Pontevedra banned cars in it’s medieval town center in 1999 and hasn’t looked back. Ironically this makes it quite a car friendly city, because they built underground garages in the surrounding new town, where you can drop your car and start walking. Even better is the revitalized, pedestrian friendly downtown.

Pontevedra has a substantial old town with an open walking zone that can be crossed in 20 minutes. Separate from that, if you are looking for a place to go in northwest Spain, Pontevedra has a good combination of being a decent sized and well-preserved town that isn’t inundated with visitors.

Galician towns have well-populated and lively centers that don’t really empty out, except after lunch and of course in the depths of night.

Pontevedra sits at the east end of the Ria de Pontevedra by the River Lerez – once a larger medieval port, the estuary has silted up with Vigo becoming the main commercial port in the area. There is still a riverfront but post-war urban planning has put a main road along it, so this isn’t really a waterfront town.

Pontevedra is a great base to visit northwest Iberia, and is between the parks and beaches of the Rias Baixas, the River Minho wine country and Santiago de Compostela.