Portray of the Destination
Pontevedra has the perfect dimensions to visit and enjoy it. It has an excellent historical centre. Some of its monuments are the biggest and the best conserved in Galicia. Public spaces can be enjoyed due to the planning and construction of pedestrian streets. Also, the city splendor is trying to be recovered so an intense urban work is being developed. On the other hand, the city is located within a scenery of beautiful landscapes, rivers and estuaries unique in the world. Moreover, Pontevedra is proud of its cultural and natural heritage.
We would like to thank the Rias Baixas Tourism Board for the information and photographs provided.
Visit:
www.riasbaixas.org
Geography
Pontevedra is in the estuary bearing the same name, in the mouth of the river Lérez. The city is located on a hill but the only sloping streets are the ones heading towards the riverbank. The municipality stretches to the south of the sea inlet, the river valleys of the Lérez and Tomesa.
It is surrounded by four mountain ranges divided by two slopes, one leading to the south and the other to the northeast-southeast along which the Lérez river flows. It limits to the north with the municipalities of Barro, Moraña and Campo Lameiro; to the west with Cotobate and Ponte Caldelas; to the south with Soutomaior, Vilaboa and Marín and to the west with Poio and the Ria de Pontevedra (Pontevedra sea inlet). Pontevedra area stretches along twenty kilometres from north to south.
Climate
The climate is mild and rainy mainly in the west coast of Galicia, but with its own features due to its location at the end of the sea inlet and its position near the mountain ranges. Temperatures are mild throughout the year (the winter is freeze and summer is pleasant) with an average annual temperature of 15ºC (50ºF) and with an average oscillation of 10 ºC (50ºF) due to its proximity to the sea.
When to go
Both winter and summer weather is mild and enable enjoying the city throughout the year.
History
There is a legend that relates that the city of Pontevedra was founded by Teucer, on of the heroes of the War of Troy. It seems that he got there when his father Telamon pushed him away and, then, he founded a settlement called Helenes. Then he married Helen, King Putrech’s daughter who was leading the Greek army towards Athens in that moment.
In fact, archeological remains cannot prove the existence of human life before the Roman period. Hence, the real city origin is the settlement of Turocqua, founded on the Lérez riverbank. This Roman settlement developed and was subsequently known as Dvos Pontes (“Two Bridges”, one to found Turocque and a later one) or Pontus Veteri (Old Bridge, referring to the first bridge).
From the Middle Ages until the end of the 16th century, the city became one of the main ports in Galicia and one of the most populated ones. From that century on, the city underwent a decadence period due to the abandonment of the Castile Crown first and then, the successive wars. During the 19th century the Spanish provinces were created and Pontevedra was designed as capital of its province, so, new institutions and industries brought population and money to the city.
At the beginning of the 20th century, before the Spanish Civil War, Pontevedra was a social and cultural hive. Nonetheless, subsequent to the war and the autarchy, industrial services moved to Vigo, a city facing the sea and with one of the main worldwide ports. Nowadays, Pontevedra is undergoing a second spledour and its population is increasing to the detriment of other Galician big towns.
Traditions
The most important traditions in the city of Pontevedra relates to the festivals:
San Benitiño de Lérez festivity: Every 11th June it is celebrated at the outskirts of Pontevedra. St Benedict is one of the most venerated saints in Galicia and this worhips dates back to the late Middle Age. Lérez is a old Benedictine monastery, a sanctuary located on the Lerez riverbank where a small image of the saint is venerated.
Carnival: Pontevedra citizens celebrate since 1876 the reign and death of King Urco. Nowadays, Carnival takes places along the streets with street bands and fancy dresses.
Gastronomy
The Galician gastronomy is really ample, its products are found in very different elaborations, reason why it is difficult to point just a typical dish. The dish called "lacón con grelos" is very common all over the region: it is pork cooked with turnip, potatoes and chorizo. Similarly, the Galician stew is made up of chorizo, beef and hen, ham, cabbage, chickpeas and potatoes. Both are typical winter dishes.
There is a long Galician tradition concerning the elaboration of recipes, with fish and seafood, such as hake, turbot, sole, grouper and sea bass, together with squid, and other molluscs like the small cuttlefishes or velvet swimming crabs. And the seafood list continues: clams and oysters, spiny lobsters, European lobsters, triple-grooved shrimp, scallop, mussel and octopus (sliced in pieces, paprika and salt marinated and sprayed with olive oil).
Other popular dishes are the “empanadas”: a thin stuffed bread-like pastry.
Finally, some typical desserts are: Santiago Tart, almond based, and the “filloas”, thin pancakes made of wheat. All this exquisite temptations combined with the best wines with designation of origin: Monterrey, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro or Valdeorras.
