Pontevedra is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the Comarca (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rias Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city.

The city is best known for its urban planning, pedestrianisation and the charm of its historic centre. In recent years, it has been awarded several international awards for its urban quality and quality of life, accessibility and urban mobility policy, like the international European Intermodes Urban Mobility Award in 2013, the 2014 Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development awarded by UN-Habitat in partnership with Dubai Municipality and the "Excellence Prize" of the Center for Active Design in New York City in 2015, among others. The city also won the European Commission's first prize for urban safety in 2020. Pontevedra's car free center helped transform it into one of the most accessible European cities, leading to various European and American studies on its exemplary urban planning been carried out in recent years.

Surrounded by hills, the city is located on the edge of an estuary at the mouth of the river Lérez by the sea, at the bottom of the Ría de Pontevedra, in the heart of the Rías Baixas. An economic centre and tourist destination, with a population of 83,260 in 2020, it is at the head of an urban area around its Ria of more than 200,000 inhabitants comprising the municipalities of Poio, Marín, Sanxenxo, Bueu, Vilaboa, Cotobade, Ponte Caldelas, Barro and Soutomaior.

Pontevedra is the second city in Galicia for its rich heritage, only after Santiago de Compostela. A city of art and history, the city is known as "The Good City" or "The City of the Lérez". The city is also an important stopover on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago that bears witness to the circular church of the Pilgrim's Virgin with a floor plan in the shape of a scallop shell and the scallop shells sculpted in the arches of the medieval Burgo bridge.

The city is marked by a strong presence of administrative and justice services. Pontevedra is the seat of the Diputación Provincial (equivalent to the General Provincial Council), the prefecture (Subdelegación del Gobierno) of the province of Pontevedra as well as the Palace of Justice and the provincial district court (Audiencia Provincial), the provincial police station and the provincial administrative offices.