Set out from the northernmost tip of the ría and go via Cangas. It is also possible to catch a boat to the Islas Cíes, at the gateway to the estuary - the water is crystalline and the white sandy beaches immaculate. Declared a nature reserve in 1980, birds are their only inhabitants. The islands of Monteagudo and Faro are linked via a sandy beach, the playa de Rodas. The third island is San Martiño. Daily shuttles also leave from Vigo in the summer. The large fishing port can be seen as you continue along the road towards Domaio. Once past the estuary, follow the signposts to the airport and then to the \"parque zoológico\" (zoo) to reach the Mirador la Madroa. The view of the ría is superb! Continue on towards Vigo, which is Spain's leading transatlantic port and one of the country's major industrial and commercial hubs. Surrounded by a ring of parks and pine forests, the town is built in an amphitheatre and the setting is remarkable. El Castro hill commands a superb panorama of the town. Continue on past the seaside resorts of Panxón and Playa America to Baiona. It was here on 10 March 1493 that the caravel Pinta, one of the three vessels in Christopher Colombus's fleet, accosted. This lively summer resort still has its old district and the battlements of Monterreal, which were built around the headland of the same name by the Catholic Monarchs. A walk on the battlements offer splendid views of the entire bay.