Centred around the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia is an autonomous community that sprawls along the wild Atlantic coastline of north-west Spain. It encompasses verdant valleys dotted with stone-built villages and medieval monasteries traversed by the legendary Camino de Santiago.
Things to do in Galicia
Perched on a headland jutting into the North Atlantic Ocean, A Coruña is a lively port city on the north-west coast of Galicia. It’s famed for its Roman lighthouse called the Tower of Hercules, a UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounded by a sculpture garden. In the heart of A Coruña is a medieval old town and a magnificent square named after the town's heroine, Maria Pita.
Serving as the capital of Galicia is the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela, which is a focal point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route and the believed burial site of St. James. Admire the beautifully carved stone facades of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, a 13th-century masterpiece overlooking the Praza do Obradoiro and its “kilometre zero” stone slab.
If you drive west of Santiago de Compostela you’ll reach Cape Finisterre, a dramatic peninsula framed by plunging cliffs and the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s the final destination for many pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago and was thought by the Romans to be the “edge of the world”. Some pilgrims continue from here to the coastal town of Muxía on the Costa da Morte.
Getting around Galicia
Galicia has international airports serving A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo while regular trains connect to Madrid and Lisbon. Both trains and buses travel throughout the region, while hiring a car is a convenient way of getting around. The centres of Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña can both be explored on foot.