The Vigo-Redondela Greenway offers a pleasant route of just over 5 km for anyone keen to venture out by bike or on foot and enjoy a landscape full of character. This greenway links the urban heart of Vigo —starting at the Vialia Shopping Centre— with the Chapela station, within the municipality of Redondela, in the very heart of the Rías Baixas.

 

Throughout the entire walk, you’ll breathe in the Atlantic essence of Galicia: sea and mountains, tradition and modernity, railway and industrial heritage, all while enjoying spectacular views over the Vigo estuary (Ría de Vigo), one of the most renowned and beautiful in Galicia. This greenway is ideal for those seeking a short but varied outing connecting the vibrant urban life of Vigo with the more rural, seafaring and traditional character of Redondela and its surroundings.

 

So, without further ado, lace up your shoes, gear up, and set off!  

 

 

The route begins with a distinctly urban feel, just 500m from Vigo-Urzáiz train station. For roughly 2 km, the path runs parallel to the Autopista del Atlántico. Near Rúa de San Lourenzo, you cross the first of the three bridges your will find along the way. As you move forward, you gradually leave behind the web of motorways and local roads that so strongly defines this area of modern Vigo.

 

The path continues to pleasantly surprise travellers, as nature and city blend together. Midway along the route, a second bridge appears at Rúa do Xuncal. The views from here invite you to pause and look both ways: to the left, in the distance, you can glimpse “Praia Punta” and its shimmering blue tones; and to the right, the familiar urban landscape that has accompanied you from the start.

 

 

Once you leave the central urban zone behind, the greenway enters areas that offer a different perspective on the city: it's the beginning of the connection with nature and with the sea. This closeness to the Atlantic creates a multisensory experience: the smell of salt in the air, the cool breeze, the cry of seagulls, and a landscape that shifts with the light. Around km 3, the trail offers partial views of the Ría de Vigo, one of Galicia’s great natural treasures — a preview of what lies ahead. The route passes through the Teis area which, although peri-urban in nature, retains the history and everyday heritage of local life. Not far from the path stands the Peto de Ánimas of Teis, a symbol of Galician popular devotion and its ethnographic heritage.

 

As you continue along the greenway, it transforms. In some sections, you can still see remnants of the original rails, traces of its industrial past that shaped the development of urban Galicia in the 20th century.

 

Approaching the boundary between Vigo and Redondela, the landscape opens up and gets more intense. In the stretch through Chapela, Galicia’s character becomes more evident: small buildings, green fields, and a skyline dominated by the majestic Rande Bridge (Puente de Rande), rising as a symbol of the bond between modernity and Galician identity.

 

This final section offers the best viewpoints and rest areas, many shaded by native trees and furnished with benches perfect for soaking in the tranquillity. Special care has been taken to highlight local heritage, such as the restoration of an old washing place (lavadero), which adds historical and cultural interest to the walk.

 

You then reach the third bridge, As Catro Pontes, over Camiño das Silveiras — a masonry bridge with four arches. At a gentle pace, and with eyes and senses fully open, you’ll arrive at the former Chapela halt (apeadero de Chapela) in Redondela (km 4.3), restored in 2022 as an urban art centre. Its façades have been transformed by a local artist, enhancing the area’s aesthetics. One mural is particularly worth pointing out, blending visual art with verses in Galician, while others reflect and inspire travellers with the spirit of Chapela and its people.

 

A kilometre beyond the halt, you reach the end of the Greenway, already within Redondela — a welcoming town that combines tradition, natural beauty and spirituality. Here, two routes of the Way of St. James converge: the Central Portuguese Way and the Coastal Way, making Redondela a meeting point for pilgrims from all over the world, and a living example of Galician hospitality.

 

For those with time to spare, it is well worth exploring its streets, seafaring cuisine and nearby landscapes, where cliffs, hidden beaches and viewpoints over the estuary make this area a true emblem of sustainable, short-haul tourism in Galicia.

 

End of the route We leave with a clear lesson: the Vigo–Redondela Greenway is not just a cycling or walking path. It is an invitation to discover Galicia at a different pace — as a place where modernity and memory intertwine, offering an experience that speaks to all the senses.