Vigo is a city on Spain’s rugged northwest coast and it is the country’s busiest fishing port. The Old Town (Barrio del Berbes), on the slopes above the port has been the target for many naval attacks throughout history. A couple were from the famous military sanctioned pirate Sir Francis Drake, the Queen’s favourite pirate. The best view of Vigo is from the fort Castillo del Castro which was built to defend it.

A normal walking tour will lead you through the steep, narrow streets and if lucky you will get to smell the fish market. You will see pretty plazas surrounding the central Concatedral de Santa María. Or visit the nearby Santiago de Compostela, a place of pilgrimages since the Middle Ages. One of the first things you will see, or walk under without seeing, is in Plaza de Constitution, Porta do Sol. El Sireno, the Merman sculpture by Galician artist Francisco Leiro is one of the symbols of modern Vigo.

The walk or escalator to the top of Parque Monte do Castro is a must for the view. See the escalator route in the film. Galicia has dozens of beautiful beaches, and a buzzing nightlife of tapas bars and restaurants. There are many children’s play areas.

The Vigo Estuary is sheltered by the Cíes Islands, part of the Atlantic Islands National Park which are rich in birdlife and boast the crescent-shaped Rodas Beach. The city’s old quarter is home to the neoclassical Church of Santa María. Bateas, Galician mussel farms, are rafts for cultivating typical Galician bivalve molluscs. You’ll see them as soon as you look at the Vigo estuary, arranged neatly along the coast. In the background of the epic views from the fort, float the big wooden platforms. From them hang ropes where oysters and mussels grow. Galician bivalve molluscs.

Tours in Vigo include.

…. but you can stroll and enjoy easily.