037- Vigo - Galicia/Spain
I lived in Vigo for over two years, and while I was there, I was amazed by just how much there is to see and do almost every weekend. Towards the end of my final year, I understood why so many leave their well paid jobs just to come and live in this area, so… Let’s discover!
037.1 The first time I arrived in Vigo, it was by plane. Took Paris to Madrid and from there to Vigo; and because this airport is quite small, in the next trips, I learned to book in front (even if I have less leg room) and this way in no more than 20 minutes I would get from the plane being stopped, to the cab and then to my hotel room (Hotel Atlantico). Of course I could have taken the bus, however taxi prices in Vigo are not like in big cities so I preferred to “throw” my luggage and backpack in the taxi, and descend the mountain to the Bay Area without stops :)
037.2 After a few runs like that (Paris-Madrid-Vigo and back), one day, the plane was supposed to land like usually - however as I was looking outside the window, I could see people and even kids playing, clothes hanging and oranges and lemons in the trees… I got scared that we were gonna crash, so I decided next time to take the longer and safer route via Oporto/Porto international airport which is in Portugal. In fact all my work colleagues were doing just that (Paris-Porto and then renting a car), while I was the only one landing in Vigo (and getting to work too fast). To be honest, only 4 accidents with fatalities happened, and the last one in 2019, but not of regular flight.
So this is how I really got to meet one of my colleagues, while in the rented car, telling my stories about the stuff I saw after work in Vigo and near cities. Turns out the colleague also liked to travel, so she asked if she could join me the next time.
I thought that when it was time for me to go somewhere, and I would invite her, she would refuse. But no, she did not refuse and she did join me on a trip to A Coruña and just like this we became friends (after many more months actually). And then, after a few years, as God will have it, she is will be my wife and mother of our kids :) And we still travel and this website is about those travels, and it all started from one plane trip that was a bit too close to the ground for my taste.
037.3 Vigo has two (very close) terminus train stations: one for regional and international trains, plus another one, that is underground, which is for high speed trains. In the image above is Vigo Guixar train station and it is here that I would arrive from Portugal or Madrid or another city from Galicia. My first trip from this station was to A Coruna (this picture was taken on the return trip). I was buying my tickets only from the vending machine.
037.4 This image is of Vigo Urzaiz, the high speed terminus station. Trains from here stop/start as far as A Coruna and they also stop at Santiago de Compostela (it has an international airport) and of course Pontevedra. All these locations will be featured on this website.
The high speed train used to be 11euro for a 50 minute trip compared to 9,25euro and 1h30 minutes on the Guitar "slower" trains. Definitely for a 40 minutes faster trip, it is worth the less than a coffee price so when trains were not full, I would prioritise this station.
037.5 Since we’ve been talking about planes and trains, why not cruise ships also? Yes, Vigo has an international port (one of the very few in this whole region) and during the spring/summer many ships will stop to load or unload travellers. In fact, more than once I saw two big ships, docked at the same time. It is truly impressive to see these huge floating apartment ships coming to the Vigo Bay Area. Best place to see them is on the rooftop of Centro Comercial A Laxe (like in this picture), where you can also photograph the flag of Galicia sitting in front on the roof of Estación Marítima de Vigo. Also here is the main city pool can be accessed only with annual pass and is filled most of the time. While at Laxe commercial centre, I would like to say that this is the place I would come (a few times per week, for more than 2 years) to drink a coffee and watch the sunset and the boats leaving Europe, and into international waters. It is a very ... I really miss that :( me and my wife we both miss it and cannot wait for our babies to grow and come enjoy with us a hot milk for them and coffee for us. I hope the rooftop is still opened.
037.6 Other ships are brought to Vigo for a complete redo. In two years I saw two ships (one finishing and this one looking far from finished 🙂 ) (yes I did this shipyard in 3D and a similar looking ship. The one thing I loved the most about the whole thing, are the white and yellow cranes so initially I wanted to make only those and maybe some train tracks but then the composition looked weird so spend a few more nights doing the ship. Across the street there are many shops, office buildings, and from one shop (also closed now...) I bought for myself and my family Vigo Sardines that are actually chocolate but very convincing.
