Playa de Rodas
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE

Spain · Cíes Islands, Galicia · #3 of Spain's ten by fame

Playa de Rodas

A permit, a 45-minute ferry, and Atlantic water at 14 °C.

How we rated it: up one for third place on the fame list, down one for the visitor cap and the permit. Photo: Jules Verne Times Two · CC BY-SA 4.0

The hang

Rodas is the main beach of the Cíes Islands, off Vigo: a short walk from the pier on Monteagudo Island and the longest stretch of sand on the island, 1,091 metres by our measurement. The islands are a protected area. Before you board you need a free Xunta de Galicia permit, and visitors are capped at 450 a day for most of the year and 1,800 in peak summer. You carry out all your waste. The ferry from Vigo takes 45 minutes. The water is notoriously cold, frigid even in August; Lonely Planet puts this corner of the Atlantic at 14 °C on average.

The real intel

Status, dated 2026-06-10: Visitor cap of 450 a day most of the year and 1,800 in peak summer; a free Xunta de Galicia permit is needed first.

Best months · warmest sea
June (18.0 °C), then September and August. Coolest: February (13.9 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest
The cap does it: 450 a day for most of the year.
Getting there
Get the free Xunta de Galicia permit first, then a ferry from Vigo, 45 minutes.
Cost reality
The permit is free. Ferry prices are not on record. Kayaks and snorkelling gear can be rented at the information booth near the pier.
The catch nobody tells you
A permit before you board, a daily cap, and water that is frigid even in August.

The year at Playa de Rodas

Warmest sea in June. Fewest wet days in July. Pick your fight.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea (°C)
14.1
13.9
14
16
16.7
18
16.9
17.5
17.7
16
16.1
14.4
Air (°C)
12
12.2
12.2
14.7
16.2
19.5
21.4
21.1
17.7
17.1
13.4
11.1
Sun (h/day)
5.5
5.8
8.8
10
13
12.9
13.6
11.9
9.7
7.7
5.3
5.5
Rain (days)
19
17
14
16
11
8
3
4
12
10
17
21

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The neighbours

6 beaches within 6 km, as the gull flies.

  1. 545 mA Area do Almacén90 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  2. 595 mA Area dos Bólos68 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  3. 638 mA Area Pequena54 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  4. 704 mA Area de Nosa Señora132 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  5. 714 mA Area do Muxieiro67 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  6. 945 mA Area das Figueiras352 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.

Straight-line distances from the mapped beach shapes (OpenStreetMap). Roads are longer, and in Bali they are much longer.

The crowd

Capped at 450 a day most of the year, 1,800 in peak summer.

The facts · we measured

Length
1,091 m
Mean width
81.3 m
Area
88,693 m²
Warmest sea (2025)
18.0 °C in Jun
Coldest sea (2025)
13.9 °C in Feb
Sea by month, °C
Jan 14.1 · Feb 13.9 · Mar 14.0 · Apr 16.0 · May 16.7 · Jun 18.0 · Jul 16.9 · Aug 17.5 · Sep 17.7 · Oct 16.0 · Nov 16.1 · Dec 14.4

Questions people ask

Do you need a permit for the Cíes Islands?

Yes, a free permit from the Xunta de Galicia, before you take the ferry. Visitors are capped at 450 a day most of the year and 1,800 in peak summer.

How cold is the water at Playa de Rodas?

Cold. Lonely Planet puts this corner of the Atlantic at 14 °C on average, and Condé Nast Traveler calls it frigid even in August.

Sources

More beaches

Praia da Ursa

similar

Praia da Ursa

BOOK THE FLIGHT NOW

More in Spain

Playa de BoloniaBOOK THE FLIGHT NOWLa ConchaWORTH A DETOURPraia das CatedraisONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREPlaya de MónsulWORTH A DETOURSes IlletesONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERECala PregondaONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE

Featured in

Widest BeachesThinnest BeachesBeaches You Have to Book: 10 Famous Beaches With a Ticket, a Cap or a Closed Season