Sightseeing OverviewSantiago de Compostela’s
Old Quarter is often styled a ‘living museum’, with the
cathedral and other jewels placed in a
magnificent setting of winding paved and arcaded streets, granite walls and smaller monuments that create a superb ambience.
The cathedral itself is flanked by several celebrated squares -
Praza do Obradoiro, Praza das Praterias, Praza da Quintana and
Praza da Inmaculada. Picturesque avenues and alleys radiate out from this center, around which the city developed,
to the other squares and sights of the Old Quarter - the
Convento de San Francisco, the
university and the
Praza de Cervantes.
Tourist InformationOficina de Información de Turismo da Xunta de Galicia Rúa do Vilar 30
Tel: (981) 584 081.
Website:
www.turgalicia.es Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-2000, Sat 1100-1400 and 1700-1900, Sun and holidays 1100-1400.
Incolsa - Información y Comunicación Local Rúa do Vilar 63
Tel: (981) 555 129.
Website:
www.santiagoturismo.com Opening hours: Daily 0900-2100 (Easter and Jun-Sep); daily 0900-1400 and 1600-1900 (rest of the year).
Another Incolsa office can be found on Praza de Galicia. The Oficina de Peregrinos, Rúa do Vilar 1 (tel: (981) 562 419; website:
www.archicompostela.org/peregrinos), is the source of information on pilgrimages, while the Oficina de Información de Xacobeo, Pavillón de Galicia, San Lázaro (tel: (981) 572 004; website:
www.xacobeo.es), provides details on pilgrimages and
xacabeo.
PassesThere are currently no tourist passes available in Santiago de Compostela.
Key Attractions:Praza do Obradoiro (Obradoiro or Workplace Square) The key attraction of Santiago de Compostela is the cathedral. From the Praza do Obradoiro, its enormity and sheer grandeur is first appreciated. Sharing the name of the great baroque facade that is one of its centerpieces, the paved cathedral square comprises a whole ensemble of architectural gems. Probably the best surviving example of Romanesque civic architecture in Spain, the
Pazo de Xelmírez (next to the cathedral cloisters) has a perfect vaulted medieval interior behind its 18th-century facade. On the north side of the square, the
Hostal dos Reis Católicos, with its four courtyards, was built by Ferdinand and Isabella, as a pilgrim hospice and is now one of Spain’s loveliest
parador hotels. The
Colexio de San Xerome is a smaller medieval building with a finely decorated 15th-century portal, while the
Colexio de Fonseca, immediately behind it, is a Renaissance college decorated inside and out. The newest monument in the square, the elegant
Pazo de Raxoi, is a neoclassical palace and former seminary, now housing local government offices. The streets and lanes opening off the square lead to other lovely parts of the Old Quarter.
Pazo de Xelmírez (Palace of Archbishop Xelmirez)
Praza do Obradoiro
Tel: (981) 560 527.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1400 and 1600-2000 (Jun-Sep); daily 1000-1330 and 1600-1830 (Oct-May).
Admission charge.
Hostal dos Reis Católicos
Praza do Obradoiro 1
Tel: (981) 582 200.
Website:
www.parador.es Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela For many centuries, the city has been the destination for pilgrimages. Its oldest parts are Romanesque, commenced in 1075, although much of the modern fabric of the cathedral is brilliant baroque. The magnificently decorated 18th-century Obradoiro facade (the ‘workplace’ facade, named after the stonecutters who worked there during the construction of the cathedral) was created by the Santiago-born architect Fernando de Casas y Novoa, who superimposed it on the original Romanesque plan of the basilica. Just inside is the Pórtico da Gloria, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture that once opened onto the square with almost 200 sculptures of Galician granite, dating from 1188. Look for the fingerholes worn into the stone over the years, by pilgrims who, giving thanks at the end of their lengthy journey, prayed with the fingers of one hand pressed into the roots of the Tree of Jesse, below St James. From here, the great nave opens towards the chancel and the monumental baroque high altar, below which lie the relics of St James, in a Roman mausoleum. The crossing lantern houses the suspension mechanism for the
botafumeiro. This is a huge baroque censer whose pendulum swings down the entire length of the transepts during special ceremonies, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle.
There are many smaller beauties within the cathedral, including the Chapel of La Corticela (dating from the cathedral’s foundation), the ornate Chapel of El Pilar and the finely worked Mondragón Chapel
. The facade at the opposite end of the cathedral from the Obradoiro facade has a beautifully ornamental clock tower, the Torre de la Trinidad, as well as the famous Puerta Santa (Holy Door). This is opened only during the years when the Feast of St James (25 July) falls on a Sunday.
