands of “rianxo”, which offer products from the surrounding orchards.
From Alameda Park, whose buildings take us to late 19th / early 20th centuries, we go to to Lamas Carvajal street, where we can stop at the Liceo. Nestled in a Renaissance palace, its patio of columns invites us to take a break. Once here, we can dedicate the morning to visit some exhibition space. We can start at the Marcos Valcárcel Cultural Centre, in which, in addition to temporary exhibitions, we will find an interesting collection of scale trains.
To enjoy good contemporary art do not miss the José Ángel Valente Cultural Centre, with variable programming. Once outside the Historical Centre, we will continue to the university campus (not before stopping at some art gallery on the way), where we can enjoy the talent of young creators in their Alterarte Hall and also visit a curious museum dedicated to the bagpipe. In the immediate vicinity is the church of the Holy Christ, where we will see an unique example of cork oak.
Afternoon
A first trip would be to approaching to the village of Seixalbo, declared a Rural Area of Historical-Ethnographic Value, where we can combine a monumental route with a walk through many natural spaces.
Back in the city, we will go up to San Francisco. If we have not visited the Cloister, it is a mandatory stop, but then we can stop in the adjoining hall, where some of the funds of the Provincial Archaeological Museum are displayed. Also nearby are St Francis’ cemetery (at the entrance, a map indicates the situation of the illustrious personages buried in it), the Municipal Auditorium (with a wide cultural offer, besides being an interesting contemporary building) or the Carrileiros Railway Park (where one can feel like a child getting on a train).
From here we could ascend to Montealegre, although in this case we recommend that you use the car to access it. Besides enjoying the native vegetation and the exotic species of a space that is being configured as Ourense’s botanic garden, we can approach to its viewpoint to see one of the best views of the whole city.
Returning to the centre, a bath in As Burgas could be a perfect end to the day.
