Cruiser tourism

Vigo is the most important cruiser tourism destination in north-western Spain, with more than a hundred stopovers a year and surpassing 250,000 passengers.

The Port of Vigo is an essential stopover on the routes of large cruise ships that navigate the European Atlantic coast; it’s the fifth largest cruise port in mainland Spain and a fundamental part of Cruise Europe, the organization that groups the main cruise traffic ports in the continent.

Getting to Vigo on a cruise ship is a different experience; it’s the only major port in an estuary: the famous Ría de Vigo. Its great Transatlantic Dock is worth highlighting, as well as its historical maritime station converted into a Cruise Terminal. Its interior has all the services a cruise passenger could need (waiting rooms, tourist information desk, free WiFi, etc…) and on the more technical side, its embarkation controls meet all international safety standards.

The Vigo Cruise Terminal is right in the centre of town, in a garden and friendly setting welcoming the newcomer, with easy access to all means of transport. Also, for short stopovers, Vigo opens its gates through a large shopping centre, A Laxe, located in the dock, and where you can shop for clothes, accessories, toys, gifts...

The piers are enabled for buses that take visitors on organized guided tours, there are taxi and urban bus stops just a few feet from the Cruise Terminal and its front door opens up directly into Vigo’s Old Town, no further than 200 yards across a footbridge.

The city also offers services and special tours for cruise passengers who want to make the most of their time in Vigo and discover its most beautiful spots, taste its delicious cuisine and visit some of its museums. Another major attraction is the Vigo tourist bus, offering multilingual information and a complete tour of the city.

Vigo is also a perfect place to start a cruise across the Atlantic. In recent years, several shipping companies have begun to offer Vigo as the base port for their ships; over 5,000 were registered in 2011. Vigo’s location, in a strategic point for Galicia and northern Portugal, makes its port particularly attractive for cruise ship stopovers as well as to board passengers from a potential market of more than 6 million people.

Finally, and although not a pleasant topic, hospitals and emergency services in Vigo are ready to evacuate on a helicopter any of the transatlantic cruise passengers navigating the estuary that might require medical assistance.

For more information: http://www.apvigo.es

List of the next arrivals http://www.apvigo.com/control.php?sph=a_iap=1110%%p_rpp=1

Vigo in Cruise Europe: http://www.cruiseeurope.com/port-contact/vigo