Even if I’m not that religious of a person, Santiago de Compostela still has that mythical sound to it, so a visit of the city and its cathedral was on my to-do list. The town didn’t disappoint. It’s nice to roam around the little streets in the historic centre, to come across little squares and to sit at a table with a drink enjoying the surroundings. Driving around in the city was a bit more stressful, though, and I was happy I had my navigation system with me. Be patient and choose your parking garage beforehand and a back-up in case your first choice is full.

I was staying just outside of Santiago, so I was in town every evening for dinner. For the “real” exploration of the World Heritage, I took out one day. I started my day with a visit of the Santa Maria del Conxo Monastery. Nowadays, it’s a psychiatric hospital, so I didn’t venture inside. I just had a look in the church and the cemetery just next to it.

Most of the rest of my day was centred around the Cathedral. Take your time on the Praza do Obradoiro to take in the magnificent façade and the atmosphere of the square. There will always be groups op pilgrims arriving after their long walk. Although it is the main façade, one does not enter the cathedral via this side. If you want to visit the interior of the cathedral, you have to go to the side entrance on the Praza das Praterías. One piece of advice: don’t go just after a mass has finished. Lines will be long with people who want to go in immediately after. If you have the time, do something else and come back later. You will see the line has shortened considerably or there is no more line at all. Also, the interior of the cathedral and the crypt have separate entrances. To visit the Crypt with the reliquary of St. James, there is a different entrance on the Praza da Quintana, where you go through the Porta Santa.

I also bought a ticket for the Cathedral Museum. This will give you access to the cloister and the museum, which houses the cathedral treasure, a reconstruction of the cathedral choir and a nice collection of tapestries, among others. I really liked the cloister, where you can see the cathedral towers from another point of view. Your ticket also gives you access to the crypt at the front of the cathedral and the Pazo de Xelmírez on the left, which houses an exposition on Master Mateo, the architect of the famous Pórtico da Gloria.

Unfortunately, the only part of the cathedral I didn’t see was that famous Pórtico da Gloria, as it wasn’t included in my museum ticket. The website states you can buy a museum ticket with inclusion of the Pórtico, but when I went in the afternoon, all the time slots for a visit of the Pórtico were filled for that day and one could only buy a slot for the next day. Several people before me were also told that they couldn’t view the Pórtico, to their disappointment. Apparently, only a limited number of people per day are allowed to visit the Pórtico. Had I known that, I would have gone earlier in the day to the museum, or I even would have bought my ticket beforehand, because it is a bit of a shame to not have viewed one of the artistic masterpieces of the church.

For those who have the time, I have two more recommendations when you have a walk around the outside of the cathedral. First, visit the San Martiño Pinario monastery situated on the Praza da Inmaculada. It has a beautiful monastery church with a double-sided baroque altar. Unfortunately, the cloisters are not part of the tour, but you can have a glimpse of one of them through the windows on the first floor. Second recommendation is the Museum of Pilgrimage on the Praza das Praterías, where the phenomenon of the pilgrimage in general and the one of St. James specifically is well explained in a modern way.

(Visited in August 2022)