Visit 5 Dolmens in Galicia

Galicia holds vast history and archaeology — here are 5 dolmens you can visit during your tour to learn more.

Dolmens are megalithic structures of vertical slabs driven into the ground with one or two horizontal slabs as a cover. Galician legend says great treasures are buried beneath. Most likely they were related to funerary rites of the time.

Galician dolmens are especially striking because of the abundance of granite — making them a wonder for residents and visitors.

5 dolmens in Galicia to visit

Many dolmens dot Galicia, most dating back about 4,000 years. These are among the best known.

Dolmen of Dombate

Known as the "Cathedral of Galician Neolithic" — a mound 24 m in diameter and 1.8 m tall. In Cabana de Bergantiños.

A layer of earth partially covered by a stone shell of flat horizontal stones. A polygonal chamber and three-section corridor; the entrance was closed by a vertical slab covered with stones. Foundations reach 1.4 m deep in the chamber and 70 cm in the corridor. Archaeologists found about 20 small petroglyphs you can see on your visit.

Dolmen of Axeitos

One of the most imposing and best preserved. In A Coruña, Oleiros parish. A prehistoric megalithic structure also known as "La Pedra Do Mouro".

The chamber has eight orthostats with vertical slabs. Dated between 4,000 and 3,600 BC, covered by a single stone giving it a 2 m height. Three smaller stones survive from the corridor, plus petroglyphs carved into the rocks.

Maus de Salas Dolmens

In Muíños council, Ourense. A Casiña de Moura dates from 3,000–2,500 BC. Across the Salas reservoir bridge, you reach the Casola do Foxo mámoa. Past Reaquiás and Guntimil, a plain holds Outeiro de Cavaladre — late megalithic architecture between 2,255 and 2,000 BC.

Dolmen of Meixoeiro

Also known as Dolmen of Cela, Dolmen of San Cosme, Dolmen das Minas, Dolmen of San Colmado or Meixoeiro mámoa. A megalithic construction in south-east Vigo, Pontevedra. Originally part of a necropolis of 12 BC dolmens.

A Spanish Cultural Heritage item, with rock art traces hardly recognisable today. Short corridor, medium chamber — 2 m diameter, 1.7 m tall. Open to the north with a cover slab about 1 m by 3×3 m.

Dolmen of Cabaleiros

Also known as Casa da Moura, Casa dos Mouros or Couza do Cacheiro. A Spanish Cultural Heritage item, owned by the Provincial Council of A Coruña and a Historic Artistic Monument since 2017.

In Cabaleiros — a mound 30 m wide and 2 m tall. Made of seven orthostats with a 4×3.40 m cover slab. Unlike the others, the chamber is open-polygonal with east-facing corridor. Dated to the 3rd millennium BC.