Discover Vigo



The most populated city in Galicia, of 300,000 inhabitants and covering a surface area of 110 km. sq., has undergone spectacular growth in the numbers of visitors in recent years, in which they find a world at their service in the beauty of the river, in its artistic-cultural heritage, in its business opportunities and in its open and business-like nature., in its gastronomy and its infrastructures.

Vigo is well communicated thanks to a complete network made up of its Atlantic port, its airport, the motorways and highways and railways that enable it to make a transport offer that suits all tastes and is for all destinations.

The most populated city in Galicia, of 300,000 inhabitants and covering a surface area of 110 km. sq.

Vigo is, above all, sea. A sea whose waters inspired our medieval troubadour Martín Códax , who found the rhythm for his beautiful ballads in the comings and goings of the waves. It was by chance that a bookseller called Vindel found the ballads seven years after their composition, in a parchment covering a copy of Cicero’s De Oficciis. These songs tell a beautiful love story that is carried on at the Vigo River.

The inhabitants of the iron age settlements left their mark, the Romans of the "Vicus Spacorum". And the pirates from Normandy, Arabia, England, Holland and Turkey, etc.

Without a doubt, its mild climate, the fertility of its lands and its strategic geographical location has assisted the human presence in this region since time immemorial. The inhabitants of the iron age settlements left their mark at 26 catalogued settlements; the Romans of "Vicus Spacorum", the name from which that of the city and its initial port facilities would arise, and the Norman, Arab, English, Dutch and Turkish pirates compelled us to harden ourselves in the arts of defence. Because of them, we needed to expel the Napoleonic troops of the city on March 28, 1809 and that made Vigo a “loyal and valuable city”, a title whose bicentennial we celebrate this year, at our now traditional Festival of the Reconquest.

From that time onwards, Vigo began a phase of expansion that has continued until our time and that has transformed us into the main fishing port of Spain and one of the biggest ones in the world. Shipyards (Barreras and Vulcano) and canning factories (Bernardo Alfageme, Albo) grew up around that industry, along with all types of companies associated with the sea (Pescanova). The industrial make up of the city is complemented by factories such as that of PSA - PEUGEOT where over 7000 people work. Tourism, sustained by some enviable natural and cultural resources, and the extensive business, hotel and hostelry offer, complete the city’s economic base. In addition, the “Mar de Vigo” Auditorium –Convention Hall, and the IFEVI trade fair enclosure, amongst others, make Vigo into a significant meeting place every year at the national and international levels, such as the World Fishing Exhibition or the International Jumper Championship (IJC).

The main fishing port in Spain and one of the biggest in the world.

f we go up to the O Castro park, a green space in the city, we find a place where the old is mixed with the modern. The historic centre is full of spots, corners and alleyways with old Stone pavings, all types of buildings that range from seaport classification to the most bourgeois one. In its heart we find the Santa María Temple, whose inside is the home to the Cristo de la Victoria, the patron saint of the city. Very close by, we find the A Pedra district, with its attractive commercial and hostelry offer..

The rest of the city spreads out around the old centre: Forestry parks, beaches, gardens, the lookout point of nuestra Señora de la Guía, neighbourhoods with a seaport feel such as those of Bouzas and Berbés, urban walkways and pedestrian zones that are intermingled with buildings, businesses, shopping centres, sports facilities, the Real Club Celta Football Stadium and the extensive port area. And this is all with the imposing Vigo Rover and the Cíes Isles, part of the Natural Park, as an outstanding backdrop.

The sea is industry, industrial wealth, commerce, transport but also sport and adventure.

The port zone is the home to the fishing port with its exchanges, shipyards, container wharfs and passenger port, where dozens of cruisers moor up every year and from which a lot of travellers set off for other parts of the world. The sea is history, industrial wealth, commerce and transport but also of sport and adventure. The Vigo River satisfies the best conditions for hosting a port; excellent natural conditions for providing access and shelter to shipping, its landscape and its tranquillity comprise an ideal spot for practising nautical activities throughout the year. This is why the Vigo River was chosen as a starting point for internationally-recognised sporting events such as Power Boat, the Volvo Ocean Race or the Atlantic Challenge Sailing Championship.

Vigo has numerous beaches along its coastline. From large sandy strips such as the Samil or the Vao, to small bays with fine sand and clear water. Although we are talking about paradisiac settings and biodiversity it is essential to go over to the Cíes Isles, an archipelago forming part of the Atlantic Islands Natural Park. Known as the Islas de los Dioses in olden days, it is not strange that the beach that is now known as the best in the world, Rodas, is found in them.

With this baggage, we should not be surprised that Jules Verne wanted to immortalise that unique setting, using it “Vigo Bay” as a title to a chapter of his book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

We should not be surprised that Jules Verne wanted to immortalise that unique setting, using it “Vigo Bay” as a title to a chapter of his book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

Captain Nemo enters our River so as to recover the gold and silver that have come from America, which had been left buried under the water after the Rande Battle that saw the French-Spanish fleet come up against the Anglo-Dutch one in 1702.

Art is ethereal until some hands give it detail, model it and create it. From the first architectonic manifestations and dolmens and Castro towns, going through Roman churches, the city walls that lasted for over 200 years and the defensive bastions of A Laxe, San Sebastian and el Castro till we reach the eclectic, modernist and rationalist splendour where the granite quarry attains its utmost expression and delicacy with names such as Antonio Palacios, Jenaro de la Fuente, Gómez Román Enrique Miralles or César Portela. As regards religious architecture, special mention should be made of the temple of Santa María, that of Santiago de Vigo and A Guía hermitage.

Vigo is the home to the Galician art and archaeology (Quiñones de León, the Municipal Art Gallery), contemporaneous (Marco), ethnology (Liste), sea (Sea Museum), letters (Verbum) museums, etc. as well as a large variety of foundations, cultural centres, and art rooms with permanent and travelling exhibitions.

Agustín Querol and his Monument to Elduayen, a thirtieth part of the sculptures of the native of Vigo, Camilo Nogueira, the allegorical works of Buciños, the large sculptural symbols of the city: “the Siren” by Francisco Leiro, the “Monument to Work” by Ramón Conde, the “Horses” by Juan Oliveira, the “Atlantic Gate” by Silveiro Rivas or the “Swimmers” by Francisco Leiro and the most recent ones, “Jules Verne” by José Molares or the “Monument to the singers. Poets and troubadours of the Vigo River”, by Xaime Quesada shape the city’s cultural wealth with their hands.

And to leave a good taste in the mouth, we can sit ourselves down on any terrace to simple the superb cuisine that is native to Vigo. It is obligatory to go visit the street of the oysters to taste those delicious bi-valve mollusc with a fine Albariño or a Ribeiro in an unrepeatable setting. But also the meats, the country fruits and, above all, our unbeatable shellfish and fish, along with the Galician wines making a burst of taste for any palate. In Vigo, tradition and modernity live hand-in-hand and they are complemented in both author’s kitchens and in the most popular pubs.

Guía | Guide | Guía | Guida | Guia | Reiseführer

Guía: Mar de Vigo. Ciudad de emociones.

Guide: Mar de Vigo. Une ville d'èmotions.

Guía: Mar de Vigo. Cidade de emocións.

Guide: Mar de Vigo. City of emotions.

Guida: Mar de Vigo. Città di emozioni.

Guia: Mar de Vigo. Uma cidade de emoçôes.

Reiseführer: Mar de Vigo. Stadt der Emotionen.