Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino Portugués app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appVigo -- from the Roman diminutive vicus, meaning small village -- has long since outgrown the name. It's now the largest city in Galicia, a remarkable rise for a place that saw little real growth until the late 19th century. When it did expand, it did so with minimal planning, and the result is a sprawling, sometimes chaotic city that nonetheless has pockets of genuine character.
The Casco Vello, the old town, is one of those pockets. Its narrow streets climb steeply from the port and are dotted with bars, restaurants, and small plazas that feel more like village squares than city spaces. These barrios are an anomaly -- small communities shoehorned into the cityscape -- and they're the best reason to walk through Vigo rather than around it.
Down at the port, the Mercado da Pedra is famous for its ostreiras -- women who sell fresh oysters from stone stalls outside the market. A plate of Galician oysters with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of albarino is one of the great simple pleasures of the Coastal route. Inside the market you'll find everything else the sea provides.
The Basilica de Santa Maria sits above the old town and is worth the climb for its baroque facade. The Castelo do Castro, a hilltop fortress turned public park, offers panoramic views over the city, the ria, and on clear days the Islas Cies -- a national park archipelago accessible by ferry in summer.
The Xunta albergue is located near the old port area but is completely unmarked. Refer to your map or app to find it.
Unlike many of the port cities to the south, Vigo didn't garner much attention during the Age of Discovery. The Vikings found it appealing, though, raiding the settlement multiple times. Francis Drake attacked in 1585, the French occupied it during the Napoleonic Wars, and the British managed to hold it for a week during one of their periodic interventions.
The most dramatic episode was the Battle of Rande in 1702, when an Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked a combined Franco-Spanish treasure fleet in the Ria de Vigo. The Spanish scuttled their own ships rather than let the gold fall into enemy hands, and treasure hunters have been searching the muddy bottom ever since. Philip IV finally built defensive walls in the mid-17th century, but peace came slowly.
The city's modern growth was driven by the cod fishing industry, followed by heavy industry -- most notably the Citroen factory that still operates on the city's outskirts. Today Vigo's port is the largest fishing port in Europe by landing weight.
Departing Vigo is a simple affair. From the Xunta albergue (or the port) follow the Ruá Areal to just beyond the train station. The camino follows the road uphill to the right, but only for a short distance as it turns left almost immediately onto Rúa Garcia Barbón. 2.5km later the camino turns right and crosses the large autopista. A short distance later it turns left and follows along the highway which is high up on the hill on your right-hand side; to your left is the estuary and you are high enough up now to have a wide view of it. When you eventually turn away from the water, you pass over the highway which tunnels beneath you. From here the camino stays inland, winding its way through the suburban hillside until it joins with the Central Way just before entering Redondela.
1. August 2026 - 6:31
Vigo is alive and full of life, music, people celebrating the simple pleasures of the summer. We listened to the student band play for the Consello de Vigo. We ate at Luces de Bohemia, which was great for our two families. Overall walking Vigo in the evening was great.
18. July 2026 - 10:12
Wonderful place to rest and heal. Overlooking the square for music and cultural events. Has free coffee and tea, snacks and hot/cold bottles water dispenser. Though in the middle of the pedestrian only area, and steps from beautiful cathedral, the windows are double glazed, and the blackout curtains allow for a comfortable nights sleep. I believe the prices are higher for weekends. Buen Camino🎒👣💗
3. July 2026 - 9:44
Crossing through Vigo is hellish and offers no interest. 1.5 hours to reach the greenway and finally the properly marked Camino!!! I would recommend taking a bus to get out of this noisy, unfriendly city that is far from the pilgrim spirit.
12. October 2025 - 8:02
Family run restaurant, food really good, inexpensive, large quantities again, very lovely service 👏👏👏
12. October 2025 - 8:01
Twin room with breakfast 99€ very helpful staff, big clean rooms with big bathrooms and fridge . Recommended also great area being in old town
23. September 2025 - 14:02
Very nice hotel. Close to grocery store and laundromat as well as the Santa Maria cathedral. Nearby cruise ship port and commercial shopping center. Room has air conditioning and places to eat nearby.
3. July 2025 - 9:01
I was here July 2024. The sound isolation was really not good, I could here almost everything from the rooms next to me. Also, it was dusty and reall, not clean.
