Must see attractions in 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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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

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…