10 Best museums in Vigo

The Museo do Mar de Galicia, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Pazo Quiñones de León are some of the most interesting museums 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 one 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, there's one thing you can be sure of, and that's that you won' t get bored or leave without fulfilling your expectations.

The Galician Museum of the Sea 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 around Vigo to learn about the town's fishing history. For these cases, you can also take private tours around the city.

It's 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 fishing activity in Vigo from its beginnings until today. This museum also 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 find out which ones are active at the time of your visit to Vigo, I recommend you visit the museum's official website, where they are always giving information about 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.
• Opening hours: It is open depending on the season of the year, either winter or summer, although you can generally 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 centre of Vigo. Its art exhibition highlights the work of national and international artists, although the majority of its works are 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 the activities you can participate in at the museum are talks, forums and special exhibitions.

You can visit this museum on your own or you can take a guided tour available inside the institution. To enjoy this type of specialised tours, you have to 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 won't have to pay anything to get in. Guided tours do have an additional cost, but this is only informed at the time of booking.
• Opening hours: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 14:00 and 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, as there is a car park near the museum. You can also get there 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 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, apart from being an incredible fortification, is made up of immense and perfectly maintained gardens, where you can appreciate a large number of plant species, which in itself can be considered as a museum within the museum. The interior of the Pazo itself offers a glimpse of what life was like for the Marquises in past centuries.

As for its architecture, over several centuries it underwent several major renovations, so the layout it has today does not res emble what it was originally, 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 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 public holidays from 11:00 to 14:00.
• How to get there: The Pazo is very close to the centre 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's a place where communication, words and how mankind has managed to establish an understandable language through time are given vital importance. On top of everything else, it's an interactive museum, where you can have free contact with what's exhibited inside.

Everything to do with languages, tongues, signs, dialects, words and other important aspects of human communication is what you will see in this place. It's located within the Vigo Cultural Centre complex, very close to Samil beach.

What you'll 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.
• Opening hours: It is open from Tuesday to Friday between 17:00 and 20:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays between 12:00 and 14:00.
• How to get there: To get to the museum you have to drive along Avenida Samil. You can get there by private car or by public transport, as it is very close to the city centre.

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

This great battle took place in 1702 in the middle of the War of the Spanish Succession, in which there was heavy looting of ships that had arrived in the Vigo estuary 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 aim of this place is to preserve the pieces that were present in the battle and to 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, be it the objects from the battle, the elements that remained from the famous "German's Factory", in honour of a Nazi collaborator who kept his business here during the Second World War, the objects from 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.
• Opening 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 Rande Castle. You can go by private car or taxi.

The main objective of the Laxeiro Foundation 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'll like most about visiting this foundation museum is that you'll be able to get to know it in its entirety thanks to the guided tours 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, so you can get to know the different artistic trends of the current art scene. To find out for sure the schedule of the museum's temporary exhibitions before you visit, I recommend you visit its official website to find updated information.

Details of Interest

• Price: Admission is free, as are guided tours of the entire exhibition.
• Opening 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, taxi or public transport. If you're staying near this area, you can also walk there.

Since 2003 Naturnova Afundación has been 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 one thing you will like about this place, it is the interactivity it presents in each of its areas.

The museum's motto is that "no one can love what they don't know", which 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 with 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 get to know the planet in question and everything that conditions its behaviour.

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. This 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 approximately 3 euros and special tickets can cost approximately 2 euros.
• Opening hours: Open from October to June every Saturday from 17:30 to 20:30.
• How to get there: It is located in the headquarters of Afundación Vigo, in Velásquez Moreno Street in Vigo. You can get there by 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 date directly from the Roman Empire period and are the only one of their kind that remains protected so that the general public can visit them.

Inside the Salinae Archaeological Centre you will have the opportunity to understand exactly how the Roman salt extraction and production process worked during the time of the Empire. You will be able to learn about the salt industrialisation 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 don't have to pay anything to see the archaeological centre.
• Opening 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 you can park easily near the salt pans.

One of the most important places in Spain for the dissemination of wine science is in Vigo, and that is the Museo da Ciencia do Viño (Wine Science Museum). If you are a wine and wine science lover, then this is a place you can't miss. Inside you 'll learn all about the industrial and/or artisanal processes needed to make a good wine.

While you learn about the history of wine and how this elixir is obtained, you can also visit the facilities of 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 discover everything the wine experts have to show you.

Details of Interest

• Price: Children under 6 years old are free. From 7 to 18 years old, they pay approximately 2 euros, while people over 65 can pay an entrance fee of approximately 3 euros, which includes the guided tour and tasting. General admission costs around 5 euros.
• Opening 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 organised 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. Guided tours of the museum are available by prior reservation. Visiting this museum is one of the best experiences to have 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.
• Opening 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 get there by car or taxi from Vigo.