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.
Why people fall for Baiona
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
Baiona's SpainScores — by who's moving
Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities. Each score is Baiona's percentile for that group — 87 means it beats 87% of the towns we could score. How scoring works.
Higher than 100% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for heat-averse settlers.
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. A strong pick if you can't stand hot summers — 1 km from the sea and mild 26.8°C summer highs.
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.8°C
- Rainy days a year 123 days
- Summer water stress (WEI+) 7
- Winter average temp 10.8°C
Higher than 100% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for families.
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. A strong pick for a family with school-age kids — 1 km from the sea and 12,366 people.
- Schools in town 7
- PISA maths (region) 486
- Drive to a hospital 29 min
- Nearest international school 16 km
Higher than 99% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for remote workers.
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. A strong pick for a remote-working couple — 1 km from the sea and 12,366 people.
- 100 Mbps+ coverage 97%
- Drive to nearest airport 32 min
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.8°C
Higher than 98% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for budget-first coastal settlers.
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. A strong pick for coastal living on a budget — 1 km from the sea and 12,366 people.
- Net income per person €15,254
- Summer high (Jul–Aug) 26.8°C
Higher than 91% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for American retirees.
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. A strong pick for American retirees — 1 km from the sea and 2 US-born per 1,000.
- Winter average temp 10.8°C
- Drive to a hospital 29 min
- U.S.-born residents 2.02 per 1,000
Higher than 85% of the 8,132 Spanish municipalities we could score for retiring couples.
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. A strong pick for a retiring couple — 1 km from the sea and a health centre close by.
- Winter average temp 10.8°C
- Drive to a hospital 29 min
- Surgical wait (region) 73 days
What is the climate like in Baiona?
Baiona's reported winter average is 10.8°C, while July–August highs reach 26.8°C.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 10.8°C top 17% of 8,131 towns 3°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 26.8°C top 13% of 8,131 towns 3.4°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 123 days bottom 6% of 8,088 towns 79% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 7 top 10% of 8,033 towns 49 below the Spanish average (56)
- River-flood depth (T=100, town centre) estimated
- 0 m top 1% of 8,129 towns 0.04 m below the Spanish average (0.04 m)
- River-flood risk score estimated
- 0 top 1% of 8,129 towns about the Spanish average (0)
- Wildfire burn rate (2010–23)
- 6.89 ha/km² bottom 6% of 8,132 towns 4.58 ha/km² above the Spanish average (2.31 ha/km²)
- Forest fires (2010–23)
- 11 bottom 10% of 8,132 towns 5 above the Spanish average (6)
- High fire-weather days (province) regional estimate
- 16% top 2% of 8,130 towns 6.9% below the Spanish average (22.9%)
The year, month by month
AEMET 30-year climate normals — what a January or an August actually feels like, not the annual average.
How good is healthcare in Baiona?
Baiona's nearest health centre is 3.1 km away, and the reported hospital drive is 29 min.
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 29 min top 40% of 8,132 towns
- Nearest health centre
- 3.1 km top 16% of 8,132 towns
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 73 days #3 of 17 regions, −30 days vs national 32% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
What are schools like in Baiona?
Baiona has 7 schools in town; the nearest international school is 16 km away.
Schools
- Schools in town
- 7 top 9% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 16 km top 17% of 8,132 towns
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 486 #8 of 17 regions, +7 vs national 5 above the Spanish average (481)
How much does it cost to live in Baiona?
Baiona's reported registered long-let rent is €7.27/m²·mo.
Cost & economy
- Home price
- no local data
- Registered long-let rent
- €7.27/m²·mo
- Registered rent p25
- €5.74/m²·mo
- Registered rent p75
- €9.11/m²·mo
- Registered-rent yield
- no reliable sale-price data — yield not imputed
- Net income per person
- €15,254 top 37% of 8,059 towns 5% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 25.3% bottom 46% of 6,605 towns
Which languages are used in schools in Baiona?
Galician and Spanish are co-official in Galicia. Public schools use both languages, with substantial Galician-medium teaching rather than a Spanish-only default; the balance can vary by school. See the Galicia region guide for the wider regional context.
What is the community like in Baiona?
Baiona's reported population is 12,366.
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
How easy is it to get around Baiona?
Baiona is a reported 32 min drive from the nearest airport, with 91% fibre-to-home coverage.
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 32 min top 8% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 91% top 43% of 8,132 towns 13% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 97% top 33% of 8,132 towns 14% above the Spanish average (83%)
Numbers: SpainScore town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma and the Catastro. Registered long-let rent is SERPAVI declared-contract data; its p25–p75 values show the observed band. Registered-rent yield is gross, excludes costs and is never imputed. Percentile chips count only the municipalities that report the figure — the "of n" says how many. Region-ranked figures (PISA, surgical waits) compare Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas. 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.
Take the quiz — rank Baiona for you →Nearby towns
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