Majestic Salamanca, Spain

I spent my first two years in Spain residing the majestic city of Salamanca, and they were just great!  So it was with much anticipation that I recenty decided to spend a weekend there revisiting some of my old haunts.

Salamanca, 2 hours north of Madrid by car, is the capital of Castilla Leon and has probably one of the most beautiful Plaza Mayors in the world.  The old town is an absolute delight of elegant, golden sandstone buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, with two cathedrals (!), the oldest university in Spain, and heaps more of historical marvels.

It also has a vibrant nightlife due to the international student population, an outstanding tapas culture, and superb red wines and mature cheeses to top it all.

Arriving from the south, as you cross the River Tormes, your eyes are treated to a lovely view of the cathedrals perched up above the city.  Accommodation in the old town is surprisingly cheap and abundant, but even if you have to go slightly further out as I did, you can walk practically everywhere in 20 minutes.

The barroque Plaza Mayor is huge, and is the heart of the city; it is said that the Salmantines must pass through it at least once a day, and all meeting up should be done under the clock.  In the evenings it is bustling with smartly dressed locals taking an pre-dinner stroll.

Although the streets surrounding the Plaza are full of souvenir shops, many selling the typical handmade silver jewellery unique to Salamanca, they are still atmospheric.

The old town is compact, so within a kilometre you can visit numerous attractions.  Start with the fabulous old and new cathedrals, which are joined so you buy one ticket for both; a seperate ticket must be bought in order to climb up to the roof - which is well worth 3€ extra.  I also saw the city museum, the civil war museum (free but you really need a bit of Spanish to be able to make sense of it), the fascinating art nouveau museum  (free on Thursday mornings), San Domingo monastery and the outside of the other churches. 

Also, take a stroll along the river to see the painted trees and cross the old bridge.

The biggest change I noticed from when I lived there was a huge improvement in the variety of food on offer in the bars.  What was once strictly limited to pinchos of meat, tortilla and the local favourite, mashed potato with paprika, has blossomed into a vegetarian's heaven with excellent modern tapas on offer everywhere you turn.  As in the other Castillian cities, you can get a local red wine with a tapa for 2.50€.  Now that's a bargain!

So, needless to say I had a great time. Salamanca is a swell place; its cheap, has good food and wine, and a wealth of cultural delights to keep you busy.

Malta - surprisingly full of treasures - Easter 2018

Valletta

Easter in Galicia can be pretty grim weatherwise,  provoking a need for a short holiday in warmer climes, so I was delighted to discover Ryanair's new direct flight from Porto to Malta for 150€. 

We landed at midnight, when public transport is long finished, so took a 30 minute taxi for the set price of 20€ to Sliema.

Sliema - a chaotic concrete sprawl, but centrally located - with plentiful cheap accommodation and car hire. It is not attractive by any stretch of the imagination, yet the old part maintains some authencity with its quaint narrow streets, lined with colourful galleried windows.  Despite the sea-front bars, kebabs, and pizzas joints, the area was fairly quiet when we were there in March.  All of Malta is within a half an hour drive from Sliema which is hugely beneficial.

Day 1 we took the ferry over to the capital, Valletta.  Less than 1km sq, Valletta is easy to navigate as the main streets are an orderly grid, with the 2 busiest thoroughfares in the centre of the peninsular.  Having had a bit of a stroll to get the feeling of the place, we headed for St John's Cathedral. 10€ entrance fee probably sounds extortionate, but once inside you will understand. Its austere exterior gives no clue to what might await inside. I have seen many cathedrals, but was astounded by the interior.  One disappointment was that the museum is closed until 2019, so we weren't able to see the famous tapestries. 

Next on the agenda was the Knights Palace, which also houses famous tapestries, and also costs a tenner.  Much to my disappointment, 2 of the rooms were closed due to an art exibition being held in them, and the tapestry room is so dimly lit that it is practically impossible to see the details of the designs.  It is still worth visiting for the lovely murals, but it irritates me when you are charged full fee in these circumstances, something which happens all too often.

The rest of the day was spent strolling around the town,  investigating the small shops,  and enjoying the atmosphere of Valletta.

