{"id":3887,"date":"2022-06-20T17:10:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T15:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.galiciaoriginal.com\/?p=3887"},"modified":"2026-10-27T14:18:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T13:18:39","slug":"donde-queda-galicia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/where-is-galicia\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is Galicia?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Galicia is in the northwest of Spain, next to the Atlantic Ocean and north of Portugal. Its rivers, cities, and inland landscapes offer very different routes: this map will help you locate them.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Galicia? Where is Galicia?<\/h2>\n<p>Galicia is one of the 17 Autonomous Communities that Spain is divided into. An Autonomous Community is a geographical region that shares history and traditions, meaning it has an independent identity, and it also has its own government. Some are uniprovincial, while others, like Galicia, are multiprovincial. This autonomous government has authority over very important matters, such as Health or Education, and also Tourism (among others).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Galicia is located in the northwestern part of the peninsula, just above Portugal, and is divided into 4 provinces, whose capitals share the same names: A Coru\u00f1a, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra. The capital of the Autonomous Community is not one of these, but Santiago de Compostela. The whole community has 2,700,000 inhabitants, and two official languages coexist: Spanish and Galician.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Map of Spain showing the location of Galicia\" height=\"419\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px\" src=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/donde-esta-galicia.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/donde-esta-galicia.png 697w, https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/donde-esta-galicia-300x180.png 300w\" width=\"697\"\/><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Map of the provinces of Galicia\" height=\"419\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" src=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/galicia-spain.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/galicia-spain.png 602w, https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/galicia-spain-300x209.png 300w\" width=\"602\"\/><\/p>\n<h2>Why travel to Galicia?<\/h2>\n<p>First of all, if you come from outside Spain, you should also consider getting to know the Northern Peninsula. Why? Because Spain has two different landscapes and historical legacies. In general terms, we can talk about a north with green landscapes and Christian legacy; and a south with ochre landscapes and Muslim legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>International travelers often choose Madrid, Barcelona, and the main Andalusian cities (C\u00f3rdoba-Granada-Sevilla), which is certainly a valid choice. However, the reality and landscapes of the north are quite different. As a result, they carry away a somewhat skewed understanding of Spain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"The Beauty of Galicia - 4K Aerial Video from the North of Spain\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R2ZRkvyQCh4?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h6>A video by Dennis Schmelz<\/h6>\n<p>Now then, since there are several communities in the North, why visit Galicia?\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>For its history.<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>\"Europe was made pilgriming to Compostela\"<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This phrase is attributed to Goethe, German poet, playwright, and naturalist. Following the discovery of the tomb of the Apostle James the Greater in the 9th century, thousands and thousands of pilgrims traverse Europe to reach Santiago de Compostela. At that time, Muslims occupied almost the entire peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, through the Camino, great religious orders, some of them also military, established themselves along this route, modifying societies and economies. They built monasteries and churches to welcome pilgrims, worked the land, and provided medicines. At the same time, kings and lords constructed bridges to help pilgrims cross rivers, hospitals, and roads. Pilgrims prefer routes with more services, thus new populations emerge with services alongside the Camino de Santiago.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The contribution of the Camino to the history and morphology of the north is undeniable, not only of Spain but also of Europe. Santiago is the goal of all pilgrims and the capital of Galicia. To overlook a visit to Galicia is to overlook an important part of the history and culture of the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>For its landscapes. Because Galicia is unmissable.<\/h2>\n<p>But there's more. The setting of this story is spectacular. Galicia has an irregular coastline 1,200 km long, forming rivers, bays, cliffs, estuaries, and beaches. A paradise. There are more than 800 beaches and coves, dreamlike forests, and mountains that soften as they approach the sea, and water in various forms. Rivers, sea, rain, fog, ice, snow, and dew.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If there are two colors that define Galicia, they could be green, in as many shades as you can imagine, and gray, from the granite and the sky. For these landscapes, for its traditions, for its food, and for its people, Galicia is a must-visit destination. Hold on to the images that speak more than a thousand words.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>What areas are there in Galicia?<\/h2>\n<p>Touristically, Galicia is divided into several areas that share the same characteristics:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>R\u00edas Baixas, which in turn is divided into <a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/3-days-vigo\/\" style=\"font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 1.4px;\">R\u00eda de Vigo<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/2-days-in-lower-minho\/\" style=\"font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 1.4px;\">Bajo Mi\u00f1o<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/2-days-in-pontevedra\/\" style=\"font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 1.4px;\">R\u00eda de Pontevedra<\/a>, R\u00eda de Arousa and R\u00eda de Muros and Noia.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/death-coast-2-days\/\">Costa da Morte<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/2-days-in-santiago-de-compostela\/\">Tierras de Santiago<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/high-rias-3-days\/\">R\u00edas Altas<\/a>, which is divided into A Coru\u00f1a and Ferrolterra.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/2-days-in-the-lucense-marina-things-to-see-in-lucense-marina\/\">Mari\u00f1a Lucense<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lugo and Terra Ch\u00e1<\/li>\n<li>Deza- Tabeir\u00f3s<\/li>\n<li>Ancares-Courel<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/3-days-in-the-ribeira-sacra\/\" style=\"font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 1.4px;\">Ribeira Sacra<\/a><\/li>\n<li>O Ribeiro<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/2-days-in-ourense\/\" style=\"font-size: 18px; background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 1.4px;\">Terras de Ourense and Allariz<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Manzaneda-Trevinca<\/li>\n<li>Celanova-Limia<\/li>\n<li>Ver\u00edn-Viana<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Map of the tourist geodestinations of Galicia\" height=\"1237\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/geodestinos-galicia-994x1024.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/geodestinos-galicia-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/geodestinos-galicia-768x791.jpg 768w, https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/geodestinos-galicia.jpg 1280w\" width=\"1200\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you want to see <a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/routes-through-galicia\/\">road trips or itineraries<\/a> for Galicia, click here.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to see <a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-travel-spain\/\">how much does it cost<\/a> to travel to Galicia, follow this link.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/book\/\">View related tours<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Galicia est\u00e1 en el noroeste de Espa\u00f1a, junto al oc\u00e9ano Atl\u00e1ntico y al norte de Portugal. Sus r\u00edas, ciudades y paisajes de interior ofrecen recorridos muy distintos: este mapa te ayudar\u00e1 a situarlos. Qu\u00e9 es Galicia? D\u00f3nde est\u00e1 Galicia? Galicia es una de las 17 Comunidades Aut\u00f3nomas en las que se divide Espa\u00f1a. Una Comunidad [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-planificar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3887"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10013,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3887\/revisions\/10013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galiciaoriginal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}