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. However four of the six main buildings are completed and open, though their interest for casual visitors is limited unless you coincide with a worthwhile exhibition or cultural event. For the curious, the City of Culture does merit a visit for its dramatic 21st-century architecture (by American Peter Eisenman).

Free guided tours of the complex are given in Spanish at 11am on Saturdays, and daily except Monday during Semana Santa, July and August. Tours in English are available at noon the same days. You can get there on bus 9 northbound on Rúa da Virxe da Cerca, hourly from 7.35am to 10.35pm Monday to Friday, and 8.35am to 1.35pm Saturday.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Santiago de Compostela attractions

1. Fundación Eugenio Granell

1.13 MILES

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

2. Museo do Pobo Galego

1.14 MILES

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…

3. Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea

1.15 MILES

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

4. Casa do Deán

1.17 MILES

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…

5. Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval

1.17 MILES

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…

6. Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago

1.18 MILES

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

7. Casa do Cabido

1.19 MILES

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…

8. Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares

1.19 MILES

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…