Basic Dictionary
YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR: médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7: siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16: dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós. 30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100: cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY: jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL: grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo. NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN: señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús. MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre. THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND: no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es? COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?
Currency
Euro. It is divided in 100 cents. There are banknotes of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 Euros. The coins are of 1 and 2 Euros and of 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 y 1 cents.
Currency Exchange
1 EUR (Euro) = 1.20 U$D (United States Dollar), 1 EUR (Euro) = 0.66 GBP (British Pound Sterling)
Prices
In comparison with other European Union countries and, probably, due to its tourist vocation, Spain is one of the cheapest countries for travelling. Obviously, prices depend on the season. The peak season is summer and the low one winter and Pontevedra is not an exception.
Useful Info
Official namePontevedra
CountrySpain
Time ZoneGMT +1
Official LanguageSpanish and Galician
Surface area117 km2 (45.1 sq. mi)
Population79,372 habitants
Political RegimeConstitutional Monarchy
Public holidays
1st January: New Year Day; 6th January: Epithany; 20th January: Festivals of St Sebastian, Patron Saint of the city. 1st May: Labour day; 17th May: "Día de las Letras Gallegas" (Galician Letters' day); 25 de Julio: Festival of the Apostle and the Galician Fatherland (it is celebrated from the 15th of the month until the 31st); 15th August: Assumption of the Virgin; 12th October: National Festival of Spain; 1st November: All Saints; 6th November: Spanish Constitution Day; 8th December: Day of the Inmaculate Conception; 18th December: Festivals of the Virxe do O, patron saint of the city; 25th December: Christmas.
Religion
Like the rest of Spain, Pontevedra citizens are mainly catholic and this is reflected in the city festivity.
Religion90% Catholics, 8% Musllim, 2% Jews
Arrival / Departure
The city of Pontevedra has good transport connections thanks to a complete network of infrastructures that links the main urban cities of Galicia, other cities within Spain and also international cities.
Safety
Security is a priority for the police force, like in all Spain. Institutions' main task is the maintenance of the public order to make the every day life easier and to help in case of emergency.
Taking into account the importance that tourism has in Spain, the security of the tourists is a true priority for the country. However, some general recommendations are given to visitors like carrying the required money when going out and not the total amount taken for the holidays, also precautions need to be taken in busy places to prevent possible thefts.
Visa
Tourists from the European Union do not need visa to enter Spain. Neither those citizens of the United States, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the rest of the Latin American countries, though a return ticket must be bought. Travelers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turk & Caicos do not either need visa provided that they do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.
ClothingClothing depends on the weather, the place and the circumstances. Spaniards do not dress very formally, in general comfortable and casual clothes are worn. It is adivsable to take comfortable shoes and casual clothes during the summer and a coat during winter. Just in case, a raincoat is also advisable.
Electricity
220v, 50 hz, in general the plug sockets are of two circular sockets.
Radio and Television
City radio stations:
FM radio: Cadena 100, Cadena 40 principales, Radios 1, 3, 4 and 5 (Radio Nacional de España), Radio Clasica, Onda Joven, Europa FM, Cadena Dial, Cadena Cope, Onda Cero.
AM Radio: RNE 1, Cadena Cope, Radio 5, Cadena Ser.
The local stations are: Radio Galega (public radio of Galicia) and in Pontevedra there is Radio Vigo.
Television channels: Canal España, TeleMadrid, Tele 5, TVE 2, TVE 1, Cuatro, Antena 3.
Telephone
The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Pontevedra code is 986. To make a phone call to another country you must first dial 00 and then the international code of the country you would like to call to and finally dial the subscriber phone number. For phone calls within Spain a special code is not required.
The most important mobile phone operators are Amena –
www.amena.com-, Movistar/Telefónica Móviles -www.movistar.tsm.es- and Vodafone-www.vodafone.es-.
Telephone booths are very common along the streets and they work with coins or phone cards. There are also the called locutorios, they are establishments with many phone booths, where coins or cards are not needed, just pay in cash the phone call after the conversation. In many of this kind of places it is also possible to send and receive faxes and there are computers with internet connection as well.Police(0034) 986 833 080
Ambulance(0034) 986 850 823
Fire Brigade(0034) 986 434 153 (Forest Fires: (0034) 986 851 520)
Tourist health care services112 / 061 / (0034) 986 852 111
Newspapers and Magazines
National newspapers: Abc, El Mundo, El Pais, Estrella Digital, La Razon, La Vanguardia.
The city of Pontevedra has: DIARIO DE PONTEVEDRA (www.diariodepontevedra.es).
Magazines: "Epoca", "Semana", "Interviu", "Primera Linea" and "Tiempo de Hoy".
