Must see attractions in Santiago de Compostela

  • Top Choice
    Catedral de Santiago de Compostela

    The grand heart of Santiago, the cathedral soars above the city in a splendid jumble of spires and sculpture. Built piecemeal over several centuries, its…

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    Praza do Obradoiro

    The grand square in front of the cathedral's western facade earned its name (Workshop Sq) from the stonemasons' workshops set up here while the cathedral…

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    Top Choice
    Museo da Catedral

    The Cathedral Museum spreads over four floors and incorporates the cathedral's large 16th-century cloister. You'll see a sizeable section of Maestro Mateo…

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    Top Choice
    Hostal dos Reis Católicos

    Stretching across the northern end of Praza do Obradoiro, the Hostal dos Reis Católicos was built in the early 16th century by order of the Catholic…

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    Top Choice
    Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago

    The brightly displayed Museum of Pilgrimages and Santiago gives fascinating insights into the phenomenon of Santiago (man, city and pilgrimage) down the…

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    Museo do Pobo Galego

    This museum in a former convent is a fascinating window into traditional Galician ways of life, which still persist in some rural areas. Displays range…

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    Museo de San Martiño Pinario

    The enormous church of the huge baroque Benedictine monastery of San Martiño Pinario is open to visitors as part of a museum that's well worth a visit…

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    Praza da Quintana

    Broad Praza da Quintana opens up outside the cathedral's eastern end. The cathedral's Puerta Santa here is opened only in holy years: it's flanked by 24…

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    Museo de Arte Sacro

    The Sacred Art Museum, accessed through the church of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares, contains the Ara (Altar) de Antealtares, the original altar…

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    Casa do Deán

    The Fundación Catedral office here gives out free tickets for unguided visits to the cathedral's Pórtico de la Gloria between 7pm and 8pm Monday to…

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    Praza de Fonseca

    South of the cathedral, stop in cafe-lined Praza de Fonseca to look into the Colexio de Fonseca with its beautiful Renaissance courtyard; this was the…

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    Pazo de Xelmírez

    The Pazo de Xelmírez is the 12th-century bishop's palace adjoining the cathedral's north side. It's included in guided visits to the Pórtico de la Gloria,…

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    Puerta Santa

    The cathedral's Puerta Santa, giving access to the cathedral from Praza da Quintana, is opened only in holy years (2021, 2027). Constructed between 1611…

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    Colexio de San Xerome

    At Praza do Obradoiro's south end stands the Colegio de San Xerome, a former college for the poor that is now the rectorate of Santiago University. This…

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    Casa do Cabido

    Along the lower side of the Praza das Praterías, the baroque Casa do Cabildo is no more than a 3m-deep facade erected in the 1750s at the behest of the…

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    Fuente de los Caballos

    The plaza on the cathedral's south side focuses on Fuente de los Caballos fountain (1825), a popular photo op, with four elegant horses surmounted by a…

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    Praza das Praterías

    'Silversmiths' Square' is centred on an elegant 1825 fountain, the Fuente de los Caballos, a popular photo op, with the cath­edral's Romanesque south…

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    Praza da Inmaculada

    On the cathedral's north side, this is where most pilgrims arriving in Santiago first set eyes on the cathedral. Opposite looms the huge, austerely…

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    Colexio de Fonseca

    Just south of the cathedral, the Colexio de Fonseca, with a beautiful Renaissance courtyard and two exhibition galleries, was the original seat of…

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    Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval

    Just northeast of Santiago's monumental centre, the leafy Bonaval park, formerly the estate of a convent, is a deliciously green and tranquil retreat from…