Tui is a town in Galicia on the north bank of the Miño River, on the border with Portugal. In Castilian Spanish it's "Tuy" but Galician place names are now the official version. It has a well-preserved medieval centre and is one of the start points for the Camino pilgrimage. In 2021 Tui had a population of 17,500.
Understand
[edit]Tui stands on a ridge facing across the River Miño to Valença in Portugal. Although the area has been settled since prehistory, the town was twice abandoned, and the core of its present incarnation is from the 11th / 12th century. It was a fortified outpost whenever Castile / Spain was at odds with Portugal, but neither old conflicts or modern development have much altered the medieval centre.
Tui is a pleasant base for exploring the Miño valley either side of the border, but its main attraction to visitors is as a start point on the Camino pilgrimage trail to Santiago. You need to trek at least 100 km to qualify as a pilgrim, and from here it's 107 km.
Oficina de Información Turismo is 100 m north of the cathedral at Paseo de Calvo Sotelo 16. It's open Tu-Su 10:30-13:00, 16:00-19:00.
Get in
[edit]
By plane Vigo (VGO IATA) is the closest airport. It has frequent flights from Madrid and daily from Barcelona, but not much internationally beyond a seasonal flight from London Stansted.
Santiago de Compostela (SVQ IATA) is a major tourist and pilgrim destination and has flights from across Europe. Porto (OPO IATA) also has a good range of European flights plus Newark NJ, Toronto and Rio de Janeiro.
By road Tui is on AP-9, which runs from Ferrol on the north coast via Santiago, Pontevedra and Vigo. At the border bridge into Portugal it becomes A3, from Valença to Braga and Porto. Pedestrians, cyclists and trains cross on the older bridge 500 m upstream. No tolls, or border checks as both countries are part of the Schengen Area, but remember to adjust your watch.
Inter-city buses from Vigo to Porto rush past Tui but stop at Valença, with four per day taking 30 min. Valença is 2 km south of Tui, there's no public transport so take a taxi, or walk if lightly laden.
Bus.Gal runs every hour or so from Vigo to Tui, taking 30 min.
Trains no longer stop at Tui station. Considering the out-of-the-way little places they do stop, would it hurt so much to install a ticket machine and restore a platform halt?
1 Valença across the border has trains twice a day from Porto Campanha, taking 2 hours 15 min via Nine and Viana do Castelo, and continuing to Vigo Urzáiz. Change in Vigo for Santiago, A Coruña and Madrid.
2 Guillarei 
3 km northeast of Tui is a halt for the twice-daily train from Vigo Guixar, heading for Ourense and Ponferrada via 30 little places no-one's ever heard of. No facilities at Guillarei so you need to have a taxi waiting.
Get around
[edit]Almost everything in Tui is within a 10-minute walk, and the central streets are traffic-restricted. You need a vehicle for Monte Aloia and to explore further afield.
See
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- 1 Catedral de Santa María, Praza de San Fernando, ☏ +34 98 660 0511. M-Sa 11:00-14:00, 16:00–19:00, Su 09:00-12:30, 16:00-19:00. Sturdy cathedral built from 1120 in Romanesque style, with the Gothic facade added from 1225. Technically it's a co-cathedral, sharing its status with Vigo. Adult €5.
- Diocesan Museum on the plaza opposite the cathedral has closed, and the intention is to re-house it within the cathedral. The building was a hospital for pilgrims.
- Chapel of San Telmo is just east of the cathedral, a concoction of Portuguese Baroque built from 1763. Saint Pedro González Telmo (1190-1246) was a renowned preacher, working for a time for the royal court of Castile then with seafarers of the Atlantic coast. He died in Tui and is buried here.
- Convent of the Poor Clares was founded in 1524 but rebuilt from 1688. It's seldom accessible, but you can ring a bell and proffer €10, and the nuns will pass out a box of almond cakes. It's 100 m north of the cathedral on Rúa das Monxas.
- 2 Church of San Francisco was built in 1682 as part of a Franciscan convent. It's nowadays a library and cultural centre, but you can look in to see the choir stalls, altar and "Chapel of the Third Order". It's on Paseo de Calvo Sotelo and open daily 10:00-20:00.
- Paseo Fluvial is the riverside boardwalk beneath the east ramparts.
- Troncoso Gardens stretch along the riverbank beyond the ramparts northeast side of town.
- 3 Monte Aloia, rising to 629 m, is a national park 10 km north of Tui. Lots of viewpoints, and hiking trails up to 3.2 km.
