What to visit in Vigo in one day to enjoy the largest city in Galicia

Although it is not the most visited city in Galicia, it is the most populated and one of the most beautiful in this area of Spain. Do you want to know what to see in Vigo?
Visiting Vigo is discovering the charm of a town devoted to the sea with an old town with a maritime scent and an exceptional port envied by many places in the world.
Here we show you a typical route to know the most important things to see in Vigo.
What to see in Vigo in one day
1. The Enlargement of Vigo
A walk through Vigo can begin at its Port, where the cruise ships that arrive in the city disembark and where the Laxe Shopping Center is also located, a good place to park if you arrive by car.
From there you can start walking through the Jardines de las Avenidas, a very lively area where you can also find the Monument to Jules Verne.
Parallel to these gardens is the Parque de la Alameda, in Praza de Compostela, one of the best places in Vigo to relax and where we find important examples of the city’s 19th-century architecture.
While admiring some of these buildings, such as the Afundación Theater, we arrive at Praza de Porta do Sol, where the main entrance gates to the old walls. There is a sculpture there, half fish half man, called El Sireno, which symbolizes Vigo’s relationship with the sea.
2. The Old Town of Vigo and the Co-Cathedral of Santa María
Going back we find the Praza de la Constitución, an arcaded square full of craft shops and typical products and which is the place where the old Town Hall is located.
It is convenient to get lost in this network of streets of the old city and come across interesting monuments such as the Co-Cathedral of Santa María, the main church of the city.
It is neoclassical in the 19th century, although previously there was a Gothic church in the same place that was destroyed by a fire caused by the pirate Drake.
The walk through the old town ends at Praza de Pedra, where the inhabitants of Vigo met in the 16th and 17th centuries to resolve disputes.
3. The Museum of Contemporary Art
After touring the Casco Viejo we can return again to Praza de Porta do Sol from where Calle Príncipe starts, the most commercial street in the city and which leads to the Museum of Contemporary Art, MARCO.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, one of the best things to see in Vigo, is located in a historic building in the city from the 19th century that functioned for decades as a prison. In 1995 it was restored and converted into a museum.
In this museum we find different very interesting exhibitions.
4. The Monte de O Castro, the viewpoint of Vigo
The Monte de O Castro is the largest park in the city center and along the paths that run through it you can enjoy one of the best places to visit in Vigo.
We can reach it from the Casco Viejo starting from the Praza de la Constitución and beginning to ascend until we find the modern Vigo City Hall building.
The building stands out for its tall tower, leaving aside the remains of the San Sebastian Fortress.
Following the paths of the mount we find the Monument to the Galleons of Rande, formed by a cannon and three anchors of the Spanish fleet that arrived from America with gold and silver and that sank in the Battle of Rande in 1702.
At the top of the hill are the 17th century walls of the fortress, decorated with different sculptures, from where you have the best views of the Ría de Vigo and the city.
More days in Vigo? What to see in Vigo in 2 days
Visiting Vigo in one day is perfectly possible. Even in less time. But if you have more days in Vigo, and especially if it is summer, it is time to visit its beaches and of course the Cíes Islands.
In the Cíes Islands, located in front of the Ría de Vigo, we can enjoy Playa de Rodas, considered by some to be the best beach in the world, and different really spectacular hiking routes.
To access the Cíes Islands you have to take one of the ferries that depart from Vigo but you have to be quick because only 2,200 people can visit them every day and in the summer it is very possible that it is full. It is best to book in advance, but you run the risk of not knowing what the weather will be that day.
Among the beaches we must highlight Samil Beach, the most visited and the largest. You should also visit, we must highlight the O Vao Beach, where the Roman Villa of Toralla is located, the Canido Beach, the Carril Beach or the Fortillón Beach, where there is a famous nudist cove.
You can find more information on the official Vigo tourism page.