Guide to Galicia, regions of Spain, visit galicia, stay in galicia, galicia hotels and holidays
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Places in Spain - Galicia, Region of Spain - see also Barbanza

 

Galicia is unlike anywhere else in Spain and is best described as similar to Ireland or Cornwall. The coastline comprises of tiny coves, beautiful sandy beaches, flanked by high cliffs and fishing ports and sheltered harbours. Inland the region is green and wooded, especially along the valleys where trees overlook lush meadows and orchards. Known as the land of a thousand rivers. Galicia is separated from the rest of the country by extensive mountain ranges on all sides and only the river Miño separates it from Portugal. Until recently, the roads through the mountains were less than adequate and the journey from say, Vigo, to Madrid would have taken up to 12 hours. With the opening of the A52 and A6 autopistas, this can now be done in less than 5 hours.

 

Galicia is now an increasingly popular destination for those Spaniards who don’t want the heat of the Andalucian, Murcian or Valencian summer but do want the scenic beauty and culinary delights. Along the coast, Galicia has a flourishing economy which now includes its own brand of tourism. The coastline is popular with all manner of outdoor activities that cannot be found along any other coast. It is still a place in which you can enjoy Spain at its simplest and its best.
 

 

Geography
Galicia is one of Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities, located in the northwest corner of Spain, the region of Galicia is an area comprising of grass and granite that has a rugged coastline. It comprises of four provinces,
LaCoruña, Pontevedra, Lugo and Ourense, named after their capital cities. It is Europe’s western most region. West and north it faces the sea. East, it faces the mountains shared with Asturias and Castile y Leon and south, it faces Portugal. In effect, it is somewhat hemmed in. Its coastline is perhaps the most spectacular in the peninsula, featuring many fjords and numerous outstanding beaches. For the purists, there are 1,200km of winding coastline, 750 beaches and 275km of fine, white sand.

 
Low cost car hire in Galicia - Instant quotes, online booking and guaranteed reservations. Access to all the top car hire companies in Spain

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History
Galicia has had its fair share of invasions – the Celts around 600BC, the Romans around 50AD, the Visigoths around 400AD, the Normans during the Middle Ages and the French in 1808. The region was also visited from time to time by Francis Drake in the 16th century. Interestingly, though, the region was largely unaffected by the occupation of Spain by the Moors from the 8th century onwards. True, the Arabs ransacked Santiago de Compostela in 977 but they didn’t hang around much after that, perhaps finding the mountains and the winter rains too much to bear. The Celtic influence is most prominent in Galicia and it has been described as Ireland but with sun. Pictured right is the Galician coat of arms. Click the image for a brief description of its origins.

 

Language
In Galicia, more than 80% of the people speak Galician well, though nearly all of them will also speak Castellano (which is what they call Spanish) and may even chose to use it most of the time. Galician is known as Galego in the local language and Gallego in Castellano. Galego is one of the five Iberian languages into which Latin transmuted itself. The other four are Spanish (Castellano), Catalan, Asturian and Portuguese. In addition, there is, of course, Basque, which bears no relation to any of these or to Latin. It is said that Portuguese developed from Galego, the original language having spread south before it was standardised in Lisbon. Even now, the people of Galicia and north Portugal can understand each other reasonably well.

Properties for sale in Galicia
Property for sale in Galicia

Seldom do you find a property for sale in an exclusive neighborhood in A Coruna´s town center next to Riazor beach.

Plot of 416m2 & House 327m2. Also private garage, office,laundry room and cellar

More info here

   
Property for sale in Galicia

2 bedroom apartment in beautiful development in Aguiño

With storage room and own private parking space

PRICE (before): 106.500€
OFFER PRICE: 85.000€

More info here

   
Property for sale in Galicia

Detached house with excellent sea views

A quality home in Caion, A Coruna. Useful surface area of 260m2 and plot of 560m2. Beautiful fishing village, 25km away from city. Beach nearby and one of the richers gastronomic culture in the coast

More info here

 

 

Property for sale in Galicia Das Alboradas Development situated in Cee, A Coruña
High quality home at cost price in a residential complex of 119 flats with children´s play area and paddle court.Own private parking space and storage room.


