Vigo

1) General information


The large and modern new town of Vigo is located in the province of Pontevedra in the bay (or ria) from which it takes its name. Around Vigo lay the districts of Alcabre, Samil and Catabo, whilst within the city there are some more familiar names like Florida.

Vigo really is vast and as you drive through it, it appears to continue endlessly along the winding coastline. The views of the city, and especially of its many small bays and beaches, are seen at their best from the motorway toll road on which most visitors will approach the city. This elevated highway runs not just through, but also above the greater part of the city and this is how most tourists and visitors to Vigo will initially see its cityscape.

Because of Vigo's size it is advisable to obtain a map before attempting to navigate within the city. Searching for the old quarter, or trying to find the large Parque de Castro (park and gardens) without a street or location plan is not a good idea (I write from experience).
Although large in scale, Vigo lends itself to being divided up into a number of tourist "hot spots" and once this has been done the city takes on a much more manageable look.

At the top of most tourist's "things to see" list is the old quarter and this occupies a compact area on a fairly steep incline that runs down to the ocean front. This area is has a double appeal because it also backs directly onto the recreational portion of the marina with Vigo's "Club Nautico" at the ocean front.

When combined, these two areas and the "las Avenidas" pedestrianised zone that divides them, become a good starting point for an exploration of Vigo. They also contain a couple of dozen bars and cafes, most lining the "Avenidas" or in the plazas of the historic district. Also just off "las Avenidas" is parking and the departure point for an open topped sightseeing bus tour journey around the city.

How long to stay? Casually wondering around the old quarter and port and then taking in some refreshment can easily fill two, three or even four hours.

Once the old town and port have been ticked off the list, another worthwhile trip is a visit to the "Parque de Castro" gardens in the center of the city. Getting to this park involves passing through much of Vigo's shopping district, but it may be advisable to drive or use public transport.

The park has some archaeological ruins and a tree lined boulevard called the "Avenida Marques de Alcedo". The old quarter and sea front lie below (to the north) of this park.

Vigo has much to endear it and we found a further "mini" historic district in another part of the town. There are also spasmodic parts of the seafront which are still comprised of the old fisherman's houses from anything up to three centuries ago.

On the outskirts of Vigo "proper" is the hamlet of Boulaz and parts of this town are still very representative of the Vigo of a days gone by. Again this part of the city is easily visited by anyone with a car. It borders the district of Alcabre, just outside of Vigo.

Another advantage of Vigo city is the accessibility of everything from international restaurants to designer boutiques. Vigo offers high class shopping, top quality hotels and it is within a half hours drive of Pontevedra and an hours drive from "Porto" in Portugal. As a base from which to explore southern Galicia and northern Portugal, Vigo is ideal.

If Vigo has a drawback, then it is its prices. Vigo is the most expensive city in Galicia when it comes to buying a drink or finding something to eat, but again this perceived expense is based on Galician, rather than international standards.

2) The Port and Marina at Vigo

The part of Vigo's port that most tourists will initially head for is undoubtedly the marina.
This marina is one of the most exclusive in Galicia and it is certainly a nice place to visit, or indeed to stop at and get some refreshment from one of the overlooking cafes. The marina's Nautical Club sits just in front of the attractive “as Avenidas” area and this is very much a part of Vigo that has been designed with tourism in mind.

The marina has a continuous promenade, offers an opportunity to see every type, size and value of boat imaginable and, on a sunny day, makes for a relaxing and enjoyable walk. The area is frequented with cafes and bars and is close to the old quarter of the town.

The embarkation point for cruise liners is at a different point in the port to the main marina, so those wishing to see this will need to get back in the car, or take the tourist bus that departs and returns from the marina and travels on a route that takes in the cruise ship docking area.

Aside from the marina, Vigo's commercial port does have an appeal all of its own, at least to some (including me). The port is truly enormous and it seems to continue for kilometre after kilometre with massive ships, cranes the height of skyscrapers, and more containers than most people though existed the world over.

