Ferry Ride passing by Sustainable Mussel Beds to Moaña, a Brave Seafaring Village

A Boat Ride Across the Bay of Vigo to Moaña, the village of the Best Mussels!

On this virtual tour of Moaña, we start off with the amazing views of the bay from the ferry boat crossing from Vigo City.  You will get an idea of the actual size of Vigo, the largest city in Galicia and the biggest fishing port in Europe. Plus, see in the distance the Cies Islands, Cangas do Morrazo, and the Range Bridge before arriving in Moaña.

Would you like to do an in-person mussel boat cruise and tasting aboard? Check out our new tour... Sustainable Mussel Boat Cruise and Tapas Food Tour in Vigo.

Moaña boasts of having some of the best Mexillones (Mussels) in the world! When you arrive at Moaña by boat you will pass through the Bateas (Mussel bed farms) that are scattered along the edges of Vigo Bay. This fishing village lives mainly off the farming of mussels. but as well others in bay fishing, and clam digging too. In all the bays of the Rias Baixas of Galicia, you will find the mussel bed farms. The mussels in Galicia are highly praised in Europe for their quality and have a Protected Designation of Origin of Mussel of Galicia (DOP Mexillón de Galicia). This method of farming has been handed down for generations and is sustainable and controlled by the local government.

The Festa do Mexillón (Mussel Festival) is celebrated here in Moaña at the start of August, serving up over 5,000 kilos of Mussels! A great time to visit this village and taste the delicacy of the bay. 

You will see docked at the port of Moaña the special Mussel boats with big cranes to pull up the ropes that hang down in the seawater from the Bateas.

A Village where Professional Athletes are Born!

We will walk along the seawall promenade of Moaña, a village that is also very sport-conscious, with some excellent athletes born here. You will see locals out for runs all the time along the boardwalk. The local rowing club of S.D. Tiran Pereira has won many awards in rowing competitions. Plus the football (soccer) club CD Moaña has developed in their youth base many excellent professional players, most notably Iago Aspas, who plays for the Real Club Celta de Vigo and the National Spanish Team.

Moaña is protected by The God of the Sea: Neptune, or should I say O Fisgon, The Brave Fisherman!

Passing the local market (Mercado Municipal Praza de Abastos) which is open in the mornings for buying fresh fish, seafood, and produce, we stop to admire the giant granite monument, a landmark symbol of this village... O Fisgon. Many locals have nick-named it Neptune, confused with the god of the Sea, but in reality, it is a local fisherman, since in this village centuries ago they used to catch the octopus, fish, etc... on the beach of Xunqueira with a "Fisga", which is a Trident used like a spear, an old technique of fishing art. The monument was sculpted by Manuel Varela in 2009 and weighs about 15 tons, and is 4 metres tall.

Moaña is more than a Fishing Village with Hills Hiding an intriguing historical past and has an important Celtic Music Festival

It is hard to include all the things to see in Moaña on a virtual tour,  this brave village has a rich history of defending itself from battles, and attacks, and even has origins all the way back to the Celtic and Neolithic times with the remains of dolmens (burial tomb), petroglyphic rock art, and hillforts up in the hills. Here they have some excellent musicians, like the bagpiper Xosé Manuel Budiño and Anxo Lorenzo, and here they celebrate the Interceltic Festival of Morrazo every August. 

A visit to Moaña is not complete without a tasting of the Mussels

Even if it is virtually we will open a gourmet can of Mussels from the DOP Mexillon de Galicia and show you how it looks, to taste it you will just have to come to Moaña and visit in person with us!