Vigo in 1 Day: all you need to know

Visiting Vigo in one day will only make you want to come back soon to see more of the city, so in this itinerary of things to see and do in Vigo in 24 hours, I'll show you some of the best options in and around the city, not counting the Cíes Islands.

Shopping in the city, tours of the best of Galician gastronomy and visiting the main museums and historical and cultural sites are some of the activities you can't leave out when you decide to stay in Vigo for a day.

To begin this tour of the best places in Vigo, you'll start by travelling from the city centre, from where you're staying, to a beach area. Let's assume you'll do the tour the day after arriving in the city and transferring from the airport to Vigo.

You'll use the whole day to see the best of the city and its surroundings. Tombo do Gato beach is excellent for getting to know the city's coast without having to drive for a long time.

It is located just 13 minutes by rental car from the city centre. To enjoy the whole day without wasting it, I recommend leaving your hotel early in the morning to get to the beach by 8:00 at the latest. The idea is that you can have breakfast at one of the beach bars that are set up on the shore of the beach.

Here you will stay for no more than two hours, so that you can take advantage of the whole day and see other places that are also of tourist and cultural interest in the region. You can take a swim and also take a lot of pictures of the scenery. You can go on your own by rental car, or you can choose an excursion that will take you to the beach.

Interesting details

• Price: Entrance to the beach is free of charge, after which the price of food at the beach bars may vary according to the food options available at each location.
• Opening hours: Open all day.
• Means of transport: You can go by hire car, taxi or even on a guided tour.
• How to get there: If you go by private car you have to drive along Avenida Beiramar and Avenida Atlántida.

After a nice walk on the beach and perhaps a swim in the warm waters of Tombo do Gato, it's time to continue your day trip in Vigo. By this time it should be approximately 10:00. The next stop is the Galician Museum of the Sea.

This place is just a few metres from Tombo do Gato beach, and it's one of my favourite places to visit in Vigo because it's where you'll find all the maritime history of this city, which is quintessentially fishermen's town.

Inside this museum you can see valuable objects from the maritime history of the city of Vigo, as well as countless videos, and listen to many audios that tell the history and development of the maritime industry in the area. All this makes it an interesting place to visit with children.

The opening hours of this museum are from 10:00 to 14:00, so it is a perfect opening time for you who would be arriving at 10:00 or a few minutes later, to the place. To go through the whole museum, you won't need more than an hour and a half or two hours, so you would be leaving this place by 12:00 at the latest.

Details of interest

• Price: Children under the age of 8 and school students get in for free, while admission for the rest of the public can cost between 1 and 3 euros. The variation depends on the age or status of the visitor, whether student, pensioner, person under 18.
• Opening hours: In winter it is open from Tuesday to Friday between 10:00 and 14:00 and between 16:00 and 19:00, while on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays it is open between 11:00 and 14:00 and between 17:00 and 20:00. In summer it is open from 11:00 to 14:00 and then from 16:30 to 20:00, every day.
• Means of transport: You can get there on foot from Tombo do Gato beach, but you can also get there by private car.
• How to get there: If you go by car you only have to drive along Atlantida Avenue from the beach to the Museum's door.

When you leave the Museum of the Sea of Galicia, you'll follow your way to a fishing village that perfectly reflects Vigo's seafaring characteristics. It's located very close to the museum, so to get there you'll have to drive along Avenida da Atlántida and then turn at the roundabout to go towards Camiño da Veiguiña, to return to Atlántida and continue to the village of Bouzas.

One of the things you will like most about this village when you arrive is the large number of two-storey houses, as well as its cobbled streets and its very traditional commerce. You will be able to enjoy the food market and above all the beautiful promenade of almost 3 kilometres that is located in the village.

This is a place to take the time to wander through street by street and lose yourself in it. It has a lot of traditional things to show, as well as a coastal and traditional gastronomy that you can't miss. It is in this place where I recommend you to look for a good place to eat. A good place to enjoy good food from Vigo is A Gavela and Los Fogones de Ana.

