Catedral de Santiago
Catedral de Santiago
4
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Bilbo Zaharra
How to get there
- Casco Viejo • 5 min walk
- Abando • 7 min walk
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Restaurants
1,574 within 3 miles
Attractions
156 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
767 reviews
Excellent
234
Very good
313
Average
182
Poor
21
Terrible
17
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Jose L
Province of A Coruna, Spain349 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Austere cathedral without an altarpiece, the entrance fee (€6) is to also visit the church of San Antón. It also has a small cloister. Still, for those of us who like this type of visits, I think it should not be overlooked.

Written October 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shoemaker_10
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK613 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
your 8 euro admission also gives a hand held talking guide in main euro languages. sorry Swden and Japan both of whom i heard refuse their language.
best story is the flood in 1500 causing a ship to break moorings and move 300mtrs to crash into the side of the cathedral.
best story is the flood in 1500 causing a ship to break moorings and move 300mtrs to crash into the side of the cathedral.
Written September 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,190 contributions
Dec 2022
The Santiago Cathedral of Bilbao is likely to be the smallest cathedral I’m going to see in a famously Catholic country like Spain. Consecrated in the 12th century, this cathedral is designed in a mix of Gothic and Neo-Gothic. It’s actually quite difficult to see all of the exterior of the building as it’s in the middle of a compact plaza, surrounded by buildings all around and adjacent. Notable features the steeple and spire, tall and slender in typical Gothic fashion and decorated with florets. The entrance of the church is also impressive. It has layers of archivolts decorated with leaves, vines and the occasional craftsman. Either side of the entrance are sculptures of St Peter and St Paul, represented by a key and sword respectively.
Inside, there is a nave and two side aisles. Like most cathedrals, Santiago Cathedral also has triforum topped with beautiful stained glass windows arrayed along the upper parts of the building. There’s an entrance fee of €6, which also includes an audio guide and entry to the Church of San Anton. The audio guide gives an introduction to the building, followed by a journey in an anti-clockwise direction to see the chapels and cloister. Although not richly adorned, most of the chapels do have at least a Gothic or Baroque altarpiece with the Chapel of Montserrat and the Chapel of the Virgin of the Pillar being noteworthy.
The entrance to the sacristy also has a beautiful wooden panel with Gothic traceries, floral stained glass of deep colours and a sculpture of St. Michael defeating Lucifer.
All in all, a nice visit and worthwhile visit.
Inside, there is a nave and two side aisles. Like most cathedrals, Santiago Cathedral also has triforum topped with beautiful stained glass windows arrayed along the upper parts of the building. There’s an entrance fee of €6, which also includes an audio guide and entry to the Church of San Anton. The audio guide gives an introduction to the building, followed by a journey in an anti-clockwise direction to see the chapels and cloister. Although not richly adorned, most of the chapels do have at least a Gothic or Baroque altarpiece with the Chapel of Montserrat and the Chapel of the Virgin of the Pillar being noteworthy.
The entrance to the sacristy also has a beautiful wooden panel with Gothic traceries, floral stained glass of deep colours and a sculpture of St. Michael defeating Lucifer.
All in all, a nice visit and worthwhile visit.
Written December 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bozeman-Dublin
Trim, Ireland11,386 contributions
Apr 2022 • Solo
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this beautiful old cathedral right in the heart of the Old town, Casco Viejo
For €6 you can get a combo ticket for this I d the nearby San Antonio Church, also beguiling. Its cheaper for students and OAPs. But €6 is great value as yiy get a comprehensive audio guide that takes into every nook and cranny, chapels, sacristy and main nave.
A stunning cathedral and a fascinating history lesson into Bilbao and the building itself.
For €6 you can get a combo ticket for this I d the nearby San Antonio Church, also beguiling. Its cheaper for students and OAPs. But €6 is great value as yiy get a comprehensive audio guide that takes into every nook and cranny, chapels, sacristy and main nave.
A stunning cathedral and a fascinating history lesson into Bilbao and the building itself.
Written April 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Neska1947
Bilbao, Spain524 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
Without the grandeur of the great Gothic cathedrals, but with an appearance that precisely due to its simplicity and absence of ornate chapels gives it a special charm. It is worth a detailed visit and has self-guides in several languages. With your ticket you can visit the nearby Church of San Antón, full of history.

Written November 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Howard-Liverpool
Liverpool, UK3,345 contributions
May 2022
Most cathedrlas are worth an excellent and this is no exceptio. I am not into the religious side at all but the structure is superb. Should not be missed for its clear architectural values. The lady on the desk was a charm and gave us audio phone things which i usually dont bother with but I have to say this audio was excellent. Nice music, great clear voice and good not excess information. Very well worth visiting and the ticket here gives you free access to church of St Anton by the Ribera Market/
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
on_the_go_98765
Tucson20,524 contributions
Jul 2022
The architectural adornments speak loudest to us. This is the message the church most wants heard and seen by the faithful. Here it was displayed for us all the story of a real saint and a mythological (patron) saint. Sometimes the line between reality and myth can be a bit fuzzy.
