Santiago de Compostela walking tour & city guide

The cathedral and Praza do Obradoiro

Praza do Obradoiro, the great square in front of the cathedral, is where pilgrims arrive, often after weeks on foot, to sit on the stones and look up at the baroque façade. Inside, the Romanesque Portico of Glory is one of the masterpieces of medieval sculpture, and on special occasions the huge Botafumeiro censer swings across the transept.

The square is framed by grand buildings: the Hostal dos Reis Católicos, built as a pilgrims' hospital and now a hotel, the neoclassical Pazo de Raxoi and the college of San Xerome.

The old town

Around the cathedral, the old town is a compact maze of arcaded streets, plazas and churches built of granite that turns golden in the sun and gleams in the frequent rain. Rúa do Franco and Rúa do Vilar are the main streets, and the Praza da Quintana, behind the cathedral, is a quiet place to rest.

The Alameda park, on a ridge just outside the old town, has one of the classic views of the cathedral towers above the rooftops.

Visiting tips

Santiago has its own airport and trains to A Coruña, Vigo and Madrid. The city is busiest in summer and in Holy Years, when the feast of Saint James on 25 July falls on a Sunday. Rain is common all year, so an umbrella is part of every visit, and the old town is best explored on foot.