Day 2 we spent the morning walking the Sliema promenade and wondering aout the curious rocks which seem to have been salt pans in the past.  We hired a car from Hertz for 40€ for 2 days, headed north along the coast road, passing through the intriguing Spinola Bay, and then by - passing the rest of the sprawling resorts until we reached the Gozo ferry terminal.  Then we wandered back down through the countryside to glimpse Rabat.

Day 3 We returned to Rabat and adjoining Mdina, the citadel.  Both are lovely, peaceful and friendly. At this point I will remind you that this is March, I have since read complaints on Tripadvisor that they were unbearably packed with tourists in the high season.  We visited St Agatha's catacombs and its peculiar little museum - home to a bizarre collection of artifacts eg. a 4000 year old mummified Nile crocodile,  Egyptian dolls, Roman ceramics,  fossils, paintings, and a myriad of other odd things.

After refreshments in the main square, we were advised to try "the best pastizzi in Malta" in bar Il Silem next to the Roman Villa.  And bloody delicious they are: 30 cents a pea pastizzi and 90 cents a pea qassat, which is a round pie.   The Roman Villa was a tad disappointing, with one large mosaic and a couple of smaller fragments.    From there it is a few metres to the gate of atmospheric Mdina,  where Games of Thrones was filmed.  Known as the Silent City, it is beautiful, golden and serene, filled with majestic buildings.  I would say we spent about 3 hours visiting Rabat and Mdina and i would be more than happy to revisit them both some day.

Mdina

 Dingli cliffs are a couple of kilometres from Rabat, and quite pleasant but not jaw dropping.
We were intrigued by nearby Clapham Junction Cart tracks but found them hard to find.  I advise researching carefully before you go as relying on Google maps as we did, isn't a lot of help.  Basically, when you find the signpost to turn off, a few yards up the road you will see a rusty old closed entrance gate and a breeze block building to the right. Head that way and then up the hill.  There is no information signs marking anything so you will have to discover them yourself.  There are lots, they may not seem very impressive at first but as you go on and find more their fascination grows.  There is also an unusual and very spooky cave dwelling complex here.  In the end we spent over an hour wandering the site and now it was too late to visit the Hagar Qim temple. 

Cart tracks

We got lost on the tiny back roads as we tried to make our way south but eventually arrived at Pretty Bay, which turns out isn't pretty at all.
After a quick cuppa, we headed south to Marsalokk.  Now that is extremely pretty. So much so that we went back the next morning.
Although there's not much to do other than a quick glance inside the church and a stroll along the harbour where stalls sell local produce and gifts, I'd say the village is the nicest place we visited on the island. Neighbouring Marsakala is worth a quick stop for its stunning views but the town is modern and dull.

Marsalokk

So there we have it! A 4 day trip jammed with interesting sightseeing, which has left me with a strong desire to return, as there are many more things to see, not least the famous temples.

Marsakala

Camino de la Costa - places of interest from Porto to Vigo

Walking the Camino?  I live on it.  So this is a brief insight into the coast between Porto and Vigo and some of its highlights.

Porto - typical tiled streets

In the last couple of years I have witnessed a huge increase in peregrinos (pilgrims) walking past my house in Saiáns, from 3 - 4 a month to (a guess) 20 - 30 a day in peak season.   So much so, that our local community centre has converted one of its rooms into a mini albergue (hostel).

So why has it become so popular?  Well, probably largely due to Ryanair and Easyjet expanding their flights to Porto and Vigo, and the Coastal Route is apparently the easiest.

Porto is a marvellous city and one to which I'm sure many pilgrims will return.  Nowadays it is heaving with tourists practically year-round.  And why not? It's lively, quaint, cheap, has great food and wine, lots of stunning churches and art deco buildings, trams, varied nightlife and the River Douro quayside is great fun.

Viana do Castelo alleyway

The coast from Porto to Vigo is spectacular, with some stunning sandy beaches, wild rocky stretches, with a backdrop of rugged, pine-clad mountains.  North of Porto you will pass through charming Matosinhos, which has the lovely church of Bom Jesus in its crumbly old centre, and Rua Herois de França, a street lined with restaurants grilling freshly caught fish on their pavement bbqs.  (BTW. I have been told be several pilgrims that navigating out of the city can be complicated.) So then Vila do Conde with its medieval aqueduct, narrow streets and lovely church, Povoa is something like a Portugese version of Blackpool (without the tack), elegant Viana do Castelo, sleepy Caminha, and heaps of gorgeous beaches.  Be sure to visit the cakeshops, try the natas (amazing custard tartlets), the outstanding coffee and the superlative Vinho Verde Branco.