Postal Service
The postal service is efficient. The mail sent within Europe take between 3 and 5 days to reach to their destination. A registered post costs 2.50 Euros minimum.
The main post office is located on Oliva, 19-21, tel. 986868160.
Schedules: 8:30 to 20:30. Saturdays 9:30 to 14:00. Sundays and public holidays close.
Customer care: 902 197 197. For more information:
www.correos.es
Health Care Services
Health care centres, as well as in all Spain, offer a permanent health assistance to all the population in their corresponding zone. These services give a direct and comfortable care to the user. Spain has signed a reciprocal health assistance agreement with the rest of the countries of the European Union in order to provide health care to all the EU tourists just showing an E-111 document. This document must be done before travelling.
COMPLEJO HOSPITALARIO DE PONTEVEDRA MOURENTE· PONTEVEDRA · Telf. 986800000.
HOSPITAL PROVINCIAL PONTEVEDRA RUA LOUREIRO CRESPO 002 . PONTEVEDRA. Telf. 986807000.
HOSPITAL MONTECELO RUA MOURENTE S/N .PONTEVEDRA. Telf. 986800000.
AMBULATORIO VIRXE PEREGRINA DIVISION AZUL S/N. PONTEVEDRA. To make an appointment call: 986860228 - 986860602 – 986861378.
Airport
The airports of Peinador in Vigo and Lavacolla in Santiago of Compostela are situated only 30 and 40 minutes away from Pontevedra on the motorway Atlantico (AP-9), from both airports there are daily connections with Madrid and every two days, with other cities in Spain and Europe, such as London, Paris, Geneva and Frankfurt.
For more information:
www.aena.es.
Peinador Airport: Avenida do Aeroporto, s/n. Vigo Tel. (0034) 986 268 200; Lavacolla Airport: Estrada Santiago-Lugo km. 11. Lavacolla, s/n Santiago de Compostela Tel. (0034) 981 547 500.
Public Transport
Pontevedra is a perfect city to discover walking; the streets layout, such as the special pedestrians precincts, allows tourists to enjoy public spaces whilst they stroll. Also, the distance between many points of interest within the city is short. On the other hand, traveling by bus is another option as there are many companies that can take you to anywhere in the city. Also, taxis are an option, as the covered distances are not long, prices do not increase very much.
Radio Taxi: Tel: (0034) 986 868 585.
Railway
The regional train network covers the whole Spanish territory from Pontevedra. As there are daily connections by train with Madrid and Barcelona, and with many other cities within Spain and with Portugal.
For more information: Railway Station - RENFE Rúa da Station, s/n Tel: (0034) 986 851 313,
Information and reservation of tickets: (0034) 902 240 202.
International information (0034) 934 901 122.
www.renfe.esBus
Pontevedra has an important bus network that allows passengers to arrive at their destination by the most effective and safe means. The Bus Station is situated in Rua da Estacion, s/n Tel: (0034) 986 852 408.
There are many companies in charge of the bus transport:
Autocares VDA Cándido, S.L.: Tel: (0034) 986862933, Fax: (0034) 986868213, Street: Joaquín Costa nº10 bajo;
Empresa Cuiña, S.L.: Tel: (0034) 9868940591 / 986840358 /6096207, Fax: (0034) 986840181, Salcedo (San Martiño) Street: Iglesia, 38;
Castromil S.A.: Tel: (0034) 986851664, Street: Calvo Sotelo, s/n;
Transportes La Union: Tel: (0034) 902104444, Fax: (0034) 902199372, Calle: Salvador Moreno, 155. Apto. 20.
CarThe Autopista del Atlántico (The Atlantic Motorway), AP-9, runs along the territory of the Galician autonomous region from Corunna up to Vigo. Other important links are the highways of Rias Baixas and of the Northwest.
For more information: “Dirección General de Tráfico”, tel: (0034) 900 123 505
Car Rentals
Avis
Tel.: 986852025
Fax: 986855992
Street: Peregrina, 49
Web:
www.avis.esEuropcar
-Railway Station:
Tel: 986853150
Fax: 986864198
Street: Calvo Sotelo, s/n
Web:
www.europcar.esNational Atesa
-Bus Station:
Teléfono: 986844012
Street: Calvo Sotelo, s/n
Web:
www.atesa.es
ShipThe Port of Vigo receives each year thousands of visitors which also get to Pontevedra.
Destination Tourism Office in Spain Spanish embassy in the destination Taking pictures See climatewww.worldweather.orgCurrency converterwww.xe.com/uccA dinner20-30€
A coffee1 Euro
The Bus1 Euro
The taxiInitial fare: 1.10 € (standard); 1.44 (night); 1.65 (public holidays)
The trainIt depends on the distance
