It is, of course, possible to make your own way from the port to the city of Santiago de Compostela if you’re arriving on a cruise but it should be noted that the travel time by coach is around 45-60 minutes depending on traffic so you’re not exactly near the ship if you run into any difficulties with public transport. Some other people we know who were visiting the city on another cruise ship after us had originally planned to use the train until they discovered that there was a large gap in the schedule that might have made getting back on time a risk. We elected to pick an excursion arranged through Princess Cruises that simply took care of taking us to the city and getting us back with a guide explaining the history of the area while travelling but leaving us free to explore on our own for several hours on arrival, all safe in the knowledge that the ship would wait for us. When excursions are reasonably priced we will always err towards them rather than trying to save a few quid when we’re already paying as much as we are for the cruise anyway.

Our coach drop-off and pick-up point was at Parking Xoán XXIII which is just to the north of the Convento de San Francisco de Santiago, itself just to the north of the medieval centre of Santiago de Compostela if you’re looking for it on a map. A five-minute walk took us into the main square.

The main square in Santiago de Compostela’s Old Town area is called the Praza do Obradoiro. The buildings surrounding it look fabulous architecturally with the most prominent ones being to the western and eastern sides of the square, the city hall and the façade of the cathedral respectively. The cathedral, as you’re probably aware, is the main draw for people visiting Santiago de Compostela, either as tourists or as the 100,000+ pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James) pilgrimage each year.

From Wikipedia:

According to medieval legend, the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial; in 813, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in Santiago de Compostela. […] To honour St. James, the cathedral was built on the spot where his remains were said to have been found. The legend, which included numerous miraculous events, enabled the Catholic faithful to bolster support for their stronghold in northern Spain during the Christian crusades against the Moors, but also led to the growth and development of the city.

If you’re standing in the Praza do Obradoiro and want to enter the impressive-looking (even with the scaffolding during our visit) cathedral the best approach is to walk out of the square via the alley to the southeast then immediately turn left along the southernmost face of the building. The entrance is up a flight of steps in the Praza das Praterías. Entry to the cathedral is free but it’s worth checking to see if there are any planned church services as this will affect your visit. It is possible to pay for a rooftop tour as well but despite the warm-looking photos there was a bitterly cold wind on the day of our visit (you might have noticed if you’ve watched the video) and we’d foolishly only worn t-shirts; we decided the roof can wait until we return, should that happen.

Construction of the present Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, began in the late 11th century. Almost 100 metres long it has a classically-arranged cruciform-shaped interior and the most eye-catching elements are the gold choir area and organ as well as the large, hanging censer (the Botafumeiro, the largest censer in the world) used to dispense burning incense to the congregation when pulled by eight tiraboleiros. The cathedral seats were pretty full when we arrived as it was approaching the time for a mass to begin. We spoke after our visit with some fellow cruise passengers who had come on the excursion with us and they had spent nearly their full time sat in the cathedral, the reason being that they were hoping to see the censer swung. This didn’t happen but the reason for that – had they been paying attention to our guide on the coach – was that it’s only done on special occasions (and this wasn’t one) or if a pilgrim makes a very sizeable donation to have the ceremony performed (and, clearly, one didn’t).

We had no interest in actually attending the upcoming mass and so, like many other visitors, completed a cross-shaped circuit of the cathedral, taking photos of some of the more interesting details to the backdrop of the general low murmur of people talking, only occasionally broken up by a voice over a speaker reminding people to be silent. There were a couple of areas you could queue for a short period to walk through that took you to a higher view down the nave of the church as well as down a few steps into the crypt housing the relics of Saint James and two of his disciples; photography was tricky in both these areas on account of the general crush of people constantly moving through them.

Leaving the cathedral through the gift shop (naturally) we emerged back into the streets of Santiago de Compostela in Praza da Quintana on the eastern side of the building. This gave us a chance to take a quick scan around at the various landmarks in view, notably the main towers of the cathedral (the Clock Tower and the Treasure Tower with its seemingly out-of-place pyramidal top) while we got our bearings and consulted our maps to work out the route to our next destination.

If we’re going to have enough free time to explore a place when we’re travelling – as opposed to taking an excursion that effectively eats up all the time we’re present – then we research the area beforehand and typically have a not-cast-in-stone idea of what we might want to see. It’s only a wish list and we’re flexible enough to bend with whatever the weather or surprises on the day may throw at us but we do try to make sure that there’s at least something on it that’s not provided on any of the offered tours. There’s something special about visiting a place and not only seeing the obvious, big tourist elements but also something potentially unique amongst the people you’re with if only to give you something different to talk about. On this trip to Santiago de Compostela we’d spotted an interesting-looking museum just to the northeast of the Old Town called Museo do Pobo Galego (about fifteen minutes away on foot from the cathedral) and with plenty of time in hand it was in this direction that we set off.

