10 Best museums in Vigo

The Museo do Mar de Galicia, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo and the Pazo Quiñones de León are some of the most interesting to visit in the city. So definitely one of the best things to see and do in Vigo is to take the time to visit some of its museums.

Some of them show you art, others show you history, and others show you archaeological sites. Regardless of which ones you decide to visit, one thing you can be sure of is that you won't get bored or leave without fulfilling your expectations.

The Museum of the Sea of Galicia has to be at the top of this list because the amount of attractions it offers to its visitors makes it one of the best options for those who visit the city, and like to take tours of Vigo to learn about the fishing history of the town. For these cases you can also make private tours of the city.

It is located very close to the town of Bouzas and the port of Vigo, exactly on the coast, and has the particularity of showing different objects belonging to the development of the fishing activity in Vigo from its beginnings until today. In addition, this museum has its own aquarium where you can learn about the different species that inhabit the estuary, the coasts and the ocean.

It offers both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The temporary exhibitions usually have different themes, and to know which ones are active for the time of your visit to Vigo, I recommend you to visit the official website of the museum, where they are always giving information about the temporary exhibitions.

Details of Interest

• Price: Children under 2 years old are free. Admission for the general public can cost between 1 and 3 euros, depending on the condition and / or age of each visitor.
• Hours: It is open depending on the season of the year, either winter or summer, although you can usually visit between 11:00 and 19:00.
• How to get there: You can get there by private car driving along the coast of Vigo until you reach the museum. You can also take a guided tour or public transport.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the most important buildings in the center of Vigo. Its art exhibition highlights the work of national and international artists, although it mostly gives a space to works of Spanish origin. Although it was founded only a short time ago, this museum has become the city's flagship.

MARCO not only offers temporary and permanent exhibitions, but also has different activities for the enjoyment of locals and visitors. These activities also have to do with art and avant-gardism. Among those you can participate in at the museum are talks, forums and special exhibitions.

You can visit this museum on your own or do it through a guided tour that is available inside the institution. To enjoy this type of specialized tours, you must make a reservation in advance. It is recommended that you visit the museum in the company of a tour guide because they will tell you everything you need to know about each of the works.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free, so you will not have to pay anything to enter. Guided tours do have an additional cost, but this is only informed at the time of booking.
• Hours: It is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00. On Sundays it is open from 11:00 to 14:00.
• How to get there: You can get to the museum by private car, because there is parking near the museum. You can also arrive by train and stay at the Renfe train station, which is the closest to the museum.

Pazo Quiñones de León is one of the most important first class museums in Vigo, and that is because it is a building that in its entirety comes directly from the past. It was built around 1670 and then donated by its owner to the people of Vigo around 1924 to become a museum. Since then it has been open to the public.

Its structure, besides being an incredible fortification, is made up of huge gardens perfectly maintained, where you can see a large number of plant species, which alone can be considered as a museum within the museum. The interior of the Pazo itself offers an insight into the life of the Marquises in past centuries.

As for its architecture, during several centuries these underwent several major renovations, so that the distribution it has today does not resemble what it was initially, however, it is still considered a jewel that you can visit freely when you go to Vigo.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free, so you don't have to pay anything to visit it.
• Opening hours: It is open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00. It is also open on Saturdays from 17:00 to 20:00, and on Sundays and holidays from 11:00 to 14:00.
• How to get there: The Pazo is very close to the center of Vigo, so you can get there by public transport or rental car, and park nearby.

This is one of the most interesting museums in Vigo because it is a place where vital importance is given to communication, words and how mankind has managed to establish an understandable language through time. In addition to everything, it is an interactive museum, where you can have contact with what is exposed inside with total freedom.

Everything that has to do with languages, tongues, signs, dialects, words and other important things in human communication, is what you will see in this place. It is located within the complex of the cultural center of Vigo, very close to Samil beach.

What you will like most about visiting this place is that most of the activities and exhibitions are games, with the intention that those present, whether adults or children, can have a more genuine approach to language. The Casa das Palabras museum is divided by themes, which in turn are divided into 81 modules full of activities for everyone.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free, so you don't have to pay to enjoy the museum inside.
• Hours: It is open from Tuesday to Friday between 17:00 and 20:00 and Saturdays and Sundays between 12:00 and 14:00.
• How to get there: To get to the museum you have to drive along Samil Avenue. You can get there by private car or by public transport, since it is very close to the city center.

This is one of the newest museums in Vigo, since it was inaugurated in 2013, and it is a very interesting place that tries to put in context and tell everything that has to do with the history of treasures, battles and history that has the Vigo estuary. In this museum you can find different pieces preserved from the battle of Rande.

This great battle occurred in 1702 in the middle of the War of Spanish Succession, in which there was a strong looting of some ships that would have reached the estuary of Vigo with great treasures. The city could not be looted or conquered thanks to its walls, but one of the looters managed to get hold of one of the ships and steal the treasures.

Before reaching the Cíes Islands, the ship sank, giving rise to the legend of the great treasures hidden in the depths of the Vigo estuary. Returning to the museum, the purpose of this place is to preserve the pieces that were present in the battle and pay tribute to those who have tried to go to the depths in search of the precious treasure.