Vila do Conde aqueduct which took water to the convent

 

Most Coastal pilgrims will cross from Caminha in Portugal to La Guardia in Galicia via the ferry, which is a fun 15 minute ride with lovely views.   The ferry is affected by the tide by the way and is cancelled if there is a very los tide.
La Guardia is famous for its seafood, the quaint old port being lined with excellent restaurants serving fresh fish.  The outskirts are modern and rather grim however.
Although pilgrims probably won't have time, regular tourists should go up  Santa Tecla mountain, where an impressive sprawling Celtic settlement spreads out, and from the hilltop you have spectacular views of the estuary of the River Minho and the dramatic Portuguese coast.

The Rio Minho separates Portugal and Galicia

Santa Tecla Celtic Castro

Next up is Santa Maria de Oia, one of my favourite villages, with a beautiful 12th Century monastery, (although it is closed, you can visit the church).  This traditional fishing village has become a popular place for Sunday lunch; some of the restaurants tend on the pricey side.  The community centre (centro cultural) which is just past the monastery, across the port and on the hill on the right, is a great place for a

Santa Maria Monastery
(taken from outside the community centre)

cheap lunch with marvellous views. The Camino takes you along a wonderful stretch of wild coastline as you head towards Porto do Mougas and on to Baiona (there are several hostals en route, NB: hostal with an A does not mean hostel, rather a small cheap hotel).

wild coast of Mougas

way out of Santa Maria

As you enter Baiona, you are presented with the Montemaior fortress up on the hill, which is now a very good parador hotel.    The small old town is atmospheric during the day, with a couple of lovely old churches,  and jumping with revellers on warm summer nights. The town's main claim to fame is that the first of Christopher Columbus' fleet arrived here bringing news of the New World; a replica of the carabela Pinta is docked in the marina.  Baiona is known for its top quality seafood restaurants.  If you are staying in town, you might like to stroll around the path that goes around the fortress affording great views of the bay. Also worth noting that Baiona boasts a pleasing number of excellent ice cream shops.

Foz de Ramallosa

It is a short hop around the Foz (estuary) from Baiona to Ramallosa, where you can cross the pretty medieval bridge, before heading west on the Literal Route to continue up to the fabulous, mile-long Playa America beach and the fishing village of Panxon, or straight ahead on the main road towards Vigo, or left to take a quieter camino through country lanes behind Nigran (although it also involves an industrial estate), and on to Vigo via the shady, verdant Saians monte and Coruxo.  Take the main road if you are tired.

Saians Neighbour's Association, located next to the church which you can see on the left from the main road, opened up to pilgrims in 2017.  They have a small bar, which in summer opens early morning, and O Bolo bar and restaurant is next door, which is open every day except Thursday pm and offers a homecooked Pilgrim's lunch for 5€. 

Baiona Fortress

Playa America

North of Panxon is Patos beach, extremely popular with surfers, and then there are a string of pretty coves and beaches as you make your way along the Ria towards the city of Vigo.  Both Patos and Panxon are lively and good places to eat well, and more cheaply than Baiona.

The outskirts of Vigo are not inspiring, with the exception of Bouzas, but there are delights to be had in the city. Leaving the city, you will take the Senda de Agua (Water path) from where you have great views of the Ria.

 !Buen Camino!

See my blog on Vigo for an overview of the city.

New York on a budget, with teenage son (part 1 flights, rooms, car hire)

That's me crossing Brooklyn Bridge

New York had been on my list of places to visit for ages but the cost involved had put me off.  After friends told us their teenage boys had loved Manhattan, I decided to see if we could do it at a reasonable price in the school holidays.

