A wild coastline, an underrated stadium and a phenomenal headquarter, in the heart of the city: Celta de Vigo is an underrated football trip.
Recently, the exterior has been renovated with a facade of waving silverware, but also from the inside Estadio Balaídos is a very characteristic and underrated stadium. There's always a good atmosphere, the stands are wonderfully asymmetric and behind the goal you see the tower blocks rise over the stands. The waving architecture of the roof is very recognizable. It's somewhat strange that Balaídos has never made a list of the most popular stadiums.
Near Estadio Balaidos there are lots of tapas bars and coffee shops, just like anywhere in Spain. A real football café is Noso Luar (Rúa Manuel de Castro 24), a hotspot for Celta fans too. In the centre of Vigo you'll find a lot of nice restaurants, but wherever you go: try the famous 'Pulpo a la Gallega', one of the most famous dishes of Galicia. Tender octopus with olive oil and smoked paprika powder: a perfect warm-up for the match.
We really recommend you take a trip from A Coruña to Vigo or the other way around. The Riazor stadium of arch-rivals Deportivo la Coruña is beautifully situated right along the sea, so you can follow the coastline. Along the way you'll pass the Cabo Finisterre and the beautiful nature of Pontevedra. Do you want to see some football as well? Bergantiños has a nice little stadium - Estadio As Eiroas - and you can also go to SD Compostela as well, a little more off-coast.
It can't be better. On the corner of Rúa do Príncipe in Vigo, at number 44, you can visit the heart of Celta de Vigo every day of the week. In this beautiful, monumental building in the centre of Vigo, the club opened a headquarters/community house like you rarely see: Sede do Real Club Celta de Vigo. A headquarter that's completely open for everyone. The 'Fundación Celta de Vigo' is located here, but also a giant fan store, the Celta museum, an excellent coffee shop and lots of working places and meeting rooms. Players, fans, club workers and sponsors, anyone can meet here. A must-visit in Vigo.
At the Calle Policarpo Sanz 1, you'll find one of the most beautiful buildings of Vigo: El Moderno. For decades, it was a luxury hotel, but also the place where Celta de Vigo was founded in 1923.
If the Estadio Balaídos is not obscure enough for you then you can visit the Campo Municipal de Barreiro, a little stadium in Vigo that, nowadays, is used by Celta B, the reserve team of the club. The simple, but charming stadium is at the east side of the city and has a nice main stand with a waving roof. Another tip: the training ground and youth academy A Madroa of Celta, at the north side of Vigo.
You can buy your match tickets at the official website of Celta de Vigo. It's not hard to get a ticket for top matches either. Keep that in mind when you visit the city, because the top teams of La Liga usually have a hard time in Balaídos.
Balaídos is a little south of the centre of Vigo, right next to a gigantic Citroën factory, for years the head sponsor of Celta. However, it's not the best idea to go to Balaídos by car, because there's limited parking space. The best thing you can do is take the bus (line 7, 11 or 16) or a taxi.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