This is a beautiful Gothic Revival construction with an elaborate (and seemingly well-maintained Rose window) above the main portal. And what a main portal it is! Those wooden doors and terraced concrete ribs are truly works of art. About the most incredibly ornate we've seen.
The clock in the bell tower was an interesting thing to ponder: everyone will know the hour so everyone should be in church at the designated hour. What other reason could there be?
Considering it to be impolite to go "touristing" while a service is in progress, we opted for an architectural appraisal of its exterior adornments. And what a treasure there was!
On either side of the grand entry portal are two niches with sculptures of saints. On the left stands St. Peter who is identifiable by the keys to heaven in his possession.
On the right is statuary that can only (IMHO) be identified as Santiago. We ran into Santiago in Lugo at the gate that bears his name and learned a great deal about the then-patron saint of Spain. Although Santiago was the patron saint of Spain for a very long time, he no longer is (for good reason).
Note how he carries a (short) sword but, still ... it is a sword. He is Santiago Matamoros the Moor Slayer. But he fought in a battle that never happened (Battle of Clavijo) all while he had been dead for 800 years.
Will wonders never cease?
Santiago does show up all over the Spanish religious sites as he was for a long, long time the patron saint of Spain. Churches present on their exteriors the image of a knight with a head beneath his feet, or wearing a sword, or looking a bit less pious than Peter and the James saints, then (go ahead) make a guess it could be this feisty leader of the fight against the Moors.
This church is named after St. James the Great who lives larger in legend than he did in real life.
This is a beautiful Gothic Revival construction with an elaborate (and seemingly well-maintained Rose window) above the main portal. And what a main portal it is! Those wooden doors and terraced concrete ribs are truly works of art. About the most incredibly ornate we've seen.
The clock in the bell tower was an interesting thing to ponder: everyone will know the hour so everyone should be in church at the designated hour. What other reason could there be?
Considering it to be impolite to go "touristing" while a service is in progress, we opted for an architectural appraisal of its exterior adornments. And what a treasure there was!
On either side of the grand entry portal are two niches with sculptures of saints. On the left stands St. Peter who is identifiable by the keys to heaven in his possession.
On the right is statuary that can only (IMHO) be identified as Santiago. We ran into Santiago in Lugo at the gate that bears his name and learned a great deal about the then-patron saint of Spain. Although Santiago was the patron saint of Spain for a very long time, he no longer is (for good reason).
Note how he carries a (short) sword but, still ... it is a sword. He is Santiago Matamoros the Moor Slayer. But he fought in a battle that never happened (Battle of Clavijo) all while he had been dead for 800 years.
Will wonders never cease?
Santiago does show up all over the Spanish religious sites as he was for a long, long time the patron saint of Spain. Churches present on their exteriors the image of a knight with a head beneath his feet, or wearing a sword, or looking a bit less pious than Peter and the James saints, then (go ahead) make a guess it could be this feisty leader of the fight against the Moors.
This church is named after St. James the Great who lives larger in legend than he did in real life.
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
random55555
Calabasas, CA24 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
The only narrative given to describe and explain what is in the cathedral is available only through an audio guide. There is no accommodation for those who are hearing impaired, not even a script. Thus, my visit, which cost an admission fee, was completely worthless.
Written May 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steve-norf
Norwich, UK169 contributions
Mar 2023
It's 5e entry which includes an audio guide which was helpful if a little stilted. The entry does however include entry to St Anton's church by the market which we found very interesting. The Cathedral is one of the stops on the Santiago to Compostela pilgrimage route so probably the nearest we will get to walking that path.
Not the most interesting cathedral in Europe but a much visited one.
Not the most interesting cathedral in Europe but a much visited one.
Written March 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RNB
London, UK67 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
A perfect stop in the middle of the busy old town. We visited on a hot day, and it was peaceful and cool. There's not much to see, but it's worth a visit. 8 euros entry (that includes another local church).
Written June 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey is there any sort of dress code for this Cathedral? The Sangrada Familia had one and didn't know if we wouldn't be let in wearing shorts
Written July 12, 2019
I do not recall there were any specific rules but the suitable clothing you describe is probably the norm.
Written July 13, 2019
Cuanto tiempo necesitas para verla?
Written September 8, 2018
Nosotros hicimos el recorrido en 45 minutos porque no teníamos mucho tiempo. Lo disfrutamos mucho a nuestro propio paso. Vale la pena, aunque se tenga poco tiempo!
Written September 11, 2018
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