You can’t get a complete feeling of Vigo without driving across the Rande Bridge and enjoying the views of San Simón Island, the Cíes Islands and the immensity of the Vigo estuary. We recommend you go to one of the viewpoints in Vigo to see it at night, hanging majestically over the sea. Opened to traffic in 1981, approximately 50,000 vehicles cross it every day and it’s one of the most distinctive bridges in Spain.
The Mar de Vigo Auditorium conference centre faces the sea, in accordance to its name. The building was designed by César Portela, defying the Atlantic Ocean’s full force in the port area and opening a space filled with leisure and culture in Vigo’s most industrial neighbourhood. It has a privileged sun terrace and a very complete schedule of activities! It hosts shows, conferences, trade shows and professional forums... we’re sure you’ll be surprised.
Príncipe is Vigo’s main shopping street. Named after the son of Isabel II, this street is the commercial heart of the city and has the best selection of establishments: clothing, crafts, shoes, waffles, jewellery and the top Galician fashion labels... Príncipe Street has everything you’re looking for. Close by, you’ll also find one Vigo’s most traditional markets, O Progreso, where the expert pescantinas (fish sellers) will be glad offer you the freshest fish in town.
Bouzas is Vigo’s seaside neighbourhood. There, Vigo's frantic rhythm slows down and it’s like you’ve travelled back in time to a more relaxed past. Strolling through the Old Town, along its cobbled and magical streets, will take you to the promenade, where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Vigo estuary. The town is also full of lively terraces; the perfect place to end the day watching the sunset while having some traditional tapas: small fried fish, mussels, clams, razor-shells... or the popular empanada (fish or meat pie).
Vigo is the sea, and the sea is Vigo. Not surprisingly, the port of Vigo is where the largest quantity of fresh fish is handled in Europe. The Vigo fish market is famous for selling much of all the fish consumed in Spain and Europe. It’s a large fish market that hosts a frantic spectacle every morning, an auction where the world's best fish is shipped directly to markets in half of Europe.
The spectacular beauty of Samil Beach incites its visitors to spend hours facing the ocean. The Atlantic bathes its white sands, and the silhouette of the Cíes Islands and Toralla Island is a clear reflection of why the Vigo estuary is different. Nature itself created barriers to protect it, giving Vigo mild winters and warm summers, or its famous microclimate: the sunniest and less rainy in all of Galicia.
O Castro Mountain witnessed the birth of Vigo; it’s where the first viguenses (people of Vigo) lived in the second and third centuries BC and the remains of the settlement are preserved in the area’s archaeological site. The city then grew up and down from O Castro, in a winding manner that created a unique orography, making it possible to have a mountain in the heart of the city. This natural luxury offers the best views of the Vigo estuary and the most beautiful sunsets.
Porta do Sol is Vigo’s centre point, the hinge that connects Vigo’s Old Town and the Ensanche, the city’s oldest areas. This is where you’ll find art foundations, cultural centres and the most modern museums in Vigo. One of the symbols of the city is located right on the imaginary line traced by the Porta do Sol: the sculpture of El Sireno (The Merman), by Francisco Leiro, is a metaphor of the union between man and the sea.
The Calle de las Ostras (Oyster Street) is perhaps the biggest tourist attraction in urban Vigo: a whole street for tasting the famous Vigo estuary oysters. The tradition is instinctive: the molluscs are purchased directly from the oyster sellers and eaten right there on the tables provided by the establishments along the street. The best way to wash down this bite of the sea is a glass of white wine with Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin.
Vigo’s horizon is speckled by the Cíes Islands, our marine-terrestrial park and one of the most beautiful places in Galicia. The Cíes Islands combine the most beautiful beaches of Vigo with a unique, natural environment and the most exquisite seabeds in Spain. You can take the ferry to the archipelago in summer and Easter; it’s the ideal place for a family trip or to spend a weekend camping and hiking in Vigo.
