10 Things to do in Vigo at Christmas

Vigo experiences Christmas in a unique way. And although seeing the Christmas lights is an essential activity, enjoying this season goes far beyond that.

Buying the best gifts at the Christmas markets, tasting traditional cuisine, ice skating, riding a motorbike dressed as Santa Claus, enjoying the attractions specially installed for the season or watching the Three Wise Men's parade are just some of the proposals you can't miss on your list.

Vigo at Christmas is characterised by its illumination, with several routes included in the best tours of Vigo. There's no specific place to see the lights because they are spread all over the city. It's one of the main activities this season.

It's usually the first city to turn on the Christmas lights in Spain, and it's usually done around the second week of November. From then on you can enjoy the Christmas lights well into the night.

Some of the most emblematic places to see these Christmas decorations and take some photos are: La Alameda, Plaza de Compostela, Plaza de Porta de Sol, Casco Vello and the Port area.

Interesting details

• Price: there is no cost to go on your own, but if you want to take a guided tour there will be a specific price depending on the tour.
• Date: from the second week of November. If you want to attend the lighting, check the date on the Vigo City Council's website.
• Opening hours: from 6 pm to midnight.
• How to get there: you can get there by public transport or private car.

If you book your ticket to the Gallery Selfie Vigo, you'll enjoy visiting each of its 15 rooms decorated mainly in pop-art style with light rings, spotlights, objects and much more. All in the style of the 80s and 90s, combining the old and the new.

In addition, you will be dazzled by the virtual reality experience of approximately six minutes. A unique plan whether you go with friends or family, where you will take some dream photos.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately €17 for adults and €13 for children.
• Date: open all year round from Wednesday to Sunday.
• Opening hours: from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 8pm.
• How to get there: it is located on Rúa de Venezuela and can be easily reached by public transport.

If there's something Christmasy to do in Vigo, it's walking along Príncipe Street. It's synonymous with Christmas, with its shopping, its nuances and its joys. You can find many Christmas shops to do your shopping in advance. In addition, there are several places of tourist and cultural interest, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, MARCO, which is one of the best museums in Vigo.

Christmas decorations take over the entire avenue from end to end, making it one of the best things to see and do in Vigo at night. At one end of the avenue you'll find the large Porta de Sol square, where you can see the Siren statue, but it's also one of the places with the highest concentration of tourists at Christmas.

At the other end of the avenue you can find the big Christmas ball, a typical and traditional Christmas decoration located at the Farola de Urzáiz, where you can go to take lots of Christmas photos.

Interesting details

• Price: you can do the tour along El Príncipe Street free of charge.
• Date: El Príncipe Street usually welcomes Christmas from the end of November.
• Opening hours: You can walk along this street all day long, from early in the morning until late at night. But if you want to shop, you will have to do it during the day.
• How to get there: by private car and you can park near Porta de Sol, or you can go by public transport.

Cíes Market is a large Christmas market that takes place every year in Compostela square, where one of the most popular sculptures in the city, El Dinoseto, is also located. It is one of the best places to do your Christmas shopping before the season starts.

This market is set up in the second week of November and the atmosphere inside is unparalleled. In addition, around the market and the square, you can find a number of attractions to enjoy, especially if you go with children.

Just outside the market, there's usually a Christmas Ferris wheel, where you can climb up and see the city of Vigo from another point of view. It's one of the most beloved attractions by the people of Vigo every year for two reasons. The first is the large number of lights that decorate it, and the second is its height of 55 metres.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 5 € per person. To enter the Cíes Market you don't have to pay any additional money.
• Date: from the second week of November.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 5pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am.
• How to get there: You can get to Compostela Square by private car, as there is a car park nearby, or by public transport.

Perhaps one of the most popular events in Vigo at Christmas is that of the bikers who go around the city of Vigo bringing sweets, candy and happiness to all the city's residents and tourists who are visiting Vigo. It's an event that attracts more people every year.

The many bikers who gather in Vigo to carry out the Papanoelada do it dressed as Father Christmas and go through the streets talking to people and giving away all kinds of food and sweets for the little ones.

This activity usually takes place at the beginning of Christmas, as a way of welcoming the season.

Details of interest

• Price: it is a free event.
• Date: between the second week of November and the first week of December.
• Opening hours: during the day, although there are no specific opening hours.
• How to get there: they are all over the city.

