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…
Must see attractions in Santiago de Compostela
- Top ChoiceCatedral de Santiago de Compostela
- Top ChoicePraza 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…
- MTop ChoiceMuseo 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…
- HTop ChoiceHostal 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…
- MTop ChoiceMuseo 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…
- MMuseo 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…
- MMuseo 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…
- PPraza 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…
- MMuseo 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…
- CCasa 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…
- PPraza 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…
- PPazo 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,…
- PPuerta 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…
- CColexio 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…
- CCasa 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…
- FFuente 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…
- PPraza 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…
- PPraza 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…
- CColexio 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…
- PParque 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…