Flights
I started planning in September.  First I checked skyscanner.com for an idea of prices. (Tip: Select 'whole month' and 'nearby airports' to get a good overview and spot the best prices.) Bloody hell! 900€ per person Madrid to JFK.  I set up a price alert for a couple of possible dates combinations just in case a bargain came up.  Over the next few weeks I received emails with all manner of proposals involving 25-30 hours of travel with multiple stop-offs in various eastern and former USSR countries. Then one day up came a Delta flight, 7 hr direct MAD-JFK for 450€.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  I immediately rang the bank to get my credit upped in order to pay for the tickets and jumped right into the adventure with boots on.

Accommodation
Some days later, having browsed Booking.com and Airbnb for an idea of the accommodation, I realised that I may have bitten off more than I could chew and that the considerable 1350€ of the flights was actually going to be a small part of the cost of the holiday.  I had booked them thinking if we are going to go all the way to the USA we should stay as long as possible as we may never get the chance to go back, so the flights were 19th July - 3 August.  16 nights.  The last time I was in the States travelling down the West coast I used Motel 8 which was really cheap.  Not so in the Big Apple!   The cheapest, tacky hotel room for 3, with shared bathroom and no breakfast in Manhattan will set you back around 150$ a night for a triple in summer.  16x150 = 2400$. Eek!

So then to Airbnb.   Some feel uneasy about using Airbnb or similar websites.  I have used them many times and never had a bad experience.  On the contrary,  hosts have given us tours of the area, free welcome packs of  local wine and cheese,  lifts and valuable advice. Be sure to read the reviews, and if there aren't many then look at the information available about the reviewers.  Make sure you read the conditions carefully also as some ask for large cleaning fees or non-refundable deposits.

Well it turns out NYC council have restricted Airbnb (and Uber) because of the effect on residents, now hosts cannot have properties solely as tourist lets; they have to occupy the apartment.  My understanding is that hosts can let out a room in their house, but cannot by law let the entire apartment for less than 30 days.  What does that mean in reality?  It means the host usually lives there but moves out temporarily when you are there.  There are a lot of rooms and apartments available, logically the further away from Midtown, the cheaper they are.  But even 9 months before the holiday, I could see that the places were starting to get booked up.

our street in Brooklyn

We ended up choosing a small one bedroomed apartment in Astoria, Queens, for 54$ a night for the first week, a bigger place in Brooklyn for the last 4 nights for 80$ and used booking.com for a couple of motels for our road trip 60$ a night. Total came to 900$ which is still mindboggling to me.

The fact that the owners live in the apartments meant they are full of their stuff.  Good in that it means a well equipped kitchen, TV, air con (very important in July) etc. and a cosy feeling. Bad in that we had no cupboard space to put our own stuff, and it felt odd seeing other folks bathroom stuff and odds and ends everywhere.  But it was worth it for the huge saving.

The location of your accommodation is affected by several factors.  Whilst being out in Queens and Brooklyn allowed us to get a different perspective of real NY life, the daily travelling became a pain.  At first it was fine, half an hour direct to from Astoria to Central Park. However, as time went on and we were visiting sights further afield, we found ourselves spending and hour and a half commuting (see below). 

Travelling can't be avoided, and although we planned our sightseeing carefully to group visits geographically therefore minimising travel time,  once there we couldn't help ourselves from going to see the most exciting places in the first few days.

I now think that it would have been worth paying extra for accommodation  in the centre of Manhattan for a few days.  I also wonder if it would have been cheaper to book a 2 week package holiday through a well known company as I have seen some very good deals.  Of course that would have limited us to Manhattan and we really wanted to see more than just the city.

Getting around
NYC is a massive city, Manhattan is much, much bigger than you imagine, and although it is true that public transport is excellent, we really got fed up with the time we spend travelling every day. Many subway stations are massive labyrinths which involve traipsing up and down stairs and escalators for ages. It was baking hot outside, in fact there was a heatwave the first week, the subway stations were like ovens, but the trains and buses have air-con which requires you to carry a cardigan to avoid hyperthermia. Combined with jetlag, it was totally exhausting.

There are several options for paying, we chose to buy the 20 trip tickets which you can use for all the family.   In hindsight it was a mistake.  We spent a fortune.  Much more convenient and probably cheaper, would have been the unlimited weekly ticket for 32$ per person.

During the second week we decided to use buses which may take longer due to traffic jams but are frequent, pleasant, easy to board and you get to see interesting places en route.

