DIY Vigo

[Dave Ayton]

Visiting Vigo for first time in June and we intend to explore the town on our own. Any hints / tips of where to go / not to go and see ?

[keltic]

There's not much to see. You could explore the tiny old town next to port and then the interesting Principe and Garcia Barbon Buildings. Go to El Castro where you can enjoy nice views and Samil the local beach.

 

Food and wine. Reserve a ticket to visit the Cies Islands. Take a local train to Pontevedra or Santiago o a car explore the great area.

[Dave Ayton]

Thanks kaltic will discuss with the rest of our party

[hkto]

There is also fish market (Pedra) which has fresh oysters and properly prepared grilled Galician octopus. Can try Ribeiro wine there (may be I am misspelling), very light goes like juice. If you like it where is wine shop right next to port in covered mail. Boats to Cies Islands are next to cruise dock.

[keltic]

Ribeiro & Albariño are the main white wines. Light, fresh and fruity. I love Marques de Vizhoja brand.

[LondonTowner]

Keltic

 

When we stayed in Galicia a few years ago we really had difficulty finding a bottle of Ribeiro in the local supermarket for more than 3 Euros. Has the price increased much?

[keltic]

You can check for prices in this website. They are quite similar to what you would find in a local supermarket

https://www.vinissimus.com/mobile/es/vinos/uvas/index.html?id_region=rib

[Turtles06]

There's not much to see. ...

 

No offense to anyone in Vigo, but I agree. It's not a great port call. I would highly recommend a visit to Santiago de Compostela, which is a World Heritage Site. No need to be Catholic (I'm not) to appreciate the Cathedral nor the story of El Camino. And the interesting town itself.

 

Here are some very happy pilgrims who have just finished their long journey by bike:

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[LondonTowner]

I agree that Vigo can't be compared to Spanish cities like Seville,Toledo or Santiago, but I have been there on land holidays as well as a cruise and the surrounding countryside is beautiful. The local seafood us delicious and hard to beat.

[MacMaghnusa]

Vigo is one of Europe's premier fishing ports, so pretty it isn't. However, in gastronomic terms there are some good options in the old town, just grab yourself a map from Turismo and explore. The busier the place, the better the food tends to be in my experience. Regarding Ribeiro wine, anything under three euros will be fine for coooking with but not much else. There has been something of a revolution in that appellation, both in terms of quality and product branding. It must be stressed that Ribeiro is not a varietal, unlike Albariño and Godello. The main grape is Treixadura blended with other local varietals like Torrontés, Caíño etc. The 'oyster lady street' is a horrendous tourist trap and best avoided in my opinion. The small town of Pontevedra, which is really lovely, is less than 15 mins away from Vigo Guixar train station and costs less than 10€ round trip. Pontevedra also boasts Galicia's best medieval quarter after Santiago de Compostela. If your ship arrives early enough, say 8-9am you can easily head for Pontevedra, have an early lunch at first class restaurants like Bagos or La Ultramar, and be back in Vigo in time for the ship's departure at 5-6pm. The province of Pontevedra has 6 Michelin star awarded restaurants to its name. If you Google Grupo Nove, you'll find plenty of info about them, the chefs etc.

Edited March 14, 2016 by MacMaghnusa

[keltic]

Renting a car provides plenty of flexibility. Driving south, you can spend a glorious day at Samil, then a long line of awsome beaches like Nigran, Patos, Baiona, with an imposing medieval castle (today a luxury hotel). Then along a wild coast to A Guardia (try the lobster). Climb Santa Tecla Mountain with Incredible views of the river Miño, Portugal and a celtic settlement.

 

Cross to the quaint Valença. A walled portuguese town, with cobbled streets and great places to have lunch. Try grilled cod and vihno verde. Crossing back to Spain (via the former old metallic Bridge), stroll along Tui. The catedral is just great.

 

Enviado desde mi GT-N8000 mediante Tapatalk

[keltic]

Some pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enviado desde mi GT-N8000 mediante Tapatalk

[MacMaghnusa]

Good call Keltic. Valença do Minho only about 40kms from Vigo.

Car rental rates can be really cheap too. We rented a Fiat 500 for a whole weekend thru Avis for less than 120€.

[keltic]

And heading east you can go to Ourense a nice medieval spa city. Stopping at Rivadabia. Other nice old towns would be Allariz. Then you could drive north along Ria de Pontevedra. Combarro is the smallest and most traditional typical fishing village. La Lanzada is a huge beach compared go any Caribbean one with no urban development at all. Toxa Island is not really worth unless you want to stay around a posh elegant ressort. But car is essential as MacMaghnusa points out. So many places.

[keltic]

 

Ourense

 

 

Combarro

 

 

A Lanzada Beach