You can also visit this village with a guided tour, which is one of the best excur sions you can find from Vigo. Between the visit and lunch in this place, it should take you no more than 2 hours, so let's say you'll leave this village at approximately 14:00, on your way to your next destination.

Interesting details

• Price: There is no charge to go to this village, unless you decide to take a guided tour. What you do have to pay for is the food in the restaurants where you eat.
• Time: You can visit the village at any time you want, but daytime is much better. However, if you go on a guided tour, the time will be suggested by the tour team.
• Means of transport: If you go on your own, I recommend you choose to go by rental car. If you go on a guided tour, you may travel by bus or car with all facilities.
• How to get there: To get there you have to drive along the Avenida da Atlántida and then continue towards the village of Bouzas.

Leaving the outskirts of Vigo and driving towards the historic centre, which will be one of your last stops, you'll turn off towards the Port of Vigo. This is a must-see if you're visiting Vigo for a day, because this place represents to a large extent what is the main economic activity of this region, fishing.

It's one of the main ports in Galicia and the whole of Spain, so why not visit it? You can go on your own, or you can choose to take a guided tour. The advantage of guided tours is that they will tell you much more than you can see, you will learn much more about the fishing history of the region and you will also learn about the current fishing activity.

Another thing you will like about this place is that you will have the opportunity to see for your own eyes, all the structures that converge in this place. It's definitely a visit you'll love to make with your family, friends or partner, and it's even a good place to include among the things to see and do in Vigo with children.

The schedule for these visits is from 11:00 to 13:00 and usually lasts at least two hours, after which they offer a seafood platter. Assuming you arrive here after 14:00, you'll be able to participate in the mariscada, which will serve as lunch. If you want to eat something extra, you can do so in a restaurant in Bouzas.

Interesting details

• Price: If you go on your own, you can tour the port for free, but if you go with the intention of enjoying a guided tour, you can pay a fee of approximately 8 euros per person, although the price may vary depending on your age. If you are going on a private guided tour, prices may vary according to the package.
• Opening hours: The port can be visited between 11:00 and 13:00 if you want a guided tour. If you want to visit on your own, you can do so at the time of your choice. The mariscada is from 14:00 to 17:00.
• Means of transport: You can arrive by private car or take a guided tour, in which you will go by bus with all the facilities.
• How to get there: To get to the Port from the village of Bouzas you will have to enter through the private streets that lead to the port.

About 14 minutes from the Port of Vigo is the emblematic Porta de Sol Square. It's located on the border between the old Vigo and the city's expansion, although nobody knows this side of the city as such.

In any case, this place is very special because it is home to one of the most popular sculptures in the whole city of Vigo, the Siren, which represents the symbiosis between a human being and a fish, alluding to the main economy of the region.

The Porta de Sol square gets its name from the fact that it was once the site of one of the entrance gates to the old walled city, which is why today you can see the difference between the old city and the modern one.

This is a good place to visit around 16:00 or 16:30, after arriving from your walk along the harbour. I recommend you to start here for a complete tour of the surrounding places.

Details of interest

• Price: Being in this square is free of charge.
• Timetable: You can be in this square for as long and as late as you like.
• Means of transport: Getting to this square is easy, you can get there by public transport, rental car or on a guided tour.
• How to get there: To get there from the port, you'll have to go out to Avenida da Beiramar and continue to the centre of Vigo.

A few steps further in from Porta de Sol, towards the old town of Vigo, you'll be able to see the different nuances of Vigo's historic centre. The best way to get to know Vigo's Old Town is by taking a guided tour with an expert tour guide, who will tell you everything you need to know about this place.

There's a lot to see in the historic centre, and in fact, it's a good place to have a coffee and a snack, because there are many interesting places and cafes you can visit to taste the typical gastronomy of the region, some of these places are Nakez Coffee, Lauténtica and Vitruvia Café.

On the other hand, among the places you can't miss if you want to visit Vigo's historic centre are: Vigo Cathedral, Constitution Square, Santa María Church and Rúa de la Pescadería.