Info: http://web.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#payper

One of the nicest things about New York is how willing everyone is to help when they see you are lost or having difficulty with timetables and maps. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Car hire
Traffic in NY is crazy.  But we wanted to do a little road trip so we needed to hire a car.  I spent weeks looking into various options and eventually found the best price with  hotwire.com
You don't actually know which company you will be with until you get your confirmation but I got a Ford Fiesta for 5 days for 180$ which was about half what the main hire companies had quoted although I had to pay up front at the time of booking.  Hertz added a hefty deposit on our credit card when we picked up the car at their office in La Guardia airport.  Then we had a nightmare trying to get out of Queens.  With the motorway wall-to-wall with traffic, it took us more than an hour to get to the Whitestone Bridge which is about 5 miles away.  And a similar situation on the way back to return the car. 

Note: Our car was fitted with an automatic device to pay the tolls which you can refuse at the office but if you use it even once you will be charged a rental fee for the whole period of hire. We didn't want it for such a short trip and paid all the toll gates in cash....... but Tappanzee Bridge doesn't have a toll gate, only an automatic scan system which we didn't realise when we crossed it and  therefore were charged for the hire of the machine for the entire week.

Another tip: Buy a road map.  Trying to navigate using Google Maps was hopeless.

Conclusion
Despite hours and hours of researching and planning, we made mistakes.  It is difficult to plan for trips like this.  People who booked package holidays missed out on many of the fab the things we saw but had a great time seeing more of Manhattan than we managed to.  We worked ourselves to the bone trying to see as much as possible and were exhausted.   However, if I was going to plan the same trip in hindsight,  I might have had a few days more on the road trip which was relaxing and tried to take things a bit more slowly in the city, accepting that it is impossible to see everything.

Vigo - Jewel of Green Spain

Vigo emerging as a tourist destination

Having lived here for many years, I have witnessed a significant increase in foreign tourism, spurred by the boom in cruise holidays and the new-found popularity of the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrim route; Vigo is 100kms from Santiago on the Portuguese Coastal route.  Some won't have heard of Vigo before booking their trip, and may miss it entirely, heading for Santiago, which is a shame as Vigo has a lot of offer.

If your idea of Spain is the Costa del Sol, think again! In fact the north is similar to Britain in many ways.  Vigo's position on the North West coast means it rains a lot, which in turn means the mountainous countryside is lush and green all year round, a fact which often surprises visitors.  What's more, Galicia boasts some of the most spectacular beaches in Europe and not a single English pub or chippy.  Winters tend to be mild and wet, whereas summers, although unpredictable, especially in July, are generally warm and sunny with temperatures in the mid 20s but can reach the 30ºs. Be prepared with jeans and shorts, shoes and sandals, anorak and cardigan, even in the peak of summer.  It's not unheard of to be baking in 30 degrees one day and have 15 degrees and fog the next.  In the last few years, autumn has been very mild and it has been possible to go to the beach in October or even November. The sea is crystal clear but cool, if not downright freezing. 

If you want to experience real Spanish Spain, Galicia is the place.

Background

Vigo, with a population of just under 300,000,  is the biggest city in the region of Galicia (although Santiago de Compostela is the capital).  Situated inland on the Ria de Vigo (a ria is a wide saltwater river similar to the Scottish firths), it claims to be the largest fishing port in Europe and also the exit point for 400,000 cars manufactured annually by PSA Citroen.   Vigo is the industrial heart of the region.  If arriving by car, your first impressions on approaching the city will be a vast sprawl of high rise buildings.  However, there are delights awaiting.

Both Castillian Spanish and Galician are spoken everywhere, and not much English. Good idea to carry a phrase book. You won't find any chip shops or curry houses. Tourism is largely internal, attracting those in search of good food and natural beauty. 

Not the Med

Sowhat's to see and do?

Vigo's pretty, old town (Casco Vello) in the port area where cruise ships dock, is a labyrinth of narrow streets, full of small shops, bars and restaurants leading up to the cathedral and the main square (Plaza de Constitucion). The famous Rua das Ostras street gives a glimpse of the past, here you can sample freshly caught oysters (ostras) which you buy from sellers in the street and take to the nearest bar to eat accompanied by the delicious local white wines, Albariño or Ribeiro. 

O Castro - Large park on a hill with views of the city and a restored Celt settlement.

