Casco Vello (Old Town)
Vigo's old quarter is a compact tangle of narrow granite streets tumbling downhill toward the port, packed with pintxos bars, independent boutiques and medieval-era churches that somehow coexist with craft-beer joints. It rewards aimless wandering more than any map.
Streets Worth Seeking Out
Rúa do Príncipe and the pedestrianised Rúa do Paseo are the main arteries, but the real character lives in the side streets: Rúa dos Cesteiros (basket-weavers' street), Rúa da Laxe and the stepped alleyways around the Romanesque Concatedral de Santa María. The cathedral's 16th-century façade is one of the finest in Galicia and is almost always uncrowded.
Praza da Constitución, the old town's main square, is lined with arcaded buildings and fills with locals for the Sunday morning paseo. The iron-and-glass Mercado do Progreso, a 1920s covered market just off the square, is worth a look even if you only buy a coffee inside.
Eating & Drinking the Casco Vello Way
The bar-dense block around Rúa do Pozo and Rúa de Montero Ríos is the city's unofficial tapas corridor. Order a caña (small draught beer) and a pincho de tortilla at Taberna A Pedra, or go straight for the pulpo á feira (octopus with paprika and olive oil) at any of the old-school tascas on Rúa da Laxe.
The neighbourhood also has a growing craft scene: Fábrica de Chocolate on Rúa de Churruca is a beloved local craft-beer bar with 20 taps and zero pretension, tucked into a former chocolate factory.
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