Vigo stations
Vigo has two stations, 10 minutes walk apart.
Vigo Guixar station, seen from the other side of the main road.
Above, Vigo Guixar interior, showing ticket windows above right. There are no X-ray scanners here!
Vigo Guixar platforms. The door into the station hall is on the right.
Vigo Urzaiz see map
Vigo Urzaiz is a modern terminus opened in 2015 to handle trains on the new high-speed line. Its 6 platforms are underground, below a glitzy multi-level shopping centre. There's been a station on this site since 1878, but the original ground-level Urzaiz station was closed and demolished in 2011.
You must put your bags through an X-ray scanner before boarding trains here and there's a ticket check before you're allowed down to the platform. There are no metal detectors, security staff next to the scanner may have a metal-detector but on a recent trip this was used on me only once in 8 trips and even then they failed to find the corkscrew & iPhone in my pockets. Tip: Put any Swiss Army knives or corkscrews in your pocket to avoid arguments if they see them in the scanner.
Platforms: An Alvia train from Madrid has arrived on platform 3.
Passengers take the escalators up one level to the arrivals/departures hall.
Arrivals/departures hall, one level up from the platforms. You can see the queuing area and X-ray scanners for departures in the background.
The ticket office is one floor up from the arrivals/departures hall, in a retail unit on the first floor of the shopping centre.
Shopping centre: The photo above right is taken from the lowest shopping centre level with the ticket office is behind the camera, looking down at the departures hall.
How to walk between stations
Vigo Guixar ► Vigo Urzaiz
-
It's about 500m, an easy 10 minute walk even with luggage, see walking map.
The halo lift opened in February 2024, at the time I write this you can't see it on Google satellite view.
-
Walk out of the station onto the forecourt, turn right across the forecourt to the main road, the Rua do Areal.
-
Cross the main road (Rua do Areal) at the zebra crossing, turning right on the other side along the Rua do Areal.
-
Turn left up the first side street, the Rua Serafin Avendano shown in the photo below. You'll see the halo lift at the end of the road.
-
Take the halo lift to the top and walk around either arm of the 'halo' onto the roof of the shopping centre.
The halo lift has two ordinary self-service lifts, just like any hotel lift, open all day and free of charge.
-
Once on the roof, veer left and find the doors into the shopping centre. Go down, down, down several levels to Urzaiz station in the basement.
Looking up Rua Serafin Avendano from the Rua do Areal, the arrow points to the halo lift. Vigo Guixar is to my left.
The halo lift.
Walk around either arm of the 'halo' onto the roof of the shopping centre. Urzaiz station is in the basement!
Vigo Urzaiz ► Vigo Guixar
-
It's about 500m, an easy 10 minute walk even with luggage, see walking map.
The halo lift opened in February 2024, so at the time I write this you can't see it on Google satellite view.
-
Go up the escalators from platform to arrivals hall and keep going up, up, up to the top floor of the shopping centre. Walk out of the doors onto the open-air part of the shopping centre roof and look for the halo lift, the photo below shows what you're looking for.
-
Walk around either arm of the 'halo' and take the lift down to the ground. The halo lift has two ordinary self-service lifts like any hotel lift, open all day and free of charge.
-
Walk out of the lift and walk straight ahead over two road junctions until you hit the Rua do Areal, turn right and you'll see Vigo Guixar.
On the shopping centre roof in the open air, this is what you're looking for - the 'halo'!
Walk round either arm of the halo from the shopping centre roof and take the lift down to ground level. This halo crosses over Vigo's busy ring road!
Hotels in Vigo
The NH Collection Vigo hotel is lovely and 10 minutes walk from both Urzaiz (via the halo lift) and Guixar. For a 4-star hotel, it's remarkably inexpensive. I've stayed here myself and highly recommend it, with friendly staff and a good breakfast. See walking map from Guixar. See walking map from Urzaiz via the halo lift.
The Hotel Atlantico Vigo is even cheaper, gets great reviews and is also a few minutes walk from either station. See walking map from Guixar. See walking map from Urzaiz via the halo lift. Both hotels have 24h front desks so no problem arriving on a late night train. I'd look no further than these two.
Room at the NH Collection Vigo hotel.