So you want to visit Pontevedra and the Rias Baixas? While Santiago de Compostela draws the pilgrims, this stretch of Galicia’s coastline is where locals themselves head for a break, a series of deep, winding estuaries known as rias, lined with fishing villages, vineyards producing the crisp white Albarino wine the region is known for, and beaches good enough that one of them has been named the best in the world by a British newspaper.
Pontevedra itself, the small provincial capital, is one of the most pleasant cities in Spain to simply wander, almost entirely car free, its granite squares and covered arcades built for exactly the kind of unhurried tapas crawl that defines an evening here.
AT A GLANCE
Capital of the region
Pontevedra is the capital of Pontevedra province, one of Galicia’s four provinces, though Santiago de Compostela remains the capital of the wider region.
Language
Spanish and Galego, both official and widely spoken throughout the region.
Currency
Euro.
Flight time from the UK
Vigo airport, the nearest with regular flights, has limited direct UK routes, so many visitors connect via Madrid or Barcelona, or fly into Santiago de Compostela and continue by road or rail, around an hour further south.
Best time to visit
The Rias Baixas show their best side in summer, when the weather is warm, dry and the days are long, ideal for the beaches and boat trips. May, June and September offer a quieter, still pleasant alternative if you would rather avoid the peak August crowds.
Time difference
One hour ahead of the UK.
Climate and Weather
Like the rest of Galicia, the Rias Baixas have an Atlantic climate, mild and wetter than most of Spain, though this southernmost stretch of the Galician coast is generally drier and sunnier than the region further north. Summers are warm, typically in the low to mid twenties Celsius, and rain becomes more frequent from autumn through to spring.
Getting There
Vigo airport is the closest with international flights, though direct UK routes are limited, making a connection via Madrid or Barcelona common. Santiago de Compostela airport, around an hour north of Pontevedra by road or rail, is a frequently used alternative with a wider range of seasonal UK flights.
TOP TEN THINGS TO DO
Pontevedra’s old town
Almost entirely pedestrianised, this compact centre of granite squares and arcaded streets is one of the most pleasant places in Spain simply to wander, particularly in the evening when the tapas bars fill up and, by local tradition, food is often included free with a drink.
The Cies Islands
Part of the Atlantic Islands National Park, this small archipelago is home to Rodas Beach, once named the best beach in the world by a British newspaper. Visitor numbers are capped in high season, so book the free permit online well ahead if you plan to visit between June and September.
Ons Island
A quieter, less visited alternative to the Cies Islands, also part of the national park, with hiking trails, sweeping coastal views and noticeably fewer crowds even in peak summer.
Combarro
A small fishing village celebrated for its horreos, traditional raised granite granaries, and its cruceiros, stone wayside crosses, clustered right along the waterfront in one of the most photographed scenes in Galicia.
Sanxenxo and Portonovo
The Rias Baixas’ most popular beach resort towns, with a lively summer atmosphere, good beaches and a wide choice of seafood restaurants along the seafront.
An Albarino wine tasting
The Rias Baixas is Galicia’s best known wine region, producing the crisp, aromatic Albarino that pairs so well with the local seafood. Several wineries around Cambados, considered the region’s wine capital, offer tastings and cellar tours.
Praia da Lanzada
One of the region’s most striking beaches, a long stretch of open Atlantic coastline popular with surfers, backed by dunes and, according to local tradition, associated with an old folk ritual for fertility.
The Basilica of Santa Maria a Maior
A striking Gothic and Renaissance church in Pontevedra’s old town, its elaborately carved facade one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
A boat trip through the rias
Several operators run boat tours through the estuaries around Pontevedra and Arousa, taking in the mussel rafts, or bateas, that produce much of Galicia’s famous shellfish, often paired with a tasting on board.
Cambados and O Grove
Two more fishing towns worth building into a coastal day out, Cambados for its wine and well preserved old quarter, and O Grove for some of the freshest and most celebrated seafood restaurants in the region.
Getting Around
Pontevedra’s old town is entirely walkable and largely car free. For the wider Rias Baixas, including the coastal villages, beaches and vineyards, a hire car is by far the most practical option, since the appeal of the region lies in exactly the kind of scattered, rural coastline that public transport struggles to cover well.
Practical Tips
Book the free permit for the Cies Islands online well in advance if visiting in summer, since numbers are capped and it cannot be arranged on the day. Seafood restaurants in smaller villages can book out on summer weekends, so reserve ahead where possible.
Travel Life Tips!
The horreos seen throughout the Rias Baixas, raised stone granaries designed to keep grain dry and away from rodents, are such a distinctive feature of the Galician landscape that some, including examples at Combarro, are protected as historic monuments in their own right rather than simply agricultural buildings still in occasional use.
Book It
See our Galicia Travel Guide for the full region, and our guide to Santiago de Compostela for more of Galicia.
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More of Spain’s north coast?
Swap fishing villages for the Guggenheim with our Bilbao Travel Guide.
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