We actually found the size and spectacle of Vigo's port quite something to see as it takes on the scale of a city rather than a mere port.

For those interested in the magnitude of Vigo's ocean side developments, a short car journey to the town of Teis and the vantage point of “Ermita and the Mirrador de a Guia” (a park built on a hill) shows the true extent of the port. It also confirms why Vigo is so important to the economy of Galicia and Spain.

For those wishing to see a quaint and typically Galician “fishing village" type port, Vigo will most definitely not fit the bill, although some of the local coastal towns will.



3) The old town of Vigo

Based around the original fishermen's houses and located on the slopes leading down to Vigo's earliest port, the city's old quarter is extremely underrated and actually a small treasure. Amazingly most guides do not even mention Vigo's old district, but it is there and it is definitely worth seeing.

This part of the town existed long before Vigo attained its present population and city status, but like the original town walls, part of the district was demolished to make way for newer developments.

Despite "new" Vigo's advance, the old quarter (running down to what is now the marina) still retains many of its original buildings with the "Iglesia Concatedral de Santa Maria" (church) very much at its center.

Translated as the "Collegiate church of Saint Maria", this is the oldest of the city's churches and what remains of the original town radiates away from it on streets like the "Rua Real" and the "Triunfo". Some of these streets are connected by the narrowest of alleys and others have incredibly steep flights of steps leading away from them and down to the port area. Some of these stairs are so steep and narrow that few would consider using them today.

A hundred years earlier this old quarter would have been much larger, but even now many of the buildings that formed the nucleus of the district are still standing. So too are four of the original squares, numbering the "plaza de Pedra", immediately below St. Maria's church, the "plaza Almeida", just above the church, along with the "plaza Princesa" and the largest of the four, the "plaza Constitucion".

All of these squares are atmospheric and overlooked by the original buildings of the area and the latter two have the addition of tables and chairs from the café culture that now thrives in this area.

Walking around the old town is definitely an experience and any visitor will be surprised that such a place still exists in the vast metropolis that is Vigo. But the old quarter is far from dead and in the area around the Pedra square there is a market along with ladies selling the traditional oysters of the locality. These oysters are presented on boxes and benches and the shells cracked open when you make your order.

The levels of renovation in Vigo's old town do vary and whilst most of this district is in excellent condition, there are some small areas that are presently (July 2007) being refurbished. These areas are however small and do not detract from the character of the neighbourhood.
In days gone by a small part of the old town, in the vicinity of the Pedra square, was a meeting point for smugglers and as you walk down these narrow lanes it is easy to see why. Very few streets are straight and all seem to have projections or hidden alleys at every bend. It would have been easy for smugglers to evade those trying to enforce the law, especially outside daylight hours.

During the day these winding streets can offer much appreciated shade from the sun, but at night they must take on a totally different and much more eerie feel. The smugglers are definitely gone, but their shadows still remain.

The scale of the buildings in the old town should not be underestimated, nor should the variety of building in this historic district. Although some of the original fishing houses still comprise this area, this was the first real settlement of Vigo and there are a significant number of much larger and grander structures to see.


The four plazas in particular are overlooked by some large stone buildings of four and five storeys in height and some of these are of classic Galician design with arched walkways at ground level and balconies on the preceding floors. The more recent building too have adopted similar aesthetics ensuring that this special area loses nothing of its old world charm.
Probably the most important street in old Vigo is, or at least once was, "Rua Real". Running from the church of Maria to the site of the first port, this is the street on which most of the remaining fishermen's houses can now be found. The oldest of these properties date back to the sixteen hundreds while the more recent examples were constructed in the nineteenth century. It is also from the Rua Real that a number of incredibly steep flights of stone stairs descend down and approach the port.


It would be wrong to overstate the size of Vigo's old town, but despite is small stature it is well worth visiting.


Wondering around the narrow streets and then seeing one of them open up onto an unexpected plaza is something that few cities on Vigo's scale can still offer. This town also has genuine atmosphere and with its cafes and the marina never more than a few strides away it is not to be missed.