Tourist Attractions in Vigo

Vigo lies on the slopes of a hill crowned by two old forts, the Castillo de San Sebastián (alt. 55m/180ft) and the Castillo del Castro (125m/410ft), from which there are extensive views in clear weather.

Within easy reach of the town are the beaches of Alcabre, Samil, Coruxo, O Bao, Canido and Saians.

In the Old Town's center is Vigo's principal church, the Neo-Classical Colegiata de Santa María, built in the early 19th century.

To the southwest of the Pescadería is the old-world fishing quarter of El Berbés, with the Dársena del Berbés, the busy fishing harbor. Above the harbor, on the slopes of the hill, extends the Paseo de Alfonso XIII, from which there are fine views of the town, the harbor and the ría.

Near the Colegiata de Santa María, below the pier (Muelle), is the Fish Market (Pescadería), the scene of lively activity when a fish sale is in progress. The Muelle de Transatlánticos, built out onto the ría (estuary), is used by ocean-going vessels.

1km/0.75mi northeast of Vigo is the Mirador de la Guía, from which there are fine views of the ría and the offshore islands.

On the east side of the hill is the newer part of the town, with modern tower blocks, broad avenues and beautiful parks. The town's main traffic arteries are the Avenida de García Barbón and its continuation Calle de Policarpo Sanz, on the northern slopes of the hill, Calle Urzaiz, which ascends the hill, and its continuation Calle del Príncipe, Vigo's main commercial and shopping street. Below Calle de Policarpo Sanz is the Plaza de Compostela (Alameda), with numerous monuments. This is continued eastward by the Avenida de Felipe Sánchez, which runs alongside the Puerto Comercial (Commercial Harbor).

Northwest of the new town, between the hill and the sea, is the old town of Vigo with its narrow and usually steep and winding streets.

On the southwestern outskirts of the town is the Parque Quiñones de León, with a large open-air theater.

Pazo de Castrelos is a large wooded park with a house (now a museum). Behind the house is a formal box garden, flanked by a terrace wall and a rose walk. Aveunes of magnolias and plane trees traverse a romantic garden in which grow a tulip tree.

Also in the Parque Quiñones de León is the 17th century Pazo de Castelos, flanked by two large battlemented towers, which now houses the Provincial Museum. This has a collection of pictures, mainly by Galician artists, and a section containing prehistoric antiquities and exhibits illustrating the history of the town.

The long inlets which cut into the coast north and south of Vigo are known as the Rías Bajas, the Lower Rías. The coastal landscape is less rugged than in the Rías Altas. The inhabitants live mainly by fishing, but the summer tourist traffic to the seaside resorts is becoming increasingly important.

The Islas Cíes, in the Ría de Vigo, were already inhabited in Celtic times. They shelter the ría from the winds and waves of the Atlantic and thus help to give it its mild climate. The islands of San Martín and Monteagudo have been declared a nature reserve in order to protect their flora and fauna. The boat trip from Vigo takes 45minutes.

The road passes through Pontevedra and round the ría to the seaside resort of Sangenjo (Galician Sanxenxo), from which a detour can be made to the former spa (thermal springs) of La Toja, one of the most attractive little towns on the northern Atlantic coast of Spain, magnificently situated at the tip of a promontory.

From Padrón the road runs along the north side of the ría to the Mirador de la Curota, from which there are views of all the Rías Bajas.

The road crosses a bridge spanning the inlet at the mouth of the Río Muiño (Galician Muinho) and comes to Bayona, a beautifully situated little port town which is now a popular seaside resort. Bayona was the first town to hear of the discovery of America, when the "Pinta" put in here in 1493 after its transatlantic voyage. From the walls of the 16th century Castillo Monte Real, now a parador, there are breathtaking views of the sea. Near the Romanesque/Gothic collegiate church (12th-13th C.) is a beautiful park centered on a granite figure of the Virgin.

La Toja lies on the Ría de Arosa (Galician Arousa) opposite the interesting little town of Cambados. In the center of Cambados is the beautiful Plaza de Fefiñanes, lined with arcaded houses, a fine 17th century mansion and the church of San Benito. The church of Santa Mariña is in ruins.

The coast road goes round the Ría de Vigo to Cangas, facing Vigo across the ría. Cangas, originally a fishing village, is now a seaside resort. There is a ferry service between Cangas and Vigo.

The road south of Vigo runs along the coast to La Guardia, a little port near the estuary of the Río Miño (Galician Minho), which forms the frontier between Spain and Portugal.

C 550 continues north to the Ría de Pontevedra. 7km/4.5mi along its south side is the naval base and shipbuilding town of Marín, which has a picturesque old fishing quarter.

C 550 continues from Noya round the Ría de Muros y Noya to the little fishing port of Muros, where the catches are mostly of sardines. A stroll through the charming quarters of A Cerca and A Xesta will reveal many of the typical old Galician houses with glazed balconies.

A secondary road leads northwest from Padrón to Noya, a little port which was known in antiquity as Noega. In the 12th century the town was surrounded by a massive circuit of walls, now largely destroyed; but Noya still preserves something of a medieval atmosphere, with a number of very handsome mansions such as the Casa de los Churruachos and the Palacio Peña de Oro and several old churches, the most interesting of which are San Martín (15th C.), with a richly sculptured facade and a fine rose window, and Santa María Nova, with a churchyard containing over 200 graves, some of them very old.

Farther down the rocky coast from Bayona is Oya, with the Benedictine monastery of Santa María la Real, in transitional Romanesque/Gothic style. It has an interesting 16th century cloister and a facade of 1740.

From Cambados, C 550 continues along the Ría de Arosa to Padrón, at the mouth of the Río Ulla. It was here, according to legend, that the ship carrying the body of the Apostle St James (Santiago) was miraculously brought to land. Beneath the high altar of the church of Santiago, which occupies the site of earlier Romanesque and Gothic churches, is a large stone to which the ship is said to have been moored.

From Vigo, C 550 leads south past the fishing port of Bouzas and then bears southwest, running close to the Ría de Vigo. A narrow road turns off on the right to the seaside resort of Panjón, beyond which, on a promontory, is a memorial to the dead of the Spanish merchant fleet.