Praza do Obradoiro
Tel: (981) 583 548.
Website:
www.catedraldesantiago.es Opening hours: Daily 0700-2100.
Free admission.
Museo y Tesoro de la Catedral (Cathedral Museum and Treasury) Housed in the lovely 16th-century cathedral cloisters, the Cathedral Museum holds relics of the long history of Santiago de Compostela, as well as the Archive and Library. The cathedral treasures stored here include the
botafumeiro (giant incense box), when it is not in use. The archaeological section includes fragments of the original Romanesque cathedral structure, while the tapestry galleries have splendid French and Spanish hangings.
Praza do Obradoiro and Praza das Praterías
Tel: (981) 560 527.
Website:
www.catedraldesantiago.es Opening hours: Daily 1000-1400 and 1600-2000 (Jun-Sep); daily 1000-1330 and 1600-1830 (Oct-May). Closed Sunday afternoon all year round.
Admission charge.
Praza da Quintana (Quintana Square) Quintana Square, with its flight of steps that divide it into the curiously named Quintana of the Living and Quintana of the Dead, faces the apse of the cathedral, with its famous Holy Door and Royal Door. The
Convento de San Paio de Antealtares, opposite the cathedral, is one of the city’s oldest foundations. Dating to the ninth century, it originally housed Benedictine nuns. It has a stark facade with 48 barred windows, leavened by some charming sculptural decorations around the doors. The monastery church is a baroque design on a Greek cross plan, with a lovely shell-covered dome. Also on the square, the
Casa da Parra is a baroque mansion with suitably florid trimmings.
Praza das Praterías (Silversmith’s Square) The Silversmith’s Square has, at its center, the ornate
Fuente de los Caballos, a fountain of four horses with webbed feet. The arcades around the square are still lined with many shops selling silver articles.
San Martiño Pinario Monastery and ChurchThe Praza da Inmaculada is dominated by the grand baroque facade of the Benedictine monastery of San Martiño Pinario. The monastery church houses a vast altarpiece that depicts its patron riding alongside St James.
Praza da Inmaculada 5
Tel: (981) 574 502
or 583 008.
Opening hours: Daily 1100-1900 (Jul-Sep); daily 1100-1330 and 1600-1900 (16-30 Jun); Tues-Sun 1100-1330 and 1600-1830 (Oct-15 Jun).
Admission charge.
Further Distractions:Museo das Pereginacións (Pilgrimage Museum) Small but fascinating, this museum is dedicated to the thousand years of history that precedes the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Rúa de San Miguel 4
Tel: (981) 581 558.
Website:
www.mdperegrinacions.com Admission charge.
Centro Galego de Arte Contemparánea (Galician Center of Contemporary Art) This dramatic modern art gallery, just outside the Porta do Camino, was designed by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. It stands next to the Museo do Pobo Galego but shows a very different aspect of Galician life, with its permanent collection of modern Galician art. There is also space for a wide variety of temporary exhibitions, from installations by Rebecca Horn to sculptures by Francisco Leiro.
Ramón María del Valle Inclán
Tel: (981) 546 619.
Website:
www.cgac.org Free admission.
Museo do Pobo Galego (Museum of the Galician People) Housed in a 14th-century convent, this museum is devoted to the history of the Galician people, from their Celtic origins onwards. There are extensive archaeological and ethnographic displays, exhibits of traditional architecture, as well as models and displays showing local trades and crafts. The convent’s beautiful gothic chapel also contains the
Pantheon of Famous Galicians.
Convento de San Domingos de Bonaval; Rúa de Valle Inclán 3
Tel: (981) 583 620.
Website:
www.museodopobo.es Free admission.
Fundación Eugenio Granell An exciting gallery dedicated to modern art, the Museo Eugenio Granell is housed in an 18th-century manor house. Works in the permanent collection include such illustrious names as Picasso, Miró, Bretón and Duchamp.
Pazo de Bendaña, Praza do Toural
Tel: (981) 576 394.
Website:
www.fundacion-granell.org Admission charge; free on Sun.
Parque Alameda This area of parkland between the Old Quarter and the university is laid out with Galician oak trees and gardens. Perfect for strolling through, it also gives one of the best views of the city from the Ferradura promenade. The
Carballeira (oak wood) overlies a Celtic hill fort and contains a chapel to Santiago de Compostela’s other patron saint, Santa Susanna.
Old Quarter
Free admission.
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