Things to Do in Santiago de Compostela, Spain - Santiago de Compostela Attractions
Things to Do in Santiago de Compostela
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- Myo MCoquitlam, Canada24,678 contributionsOn a day which started with an "overcast sky" and got gradually worse with a "climax of downpour" by the time I finished the visit, it was on the south side of the old-town area where I started the day with a good breakfast at a "quaint-looking" restaurant (right at the entrance to the "old town" with also a few colorful beds of flowers to kind of enhance the beauty of the many lovely buildings similar to my breakfast place as just mentioned) followed by the arrival on the "main square" Praza do Obradoiro (actually yes, a "brief initial arrival" at the Square and briefly inquiring at the "ticket office" right at the entrance to the Square before going back out for breakfast then coming straight back after breakfast). In any case, yes among the four "lengthy buildings" each fully occupying one of the four sides of the Square, it's this cathedral on the east side which is the most-impressive-of-all with its "quite-solid-built" facade (which is also the "main facade" with just a "straight length" whereas those on the other three sides with some varied-styled architecture I would say) and also as a "visible proof" of the strength of that massive facade was seeing these "great-sized pillars" just inside the Cathedral at about halfway along the length of the facade (actually the area entered with the "museum ticket" although physically a little part from the Museum itself); and yes not as much as by the great structure of the Cathedral, but "fairly awed" by was the spaciousness of the Square (also a nice "overall view" of it from the balcony right above a corner of the Cathedral and which is an area of the Museum to enter with the "museum ticket"), and also seen at the time was a group of "likely pilgrims" who I actually first heard (their quite-audible singing of sorts) before seeing them enter through the northeast gate of the Square.
And as for the Museum with a number of rooms on some "multiple floors" (with displays starting with archaeological artifacts on the lower floors to those of religion on the upper floors), the "most exciting" of all those seen for me were these "nice-sized & colorful" tapestries on the walls of the "top rooms" which are on about the same floor as the balcony with an all-inclusive view of the Square (as mentioned above), and where along the way up from the archaeology & religion floors to that with the tapestries is also an "upper courtyard" with nothing much around it except one display room with some "shiny items" (time for around that courtyard somehow just on my way back down from the balcony).
And as for the "church part" of the Cathedral (with its entrance not on the main side which is the west side with the entrance to the "museum part", but on likely the south side which I arrived after the Museum with also its front-center area with big pillars a bit apart from the Museum as mentioned above), the "centerpiece of attention" in the interior (also at pretty much right about the center of the floor where two big aisles intersect, and yes "so popular" that some amounts of time & patience are required to get right to the front of it!) is the "golden altar" with its central figure of St. James, and yes as remarkable to see the altar featuring the Saint on the floor was also seeing the "tomb of the Saint" a little underground in like a basement chamber (to pass by in a line-up but really a "clear view" of the tomb). And so yes, seen here was my third of the "3 tombs of saints" seen in three countries (with the first one being that of St. Thomas in Chennai, India and the second one being that of St. Peter in Vatican City which was actually just about a month prior to here).
And after this great site of a "museum & church combo" was also two brief stops firstly at the quite-sizeable San Martino Pinario Monastery (actually its "guesthouse part" where I walked along a pretty-long corridor to some interior parts, but finding it closed when getting to like the "sightseeing part" of the Monastery) and secondly at also some monastery-like building with an inner courtyard where I walked around but which is much smaller than San Martino Pinario (likely the one seen to the left just outside the Obradoiro Square from the balcony of this cathedral as mentioned above).Written November 22, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Deborah O1 contributionIf you are considering doing the El Camino, I would highly recommend Walks in Spain. I found the entire experience stress free. Paul was very responsive with all communications and questions leading up to the walk.
