Tui

The city of Tui is in the south of the Pontevedra province and is separated from Portugal by the river Mino. The Portuguese town of Valenca sits on a hill just across the river and the two towns face each other over a valley. Both towns are connected by a nineteenth century bridge.

The AP-9 toll road running from Santiago de Compostela and through Pontevedra makes Tui easily accessible from Galicia's more northern towns and it can be reached from Santiago in about two and a half hours.

Above/right, The town of Tui with the cathedral on high.

Today Tui has a population of over 15,000 inhabitants, but it started off as a Roman settlement called Tude and has the typical turbulent history of many of Galicia's towns. The distant years have seen Tui at war with Portugal and the Normans as well as being a part of the Visigoth empire. Naturally Tui has a strong Celtic connection.

The city of Tui and what to see

The first of many good things about Tui is that it has a compact historic quarter with a number of important monuments, the most significant being its castle cathedral. The city also benefits from a location that sees the old town perched on the brow of a hill with the meandering Mino river in the valley beneath.

Left, the main plaza and band stand above the old town and cathedral.

Tourist information (In multiple languages) is available from two points in the city. The first is the council building in the newer district of town, but there is also a tourist cabin on the main square from which you are well placed to explore the medieval area. This square is the starting point for most of the city's cultural visitors and it is lined with a number of attractive Galician style buildings, a couple of churches and a band stand. A number of bars also have outdoor seating in this open plaza and it is a good spot to take some refreshment and plan you exploration of the old town.

As you move out from this small square, part of which faces the old Courthouse building, the monumental quarter is built into the slope that falls away towards the river. Although not in view, the cathedral is close by and as you wonder around various sections of what was once a walled town it become visible.

The oldest parts of Tui's walls were built during the reign of King Ferdinand and date back to the 12th century. Over subsequent stages of the town's development, and as a result of the city's expansion, large sections of these walls have been demolished, but one of the original gates, the Pia, still remains.

Above, an old street with Tui cathedral in the distance and below another street close to the historic quarter with a white church.

Use the buttons in the vertical right hand yellow bar to see more of Tui including its castle cathedral.