It has permanent exhibitions divided into sections according to what is shown in each one, either the objects of the battle, the elements that remained of the famous "German's Factory", in honor of a Nazi collaborator who kept his business in this place during the Second World War, the objects of the treasure and another area dedicated to the flora and fauna of the place.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission to this museum is free for all visitors.
• Hours: You can visit this museum from Tuesday to Sunday between 11:00 and 14:00 and between 15:30 and 19:00. It is closed on Mondays.
• How to get there: The museum is about 20 minutes by car from Vigo. It is located beyond the ruins of the Rande Castle. You can go by private car or cab.

The Laxeiro Foundation 's main objective is to present and disseminate the work of the painter José Otero Abeledo, as well as to make room for young artists who want to make their work known. This is one of the best galleries in Vigo to see emerging art, and of course to appreciate the permanent collections of the artist Laxeiro.

One of the things you will like most about visiting this foundation museum is that you will be able to get to know it in its entirety thanks to the guided tours that are offered free of charge to the public. To opt for a guided tour like this one, you will have to request it at least 48 hours in advance.

The museum also offers temporary exhibitions, to learn about the different artistic currents of the current movement. To know for sure the planning of the temporary exhibitions of the museum before visiting it, I recommend you to visit its official website to find this updated information.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free, as well as guided tours of the entire exhibition.
• Hours: Open Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 21:00. Saturdays from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00. On Sundays it is open from 12:00 to 14:00.
• How to get there: It is located on Rúa Policarpo Sanz street in the heart of the city of Vigo. You can get there by car, cab or public transport. If you are staying near this area you can also walk there.

Since 2003 Naturnova Afundación is open to the public of all ages to entertain and above all to teach about the environment, the characteristics of nature and our planet earth. If there is something that you will like about this place is the interactivity presented in each of its areas.

The museum's motto is that "no one can love what he does not know", that is why they strive to teach in a clear and didactic way, everything you need to know about nature and its nuances.

The tour of the museum is magical because it begins in an introductory way by the functioning of the universe as a whole, the galaxies, the planets, the solar system and all these elements outside our planet. The next level is to learn about the planet in question and everything that conditions its behavior.

The next area is dedicated to living beings and their interrelationship within the ecosystems that comprise the earth and finally human life and how we humans participate in the development of the earth. It is an excellent activity to include among the best things to see and do in Vigo with children.

Details of Interest

• Price: Children under 5 years old are free. Adults can pay an approximate price of 3 euros and special tickets can cost approximately 2 euros.
• Hours: It is open from October to June every Saturday from 17:30 to 20:30.
• How to get there: It is located at the headquarters of Afundación Vigo, on Velásquez Moreno Street in Vigo. You can get there by private car or public transport.

This is an interesting place to visit in Vigo because it is the only marine salt mines of solar evaporation that have been preserved until now. It is worth noting that these salt pans come directly from the period of the Roman Empire and is the only one of its kind that remains protected so that the general public can visit them.

Inside the Salinae Archaeological Center you will have the opportunity to understand exactly how the process of salt extraction and production worked for the Romans during the time of the Empire. You will be able to learn about the salt industrialization processes that have been used from that time to the present day. You can even request guided tours.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free for everyone, so you will not have to pay anything to see the archaeological center.
• Hours: You can visit the site from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00. Saturdays from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Also on Sundays from 11:00 to 14:00.
• How to get there: You can get there by public transport or also by private car, because near the salt pans you can park comfortably.

One of the most important places of wine science divulgation in Spain is in Vigo, and it is the Museo da Ciencia do Viño. If you are a wine and wine science lover, then this is a place you cannot miss. Inside you will learn everything that has to do with the industrial and/or artisanal processes that are needed to have a good wine.

While you learn about the history of wine and how this elixir is obtained, you can also get to know the facilities of the Urraca Castle, one of the most interesting fortresses in the city of Vigo, thanks to the great amount of history it has within its walls. You can take guided tours inside and, of course, taste the most exquisite wines of the house.

It is located in the town of Tui, so to visit this museum you have to embark on one of the best excursions from Vigo to the town of Tui to learn everything the wine experts have to teach you.

Details of Interest

• Price: Children under 6 years old can enter for free. From 7 and up to 18 years old, they pay approximately 2 euros, while people over 65 can pay an approximate entrance fee of 3 euros, which includes the guided tour and tasting. General admission costs about 5 euros.
• Hours: You can visit this place from Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00.
• How to get there: It is located in the Plaza do Castelo, very close to Tui.

This museum located in the town of Tui is one of the best preserved historical jewels of Vigo and its surroundings. It is organized in different sections where you can admire and understand a little more about each historical period of Vigo and Spain in general.

It brings together pieces from Roman history, sculptures and paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries, and sacred art, where you can see works of art from the 12th century church. You can visit the museum through guided tours with a previous reservation. Visiting this museum is one of the best experiences to live in Tui, in addition to the traditional tours of the town, some of which I recommend you do as soon as you arrive.

Details of Interest

• Price: You can pay around 0.50 euros to enter, regardless of the type of public.
• Hours: You can visit from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. It is closed on Mondays.
• How to get there: It is located in the Plaza do Concello in the town of Tui. You can go by private car or cab from Vigo.