Discover Santiago de Compostela on half-day private guided tour from Vigo

You simply can’t miss a meander around Santiago’s Old Town, filled with its charming winding alleyways, cobbled streets, delicious tapas bars, and souvenir shops.

The Catholic Monarchs commissioned the Hostal dos Reis Católicos – which sits on Praza do Obradoiro square, next to the Cathedral – in 1501 as a hospital for sick pilgrims who walked the Camino de Santiago. Today, the building serves as one of the most luxurious Parador hotels in Spain – the five-star Hotel Parador.

Santiago’s main market, the Market of Abastos is the second-most visited spot in the city after the Cathedral. The market, built in 1837, has around 300 stalls selling everything from local cheeses to cured meats and empanadas (filled-pastry pies).

A group of Benedictine monks founded the Monastery of San Martín Pinario in the 10th century, after the discovery of the remains of Saint James. Baroque in style, today it’s a church-museum, which also houses temporary exhibitions.

The museum was created in 1951 with the main goal of protecting, preserving, documenting, researching and promoting the material and immaterial assets related to pilgrimage as a universal FENÓMENO, the inception and evolution of the city of Santiago de Compostela as the end of the pilgrimage and the Jacobean pilgrimage in all its dimensions. Therefore, the, museum devotes its permanent exhibition to different aspects related to Santiago and to pilgrimage from a wide range of points of view. Its halls host the most diverse pieces in terms of type and time regarding this subject, was well material from the archaeological excavations developed in the area of Santiago City Council. Through its temporary exhibitions, the museum explores pilgrimage in other cultures and places of the world. Today, the museum is located in a new emplacement: the building known as “Banco de España” (Bank of Spain), located in Praza das Praterias - one of the entrances to the Cathedral.

The most spectacular park in Santiago de Compostela is the Parque de la Alameda, which features graceful stairs, fountains and manicured lawns. It was originally created in the 16th century; however, many of the elements you can see today were made in the 19th century.

You just need to arrive at this small and charming square to realize that you're entering a place of great charm and historical significance, a veritable symbol of the city. In the Middle Ages it was a busy place thanks to the arcades, where silversmiths and goldsmiths plied their trades; hence the name, Platerías (silver smitheries). It's still a busy place, as it's always full of residents, tourists and pilgrims who have completed the Camino de Santiago, creating a truly special atmosphere. One of its sides is the southern façade of the cathedral, the one with the Clock Tower or Berenguela Tower; in fact, this is also known as the façade of the silversmiths. In the middle of the square, don't miss the famous Fountain of the Horses.

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of northwest Spain’s Galicia region. It’s known as the culmination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, and the alleged burial site of the Biblical apostle St. James. His remains reputedly lie within the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, consecrated in 1211, whose elaborately carved stone facades open onto grand plazas within the medieval walls of the old town.

The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (Spanish and Galician: Catedral de Santiago de Compostela) is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and is an integral component of the Santiago de Compostela World Heritage Site in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, the apostle of Jesus Christ. It is also one of the only three known churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus, the other two being St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai in India. The cathedral has historically been a place of pilgrimage on the Way of St. James since the Early Middle Ages and marks the traditional end of the pilgrimage route. The building is a Romanesque structure, with later Gothic and Baroque additions.

The University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia. It is one of the world's oldest universities in continuous operation.

Vigo is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra (Spain), part of the autonomous community of Galicia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the Ria de Vigo, the southernmost of the so-called Rías Baixas. Vigo is the most populated municipality of Galicia and the most populated city with a population of 350,000 inhabitants. The municipality has an area of 109.06 km2 (42.11 sq mi) and has a population of 295,364 in 2019. Vigo is one of the region's primary economic agents, owing in part to the French Citroën automotive factory and to the Port of Vigo. Close to Portugal–Spain border, Vigo is part of the Galicia–North Portugal Euroregion. The European Fisheries Control Agency is headquartered in Vigo.