Do
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- Theatre: Teatro Municipal is on Rua Colón.
- Piscina Municipal the outdoor swimming pool is open in summer.
- El Camino, the pilgrimage trail to Santiago, has a branch running north from Lisbon. Nowadays most join it at Tui, since this is 107 km via Porriño, Redondela, Pontevedra, Caldas de Reyes and Padrón, and the minimum for a pilgrimage certificate is 100 km.
Buy
[edit]- Supermarkets: Froiz is 100 m north of the cathedral on Paseo de Calvo Sotelo 9, open M-Sa 09:00-21:30.
- There's another Froiz at Casal Aboy by the main car park.
- The biggest stores are at the A-55 junction north end of the international bridge: Mercadona, Lidl, Gadis Hiper and PrimaPrix.
Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]- Bocatería Fornos, Camiño Entre Fornos 11 (50 m south of cathedral), ☏ +34 69 574 7893. W-M 19:00-00:00. Sandwich shop.
- Taperia O Albergue, Rúa Seijas 6 (50 m north of cathedral), ☏ +34 62 060 1508. M-Sa 13:00-15:30, 19:00-23:00. Friendly place for inexpensive meals.
- Arte Pizza, Paseo de Calvo Sotelo 10, ☏ +34 98 660 4136. Th-M 13:00-15:30, 19:30-23:00. Pleasant pizzeria, dine in or takeaway.
- Manc's Burger, Paseo de Calvo Sotelo 8 (next to Arte Pizza), ☏ +34 61 155 3317. Daily 19:30-23:30. Great burgers with vegan versions.
- Pizzería Di Marco Tropical, Rúa Seijas 1 (50 m north of cathedral), ☏ +34 98 660 3685. M Tu F 18:00-23:00, Sa Su 13:30-15:30, 19:00-23:00. Good filling pizza and pasta.
- Hamburguesería CasaBlanca, Rúa Mondoñedo 6 (by parking lot), ☏ +34 98 660 1779. M, W-Sa 09:30-16:00, 20:00-00:00, Su 20:00-00:00. Good value burgers.
Mid-range
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- O Alboio, R. Seijas 12 (facing cathedral), ☏ +34 60 683 3952. F Sa M Tu 09:00-12:00, 20:00-23:00, Su 09:00-16:00. Good central place for tapas.
- La de Manu, Paseo de Calvo Sotelo 40 (north side of Church of San Francisco), ☏ +34 674 549 494. Tu-Th 13:00-16:00, F Sa 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:45. Trad Galician fare, great value for the quality.
- Tapería Época, Av da Concordia 2 (50 m north of La de Manu), ☏ +34 98 609 6072. Tu-Sa 10:00-00:00, Su 10:00-17:00. Mostly good reviews.
- Merendeiro Aloia (near the summit of Monte Aloia). The quality of the food is great, and the prices reasonable.
Drink
[edit]- Pubs are concentrated in the streets around the cathedral.
- Galician wines are similar to Portuguese, crisp and white.
Sleep
[edit]
- O Novo Cabalo Furado, Rúa Seijas 3 (next to cathedral), ☏ +34 98 660 4445. Pleasant place in the old centre, nowadays an aparthotel rather than a pension. Double (room only) €70.
- Jacob's Hostel, Rúa Bispo Lago 5 (next to San Francisco church), ☏ +34 64 455 7194. Clean helpful hostel, for pilgrims only.
- La Sigrina at Rúa Foxo 8 is pleasant when it's clean and dry, but some visitors have found it damp and dingy.
- 1 Hotel Colón, Rúa Colón 11, ☏ +34 98 660 0223. Quiet and comfortable in the modern part of town.
- 2 A Torre do Xudeu, Rúa Tide 3, ☏ +34 98 660 3535. Comfy hotel in an attractive 18th century building. B&B double €80.
- 3 Parador de Tui, Av de Portugal, ☏ +34 98 660 0300. Smart comfy Parador. B&B double €200.
Connect
[edit]As of March 2025, Tui and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers, extending across the border to Valença.
Tui also gets 4G from Portuguese carriers Digi and MEO.
Go next
[edit]- Valença across the river also has a medieval centre.
- Vigo is a big fishing port.
- Santiago de Compostela is a magnificent old city.
| Routes through Tui |
| Santiago de Compostela ← Vigo ← | N  S
|
→  continues as   → Ponte de Lima → Porto
|