Ourense

Ourense (Spanish: Orense) is the capital of the province of Ourense in Galicia. One of the main tourist attractions are the hot springs, as Ourense holds one of the greatest amount of geothermal water in Europe.

Understand
On the banks of the Miño River there are some thermal springs that have been appreciated since ancient times. In Roman times, a city was founded that was called Auriense. During the migration of peoples, the Suevi made it the capital of their empire. Under Moorish rule, the city was almost meaningless. Only in the 19th and 20th centuries did the city regain some of its importance. The connection to the rail and road network made a particular contribution to this.

Its population of 105,000 (2019) accounts for one third of the population of the province and makes it the third largest city of Galicia. One third of the population always speak in Galician, one sixth always speak in Spanish, and the rest use both interchangeably (2018).



Climate
Summers have hot daytime temperatures around 30 °C (86 °F), whilst winters are wet with daytime highs at 12 °C (54 °F) and lows a few degrees above freezing.

By plane
The nearest international commercial airport is Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ), 115 km away. The transfer by bus and train takes a good 1½ hours. Alternatively, A Coruña Airport (LCG) can be considered, which is 170 km from Ourense (2 hours by bus and train).

By train


Within Galicia there are connections approximately every hour with Santiago (journey time around 40 minutes) and A Coruña (1 hr 10 min), eight times a day with Vigo (1½-2 hr), three times a day with Lugo (1 hr 35 min), once a day with Ferrol (2½ hours)

Night trains (Trenhotel) from Madrid and Barcelona also stop here.

By bus
Monbus offers seven bus connections per day from Vigo to Ourense. The journey takes between 1 hr 5 min and 1½ hours and costs €3.30 to €6.55, depending on the booking date and conditions.

Long-distance buses operated by AvanzaBus run six times a day from Madrid to Ourense. The journey takes a good 6 hours (express) or 6½ hours (normal) and costs €37 or €42.

From Asturias there is a bus from Gijón (journey time 5½ hours; price approx. €39) once a day from Gijón via Oviedo (5 hours, €37) to Ourense.

From the Basque Country there is a long-distance bus connection from Irun (11 hours, €15-42) via Donostia/San Sebastián (10½ hours) and Vitoria/Gasteiz (8 hours, €11-32) or from Bilbao (9 hours, €12-35).

By car
Ourense is on the toll-free Autovía A-52 (Madrid-Vigo). From Santiago de Compostela the toll road AP-53 leads to Ourense. If you want to save on the toll, you can use the parallel national road N-525 (to Lalín - from there the motorway is toll-free), the journey then takes around 20 minutes longer. Coming from Ponferrada, the N-120 leads to Ourense.

On foot
The Way of St. James from Madrid to Santiago passes through Ourense. La Ruta de la Plata (the silver route) and the Portuguese Way, different routes on the Camino de Santiago, both pass directly through Ourense. La Ruta de la Plata, the longest of all the Camino's routes, begins in Sevilla and moves north through the west of the country. The pilgrims on both routes are important to Ourense's tourism industry, especially in holy years of St. James when traffic on the Camino is especially high.

See
Although mainly a town of services, Ourense is not without its tourist sites. The town has three parts: the medieval, the area of 19th-century expansion, and the modern perimeter. The medieval quarter, with its narrow streets and tiny plazas is full of typical restaurants and bars patronized by the university students of the town. The Plaza Mayor is the centre of city life with its arcaded shops and the Town Hall.

Do
Thermal baths:

Buy
Ourense is a well known producer of European chestnuts.