One of the most awaited attractions that takes place in the last days of the year is the Christmas circus in the Coia neighbourhood, which year after year is inaugurated with the intention of attracting more tourists and locals.

It is also possible to find in the Coia neighbourhood a good dinosaur exhibition to entertain children and adults. This family plan is not complete without the many inflatables for all ages that are installed.

In addition, the Christmas lights that have adorned the neighbourhood since mid-November dazzle all visitors. It's definitely one of the best places to take Christmas photos in Vigo. The attractions may change from year to year, but what is certain is that this neighbourhood is a must-see of the season.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 7 to 10 € per person.
• Date: at the end of December.
• Opening hours: from early afternoon until late at night.
• How to get there: You can get to Coia by bus or private car, as there are plenty of parking spaces.

This is one of the best attractions in Vigo, because it's enjoyed by children and adults alike. It's a large ice skating rink located inside the Real Club Náutico. The advantage of this rink is that it's indoors, unlike the one in the Samil beach car park, which is outdoors.

Either option is an excellent alternative if you want to have time to do a more extreme activity and test your skills on the ice. You'll always be able to rent all the equipment you need, so don't miss out on this fun activity if you don't have skating gear.

If you're not sure which one to go to, bear in mind that the Real Club Náutico also has a great roller coaster for the bravest visitors.

Interesting details

• Price: skating for 50 minutes costs approximately €7 per person.
• Date: from mid-November to mid-January approximately.
• Timetable: Monday to Friday, between 4.30pm and 10pm. Weekends and public holidays, from 11 am to 10 pm. Opening times may change depending on the policies of each track.
• How to get there: to get to both the Real Club Náutico and Samil Beach you can get there by bus or private car.

This is one of the busiest squares you will find on New Year's Eve, because this is precisely the main meeting place for the people of Vigo to welcome the New Year to the rhythm of the countdown clock that is located in the Santa Irene Institute, one of the most emblematic buildings in the city.

In addition, in the square you'll see a large monument known as Porta de Atlántico, whose most special feature is that it was erected in recognition of the Galician migrants who decided to leave the Port of Vigo for America during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Interesting details

• Price: free event.
• Date: on New Year's Eve, i.e. every 31st December.
• Timetable: from early afternoon until after midnight.
• How to get there: You can get there by private car or public transport.

Rosalía de Castro Street is one of the most commercial streets in the city of Vigo during Christmas, so strolling along it is one of the best things to do with the whole family during this time of year. It has a large number of shops for Christmas shopping.

In addition, in this street you can enjoy different Christmas attractions par excellence, including the sledge train, the free fall or the virtual simulator.

Interesting details

• Price: varies every year, so I recommend you visit the Vigo City Council 's website for updated price information.
• Date: Available throughout Christmas, from November to January.
• Opening hours: it opens in the afternoon until late at night.
• How to get there: if you go by car, there's parking nearby. The other option is to go by public transport, such as bus or train.

There's a tradition in Vigo that I love. It's the tourist trains and buses that go all over the streets with Christmas decorations.

The service is available throughout Christmas and there are at least two routes, so you can take each route as many times as you want. The difference between the two is the number of places you can visit, as one is shorter and the other is longer. Some of the places you will be able to see and visit are:

• Plaza de Compostela.
• Plaza Fernando el Católico.
• Policarpo Sanz,
• Plaza América.
• Plaza del Bicentenario.

Details of interest

• Price: children up to two years old are free and the rest of the public can pay between 2 and 4 € depending on their age and condition.
• Date: from the last weeks of November to the first week of January.
• Opening hours: from 5 p.m. to midnight every day.
• How to get there: you can board the train at Plaza de Compostela and Pintor Lugrís.

The Three Kings Parade is another of the best things to see and do in Vigo. It takes place on January 5th, on the eve of Epiphany. It is one of the most important in Spain, and every year it takes place for a different reason.

Many children take part in this activity where the Three Wise Men on horses pass through the streets of Vigo spreading happiness. But it's an activity not only for locals, but also for visitors, so you can't miss the opportunity to see the dramatised visit of the Three Wise Men from the East. An essential plan to see and do in Vigo with children.

Interesting details

• Price: free of charge.
• Date: 5 January.
• Time: from sunset.
• How to get there: You can get to Compostela Square by private car or public transport.