Half-day sightseeing private tour of Galician coast pearls Vigo and Baiona

Baiona is a town and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, an autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It's a tourist town with a medieval historical center situated by the outlet of the Vigo Bay. Its population of just over 11,000 rises to around 45,000 in the summer if one includes tourists. Since it is on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago 30,000 hikers also visit every year. Other than tourism the major economic activities revolve around fishing. It was founded in 140 BC by Diomedes of Aetolia. Throughout its history, it has had several names including Stuciana, Abóriga, Balcagia, and Erizana. On March 1, 1493, the Pinta, one of the ships from Columbus' voyage to the New World returned to Europe and arrived in Baiona, making the town's port the first to receive news of the discovery of America.

Casco Vello is Vigo’s old town, filled with Renaissance-era architecture and centered on fresco-filled, 19th-century Concatedral de Santa María church. Stone steps lead up Rua Baixada O Forte to a hilltop garden and lookout over the harbor, and cobbled lanes open onto Plaza de la Constitución, framed by grand arcades lined with artisan stores. Open-air tavernas serve Galician dishes such as octopus in paprika.

The Fortress of O Castro is a hilltop fortress in Vigo, Spain built in 1665 during the Portuguese Restoration War in order to protect the city from the continuous raids by the British Royal Navy, allies of Portugal. Built on the hill of the same name, the defensive system of the city consisted of the fortresses of O Castro and San Sebastián and the now disappeared city wall. The city wall had an irregular shape due to the orography of the city, it was constructed by the Engineer Colonel Fernando de Gourannanbergue and maestre de campo Diego Arias Taboada to link the two fortresses. Despite this effort to provide security to the city, documents from that time say that this defensive system was ineffective as it could not impede landings further along the coast. After several attempts to improve the defenses of the city, Vigo was looted again by British navy on the 23-24 October 1702 during Battle of Vigo Bay at the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1809, the fortress was occupied by the French army during Peninsular War; on 28 March that year the fortress was reconquered following an uprising by people of Vigo, because of the city was given the honorific title of "the faithful, loyal and courageous city of Vigo" the following year. Nowadays the fortress is one of the preferred sites for people to take a walk in Vigo, because his beautiful gardens, open spaces, fonts and also the privileged views.

Monterreal Castle is a castle in Ría de Vigo and the valley of Miñor (Val Miñor), Galicia, Spain. Construction of Monterreal Castle began in the 12th century and was completed in the 16th century, and now serves as a tourist attraction. Three of the castle's towers are preserved: the Reloj tower, the Tenaza tower with a heptagonal base, and the Príncipe tower. The first appearance of the castle in record dates from the year 60, when Julius Caesar conquered Baiona. Apart from the Romans, the Visigoths and Muslims also left their marks in the Monterreal Castle, whose name was given by the Catholic Monarchs. The Castle is defended by the Puerta del Sol, a ramp with a lifting bridge and the three large towers.

A must-see unusual monument next to the marina of the port of Vigo. Thanks to the residents of the city for mentioning Vigo in the novel "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea". In gratitude to the writer from the inhabitants of the city for mentioning Vigo in the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

Baiona was the first port in Europe to know about the discovery of America. On March 1st, 1493, Caravel La Pinta, commanded by Martín Alonso Pinzón, arrived in this port. For the 5th Centenary of the Discovery commemorations a replica of the ship was built. The replica is moored in a dock in the bay and it can be visited. In 1999 the small museum inside the caravel was reorganised and enriched with all the items belonging to the Columbian times -from Christian to Taino cultures. This way, visitors know the Caravel as it arrived to Baiona in 1493 and bring back to life the Discovery deed: dummies looking like the crew and native Americans aside by side with reproductions of metals, plants, food and exotic animals found in the New World.

Porta do Sol, also known as “Kilometer Zero,” is unquestionably one of the top things to do in Vigo. Heading east out of the heart of the Casco Vello will take you the modern Plaza Princesa where you will find the iconic El statue looking north towards the Atlantic Ocean. Since 1991, it has become the unofficial symbol of the city.

Short Rúa Pescadería, in the lower part of the old town, is filled with people tucking into fresh seafood. From about 10.30 am until 3.30 pm you can buy oysters from the ostreras (shuckers) here and sit down to eat them with a drink at one of the restaurants. Oysters and albariño wine are a popular Vigo Sunday-morning hangover cure.

In the Plaza de Pedra stands Vigo’s oldest church, the Santa Maria Collegiate Church. It was originally constructed during the Middle Ages, but was completely rebuilt in 1836. This neoclassical building that now dominates the square is dedicated to Christ of Victory, the savior who protected locals from Napoleonic domination in 1809. The church is open Monday to Sunday 9:30 AM to 1 PM and from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. Admission is free.

Tower of the Prince of the Castle of Monterreal, in Bayonne. The original tower has been known for more than a thousand years, specifically when in 997 Almanzor razed Erizana (old name of Bayona) and its castle. The tower was then used as a maritime lighthouse. After the attack on the castle by Major Admiral Manuel Pezaña, a Genoese navigator in the service of the King of Portugal, in 1331, the fortress was badly damaged. As part of the reconstruction tasks, King Alfonso XI of Castile signed a certificate to complete the Torre del Príncipe. On March 1, 1493, this tower was the first place in Europe to see the arrival of the caravel "La Pinta" from America, captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón.

Vigo is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra (Spain), part of the autonomous community of Galicia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the Ria de Vigo, the southernmost of the so-called Rías Baixas. Vigo is the most populated municipality of Galicia and the most populated city with a population of 350,000 inhabitants. The municipality has an area of 109.06 km2 (42.11 sq mi) and has a population of 295,364 in 2019. Vigo is one of the region's primary economic agents, owing in part to the French Citroën automotive factory and to the Port of Vigo. Close to Portugal–Spain border, Vigo is part of the Galicia–North Portugal Euroregion. The European Fisheries Control Agency is headquartered in Vigo.

Thanks to its peculiar making, it probably is the best known monument in town. It was built with granite in San Roque hill, right on the rocks. The magnificent and remarkable Galician modernist architect Antonio Palacios was its author and the work was inaugurated in 1930. It is 15 meters tall and it portraits Blessed Virgin Mary with a boat-mirador in her right hand. To access the mirador there is an inner stone-made spiral-staircase. The Virgin's hands and face are made of white marble, while Her crown was built in china.