Pontevedra · Galicia
Baiona
A colourful walled port at the mouth of a small ría — where Columbus's Pinta first brought Europe news of the New World in 1493 — now living off summer tourism, crowned by a medieval fortress that houses a parador.
What Baiona is like
Portrait drawn from Lonely Planet, the Michelin Green Guide & The Rough Guide.
At the head of the smallest, southernmost ría in Galicia, about 21km southwest of Vigo, on a wooded promontory (Monte Boi) enclosed by medieval walls.
Worth the trip
- The walled Monte Boi / Monterreal promontory and its parador, with a walkable parapet over the ría
- A replica of Columbus's caravel the Pinta, moored in the harbour
- Praia de América, a long clean-sand beach 2km east across the bay
Fiestas
- Virgen de la Roca observances (August), at the great statue south of town
A little history
On 1 March 1493 the Pinta docked here, making Baiona the first place in Europe to hear that Columbus had reached the New World.
Who it suits: History-minded visitors · Parador seekers · Summer beachgoers using it as a Rías Baixas base
The numbers
The decision data — each figure against the Spanish average. Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 10.8°C 3°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 26.8°C 3.4°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 123 days 79% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 7 49 below the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- no local data
- Net income per person
- €15,254 5% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 25.3%
Safety
- Recorded crime regional estimate
- 35.2 per 1,000 20% less than the Spanish average (44 per 1,000)
Schools
- Schools in town
- 7
- Nearest international school
- 16 km
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 486 5 above the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 29 min
- Nearest health centre
- no local data
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 73 days 32% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 32 min
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 91% 13% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 97% 14% above the Spanish average (83%)
Who lives here
- Population
- 12,366
- Born in Spain
- 90.9% 2.1% above the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 2.8% 1% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 2.02 per 1,000
Numbers: SettleSpain town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma, Ministerio del Interior and the Catastro. National average = the unweighted mean across all 8,132 Spanish municipalities with data. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Baiona fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Baiona against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 29 min from Vigo, if that's your anchor.
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