La Alameda - Nice park just behind the port with lots of terraces to stop off and have a quick aperatif in a sophisticated atmosphere.

Castrelos Park -  Wonderful park with large children's playground, duck pond, lovely walks along the river. Next to the park lies the very beautiful Pazo Quiñones de Leon, a Galician mansion which houses an archaelogical museum, gallery and gardens. (Also wedding venue, so don't be surprised if you get caught in a wedding photo session.)  I recommend doing the river walk.
  
Useful tourist information:  http://www.turismodevigo.org/en/

Food

Galicia is famous for its wealth of fish and seafood and eating is one of the 'things to do'.  Galicians are proud of their food, and rightly so. Galician dishes are simple, based on quality ingredients, without sauces which might interfere with the prime flavours of the fish or meat.  Even basic establishments will usually cook fresh food daily; good restaurants will have buyers who go to the early morning fishmarkets to buy the freshly caught fish of the day.  Wetherspoons-type chains are unheard of, and the serving of microwaved ready meals you might suffer at home would be frowned upon here. What's more, some of the best Spanish wines are produced in Galicia,  Ribeiro and Albariño, delicious crisp whites, as well as Mencia, a fruity red from the beautiful Ribera Sacra region north of Ourense.

Lunch is typically served between 2-4pm and dinner between  8pm and midnight.
You will not easily find anything that resembles restaurants in the UK other than  burger bars, Italians, a couple of Chinese, and  a couple of vegetarian.  Certainly no Sunday dinners or Full Breakfasts!  Having said that,  menus in cafeterias often include egg and chips, with steak, gammon, bacon or sausages. 
 
Keep an eye out for the local gastronomic fiestas which take place all over Galicia thoughout the summer, ie. festa do mexillon (mussels), festa do pulpo (octopus), festa do marisco (seafood), etc. which involve local venders preparing their food in tents, usually with live traditional Galician music and dancing.

Typical tapas are:
- empanada, a pie which might be filled with seafood, cod and raisins, meat or tuna. 
- pulpo - small chunks of boiled or fried octopus  served with olive oil and paprika
- mexillons (mesh-hee-ons)  mussels, probably from Vigo
- queso tetilla - (keso tet-ee-ya)  Galician soft creamy cheese in the shape of a tit, hence the name - often served with membrillo (quince) as a delicious dessert
-pimientos de padron - small fried green peppers, only in summer
- tortilla - Spanish potato omelette
- calamares - baby squid, usually battered 
-jamon asado - roast pork 
.....and all manner of shellfish.  Mussels and oysters are grown in the Ria de Vigo.



In Rua das Ostras (Oyster Street), aka Rua da Pescaderia (Fish shop Street),  just up from the port, you will find ladies selling freshly caught oysters which droves of eager visitors take to the nearest restaurant and scoff washed down with a bottle of wonderful but overpriced Ribeiro or Albariño. 

Other than Italian, foreign food is limited to several Mexican places, a couple of Chinese, a lot of small kebab joints and a recently opened curry house in Bouzas, but you won't find any British food.  

If you are vegetarian like me you will soon get fed up with tortilla and cheese.If you are lucky you might come across patatas bravas (fried diced potatoes topped with a spicy tomato sauce) or pisto manchego (similar to ratatouille).  However, the current fashion for meat-free has finally made an impact in Galicia. A couple of new vegetarian places have opened in the old town, veggie options are creeping into menus.  (But always double check with the waiters; just this week I ordered a vegetarian taco, ingredients listed were all veggie, but when I bit into it I noticed a slice of ham, which has happened a multitude of times over the years.)

Culture
Vigo's museums and historical buildings are few in comparison with other cities, but here are some which are worth a look.

Museo do Mar - near Praia Samil, housed in a former fish canning factory set on the banks of the Ria and built on top of an ancient Celtic settlement which is partly exposed, shows the history of the sea industry in Galicia, the submarine and small aquarium are of special interest to kids. There is a pleasant bar next to it with views of the river.

Verbum: On Samil, currently houses an exhibition on Vigo's Roman industry, has kids workshops on Saturday mornings

Art museums: 
Marco (Museum of Contemporary Art)
Laxeiro Museum houses work by excellent local expressionist artist known as Laxeiro.