More info here
   
Property for sale in Galicia

Holiday Apartments Development in Cabana de Bergantinos, A Coruna

18 duplex apartments currently in construction with seaviews and beaches close by.
The sale is negotiable by individual apartments (72m2) or as a whole.
For information contact: pedracuca2@gmail.com

 
People and Culture
Galicia has a population of over 3 million people, widely dispersed throughout the region. When Spain itself was still reasonably poor in the 1960s, Galicia was even poorer, and now that Spain is on par with the rest of Europe and still getting better, Galicia still seems relatively worse off. Things certainly are cheaper here, though there are naturally pockets of great wealth and it is not too hard to find expensive places. Galicia is a mythical place and has a great tradition of myths and legends. Galicians like to think of themselves as having deep Celtic roots and affinities with Ireland. In fact, one local myth is that Galicia was ‘colonised’ by settlers from Ireland and Scotland in the 3rd century BC. This, of course, would make the Galicians very different from the rest of Spain. As for superstitions - legends of werewolves and witches, goblins and fairies continue to feature in the lives of many. Most visibly, fortune telling is a widespread activity in Galicia. Whether Celtic or not, the Galicians certainly do uphold one Spanish tradition – they throw fiestas whenever they can. During the summer months, there is bound to one somewhere near wherever you are, on whatever day. Many of these have a gastronomic theme.

Interesting facts
• Housing costs are cheaper in Galicia than almost anywhere else in Spain.
• Crime statistics reported in April 2003, showed Galicia as being well down the list, at number 17 out of 19 regions. The worst were Spain’s possessions in northern Africa, followed by the Balearic Islands, the east coast and then Madrid.
• Galicia is slowly losing its population, especially in the interior. Since 1986, there has been a net loss of about 10,000 people a year. This is despite the arrival of ‘immigrants’ and returning emigrants. The main reason is that the death rate is higher than the birth rate, though departure from the land certainly plays a role. - since 1986, the rural population has decreased by 22% and in the last 6 years, land under cultivation has decreased by 35%.

The climate
Generally, the weather in Galicia is good to very good between May and September. There will be plenty of sun and temperatures will be in the 20’s most days. There may well be some rain but this will rarely last for more than a day or two. This is particularly true if you take your holiday in the lower half of Galicia, especially in the Rias Baixas. Overall, because of Galicia's location, it has both a maritime and an Atlantic climate. Galicia gets less rain than the UK but, because it is concentrated in fewer months, it may sometimes seem like more in winter/spring. Once you move in from the coast the land quickly starts to become mountainous. The weather inland is colder and wetter than it is on the coast. There is actually a popular ski resort near Ourense. When the north wind blows in the winter, night-time temperatures can fall to zero even on the coast, though
snow and ice are unknown there. To compensate for this, the days are gloriously sunny. Otherwise, when the wind is from the south-west the winter days are cloudy or wet and the daytime temperatures are around 15 degrees and the nights average around 9 or 10.

 

Living in Galicia
There are not many foreigners currently living in this part of Spain, although the numbers are beginning to rise. Unfortunately, there are none of the services oriented towards foreign residents that can be found on other popular costas and we found that some of the English residents had an attitude problem; most likely that they fear an invasion of yet more Brits, thus affecting the value of their homes and the quietness they currently enjoy. There is nothing in Galicia like the sort of expatriate communities that exist on the southern and eastern costas and you will struggle to find an estate agent here that speaks more than a few words in English. If you intend on buying a home in Galicia, you will probably find yourself doing much of the work yourself, with little or no help. The house prices being lower than the rest of Spain though may be some form of compensation. Prior to the introduction of the euro, in line with the rest of Spain, much of the black money economy found its way into the property business and house prices rose sharply. They have slowed a little now and are beginning to level out. If you are contemplating living in Galicia, be very wary of articles in travel magazines or on TV which portray Galicia as an undiscovered paradise. It is certainly a great part of the world but it naturally has its drawbacks and you need to be aware of these before you spend your money.

Visiting Galicia
Galicia offers some of the finest hotels in Spain, making it a pleasant place to visit. Galicia is a region of contrasts and as you explore, you will find the area offers very different backdrops. Galicia’s coast is known as the 'Costa de la Muerte' or 'Coast of Death', predominantly because of the number of shipwrecks along the rocky coast. The coast offers tiny fishing villages, unspoilt coves and fine, sandy beaches.

Our comments on visits to Galicia
We visited Galicia in July 2003 and found it to be the most beautiful part of Spain that we have ever seen. The most welcoming sight is the greenness of the valleys and plains. Rivers run wild and fast and offer great opportunities for canoeing and rafting. The architecture in Galicia is also a unique feature and much remains as it was centuries ago.

 
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