037.7 While at the category of boats, in Vigo each year people gather to participate in various local or international contests in different water sports, including Regata – the bay area gets filled, like a Ikea car parking :)) To be fair, there are boats all year around and I had a few colleagues owning boats in the port. Then there is also the Jules Verne statue in this area (near Laxe commercial centre).
037.8 I will show one more image of a boat, this time it is a wooden one, and it came all the way from Russia (this was in 2018). This is not the only wooden ship, because a year before, in 2017 (I lost my pictures due to hard-drive failure…) a Romanian ship came to Vigo with real students on it. Like I said before, I had the habit of drinking my afternoon coffee on the roof of Centro Comercial A Laxe (that is also where I would eat at least once a week). I did not knew it was Romanian, however I think I heard people shouting in Romanian, then I saw the Romanian flag and then I read the name: Mircea cel Batran (a ruler in the old days). In the article 029.23 (the last image of the article) it is barely visible at the horizon, the Romanian wooden ship sailing away.
037.9 I think it is time to switch from water to land, and speak about cars a bit. In Vigo there is a big car factory, and here is where I came to work for 2 years. Materials and some parts come to Vigo – while fully assembled and tested vehicles leave the region (many in these giant blue and white cargo sealed ships). People call the factory Citroen, because that’s what it was in the beginning. In fact at the start of this article, you might have seen some weird looking CV2 Citroen – well that vehicle was made here in Vigo, and by chance, I came to the same factory to help make the same, but much newer and safer model (in 2016/7/8). By the way, you can get the same view, like in this image, if you climb to the Castelo do Castro (in Vigo of course). Also when is less windy, the water is almost without waves (in the Bay Area) and the ships coming and going seem surreal (how can they float like that??)
037.10 Am I fond of the time spent here at the factory? Yes and no, not really. I can see why in the PSA (now Stellantis) group this was the most beautiful location, however work here was hard and stressful. Also it was the type of job where people like me must come, fix/unblock and then leave. And they don’t really hire so yeah I wish to work here, but not like a fixer, more like a regular worker. I hope they don't get replaced by Tesla/Nvidia robots and people still come by the hundreds, serve great food at the cantina, share a strong coffee and talk about everyday things when not working…
037.11 Because cars and boats are produced in Vigo, some people like to show some more exotic possessions from their collection. These cars for example can be seen on the streets but also in saloons/gatherings where they even get to drift or do laps on circuit. It’s actually a thing in Galicia and I saw it in more places than just Vigo. Also Galicia has a lot of American products.
037.12 Bike shops (any kind) are not a rare sight in Vigo. People love motorcycles, all sized, many actually American, European or Japanese and even Chinese/Indian. Also, with such a beautiful landscape, and mountainous region, some go with dirt bikes and mountain bikes (there are plenty of competitions for that, and plenty stories to hear on that topic).
037.13 Oh my … on the first days in Vigo, I could not keep my camera “quiet” as there was so much art in this city, left, right, on buildings, some on the ceiling of bridges. While I did not visit any art museum (there are a few actually), I have seen some of the most beautiful street art. This is NOT the place to walk and look at the phone - maybe I will make an article with some of the most impressive street art, just so I make my point. I wonder if street photographer who shoot black and white, will be convinced to use some colours for once :)
037.14 In the whole of Galicia, street art like this is not uncommon, however in Vigo it seems to be in full blossom. In 2017 and 2018 I got to see two huge works of art being painted on walls; one such work seen here on Rua da Coruna - read about it https://monacaron.com/EMER-GENTES-by-Mona-and-Liqen
037.15 In early 1910, Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados church and asylum was inaugurated. I recently checked on it and as of 2025 it seems to be in renovation, however in 2016/18 it was a graffiti place not hard to get inside (through the door actually). Weird how such a structure would be left "opened" for public.
