In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Tui
Stay one night in Tui only if you start the Camino Portugués here; otherwise see the cathedral and cross to Valença as a half-day from Vigo.
Tui sits on a ridge above the Miño, facing Valença in Portugal. Its walled core is small and walkable, built around a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, and the town matters to travellers for one reason above all: it is a standard start point of the Camino Portugués, 107 km from Santiago. Without the walk, Tui is a half-day: cathedral, riverside walk, then the border bridge.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet), Jul–Aug (Camino crowds and heat)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.20–2 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €12–18 |
| Sandwich or burger | €5–10 |
| Beer: bar draught / supermarket can | €2–3.50 / €0.80–1.50 |
| Taxi Tui → Valença | €8–12 |
| Cathedral entry | €5 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- VGO · Vigo
- Closest airport, about 25 km (16 mi); frequent Madrid flights, limited international service (check).Closest airport, about 16 mi (25 km); frequent Madrid flights, limited international service (check).
- SCQ · Santiago de Compostela
- Wider European network, about 100 km (62 mi) by road or rail via Vigo.Wider European network, about 62 mi (100 km) by road or rail via Vigo.
- OPO · Porto
- Good European coverage plus some long-haul; about 120 km (75 mi) south across the border.Good European coverage plus some long-haul; about 75 mi (120 km) south across the border.
Typical fares
- Bus Vigo → Tui
- about €3, 30 min (check)
- Taxi Tui → Valença
- €8–12 (check)
- Cathedral entry
- €5 adult
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is compact and traffic-restricted: nearly all sights are inside a 10-minute walk. Trains no longer stop in Tui; the nearest station is Valença across the river, with twice-daily trains from Porto and onward to Vigo. Bus.Gal runs roughly hourly from Vigo to Tui, about 30 min. You need a car for Monte Aloia and the wider Miño valley.
See and do
Known for
- Catedral de Santa María
- Camino Portugués start point
- Border crossing to Valença, Portugal
- Monte Aloia national park
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Valença, Portugal | Walk the old bridge about 500 m upstream, or taxi 2 km (1.2 mi)Walk the old bridge about 500 m upstream, or taxi 1.2 mi (2 km) | About 30–45 min |
| Vigo | Bus.Gal roughly hourly, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Monte Aloia | Car or taxi 10 km (6.2 mi) north, then walking trails up to 3.2 km (2 mi)Car or taxi 6.2 mi (10 km) north, then walking trails up to 2 mi (3.2 km) | About 30 min each way |
| Santiago de Compostela | Bus or train via Vigo, then onward | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Old centre (around the cathedral)
- Everything within a 10-minute walk; aparthotels and the pilgrim hostel are here.
- Modern town (Rúa Colón, Av de Portugal)
- Quieter hotels, parking, 5–10 minutes on foot from the old centre.
- Valença, Portugal
- Cheaper beds 2 km (1.2 mi) across the river; no public transport, so taxi or a walk with light bags.Cheaper beds 1.2 mi (2 km) across the river; no public transport, so taxi or a walk with light bags.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | OlaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GrazasGRAH-thas |
| How much is it? | Canto custa?KAN-toh KOOS-tah |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah por fah-VOR |
| Where is the cathedral? | Onde está a catedral?ON-deh es-TAH ah kah-teh-DRAL |
| Goodbye | Adeusah-DEH-oos |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- Tui station has no train service: plan around Valença or Vigo instead.
- The border bridge carries road traffic; pedestrians and cyclists use the older bridge about 500 m upstream.
- Portugal is one hour behind Spain: change your watch at the river.
- Camino hostels in Tui are for pilgrims with credentials; book ahead in summer.
- Many kitchens close between 16:00 and 20:00: eat lunch late or dinner after 20:30.
Tui is a small, calm town and street crime is rare. The real risks are wet stone steps in the old centre, fast traffic on the AP-9 approach roads, and walking the border bridge on the road rather than the old bridge.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tui yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Catedral de Santa María
- Camino Portugués start point
- Border crossing to Valença, Portugal
- Monte Aloia national park
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tui municipal tourist office: tui.gal/gl/instalaciones/oficina-municipal-de-turismo
- Catedral de Tui: www.catedraldetui.com/
- Parador de Tui: paradores.es/es/parador-de-tui
- Wikivoyage: Tui, revision 5083247 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5083247
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tui
A este enderezo, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Tui; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian, Irish and New Zealand embassies are in Madrid, with consulates in Vigo or A Coruña for some countries (check).
Galician is co-official here; place names on signs are Galician.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/tui). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.