Full list here in English: http://www.turismodevigo.org/en/museums-and-exhibits
or here in Gallego/Castillian:
http://hoxe.vigo.org/movemonos/m_artes.php?lang=cas#/

Cinema: 
The only place that shows daily English-speaking films is Multicines Norte, a small independent cinema, although Yelmo in Travesia Centro Commercial now shows version original (VOSE) films on Tuesdays. Spanish-dubbed films are shown in Gran Via Centro Comercial, Yelmo and Plaza Eliptica.

Shopping

Opening hours are usually 10am - 8pm although smaller shops usually close for a long lunch break, perhaps 13.30-16.30. Take note that Vigo does not have Sunday shopping.  Alcampo and Carrefour hypermarkets, El Corte Ingles and the indoor shopping centres are open till 10pm.   El Corte Ingles is similar to John Lewis and has a supermarket in the basement.
 
In the port area, the imposing 'A Laxe' shopping centre hosts a number of small shops (trendy clothes including Desigual and Day a Day, sports clothes, Mediamarkt electronics, phone stores),  bars and cafes with views over the port.  

'A Pedra' , famous for cheap, imported brands of clothes, watches etc, was recently closed by the police, however has re-open as a food and drinks outlet.

The most popular shopping city centre streets are Calle Principe (which has a C&A if anyone remembers those), a 5 minute walk from the Old Town, and Gran Via where you will find 'El Corte Ingles', a large department store similar to Fenwick's or John Lewis, and Gran Via Centro Commercial which is an indoor shopping centre with cinema and restaurants on the top floor (also free underground parking).

Nightlife
 Vigueses are prone to going out at 11pm for dinner and staying out all night.  Most bars will be open til around 2am whereas clubs and discos may be open till 6am (when traditionally you partake of hot chocolate and churros (sticks of donut) to replenish your energy before taking the first bus home).  

In mid June don't miss the San Juan celebrations when droves of young people build bonfires on the beach and spend the night drinking and listening to the free concerts. It's a spectacular sight and wonderful atmosphere.


 
 The area around the Plaza de Constitucion has a plethora of small tapas bars and restaurants and relaxed atmosphere.   Churruca, the area between Calle Urzaiz and the train station, is the haunt of the younger indie music type crowd.  La Iguana bar (to name but one) hosts live music, mainly punk and indie.   Rua Rosalia de Castro, Areal and the sea front are upmarket streets and home to cocktail bars and vinotec  At the weekend the streets will be buzzing til the early hours.   Further out:   5-10 mins by car or bus  

 










The main tourist information centre is in the port area.

Bouzas: head west to the charming little city beach, marina, Sunday market and delightful tapas bars.

Playa Samil: (green Vitrasa buses from Plaza America) marvellous long, sandy beach, great free outdoor kids swimming pools, a few bars and restaurants, bowling alley, picnic area, kids park, remote control cars track, half-pipe, rollerskating rink, small daily market selling clothes and jewellery. Good place for a stroll and ice-cream.  Totally recommend Panna Fragola for Italian ice cream and pizza.  There is a lovely walk from the south end of the beach, turn left opposite the tennis club, along the River Lagares after about 200m you will see a path on the right going down towards the river, and ends at the Celta football stadium.

Above and below we have Canido Beach

There are a string of fine beaches within walking distance from Samil along the Ria.  Canido is a lovely small port and  home to some of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Vigo.

There are a couple of beaches where nudism is permitted: Fortiñon in Saiáns and one end of Praia Fechiño, which is a rocky beach to the east of the spectacular Praia O Vao. Topless is allowed everywhere.

These beaches are easily reached by the Vitrasa buses 10, 11 and 12.

Inland, up the Ria, there are also lovely beaches in Chapela and Cesantes.




  Even further out: 30 mins by car or bus

Playa America, Nigran
Blue bus from Plaza America (Atsa bus company) 
Gorgeous 3km long beach stretching from the small fishing port of Panxon to Ramallosa.
Lined with small restaurants, a great place to enjoy fresh fish and seafood. Hosts free events on the beach in summer: concerts, zumba classes etc

Panxon - Playa America

Las Islas Cies - The Cies Islands
In 2007 the Guardian declared Rodas Beach one of the best beaches in the world.  Designated National Park since 1980, the Cies are reached by ferry from Vigo or Baiona (cost return ticket 18.50€ adult and 6€ child in high season).  https://www.mardeons.es/en/   Ferry tickets are in demand as the number of visitors to the islands is limited to 2000  per day.   This year (2017) problems with overbooking left hundreds of tourists with tickets in hand who were prevented from going.

