Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, is a charming and romantic city in northern Spain. We flew in and took a bus to the centre; in the early-morning darkness, the relentless rain, greenery, and two-storey stone houses made us feel as if we were in Ireland. The Irish song our bus driver played loudly at eight in the morning may also have helped =).
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Santiago de Compostela is also the endpoint of one of Catholicism’s sacred pilgrimage routes. You may see pilgrims from around the world crying outside the city’s main cathedral, embracing the statue of Saint James inside, and more. According to the story of this spiritual city, Saint James, who brought Christianity to Europe, was killed in Jerusalem in AD 813; his remains were brought here and a tiny cathedral was built over them. The tomb was forgotten for centuries, then rediscovered in 1879 by a worker repairing the cathedral, supposedly with the help of a shower of stars. That tiny cathedral now stands before us as the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is no longer tiny, and its additions from different periods reveal Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque influences. Entry to the cathedral in Plaza de Obradoiro is free, and the enormous interior takes time to explore. If you can visit on a Sunday, you may see a substantial mass and, if you are lucky, the lighting of one of Europe’s largest church censers. The pilgrimage route begins at the foot of the Pyrenees on the French border and ends at this cathedral. It is 750 kilometres long and is known as the Way of Saint James. Some people walk the entire route in one 40-day journey; others complete it in sections. If the weather is good and you would like to try it, there are dedicated trekking routes and tours.
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THINGS TO DO IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Galicia as a whole is a culture associated with the sea, rain, and the north. Although Santiago de Compostela is inland, you can smell fried fish on its streets and find shell-themed accessories in almost every shop. Most restaurants offer mixed seafood menus, but the dishes you absolutely should try are Galician pie and Galician-style octopus. In the historic centre, narrow streets, stone buildings, and high-ceilinged cafés create a wonderfully romantic, moody atmosphere. It was once believed that all roads in Spain led to Santiago de Compostela, as this civilisation was thought to have grown along Europe’s sacred pilgrimage route. You can wander aimlessly along the streets leading to the cathedral and spend time in cafés. The main streets to explore are Rua Nova and Rua do Vilar. The main artery lined with restaurants and bars is Rua do Franco and its continuation, Rua da Raina.
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Santiago de Compostela is not only its historic centre. Trips to European cities like this are often planned as if there were nowhere else to go or anything else to do, but we are more curious about the real, present-day city living behind the old walls. We wanted to see what the city’s actual residents do. As soon as we crossed beyond the walls on this trip, we found lively shops and everyday bakeries, and realised that the city has a huge university — one of Europe’s oldest, in fact. Since the weather was extremely rainy and I could not bear getting soaked, we took a 45-minute ride on the little tourist train departing behind the cathedral. It was one of the best little trains I have seen and a good way to explore beyond the historic centre without tiring yourself out.
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While exploring the modern city, we spent some time in Bonaval Park, near the university. With its Scottish-looking lawns and every shade of autumn, this park felt like a fairy tale — and it even contained a modern art installation that made you question life. Several walls in the park are covered with rectangular shapes in different colours that we understood to be tombs. Looking closely and reading the legend at the entrance, you could see that the tombs belonged to people of different beliefs. The artist was presenting a work built around the idea that “we are all travelling along the same road,” and we loved it. The exhibition, which looks at El Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James) through different windows, continues inside other historic sites.
If you have set aside more than two days for the city, you can take day trips to nearby towns; A Coruña, for example, is a popular destination and is also by the sea.
If you have set aside more than two days for the city, you can take day trips to nearby towns; A Coruña, for example, is a popular destination and is also by the sea.
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WHERE TO STAY IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
We rented a tiny home on Rua da Cladeireria through Airbnb. This is generally our preferred way to stay, but Hostal Mapoula P.R. gibi uygun fiyatlı şehir merkezinde oteller de mevcut.
WHAT TO EAT IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
We generally prefer local restaurants to luxurious ones. Here we happened upon an extremely local restaurant, liked it so much that we returned. At Cafeteria Candelejas (Plaza de Mazerelos, no. 11), the set menu cost €8.50 and was very filling. Even sharing one set menu and half a portion of Galician-style octopus between two people, we could not finish it. We tried the Galician pie and Galician soup, and definitely recommend them. It is an old-fashioned restaurant where older men play cards, locals eat, young people drink beer and eat tapas, and football is watched instead of music.
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We tried three places for coffee and dessert. One was Café Casino on Rua do Vilar, right in the middle of the old centre; we strongly recommend trying the almond tart known as Santiago cake. On Saturday evenings at 10 p.m., they also put on a half-hour pilgrimage show. The second was Rua Bella on Rua Nova. In this café among stone arches, you can have a Spanish classic in the afternoon: hot chocolate and churros.
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Our third place, and our favourite, was the bohemian café-bar A Cocotte (Casa Reais, no. 27). The décor and coffees are wonderful. We did not try them, but we are still thinking about the nachos.
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WHAT TO BUY IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
In this city, where the sea culture is palpable everywhere, we bought pilgrim necklaces decorated with scallop shells and colourful magnets. Shell-adorned pilgrim staffs and gold or silver jewellery are also available.
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Practical update (August 2026): This article describes an earlier visit. Museum hours, religious services, restaurant menus and prices, transport, and accommodation availability can change, so check current details before travelling.
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