One of the best tours of Vigo, with a special focus on the old town and even the entrance to Porta, can take no less than 2 hours, so you'll probably finish this activity around 18:00, just in time to continue to your next stop on the itinerary.

Details of interest

• Price: On your own you don't have to pay to enjoy the old town, but if you pay for a guided tour, you can pay between 14 and 50 euros to walk around the city, the price varies according to the way the tour is done.
• Timetable: If you go on your own, you can do the tour at any time you want. If you go on a guided tour, you can coordinate the timetable with the guide.
• Means of transport: You can arrive by private car, on foot or by bus if you go on a guided tour.
• How to get there: From Porta de Sol to the historic centre, you can get there on foot because it is only a few steps away.

Very close to Vigo's historic centre, you'll find one of the best museums in Vigo, which is also a bastion of the city's art and culture. One of the best things you'll find in this museum is the large number of educational and training programmes offered for children.

For the rest of the tourists, the temporary exhibitions according to the latest artistic production are always changing, to offer the public a unique experience in every visit.

And speaking of visits, the opening hours of this museum are until 21:00, so if you leave the Old Town at 18:00, you will have enough time to arrive and visit the museum. One service that you will like, especially if you arrive at 18:00, is that at that time the museum offers free guided tours to all visitors to the museum.

You will also have the opportunity to see the permanent exhibitions, where you can learn about national and international art from a historical and historical point of view. In addition, admission to MARCO is free, which is excellent if you are on a short budget and on a budget.

Interesting details

• Price: Free admission and free guided tours at 18:00.
• Opening times: Closed on Mondays. Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 14:30 and from 17:00 to 21:00. Sundays from 11:00 to 14:00.
• Means of transport: Private car, on foot, by taxi or guided tour.
• How to get there: You can get to the museum by private car and park in the vicinity of the museum. You can also get there by taxi or public transport. As you're coming from the historic centre of Vigo, you can also get there on foot.

The castle on top of Monte O Castro is open to the public 24 hours a day. One of the historical sites does have specific opening hours, but in the case of the castle, you can visit it whenever you want.

This place is ideal to look at the whole city from a better perspective. I would say it is one of the best viewpoints in the city, so it is worth going up just after leaving the Museum of Contemporary Art. By this time it should be no later than 20:00.

At night you'll be able to see the whole city illuminated, so going up at this time is a good activity to include among the best things to do in Vigo at night and especially to see the inside of the place. The castle is fully illuminated, so you won't have trouble seeing the whole place.

The visit to Monte O Castro won't take more than an hour, so when you get off, your watch should be no later than 21:30, a perfect time to grab a bite to eat and party in the city of Vigo.

Interesting details

• Price: You can enter the place for free. If you go with a guided tour, you can pay a bit more.
• Opening hours: This place is open to the public 24 hours a day.
• Means of transport: You can get there by private car, on foot or by public transport.
• How to get there: To get there you will have to climb the mountain which is approximately 150 metres high.

This is the place par excellence for parties and live music in Vigo. This is the place where the locals go out to party, so I recommend you check out the venues located here. This experience will start at 22:00.

Some of the places where you can try the best tapas of Vigo's gastronomy are: Black Box Vigo, Pub Transylvania, 20th Century Rock and La Iguana Club. Many of these places are also ideal to stay and enjoy live music and nightclubs.

The opening hours to enter these clubs vary according to each one of them, as well as the prices vary according to the offer of each one of the establishments that are in the locality. The best thing about this place is that it has a varied gastronomic offer that not only includes traditional Vigo food, but also international food.

Interesting details

• Price: The price of admission to each establishment varies according to the policies of each one. The prices of the food may vary according to the menu of each establishment.
• Opening hours: This party and music venue is mainly open at night. On some days it is usually open during the day as well.
• Means of transport: You can get there on foot, by public transport or by private car.
• How to get there: If you go by car, you can park near any of the establishments.