The only accommodation on the islands is a campsite which also gets booked up very quickly.   http://www.campingislascies.com/

Personally, I would only visit the Cies if I had a spare day, the boat trip is fun but when you get there you can either walk up the mountain to the lighthouse or spend the day on the beach.  Not enough to keep me interested.

Baiona - Blue bus from Plaza America (Alsa no. 1 or 2 every half hour)
With its stunning fortress, now a popular parador hotel, charming old quarter and excellent seafood restaurants with live seafood and fish on display in the priciest places, Baiona is an elegant tourist town. In peak season it gets very busy with mainly Spanish tourists and the yacht crowd.  I recommend walking the path around the outside of the fortaleza for great views.  Baiona also has a heap of fab ice-cream parlours! 

Baiona marina

Baiona fortaleza, now the Parador hotel and restaurant

Mid March sees the Arribada medieval festival celebrating the arrival of the first of Christopher Columbus' ships in Baiona bringing news to Europe of the Discovery of the New World.  The town also hosts several tapas festivals where bars compete to win the title of best tapa.  In summer there are several free music events in the streets.

Cangas - Drive over the iconic Rande Bridge, or for more fun take the ferry, across the Ria to the small fishing town of Cangas and you will see the 'mejilloneras'  floating wooden platforms used to cultivate mussels.  Enjoy a relaxing stroll along the water front and wander up into the narrow streets of the old town. Cangas has a lot of music, the Canjazz Festival in July brings superb jazz to the streets of the town.


The nearby historical cities of Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, Tui, Ourense and of course Valença in Portugal, are within an hour's drive, are easily accessible by bus and train and are well worth visiting.
 ConclusionGalicia is a great place for a totally different Spanish experience for everyone, young and old. Travel tips:Parking is complicated as in any city.  Street parking is metered everywhere.  However there are a lot of underground carparks which are not outrageously priced.  On Gran Via, number 161, at the car wash near the Centro Commercial, you can park for 1- 2 euros for a few hours.  It's an informal affair, you give your coins to a man who is usually hovering about, no ticket or anything.Praia Samil has a lot of free parking places but be warned that in the high season from lunchtime onwards it is packed.  Buses:  there are 2 main bus companies, Vitrasa run the green city buses and Atsa  which are blue and run from Vigo bus station to Baiona, La Guardia and Gondomar via Nigran or Panxon.  Each company has its own bus stops.  They don't share them so make sure your standing at the correct one.  The bus timetables are impossible to fathom for a newcomer as they generally give few details other than the times the bus leaves its starting point and arrives at the final destination. Vigo doesn't have a travel card you can buy but the trips are cheap, about 1.50€.  Most buses finish by about 10pm although there are some late buses to Samil.It is best to take the train to Pontevedra and Santiago, it's quite fast, comfortable and scenic.  There are 2 types of train and 2 stations in Vigo: Urzaiz and Guixar.  Some trains don't go to Urzaiz.  The main road from Vigo to Santiago is a toll road and costs about 9 euros each way.It takes about 6 hours to drive from Madrid to Vigo. By Air: Vigo is a small airport with few international flights.  Direct flights from Edinburgh, Dublin  and London run from April to October.  Santiago and Porto airports are about an hour and half by car.  Bus: There is a direct Autna bus from Vigo bus station to Porto airport 5 times a day, which is cheap 12€ one way, takes about an hour and 40 minutes.  Alsa buses also go from Vigo to the Casa da Musica in Porto. Buses to Madrid take 7-9 hours.https://www.alsa.es/estaciones/estacion-vigo.htmhttp://www.autna.com/es/horarios-y-tarifas/ Train: There is a new regular fast train from Vigo to A Coruña, stopping at Pontevedra and Santiago.   Three trains a day to Porto take about 2 hours.  Train to Madrid takes 6-7 hours. http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/HorariosEstaciones.html