About Galicia – from a house buyer's perspective

The fact that you are looking at a property website based in Galicia means that you obviously have some knowledge and awareness of this beautiful part of green Spain.

So assuming that you already know something about this northern Spanish principality, we will try to fill in a little bit more detail about the four Galician provinces – and we will do this from the view point of what you could expect if you were living in one of them.

Geography, climate and population (this is significant)

The two maps to the right show Galicia in the context of Spain, its four provinces and the locations of the provincial capital cities, plus Santiago de Compostela.

You will immediately spot that la Coruna and Pontevedra provinces have long swathes of coastline whilst Lugo sits to the east of Galicia with a tiny northerly stretch of coast. Ourense province is completely land-locked.

Taking Galicia as a whole, the Atlantic Ocean lies to the west, the Mar Cantabrico sea looks down from the north and Portugal borders Pontevedra province. To the east lies Asturias and the end of the Picos de Europa mountain range (the remains of the Pyrenees).

As you can see, Galicia is a region with a lot of geographic, oceanic and climatic influences and these factors shape the scenery, climate and population of each of the four provinces.

Galicia is a single region, but its four provinces are very different. They offer different climates, have different populations and spreads of population, and offer very different levels of provincial and inter-provincial road networks.

What to expect from each province

The provinces of la Coruna and Pontevedra

We have bundled these two provinces together because they have a lot in common and definitely not because they lack house buying appeal - quite the opposite.

La Coruna and Pontevedra both have long coastlines and a large number of former fishing villages. They are also home to several cities along with towns and villages of every size, location and population density.

That said, if you travel just a few kilometres inland you will see the same breath-taking scenery that you would see in Lugo, and the rural and rustic houses are there too. You also get the option of stunning sea facing locations in the shape of former fishing villages.

The big difference from Lugo is that most of these houses, whilst rural in appearance, are often no more than a 15 or 20 minute drive from a decent sized town. This gives you a rural aspect, but with all of the amenities of modern living on your doorstep – or at least easy travelling distance away. Shopping, medical care and all the other benefits of a town will always be on hand and accessible.

With a more southerly latitude than coastal Lugo, la Coruna and (even more so) Pontevedra offer more balanced climates than their northern counterpart.

These climates see warm to hot summers accompanied by comparatively mild winters. The rain (which keeps the region green) is still there, but the extended summer months are more reliable.

The area around Pontevedra city and Vigo city is also known for having a micro-climate. This phenomenon sees it enjoy year long temperatures that are elevated when compared to other districts – remember Portugal is just a few kilometres to the south. Pontevedra also has a booming wine industry, an indication of the warmer and more extended summers.

La Coruna and Pontevedra dominate Galicia when it comes to populous, but most of the nationals (90%) live in a major city, or within 7 to 8 kilometres of the coast. Rural living for the Spanish is just as unpopular here as it is in Lugo or Ourense.

The big attractions of Pontevedra and la Coruna province are the same as Lugo, but with the added advantage of more coastal towns, better weather and rural living without the isolation.

Southern Pontevedra, with its close proximity to Portugal, also sees numerous house buyers from central and southern Spain. Because of this it is the best Galician province in which to invest, particularly if your property purchase is aimed primarily at speculation and financial gain.

To summarize, la Coruna and Pontevedra provinces offer every kind of new and re-sale property imaginable. Prices may be “slightly” higher than those of rural Lugo or Ourense, but the climate is better and the isolation element can be avoided – even with a rural house.

• These links will take you to some more expanded information about why you might want, or not want, to buy a house in La Coruna or Pontevedra. la Coruna – for and against and Pontevedra – for and against

The province of Lugo

The province of Lugo has the least active house buying market when it comes to native Spaniards, but it has seen the greatest level of house buying activity from British and Irish property investors - particularly over the last 3 to 5 years.

Lugo has a large number of often vacant rural houses, many in need of refurbishment and often occupying good sized plots of land. These old farm houses can make ideal refurbishment projects and, when completed, offer a retreat from the fast pace of the outside world.

Prices can be cheap, but locations are often very isolated (a factor some agents go to great lengths to avoid pointing out).

Lugo has the lowest population density of all of the Galician provinces and just one city, the provincial capital.

Most of the province's native population have migrated to the small coastal region, Lugo city, or one of a couple of larger towns like Sarria or Mondenedo. This is of course the reason for the cheap prices and extensive selection of re-sale properties in the rural districts of the province.

Lugo's scenery is beautiful and everything about the province has an old world charm. If you want to get away from everything (and everybody), then Lugo offers an ideal retreat with plenty of rustic and secluded houses in tiny villages, or away from everywhere in unique settings of their own. That said, do not expect the nearness of amenities, facilities, beaches and pretty little towns from which most rural localities in la Coruna benefit.

Lugo, particularly the north, has the coolest and least reliable of Galicia's provincial climates. It also has the lowest linear mileage when it comes to the main road network - something worth bearing in mind when you look at specific property locations.

To summarize, Lugo has a near never ending supply of inland rural and rustic re-sale houses. Most of these properties require some level of re-modelling, but can be picked up comparatively cheaply. The “isolation” factor within Lugo is a point that you need to consider.

• This link will take you to some more expanded information about why you might want, or not want, to buy a house in Lugo. Lugo – for and against.

The province of Ourense

Ourense is Galicia's most south easterly province and it is the only one of Galicia's municipalities without a sea facing border.

Like Lugo, Ourense has a low population and a relatively high degree of isolation and, in many respects, it has a similar appeal to overseas property buyers. You can find very cheap rural houses, but the locations are often remote and the amenities that we all take for granted can be difficult to access.

Ourense has a single major city, but a number of large towns and a popular wine district (and reputation).

The scenery in Ourense is, if anything, even better than that of la Coruna, Lugo and Pontevdra with the south of the region moving towards the same craggy mountainous landscape seen in parts of Asturias. There are numerous rivers, hills and valleys and the "highest point" above sea level in Galicia.

The climate in Ourense is possibly the most unusual and certainly the most extreme of Galicia's four provinces. Summer temperatures can get very high and the weather can be hot and sunny in Ourense when the rest of Galicia is overcast and wet.

On the downside, Ourense sees the coolest winters and snow is far from unusual. Skiing can be a genuine winter pastime in the more mountainous zones.

To summarize, Ourense offers the same appeal as Lugo, but with a more southerly location. The northern parts of the province offer some good rural house buying opportunities, but the southern districts can be a little remote from the rest of the world.

• This link will take you to some more expanded information about why you might want, or not want, to buy a house in Lugo. Ourense – for and against.