The heart of the Rías Baixas, Vigo is a city full of life with an amazing natural environment. It’s the perfect balance between a traditional historic enclave and a vibrant city, as well as having the beach and mountains. Discover all the special things to do in Vigo Spain, along with its charm and food, and fall in love with this beautiful Galician city.
Organise your travel itinerary with Passporter, completely free to use, easy and practical. Get inspired by the experiences of other travellers and choose the places that interest you most by adding them to your route map.
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Things to do in Vigo Spain
Porta do Sol
Porta do Sol is Vigo’s km 0, the point that connects Vigo’s historic neighbourhood and the Ensanche, the city’s original districts. It is where you will find Vigo’s most modern art foundations, cultural centres and museums. It’s right on that imaginary line traced by the Porta do Sol where we’ll also find one of the symbols of the city: Francisco Leiro’s sculpture El Sireno, a symbol of the union between man and the sea.
O Castro Mountain
O Castro Mountain is the origin of Vigo, where the first settlers came in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC and whose remains are in the Archaeological Site. Later, the city grew up and down from O Castro, winding its way to create the unique topography that makes it possible to have a mountain in the heart of the city. It is a natural luxury that offers the best views of the Vigo estuary as well as the the most beautiful sunsets.
Samil Beach
The spectacular Samil beach invites you to spend hours in front of the sea. The Atlantic bathes us with its white sands, and the silhouette of the Cíes Islands and Toralla Island clearly show us why the Vigo estuary is different from all the others: nature itself created the barriers to protect it, giving Vigo mild winters and warm summers. Vigo’s famous microclimate is the sunniest and least rainy in Galicia.
La Lonja
The Vigo fish market is famous for moving much of the fish consumed in Spain and Europe. It is a big fish market where every morning a frantic spectacle takes place where they auction the best fish in the world, always at a low price, directly to the markets of half of Europe. Visiting La Lonja is one of the most interesting things to do in Vigo Spain.
Bouzas Neighbourhood
Bouzas is Vigo’s seaside neighbourhood: there, the fast pace of Vigo stops and you seem to enter a bygone and relaxed time. Strolling through its cobbled and magical old town, you’ll be able to walk to the promenade, one of the most beautiful views of the Vigo estuary. The town is also full of lively terraces, perfect for ending the day watching the sunset with some traditional tapas: fried fish, mussels, clams, razor clams, or the popular empanada.
Shopping in Calle de Príncipe, fun things to do in Vigo Spain
Príncipe is Vigo’s shopping street. Named after Isabel II’s son, it’s the commercial heart of the city with the best shops selling clothing, handicrafts, shoes, waffles, jewellery and also the main Galician fashion brands. In Príncipe street you will find everything. Furthermore, nearby is one of Vigo’s most traditional markets, O Progreso, where the expert fishmongers will be happy to offer you the freshest fish in town.
Rande Bridge
You can’t experience Vigo completely without driving across the Rande Bridge and admiring the island of San Simón and the Cíes Islands, or the immensity of the Vigo estuary from above. It’s also worth going to one of Vigo’s viewpoints to see it at night, hanging majestically over the sea. Opened to traffic in 1981, it is crossed by some 50,000 vehicles every day and is one of the most iconic bridges in Spain.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
Things to do in and around Vigo Spain
Baiona
Baiona is located in the Val Miñor region in the middle of the Vigo estuary. It is one of the leading tourist destinations in Spain for its amazing nature to the history and culture. The beauty of its beaches, sheltered by a bay, are a perfect reflection of the seafaring tradition that the city exudes.
The town of Baiona is also a Site of Historic and Artistic Interest, as it was the place where the Pinta ship arrived with the news of the discovery of America.
Cíes Islands
One of the best things to do in Vigo Spain is an excursion to these islands. The Cíes Islands are an archipelago located in the outer part of the Vigo estuary. They are part of the Atlantic Islands National Park of Galicia Spain. These islands are one of Galicia’s best kept treasures thanks to their paradisiacal beaches and crystal clear waters.
Thanks to their richness, both in terms of wildlife and vegetation, and the spectacular landscapes, these islands make up an important cultural and natural heritage for Galicia. On the Cíes Islands you can go hiking, and find unique and isolated spots that appear as though no one has ever been there before.
You can also spend a weekend camping in the Cíes Islands’ campsites. Live in a wild and unique way, fully integrated with the surrounding nature.
How to organise the things to do in Vigo Spain?
- Get inspiration from the experiences of other travellers.
- Create your own itinerary and add the app’s suggestions to it.
- Add the spots you are most interested in, as well as the restaurants and bars where you want to eat (you can use the points of interest listed in this post as a reference).
- Organise your itinerary by days and according to their location (you can take inspiration from the routes presented in the post).
- Check the travel budget that the app calculates for you based on your travel stops, restaurants, and leisure activities.
- Make the necessary modifications and you are ready for your trip.
- Share your experience. Upload photos of each of the places you have visited to the app to inspire other users.
If you have any doubts, you can read our post: How to create your travel itinerary with Passporter.
Frequently asked questions
Vigo’s Peinador airport has connections to the most important Spanish cities and to several international destinations. Vigo also has road and train links to Madrid and other Spanish cities.
In addition, Vigo is one of the few cities you can get to by boat, through the Vigo estuary, and dock in the city centre.
The easiest way to get around Vigo is by public transport such as bus or taxi. However, it’s best to discover the city on foot so you don’t miss any of its most special places.
As a good Galician city, Vigo has a great gastronomy based on seafood. Here’s a selection of the city’s best restaurants for you to choose from on your trip.
– Tapas Areal
– Follas Novas
– Casa Vella
– Taberna A Pedra
– Asador Soriano
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