Vigo

Vigo is a 295,323 inhabitants city located in Rias Baixas and being the most populated city in Galicia and the 14th in Spain. It's also the city with largest population which isn't capital or province or region. Vigo metropolitan area is the 12th largest of Spain, with 479,256 people living here. Vigo metropolitan area is the 12th largest of Spain, with 478,256 people living here. It has its own university, airport, entities like the European Fisheries Control Agency or Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park's site.

How do I arrive to Vigo?

  Vigo's economic importance makes it very well communicated with the rest of Galicia and of Spain. 

• Plane: there are national connections with cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Málaga plus seasonal connections with United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy. There are buses connection Vigo and its airport every 30-60 minutes for 1.35€ (one-way).
• Boat: boats connect Vigo with some of the islands of Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park.
• Train: Vigo has two stations. From Vigo-Urzáiz station there are high-speed trains to Pontevedra (aprox. 15 minutes), Santiago de Compostela (aprox. 1 hour) and A Coruña (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes). The other station, Vigo-Guixar station, has trains to these destinations plus, among others, trains to Ourense (between 1.5 and 2 hours), Porto (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes).
  
• Bus: there are many routes from Vigo Bus Station to Pontevedra (aprox. 1 hour), Ourense (aprox. 1.5 hours), Santiago de Compostela (aprox. 1.5 hours), among others. Vigo is also connected with other Spanish cities like Madrid (7-9.5 hours aprox.) four times per day. There are also two buses every day to Porto (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes).
• Car: if you rented a car, it's 30 minutes far from Tui and Pontevedra, 35 minutes from Baiona, 1 hour 15 minutes journey from Ourense and from Santiago de Compostela. It's also connected with Portugal via Viana do Castelo (aprox. 1 hour), reaching Braga (aprox. 1 hour 13 minutes) and Porto (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes).

History

The land that nowadays is part of Vigo has been inhabited since Pre-history with more than 26 castros in its municipaly, the largest one in Monte do Castro. Roman trade was important in this area but it's still unknown if there was any important Roman population here (according to the legend Julius Caesar spent some days resting in Cíes Islands during the war against Lusitanians).Vigo's history during Middle Ages is blurry, with some Romanesque churches and bridges. From the 12th century Vigo started recovering population (based in sardine fishing and trade) but it was still less important than Baiona (due to its royal privieges). During the 16th century Vigo was attacked several times by Ottoman and English pirates (Francis Drake attacked it twice, being successful just once). In 1702 here takes places the Battle of Vigo Bay (where Dutch and English ships attacked boats that came from America with richness) and in 1719 the capture of Vigo during the War of the Quadriple Alliance. In the end of the 18th century businessmen arrive to Vigo and that increases the importance of trade on its economy, continued in the 19th century with its trade with South America and the growth of its harbour. Vigo was also occpied by the French army during the Peninsular War and here arrived in 1898 the injured Spanish soldiers who participated in the Cuban War of Independence. Vigo was in the 20th century the port where Galician people emigrate and, during WW2, where Nazi Germany boats were based. In the years of the Spanish miracle and onwards the population of Vigo grew extraordinarily.

What can I visit in Vigo?

Despite being an industrial city Vigo has an interesting Old Town with many tapas bars, around streets like praza de Compostela, praza da Constitución or city districts like A Pedra or O Berbés. There are nice streets to go shoping like rúa dos Cesteiros, that reaches praza da Almeida.

These are Vigo's main attractions:

• Vigo Contemporary Art Museum (11-14:30 and 17-21 Tue-Sat; 11-14:30 Sun; free): art museum located in a 19th century prission with temporary expositions of reknown artists.
• San Sebastián Castle: 17th century fortress built to protect Vigo from Portuguese and British attacks.
• Francisco Fernández del Riego Art Gallery (18-21 Tue-Frie; 12-14 and 18-21 Sat; 12-14 Sun; free): gallery that displays works of arts of some of the main Galician artists in the 20th century like Xosé Laxeiro, Manuel Colmeiro, Manuel Lugrís or Luis Seoane. It also has temporary expositions.
• Vigo Co-Cathedral (18-20 Mon-Sat): 19th century Neoclassic style cathedral with colourful mosaics on its inner walls (from the 1960s).
• Monte do Castro Park: mount in the middle of the city that is used currently as a public park. From here there are good views of the Bay of Vigo and it can be seen one of the castros that was located in current Vigo, castro de Vigo, as well as another fortress, Castro Castle, from the 17th century and that was connected with San Sebastián Castle by tunnels.
• Sea Museum of Galicia (10-14 and 17-19 Tue-Fri, 11-14 and 17-20 Sat-Sun from Jul to Sep; 11-14 and 17-20 Tue-Sun from Oct to Jun; 3€/ 1.50€/ free  adults/ retiree and students/ kids under 8): huge museum dedicated to all the things related to the sea that is placed in a former canning factory. Its first part is dedicated to oceanographic investigation and its history (with many weird objects); and the second to fishing, a very important activity linked to Vigo (home of Europe's largest fishing fleet). It also has an aquarium with fish from this region and nearby there's a lighthouse with great views of the city.
• Vigo City Museum (10-14 Tue-Sat; 17-20 Sat; 11-14 Sun; free): 17th century pazo that hosts this museum, also known as Quiñones de León Museum. Its rooms, furniture and paintings are very well preserved (specially Doré hall); there are also expositions about archaeology and important canvases by Goya or by Fragonard. It has a garden that currently works as public park.
• Around Vigo there are some nice beaches like the touristic Samil Beach, a 1.2 km-long beach with views of Cíes Islands.
• In the north of Vigo, 22 km northwest from it, we arrive to Soutomaior (Sotomayor in Spanish), a 7,305 inhabitants municipaly whose main attraction is Soutomaior Castle (10-20 from May to Sep; 10-19 Tue-Fri and 10-18 Sat-Sun from Oct to Apr; 5€/ 2.50€  adults/ retiree and students). This 14th century castle is very linked to Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior, who organised a revolution against the Catholic Monarchs and the church, participating also in Irmandiñas wars. The castle has beautiful views and its 19th century garden is nice to walk.

Quiñones de León Museum

Sea Museum of Galicia

View of Monterreal Fortress and Monte Boi

Going 40 km south appears the town of Baiona (Bayona in Spanish), a 12,134 inhabitants resort municipality where the caravel La Pinta arrived in 1493, being the first European place to know the existence of the success of Christobal Columbus' journey. Baiona has an important Old Town full of 16th and 17th century houses close to the harbour front road, rúa Elduayen. The town's main monument is Monterreal Fortress (10-22 from Jul to Aug; 10-19 from Sep to Jun; 5€/ 1€  car/ pedestrian), fortress built between the 11th and 17th centuries located in Monte Boi with 3 km of walls and a nice trail that loops all over the mount. Nowadays it's home of a Parador, luxurous state-owned hotel, whose cafe terrace provides great views of the bay. Baiona has many other touristic attractions like caravel La Pinta (10-21 from Jul to Aug; 10-20 from Sep to Jun; 2€), reproduction of the one that reached Baiona in 1493 leaded by Martín Alonso Pinzón, with all the objects and people that brought from America; former St. María Collegiate Church (10-13:30 and 17-20), church in a transition style from Romanesque to Baroque with beautiful rosette and portico; and St. Liberata Chapel (10-13:30 and 17-20), church with an unsual representation on its portico, a crucified female.

Where can I eat in Vigo?

One of the best places to eat here is Rúa Pescadería, with a large offer of fresh seafood like oysters. Some recommendations to eat in Vigo are The Othilio Bar (rúa Luis Taboada 9), Frank (Rúa San Francisco 57), O Lagar (Rúa Igrexa 132) or Nautic (Rúa Igrexa 32). Higher prize there's the restaurant Follas Novas (rúa Serafín Avendaño 10).
There are many places to have a drink around Praza da Constitución or Rúa Areal like the concert halls La Iguana Club (rúa Churruca 14) or La Fábrica de Chocolate Club (rúa Rogelio Abalde 22).

Posted in: Europe,Galicia,Spain