Vigo is Spain’s highest-ranking city in the latest Happy City Index, compiled by the Institute for Quality of Life.
I live on the Cote d’Azur. This is why you should visit in winter, not summer
Read MoreIt is an appealing destination for Britons who don’t like it too hot. Last year, a Spanish estate agent told The Times that the British represented five per cent of buyers in the area. That said, moving to Spain is trickier since the end of the Brexit transition period, and will become more so when the country’s golden visa scheme is scrapped.
When I visited in the summer months, I found Vigo to be affordable, friendly and well-situated for travel around Galicia – and beyond. There are direct flights from the UK (flying from Stansted with Ryanair) and direct trains to other Galician cities – including the regional capital and the end of the St James Way pilgrim route, Santiago de Compostela. Vigo is also around 40 minutes by car to the border with Portugal, and around 90 minutes to Porto.
Felix Gonzalez, a resident of Vigo, offered a local perspective on what helps to make it a happy place to live.
“Vigo’s limits are the sea and the mountains. There are excellent beaches, islands that are national parks, mountain trails and even a trail along an old railway line.”
Vigo’s old town is hilly, with narrow streets (Photo: peeter viisimaa/Getty)
Food markets are another culinary highlight of Galicia – including in Vigo. Head to the Berbés neighbourhood for stalls loaded with delicacies.
As you wander, watch, and listen, out for markers of Galicia’s Celtic heritage, a feature that makes the autonomous region distinct from the rest of Spain. Celts began migrating to this north-western slice of the country around the first century BC. The triskele, an ancient symbol made up of three spirals – sometimes shown as connected legs, much like those on the flag of the Isle of Man – decorates bars. Bagpipes are played at celebrations, and Galicians have their own language, which is similar to Portuguese – it’s an official language alongside Spanish.
Walks to the Cies Islands’ lighthouses offer views of their coastline (Photo: Getty)
Vigo is on an estuary, with which it shares a name. The estuary has several islands, including the Cies Islands archipelago. Two of these three islands can be reached on 45-minute ferry from Vigo (between April and September). You can also camp on Faro island – which is linked by a footbridge to Monte Agudo island.
On a balmy few days in June, Rodas Beach – a curve of white sand lapped by clear water – was filled with families soon after the ferry arrived. Rodas is just a few steps away from where ferries dock, but there are beaches across the two islands. Figueiras (a nudist beach) is around 15 minutes’ walk from ferry. You descend down wooden steps to a generous sweep of sand where territorial seagulls stand guard as the evening draws in.
Nosa Señora is among the glorious beaches of the Cies Islands (Photo: Getty)For a weekend break, Vigo is great value. Four-star hotel rooms start from around £50 per night in winter and around £100 in the peak weeks of summer.
Basket-weaving is among the lost-standing trades in Vigo (Photo: Getty)
Despite this, there is a sense of unity and pride in being from Vigo: “There are great events and companies with international projection that make us feel proud.”
Idyllic beaches, fresh, regional cuisine and a laid-back attitude made my visit to Vigo a happy one. There are plenty of reasons to return, not least to lounge on every one of those white-sand beaches.
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