037.16 Now, not all street art is made to look good (for everybody) or to dress the empty facade of a building/alley. In fact there is a ton of classic graffiti, as seen here on the Vigo La Panificadora (Bakery). Also a building part of the early 1900s, when Vigo was going through an industrial boom. Sadly many businesses are no longer, but the historic buildings are left (many due to legal reasons).
037.17 I arrived in Vigo in the late autumn of 2016 and this Hospital (Feral de Vigo) used to so tall and alone in the area that I used it as a “compass” to help get home. Then one day, we came back from one of our trips, and it looked like they were renovating it. Soon I realised they were just taking it apart, tile by tile, brick by brick... As it turns out, in 2015, the main Hospital was no longer Xeral, but another one, named Hospital Álvaro Cunqueiro. So when I saw it the first time, it was like a ruin in the making, except it was not allowed the time to become a ruin.
037.18 Speaking of ruins, this is Castelo do Castro and this is the oldest part of Vigo. These ancient walls sit on an even older ground where Castro settlements used to be. Some excavated ruins can be seen fully reconstructed, however the best (in my opinion) example of Castro type settlement can be seen at A Guarda (not far from Vigo, see article 028).
037.19 The walls are well preserved (restored) and people can walk on them, next to them, and step inside the watchtowers – all that free of charge (like most stuff in Galicia). Do note that this area is a common place for lovers to meet and also for dogs to bark and get aggressive and bite, all that far from owners (it happened to me). However, there is no castle inside the walls and the main reason to come here is to get awesome top views over Vigo. There is also this monument, with three anchors that I remade in Blender for this article (in fact it was the first thing I did in 3D for this article) and to learn more, please read the legend at the end.
037.20 One of the most beautiful pazo (palace) in Galicia is Museo Municipal de Vigo "Quiñones de León". It has a beautiful park (that is free) with a labyrinth and it made me feel a bit like in Sintra.
037.21 It even has a miniature palace that I think is for birds. The park is beautiful, filled with birds and it has children playgrounds. It is populated mostly by residents and less by tourists. There is also (not far) a music shop where we bought our first piano (electric) to re-learn how to play.
037.22 This palace is on the foundation of Pazo Lavandeira from the late 1600s and it was actually occupied (owned) until the early 1900s when it was donated (as the last owner did not have anybody to leave it to) to the city council (of Vigo). So that is the moment when it became a museum actually and people can visit, take photos, or just enjoy the large park (that does not involve climbing a lot like the Castelo do Castros.
037.23 It is probably weird to transition from a beautiful palace to a … stadium that does not even look like in this image anymore (the left side was under modernisation, and by the time I left, almost all the stadium transformed). Football is a religion in Vigo, and RC Celta de Vigo is not a small club. It is (or was) sponsored by the local industry, namely PSA (now Stellantis) and they are in the main league (La Liga).
037.24 When they had like big matches home (like on the 2nd of May 2017, against Real Madrid) they would dress one of their more recognizable statues (O Sereo / The siren) with a humongous jersey (which I was lucky to see live - btw I have the same one, but in smaller L size). To the left of the statue you can see a horse with a raider on it - that is the Vigo Afundacion Theater.
037.25 There isn’t snow in this region (only on the top of very high mountains - as we will see in the next article) so Christmas is a bit weird. This is the Rua Principe, and there are fashion shops left and right. It continues on Rua Urzaiz and then on Gran Via Boulevard (where there is also El Corte Ingles and Starbucks, however better coffee can be had in traditional shops).
037.26 Art and ... candies or should I say: lots of candy stores -> and kids are not fat, due to the fact that Vigo is not a flat city… in fact from my hotel I had to always climb quite a lot for 30 minutes, then gentle descent towards the factory). Even buses make noise as they climb Gran Via Boulevard. So yeah you can eat some frozen yogurt or sweets, all year long, and not worry about the weight -> Vigo will fix that if you like walking :))
037.27 Doing research for this bit, I found out 3 restaurants I used to eat in 2016/8 got closed (perhaps during Covid 19). This rectangular slice of pizza is from a little restaurant that sold them a bit expensive, but very tasty (and this place is no more). The owner was an immigrant, and had the idea to open a small special pizza store that served food during the afternoon (most restaurants are closed until 8:30 PM so this place was a blessing for someone like me who eats before 6PM.