The location is nice, in the center of the city. I decided to stay in this city, because my leg hurt so I was thinking a bigger city should have better supplies when it comes to pharmacies, grocery stores etc.
However, if you prefer locations that are more quiet and peaceful, perhaps you could fond another spot
28. June 2025 - 13:10
We (2) got a last minute room here, ~60€ on Booking.com. Lovely clean room, convenient location, had mini fridge which was so nice since we got to start the day with chilled water bottles :)
23. September 2024 - 17:14
I booked Hotel Del Mar because I was arriving to Vigo at 10:30pm on the train. Reception was open and easy - but I found bedbugs as soon as I got to the room (luckily for me they were on top of the blankets so I saw them). I turned around and went across the street to Hotel Ciudad de Vigo which luckily had a room for the night. The receptionist upgraded my room for free in sympathy. It’s in a good location and offers breakfast/has a cafe. Nice room.
23. September 2024 - 14:25
Went looking for Tapas based on the recommendation from May. Looks like they are renovating or closed for the season.
Grabbed Trió de Tacos next door at Plateros. They have burritos, bowls and Tex-mex. My lunch was 14 euros.
19. August 2024 - 3:41
If I leave from Vigo and walk to Santiago is it the requisite 100 km? It seems to be – but only barely and I’m concerned.
28. July 2024 - 16:45
Nice place right on the Camino in central Vigo. Lots of liveliness around and many restaurants. The sound of the city is there, but not disturbing.
4. June 2024 - 18:34
Smack in the old centre across from the Concatedral Santa Maria de Vigo and located above a small bar is this cute little hostal. Many stairs and small but quaint rooms. Room 304 is on the upper floors and has a small balcony that looks out onto the concatedral and the square. Vibrant, but two double glazed windows keep out the buzz from the plaza below. Private room with tiny adjacent bathroom for €45.
14. May 2024 - 22:11
I don’t usually make suggestions but pintxotera is an excellent tapas place in Vigo - best meal I had in Spain!
31. August 2023 - 21:47
Three of us got lucky and stayed at the Hotel Santa Baia on the way out of Vigo. Third floor small apartment ( 3 beds) with a magnificent view of the harbour for 85 Euros. We were able to watch children jumping off the lighthouse wall, fishermen going out fish, people sailing and skiing until nightfall then all the twinkling lights on the foreshore across the harbour - just lovely. There’s a small restaurant 30 metres away as well as a supermarket.
26. June 2023 - 21:20
If you are travelling by bicycle, or just want a direct traffic-free exit from cental Vigo head to the Estacion. There is a green way on a former tram line that goes right out to Chappel. It starts behind the station ..look for yellow cycle path or the giant bill board explaining the scheme. Looks pretty new , is hard to understand on Google maps and doesn't appear on the cycle app Kmoot.
Also appreciated the cycle path all the way in to cental Vigo. We didn't want to stay in Vigo so was a great route through.
15. June 2023 - 21:16
8 Euro pro Nacht ist schon ein tolles Angebot.
Alles modern und sauber.
Aaaber: welchen Sinn macht eine Küche mit Kühlschrank und Kochfeld, wenn es weder Töpfe, Teller, Tassen noch Essbestecke gibt? Das ist schon arm. Leider ist das aber nicht die erste Herberge mit diesen Mängeln.
11. May 2023 - 22:24
Camino Da Mina is a great place to eat in Vigo!
The staff are so friendly, helpful and cater to vegetarians.
I had a 3 course meal plus a large beer and two wines for 23 euro, great value!
Highly recommend!
8. May 2023 - 15:20
Please update the cost of a stay at Hotel Hesperia Vigo from €45/ person to €75
22. March 2023 - 11:35
I found the alternate route into Vigo that follows the coastline from Baiona into Vigo to be quite pleasant. Plenty of beautiful beach walking and easy navigating through coastal neighborhoods I found to be surprisingly nice when compared to online comments I have read. The sentiment among fellow pilgrims in the public Albergue was that the main route was not pleasant. Also, the new Galician government Albergue is quite nice. Only complaint is the kitchen without any useful utensils …something about pilgrims being a public health hazard…LOL
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
