Museo de Pontevedra
Museum of the Diputación (Provincial Council) with Galician and Spanish art, archaeology and decorative arts across several historic and modern buildings; free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Diputación Provincial de Pontevedra created the museum on 30 December 1927 in the Pazo de Castro Monteagudo, in support of the Sociedad Arqueológica de Pontevedra. It opened to the public in 1929 and has been a historic-artistic monument since 1962. Over time it occupied other buildings in the city, and today it is organised as a group of separate sites, among them the García Flórez stately house, the Fernández López building, the Ruinas de San Domingos and the former Sarmiento Jesuit college.
The Sarmiento building, Baroque, was completed in 1714 and reopened as a museum site in 2013 with the archaeological collection, which includes the Bronze Age treasure of Caldas de Reis. That same year the modern Castelao building was inaugurated, designed by Eduardo Pesquera and Jesús Ulargui, with permanent exhibition rooms of Galician and Spanish art, restoration workshops, an auditorium and a café. The Castro Monteagudo and García Flórez buildings are temporarily closed for renovation.
The collection ranges from early goldsmithing and medieval sculpture, such as two prophets from the Pórtico de la Gloria, to Galician and Spanish painting from the 15th to the 20th centuries, with works by Castelao, Pérez Villaamil, Sorolla, Ramón Casas and Maruja Mallo, as well as Sargadelos and Pontecesures ceramics and secular silverware. The museum received more than 200,000 visits in 2025, the highest figure in fifteen years.
Highlights
- Castelao building with 23 rooms of Galician and Spanish art from the Late Middle Ages to the present
- Caldas de Reis treasure and archaeological collection in the Sarmiento building
- Two prophets from the Pórtico de la Gloria
- Works by Castelao, Sorolla, Ramón Casas and Maruja Mallo
- Sargadelos ceramics and secular silverware
- Free admission in all buildings
Permanent exhibitions
- Colección permanente de arte gallego y español (edificio Castelao) – Route through 23 spaces of Galician and Spanish art from the Late Middle Ages to the present, with works by Castelao, medieval sculpture and 19th- and 20th-century painting.
- Colección arqueológica y artes decorativas (edificio Sarmiento) – Archaeological holdings from prehistory and antiquity, Sargadelos and Pontecesures ceramics, and the Sánchez Mesas-Fernández de Tejada contemporary art collection. The Caldas treasure has been temporarily withdrawn for security reasons.
- Founded
- 1927
- Operated by
- Diputación de Pontevedra
- Visitors per year
- approx. 208,908 (2025)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission in all buildings; the website has a booking link. Guided visits are free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Buildings accessible for people with reduced mobility, with lifts. There are induction loops at the reception desks, free loan of wheelchairs, rest areas, priority-use lockers and accessible toilets on level -1 of the Castelao building. Guided tours include a Spanish Sign Language interpreter at no cost.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
The museum offers activities for families, children, young people and adults, with guided visits, themed itineraries and workshops adapted to all ages. The current programme is published on its website and social media.
Getting there & parking
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
The museum has no car park of its own; arriving on foot is recommended, as the centre of Pontevedra is pedestrianised. Free car parks: Pazo de Cultura (Rúa Alexandre Bóveda), Recinto Feiral (Paseo Ingeniero Rafael Areses) and Pabellón de Deportes (Avenida de Compostela, 1). Paid and nearby: Santa Clara (Rúa Santa Clara, 2), Mercado de Pontevedra (Rúa Sierra, 5), Praza de Barcelos and Praza de España (Empark).
Main entrance to the permanent collection in the Castelao building (Rúa Padre Amoedo Carballo, 3).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Wi-Fi
Self-service café on the third floor of the Castelao building, with free Wi-Fi. La Ultramar restaurant on the ground floor of the Sarmiento building. Bookshop with catalogues and publications (card payment recommended). Free cloakroom for coats, personal belongings and umbrellas, which are not admitted in the galleries.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Free guided visits to the permanent collection all year round: from 16 June to 15 September, Tuesday to Saturday at 12:00, and on Wednesdays also at 18:00; the rest of the year, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 12:00. They last around 60 minutes. Groups of up to 25 people by prior registration (educacion.museo@depo.gal; telephone 986 804 100, extension 42416, or 886 201 410, Monday to Friday 8:30–14:30). The museum also offers a virtual visit on its website. |