One of the first buildings we passed was a monastery – the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares – which had a small window through which it was possible to buy cakes off nuns. We decided we didn’t need any cakes and I thought it best out of respect not to take any photos of this event taking place but it did make us smile and if you’re after a cake baked by a nun I’ve got nowhere else I could possibly recommend. Being still fairly early in the day – not quite noon at this point – the narrow streets were mostly empty and many of the places we walked past that could possibly have been restaurants or bars were closed up but there were enough interesting-looking buildings or statues to keep my camera-finger happy.

It was fairly easy to spot when we’d emerged from the Old Town of Santiago de Compostela as the architecture suddenly modernised a little and traffic suddenly appeared on roads. Still bearing roughly northeast we crossed over the Rúa da Virxe da Cerca and headed up the slight incline of the Costa de San Domingos towards the largest building in view which was our destination, the museum. To the left of it as we approached there was a delightfully modernist structure suitably housing contemporary art. We talked about visiting it after the museum but as it turned out we spent longer there than planned so decided to pass on it this time around.

The second post of our cruise excursion in Santiago de Compostela will cover our visit to the Museo do Pobo Galego (museum of the Galician people).

As I’ve said in the previous post, the Museo do Pobo Galego (Museum of the Galician People) is roughly fifteen minutes walk northeast from the cathedral or main square of Santiago de Compostela. The building that the museum now occupies has had many roles over the years; originally the convent of San Domingos de Bonaval and the work of the 17th century architect Domingo de Andrade then a regimental barracks, a hospice, and a school for the deaf and blind it wasn’t until 1993 that the museum was officially opened. In order to promote what the region considers its greatest creation – its language – all the signs inside the Museo do Pobo Galego are in Galician although English explanatory texts are available.

The first thing to note about visiting this museum is that it’s closed on Mondays. Not a problem for us (obviously, otherwise this post would be ending right about now) but worth bearing in mind depending on the timing and length of your trip to the Santiago de Compostela area. The second thing to note is that, like many Spanish establishments, it has a siesta period so don’t come between 14:00 and 16:00 on days when it’s open and, as you probably could guess because you’re smart, don’t come just before 14:00 either or you won’t have any time to look around.

General admission price is just €3 and an absolute bargain. With that you’ll get a fold-out map to help you explore the building.

Now, the Museo do Pobo Galego does have a lot of interesting rooms with a lot of interesting exhibits around specific themes (e.g. the Galician relationship with the sea, how trade was conducted in the region, music heritage, folk traditions, etc.) but the thing that had caught our eye during our pre-cruise research and the thing that we immediately made for was the main staircase linking the three levels of the museum. That may seem odd in writing but as you can see from the photo below it’s quite a special staircase: a triple helical set of stairs spirals up with exits to different floors of the tower in which it’s situated. It’s a dizzying sight to see and not the easiest thing in the world to photograph as the light from the top really plays havoc with the relative dimness down below but you’ll find it hard to resist anyway.

Pick the correct set of steps and you can make it all the way to the top where you’re rewarded with a view down to the ground floor and out through a window looking back towards Santiago de Compostela’s Old Town and the prominent towers of the cathedral.

After recovering from the exertion of climbing the triple helical staircase in the museum we took a leisurely walk through the various rooms across the floors. You can expect to see artwork, pottery, printing equipment, photographs, farming equipment, religious artefacts, traditional folk costumes, and so on. There was a school group visiting the museum while we were there so I didn’t take very many photos in the exhibition rooms at all (some people can be a bit funny about adults with cameras around children and it’s never worth the hassle of risking confrontation) but what we saw was very interesting and you really didn’t need to understand Galician to get the gist of what was being displayed.

It’s easy to forget the history of the building itself as you explore the rooms of the museum until you suddenly find yourself looking down on the San Domingos Church from a first floor gantry. Weirdly, because you don’t enter the church from a doorway on the ground floor this has the effect of making it feel like the church is another exhibit, perhaps one transported and stored inside a huge room in the museum specifically for the purpose. It’s a pleasingly disconcerting experience. The main body of the church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries so was in position with the convent area long before the architecture of the surrounding buildings were added.

The museum visit took a little more time than we were initially expecting, not just because there was a lot to see but also because there’s a section of the ground floor that can only be accessed from the first floor. This also means the only way to get out after you’ve explored this section is to get back to the first floor again, something we didn’t realise until we’d exhausted every route and tried every door. It’s actually quite clear from looking at the map now but at the time it threw us for a bit.

We finished up our visit to the Museo do Pobo Galego in the very attractive courtyard surrounded by the beautifully-arched porticoes. After the quite minimalist interior of the museum it was refreshing to step into the vibrancy of the greenery and gaze up at the blue skies. It’s a lovely little area to just breathe in, gaze around, and relax, and if you’re visiting with other people who want to use the toilet it’s an ideal place to wait for them while they do so as the restroom facilities are just through one of the arches.

