Catedral de Santiago de Compostela
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…
Must-see attractions in Galicia
Santiago de Compostela
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…
Ribadeo
This spectacular 1.5km sandy stretch is strung with awesome Gothic-looking rock towers, arches and chambers, sculpted by aeons of sea-water action. Avoid…
Galicia
The path running right round the top of the World Heritage–listed Roman walls is to Lugo what a maritime promenade is to a seaside resort: a place to jog,…
A Coruña
It was actually the Romans who originally built this lighthouse at the windy northern tip of the city, in the 1st century CE – a beacon on the furthest…
Galicia
The enormous Mosteiro de Santo Estevo, in the steep, thickly wooded Sil valley, dates from the 12th century and has three magnificent cloisters (one…
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Mosteiro de San Pedro de Rocas
Galicia
This enchanting mini-monastery, founded in 573 CE, stands hidden among dense woodlands 11km south of Luintra. It contains three cave chapels, originally…
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Santiago de Compostela
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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Santiago de Compostela
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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Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago
Santiago de Compostela
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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Pontevedra
The Edificio Sarmiento, pride of the Museo de Pontevedra, occupies a renovated 18th-century college. Its absorbing collection ranges over Galician…
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Galicia
The 341m summit of Monte de Santa Trega is a 4km drive or 2km walk (via the PRG122) from town. On the way up, stop to poke around the partly restored Iron…
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Galicia
The highlight of the old town is the fortress-like Catedral de Santa Maria. Begun in the 12th century, it reflects a stoic Romanesque style in most of its…
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Galicia
At Doade, a few kilometres up the LU903 from the Río Sil towards Monforte de Lemos, the Algueira winery produces some of Ribeira Sacra's best wines and…
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Vigo
The Soutomaior castle-palace, amid enormous and beautiful gardens, is well worth a 21km drive northeast from Vigo. Displays inside the castle, which dates…
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Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
A Coruña
Not just for techies, the National Science and Technology Museum will engage everybody. You'll see the first computer used in Spain (a monstrous IBM 650…
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Pontevedra
Three of the six buildings of Pontevedra's eclectic museum are closed long-term for restoration, but the others are well worth your time. The Edificio…
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Santiago de Compostela
Work on this grand prestige project on Monte Gaiás, 1.5km southeast of the Old Town, was stopped in 2013 after a decade of delays and budget blowouts…
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Santiago de Compostela
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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Galicia
The stout and sturdy keep of the medieval castle of the Counts of Lemos looms atop the Monte de San Vicente. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, it's…
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Santiago de Compostela
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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Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares
Santiago de Compostela
The long, stark wall of the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares faces the cathedral's east end across Praza da Quintana. Founded by Alfonso II in the 9th…
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Galicia
Lugo's serene cathedral, inspired by Santiago de Compostela's, was begun in 1129, though work continued for centuries, yielding a stylistic melange…
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Santiago de Compostela
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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Galicia
Ribeiro's biggest winery, selling 5 million bottles a year, Costeira offers 45-minute visits to its production facilities 3km northeast of Ribadavia, with…
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Centro do Viño da Ribeira Sacra
Galicia
The Ribeira Sacra Wine Centre, which doubles as a tourist office for the whole Ribeira Sacra area, has displays on the region's wine, culture and history,…
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Vigo
A long swath of sandy beaches stretches southwest of the city. Best is 1.2km-long Praia de Samil, beginning about 5km from the city centre. It's backed by…
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A Coruña
Stately Plaza de María Pita is rimmed with cafes and dominated by the early-20th-century Ayuntamiento and a monument to the heroine the square is named…
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Galicia
This 746-sq-km protected area covers the forest-clothed hill Monte Aloia (631m) which has several panoramic viewpoints and well-marked, not-too-demanding…
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Pontevedra
Praza da Ferrería has the best selection of cafes in town and is overlooked by the Igrexa de San Francisco, said to have been founded in the 13th century…
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Galicia
Looming on a hilltop outside Verín, the main structures of the doughty Monterrei Castle, including the mighty keep and the counts' palace, date from the…
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Galicia
Dominating the Monte Boi promontory, this fortress was erected between the 11th and 17th centuries and its impregnable 3km circle of walls still stands,…
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A Coruña
This hilltop park 2km northwest of the city centre provides exceptional views over the city and coast, and contains the Cúpula Atlántica, an observation…
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Pontevedra
Just off Praza da Ferrería, you can't miss the distinctive curved facade of the Santuario da Virxe Peregrina, an 18th-century caprice with a distinctly…
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Santiago de Compostela
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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Galicia
This fort with four arrowhead-shaped corner bastions makes an interesting short visit. It was built to defend A Guarda against the Portuguese in the 17th…
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Galicia
Small, friendly, family-run Adega Vella, founded in 2005, is one of several Ribeira Sacra wineries producing vintages from autochthonous grape varieties…
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Vigo
Directly south (uphill) from the old town, this verdant park is a magnificent place to be when the sun is dropping into the ocean behind the Illas Cíes…
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A Coruña
Pablo Picasso lived in this large apartment from the age of nine to 13 (1891–95), while his father taught art at a nearby school. The apartment is kitted…
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Galicia
The artistic highlight of Ourense's Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, built mainly in the 12th and 13th centuries, is the elaborately gilded Santo Cristo…
