WELCOME THE SUMMER ON THE CÍES ISLANDS IN VIGO

Magical, ancestral rituals are celebrated all over Galicia on the Eve of Saint John, which signals the start of summer and the triumph of the light from the sun. Fire, water and aromatic herbs become good luck charms for the coming harvest. You can enjoy bonfires, sardines on cornbread and red wine in every corner of Vigo.

But first you must climb to the Cíes lighthouse to see the first sunset of summer over the Atlantic and the arrival of the shortest night. The low level of light pollution on the islands will allow you to enjoy the immensity of the nocturnal sky in all its splendour. As it is such a short-lived night, you will also see, from the Cíes Islands Campsite, the shimmering paths of the first sunbeams of dawn as they glitter across the calm waters of the bay. Photos of the islands under this diffuse and yet powerful light are so magical that they will make your friends’ jaws drop!

Summer 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere will begin on June 21st at 04:42 (official peninsular time), according to calculations by the National Astronomical Observatory (National Geographic Institute – Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility). This season will last approximately 93 days and 16 hours, ending on September 22nd with the start of autumn.

The beginning of summer is defined by the moment when the Earth passes through the point in its orbit at which the Sun reaches its maximum northern declination. At that time, the Sun reaches its highest elevation above the horizon at noon and traces the longest arc across the sky. As a result, it is the day with the most sunlight hours of the year.

For several days around this date, the Sun’s maximum height at noon appears to remain nearly unchanged. For this reason, the beginning of summer is also called the summer solstice (from the Latin solstitium, meaning “still Sun”).