On the way to visit the Cíes Islands you have to take advantage to explore the surrounding areas. We will write briefly about Vigo’s port, something to visit while waiting for the ferry to Cíes Islands.

The port of Vigo itself is quite a spectacle, especially when it receives the visits of enormous transatlantic passage ships. In recent years Vigo has been visited by the most important passenger ships with an average of more than one hundred annual stopovers. Authentic floating cities that completely block the horizon of the port of Vigo from the terminal of maritime passage and beyond. Watching the docking or departure of one of these sea monsters is highly recommended and it is impressive to hear the horns of maneuvers from practically any area of Vigo.

In addition to admiring the passenger ships we can also walk around the port by means of a wide promenade that runs parallel to the marina and from the sea passage station to the commercial freight port, which can be seen from a distance. Opposite this seafront we can go towards the Fishing Port of Berbés. The most important fishing port in Europe and also the most important frozen fish port in the world. The entire area of ​​the fishing port was built on land gained to the sea, formerly the water reached the arcades of the Berbés. Following the wake of the fishing port, next ahead is the retailers fish market in Vigo (known as La Lonja), the place where more fresh fish is unloaded every day than anywhere else in Europe.

Across the street from the Lonja we can see the Auditorium and Congress Hall «Mar de Vigo«, a spacious building with spectacular sea views and from which you can see the port of Vigo, specifically the mooring area of ​​the Freezer vessels.

The most visited area of ​​all of the port and the most popular is the shopping area. The «A Laxe» Shopping Centre is located, a few meters from the sea. Also, a few meters from the shopping centre we find the «street of the oysters», which runs parallel to the Bahía de Vigo Hotel and leads to the market Da Pedra, formerly well known for having good prices but sadly less so in recent years. At the end of the street is the most popular point of the port of Vigo. It is the oysters selling on-street spot where it is typical to buy the fresh product and taste it naturally right there while a Galician Bag Piper plays away to local tunes.