Surroundings

The city of Santiago de Compostela lies between the Pedroso and Viso mountains, surrounded by the Sar and Sarela rivers.

It is located in the centre of Galicia, in the south of the province of A Coruña. It is the political and administrative capital of the Autonomous Region of Galicia (a region with its own language, Gallego, and a distinctive culture), and is home to the archdiocese, the university area and judicial district of the same name. It is also one of the main cultural centres of the country.

In the middle of the last century, its architectural and cultural heritage led to the city being declared as a site of historic and artistic interest and a national monument. In 1984, both the city and the Camino de Santiago were declared as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Santiago de Compostela is 260 metres above sea level, covers an area of 223 km2 and has a population of 94,057 inhabitants, although these figures increase considerably during the academic year with the influx of university students, the population reaching 115,000 inhabitants.

The city is also a major tourist centre, receiving approximately three million visitors a year, a figure which can be tripled in a Holy Year, and is also a place where many conferences are held.

All this has made Santiago an open city and an ideal meeting place.

Santiago de Compostela is above all else a monumental city, formed over the centuries around the sepulchre of the Apostle James (Santiago), giving rise to one of the most splendid architectural sites in the world.

Considered to be one of the three spiritual capitals of Christianity, along with Rome and Jerusalem, since the Middle Ages it has become the destination of religious pilgrimages, which in turn has led to the Camino de Santiago. When the celebration of the Apostle (25 July) falls on a Sunday, there is a Holy Year, which takes place every 6, 5, 6 and 11 years. In a Holy Year, the Church grants forgiveness of the sins committed by the members of its congregation.

Compostela is a major cultural centre. Around 30,000 students undertake their studies in the five-hundred-year old University, giving the city a fresh and dynamic feel and resulting in the organisation of countless cultural events in the city and a lively nightlife.

Another of the great attractions of Santiago, and Galicia as a whole, is its range of cuisine: seafood and fish fresh from the Galician coast; exquisite meats and the high-quality Galician Veal; its wines, including the exceptional Albariño, and the high-quality Rías Baixas.

Due to the strategic location of our city in the centre of Galicia, you will be able to visit and enjoy all parts of our region. Galicia is a paradise of welcoming beaches, impressive cliffs (Costa da Morte), hundred-year-old forests, sheer mountains (O Caurel) and numerous rivers.

There is an extraordinary contrast between the "Rías Altas" area, with its beautiful fishing villages, and the warm, medicinal waters of the "Rías Baixas" area, with its nature reserves ("Islas Atlánticas") and spas (Mondariz, Cuntis, etc.). In the central area there is an abundance of agriculture, cattle farms and vineyards. The remains of our Celtic past (Celtic villages) can be seen throughout Galicia, along with the relics of Romanesque art (mills, bridges, hermitages, etc.) which enrich our land.

All you have to do is get here: there is a lot to see and do in Santiago de Compostela and the Autonomous Region of Galicia.