Must-see attractions in Santiago de Compostela

  • The Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

    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…

  • Praza do Obradoiro, Santiago De Compostela; Shutterstock ID 531550018; Your name (First / Last): Tom Stainer; GL account no.: 65050 ; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe 2017

    Praza do Obradoiro

    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…

  • Museo da Catedral

    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…

  • Hostal dos Reis Católicos

    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…

  • 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…

  • Cidade da Cultura de Galicia

    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…

  • Praza da Quintana

    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…

  • Museo do Pobo Galego

    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…

  • 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…

  • Museo de San Martiño Pinario

    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…

  • Museo de Arte Sacro

    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…

  • Casa do Deán

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Praza de Fonseca

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Pazo de Xelmírez

    Santiago de Compostela

    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,…

  • Puerta Santa

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Colexio de San Xerome

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Casa do Cabido

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Fuente de los Caballos

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Praza da Inmaculada

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Praza das Praterías

    Santiago de Compostela

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

  • Colexio de Fonseca

    Santiago de Compostela

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

  • Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval

    Santiago de Compostela

    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…

  • Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea

    Santiago de Compostela

    The Contemporary Art Centre presents excellent exhibitions of modern art (including film and video) from Galicia and the rest of the world in spacious,…

  • Pazo de Raxoi

    Santiago de Compostela

    Along the western side of Praza do Obradoiro stretches the elegant 18th-century Pazo de Raxoi, now Santiago's city hall.

  • Fundación Eugenio Granell

    Santiago de Compostela

    Includes much of Galician surrealist artist Granell's own work, as well as his collections of surrealist and ethnic art.

More destinations you need to see