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Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) This famous pilgrimage site in north-west Spain became a symbol in the Spanish Christians' struggle against Islam. Destroyed by the Muslims at the end of the 10th century, it was completely rebuilt in the following century. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of ...
May 19, 2020 · Here’s our pick for the top 20 must-visit attractions in this Galician city. 1. Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Cathedral. Share. Add to Plan. The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is without a doubt the city’s most famous sight – the culmination of various pilgrimage routes across Spain and Portugal.
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What to see in Santiago de Compostela?
- Maritza Chavez
- Admire the Porch of Glory at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Built in 1075, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is known as one of the most important religious structures in Spain, as it’s the final stop on the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
- Take a self-guided tour of the Praza do Obradoiro. Walk upon the most famous plaza in Santiago de Compostela, the Praza do Obradoiro, where you’ll find some of the most famous sights in the city, including the Cathedral to the Pazo de San Xerome, the Paxo de Raxoi (town hall), and even a historic hotel specifically built for tired pilgrims during their pilgrimage.
- Get a taste of the Pilgrimage Experience and walk the last 10 kilometers to Santiago. So maybe you’re interested in getting a bite-size taste of what it takes to walk the Camino de Santiago, but you don’t want to do the whole thing?
- Take in the architectural beauty of the Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos. Built under the rule of the Spanish Catholic monarchy in the 16th century, the Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos was created to house tired pilgrims when they arrived at Santiago de Compostela on their pilgrimage.
- Camino de Santiago
- Catedral de Santiago de Compostela
- Pórtico de La Gloria
- Praza Do Obradoiro
- Casco Historico
- Monastery of San Martiño Pinario
- Parque de La Alameda
- Praza Da Quintana
- Mercado de Abastos
- Colegiata de Santa María Del SAR
When you visit Santiago there’s a good chance that some of the people on the streets have walked a very long way to be here. The Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) is a Europe-wide network of trails that converge at Roncesvalles and Jaca near the Spanish border and then continue the 800 km route west through northern Spain to Santiago. It’s a Ca...
And this is what those pilgrims walk those hundreds of miles for. This is where they say St. James is buried. It’s a supreme piece of Romanesque architecture and one of Spain’s most iconic buildings. The entire city was built around this monument, and at 10,000 metres you’ll need a lot of time to explore every nook and cranny. Excavations have been...
An attraction of its own, this is the cathedral’s main gate. You may find yourself staring at this incredible portal, mouth agape for a very long time. That’s down to the detail of the Romanesque carvings made by the local sculptor Maestro Mateo in the late-1100s. Fair to say that this was his life’s work: He agreed the contract in 1168 and the car...
This vast square is ruled by the cathedral’s spellbinding baroque facade, and as you look around you’ll see masterworks spanning 700 years of the city’s history up to the 18th-century. In the centre is a stone slab marking “kilometre zero” on the trail. It’s a suitably monumental setting for the fireworks that take place on the 24th of July, the ev...
Within Santiago’s city walls you’ll be forgiven for believing that you’re stepping around a film set. The Santiago tourism office lets you download an mp3 that you can listen to as you take a languid, three-hour amble around the most prestigious sights in the city’s historic centre, guiding you to all the main squares and ending up in the leafy Ala...
This was founded in the ninth century by a group of Benedictine monks who settled in the city after getting news of the discovery of St. James’ remains. What you see today dates from the late-15th century, the result of an injection of wealth after the monastery became part of the City of Valladolid’s Benedictine Congregation. The church is a power...
City parks in Galicia are unlike the rest of Spain as the climate makes lawns easy to grow. This is the case at Parque de la Alameda, which has large grassy areas as well as horse chestnuts, oaks, eucalyptus trees, cypresses and palms shading its paths. Check out the gas-lit central avenue, which illustrates a quirk of 19th century Spanish society:...
This square is completely sequestered by the majestic monuments of the Casco Historico. The east side is blocked by the tall, flat wall of the Monastery of San Paio de Antealtares. This was founded in the 800s to look after the tomb of St. James, which had then only recently been discovered. On the west side of course is the clock tower of the Cath...
There can’t be many more beautiful market halls in Spain, and the Mercado de Abastos has been at this location for 300 years. The current building, which dates to 1941, was designed to match the city’s architecture and has the appearance of a Romanesque church with its stone walls and long arches and windows. Like most central markets in Spain it’s...
Even against Santiago’s beautiful architecture this little collegiate church is special. It’s a Romanesque building that was constructed in the 1100s next to the River Sar. Little has changed in the intervening years, except buttresses were added down the sides in the 1700s to make the structure a little more sound. Even now the church has a slight...
- Tomb of the Apostle St. James. It is in the cathedral, in a crypt beneath the Main Altar, where pilgrims can visit the Tomb of the Apostle St James. It is here that the remains of St. James are kept in a silver urn, alongside those of his disciples Saint Athanasius and Saint Theodore.
- Design & Redesign: A Romanesque Masterpiece. As well as being one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the world, the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is a magnificent work of art and religious architecture.
- Porta Santa: The Holy Door. The Porta Santa or Holy Door was built in the 16th century and it is also known as the Forgiveness Door (Puerta del Perdon).
- Botafumeiro. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is also home to the famous Botafumeiro, a giant incense thurible dating back to the mid 19th century.
Mar 9, 2017 · Address: Praza do Obradoiro. The Santiago Cathedral is beautiful from all angles. This is a shot of its north façade. 2. The Old Town. The city's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it a must on this list of things to see in Santiago de Compostela.
Jul 9, 2021 · The Alameda Park is also a central point to many celebrations in Santiago’s busy festival calendar. 4. ‘De Viños’ – Wine trail. Rúa do Franco goes all the way to the Obradoiro Square and takes its name after the French pilgrims that used to follow this street to get to the Cathedral.