If you’re visiting Santiago de Compostela and you’ve got the time to do so then the Museo do Pobo Galego is worth every cent of the very small entrance fee and highly recommended if only to see the impressive design of the staircase.

We would use the remainder of our time in the Galician city to hunt down some souvenirs and grab a bite to eat along with something to drink and that’s covered in the final part of our cruise excursion account.

With about an hour to go before we needed to be back at the coach we decided to prioritise grabbing a drink (preferably something local) in a bar. Figuring that the majority of drinking establishments would be close to the cathedral and main square, Praza da Obradoiro, we headed roughly back in the same direction we’d originally come. There were definitely more signs of life in the city than we’d seen earlier in the day although we didn’t spot anything too enticing at first.

We eventually came upon Praza de Cervantes, a stretched town square surrounded by shops and bars and with a fountain containing a bust of the aforementioned Cervantes himself atop a pillar.

The most prominent building around the square’s exterior was the Church of San Martiño Pinario, most notable for its bell tower under normal circumstances I’d imagine but mostly drawn to our attention by the low stage for musicians that had been set up in front.

Being deductive souls we reckoned there might be some form of performance about to start and keen to see what it might be but also still sate our thirst we settled our eyes on a bar on the corner of the street heading southwards away from the square. This turned out to be a place called Cafe Pub Agarimo. Entering, we found ourselves in a long, narrow room with a bar along one side. We caught the attention of one of the staff and with some pointing at the taps we asked for a beer and a cider. The Cafe Pub Agarimo was doing tapas which we hadn’t realised so there was a moment of confusion as we looked at the bowls of soup that arrived first before we realised everyone was getting them. There was no request for payment so we took our beer and soup into a cramped backroom of the bar that did at least have seats and tables.

We hadn’t been hungry but the soup was simple yet satisfying. We think it was probably a Galician white bean soup with chorizo. I can’t say the drinks we had were anything special but when we’re drinking abroad it’s as much for the experience as it is for the taste. We’d spotted a member of staff going around some of the tables and collecting cash and returning change which led us to believe we’d soon be able to pay for our drinks and surprise lunch but by the time we wanted to leave we still hadn’t been seen to. I decided to pay at the bar on the way out but as we’d been drinking the bar area had filled to standing room only capacity. It took around ten minutes to get “served” in order to actually pay and it would have been insanely easy to leave without doing so, but we are not that sort of people. We’d not checked the prices before ordering our imbibements but they were very well-priced, especially when you consider the included tapas. So, I can definitely recommend Cafe Pub Agarimo but with the caution that if you’re in a hurry to be anywhere keep an eye on how busy the place is and pay as soon as you can.

Back outside we found that Praza de Cervantes had also filled up and the musicians were playing.

The festival was part of the Ascensión Festivities, a yearly event, with us having turned up on the second day. We stood around enjoying the ambience, listening to the music, and firing off a few shots of the people doing likewise for several minutes.

We like a good excuse to drink in the sunshine and listen to bands performing but we were starting to run short of time in Santiago de Compostela so our next task was to hunt down a souvenir shop. This was not a difficult thing to do as you probably could have guessed and we bypassed half a dozen or more before selecting one at random. Mugs, a bookmark, and a shot glass were all picked up for a surprisingly low price although we steered clear of anything with the ubiquitous shell design on it that you’ll typically find hard to escape in the Spanish city.

As we approached the main square from the south we happened upon a nice little square – Praza de Fonseca – with some greenery in it, a little unexpected oasis from the sparse streets and alleys we’d encountered elsewhere throughout the city.

Back in Praza do Obradoiro we spent a short period of time taking a few more photos of the impressive buildings around it including the town hall and cathedral’s western façade. It was particularly interesting to see the number of people, many of whom had probably completed the Camino pilgrimage, simply sitting around, some in contemplation, some in conversation.

It was about time to leave by now, though, so exiting through the north side of the main square of Santiago de Compostela along Rua de San Francisco and towards the church and convent of the same saint we made our way back towards where the coach had dropped us off at Parking Xoán XXIII.

I had just enough time to get sidetracked after spotting some street art near the coach pick-up spot. Though the artwork was more stylised tagging than imagery it was all still of a very good quality.

This concludes our cruise excursion from the Sapphire Princess into Santiago de Compostela. The medieval city was better than we’d expected partly because we came away feeling unfleeced. There’s often a sense when travelling – especially if you’re hitting obvious tourist hotspots – that the prices are inflated and the stuff being peddled is pretty awful but Santiago de Compostela didn’t have any of that; it felt like a generous, trusting, honest place befitting its religious heritage. Very cheap to spend time there and with far more to see than we had time to during our half day it’s a city I’d have no qualms about visiting again or recommending.