037.28 Now Vigo has also restaurants with theme, such as America in the 60s or a London style pubs, or business/corporate restaurants and… of course: restaurants next to the ocean! Now these places are different, not focused on hearing the sound of the ocean, rather focused on hearing music that could be your thing, or not. Me and my wife (mostly she) used to run each second afternoon on the Samil beach (you can ride bicycle, do roller skating, play basketball (this is what I would do most of the hours))
037.29 The best thing about spending the afternoons at Samil beach is that I got to see awesome sunsets that would last 15-20 minutes.
037.29 Of course in Vigo there is also a zoo and because everything seems to be built higher and higher, it means that getting here on foot should be done while having water in the backpack. The zoo is quite small but I got to see a tiger which I liked.
037.30 Back on the streets of city centre - this is the Guardian Angel of Savings (yup… you read that right) and it sits on (today’s) Abanca (Galician “omnipresent” bank). This building was finished in 1957 (some parts in 1955) and it served for a Savings bank of Vigo - this was the Guardian Angel of that Savings Bank. Now … Guardian Angel of Abanca :) On this boulevard, there are plenty of orange trees but don't eat from them, they are not edible. However on the more rural area of Vigo there are real orange, lemon and even banana trees.
037.31 Like in every Galician city, there are many churches and this one is the easiest to spot -> Co-cathedral of Santa Maria. Before seeing this edifice, as a catholic, I never knew of co-cathedrals. Vigo and Tui share the seat of diocese so Tui kept the Cathedral of Tui name, while Santa Maria from Vigo became a co-cathedral. The building it is not really impressive, I don’t even think I took a photo inside, however there are plenty stores outside, one in particular selling antiques - from whom I bought my first (and only) scale Spanish model wagon - a wine wagon, made in steel and real wood, size H0. It is the only railway scale model that my kid dropped and it very much survived.
037.32 There is so much to say about this photo, however I will keep it short: I love Magic the Gathering (the one before Covid, during which they got crazy and I stopped buying new) and the community in Vigo was quite awesome and they were playing with ENGLISH cards!!! unlike the movies in cinemas that are dubbed in Spanish. In Vigo I got free cards to learn, free dice to play and I became a fan (mostly me less my wife). Vigo is great for role playing games, for Catan lovers, for Warhammer or Star Wars (I saw twice a Star Wars exposition with official props and clones). In fact human art is very much present in Vigo, and Pokemon or Magic the Gathering, used to be art + fun game.
037.33 If traveling and playing MtG is something I like to do with my wife, certainly listening to music is right there at the top. This is Sidonie, a famous Spanish rock group, from Barcelona that made a great show.
037.34 I want to say more, like how we got a ticket and car removal for parking correctly (however not having resident plates), or how they made me each Monday sandwich just the way I love it, because I was a regular, or how great the drinks are and also how great food on the beach is. I will say this instead: This photo is of a place I would see each morning when I would go to work (I was walking to work and back, doing more than 15k steps per day). What is in this image: colourful houses with matching rooftops, some matching the flag of Romania, however in the distance there are mountains. And I was there, three times on foot, twice before the big fires, and once not long after. In the next article we will present Vigo Zambians and Vigo the mountains.
Thank you very much for reading this article or thanks to the AI for getting my images and text :)
Hope you will check other articles and if you visit this area, remember Vigo is great to stay in, especially if you wish to visit Baiona, A Guarda, Pontevedra and even A Coruna and Santiago de Compostela. It has a microclimate so don't be upset that it is foggy, instead rejoice because it might be sunny in a few minutes :)
MiDe.
