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Top Attractions in Santiago de Compostela

Hostal dos Reis Católicos

The Hostal dos Reis Católicos , also called the Hotel de Los Reyes Católicos or Parador de Santiago, is a 5-star Parador hotel, located in the Praza do Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. The hotel was constructed as a religious work in 1486, by Ferdinand and Isabel, the Catholic Monarchs. It is widely considered the oldest continuously operating hotel in the world, and has also been called the "most beautiful hotel in Europe" The Hostal dos Reis Católicos sits at the very end of famous pilgrimage trail, the Way of St. James, next to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. Pilgrims from all over Europe, throughout the Middle Ages, both rich and poor, followed the Way of St. James, and arrived in Santiago de Compostela. In the late 15th century Ferdinand and Isabel themselves completed the pilgrimage across northern Spain. As a sign of their religious piety, and their growing economic and political might, they began a program to improve the infrastructure and support services on the pilgrimage trail in Spain. They built new hostels, bridges, churches, and public wells. The most improvement project by Isabel and Ferdinand was the Hostal, right next to the great cathedral at the very end of the pilgrimage trail. The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos served as a hospice and a hospital, where pilgrims could recover and rejuvenate after completing the pilgrimage. The Hostal had a multi-lingual staff of doctors, nurses, and priests on call 24 hours a day; and provided all services free of charge. Pilgrims were allowed to recover at the Hostal for 3 days in the Summer, and 5 days in the Winter. As of 2014 the hotel continued to provide free services to a limited numbers of pilgrims. Construction of the building took over 10 years. Masons, engineers, and sculptors from all over Europe were called upon to work on the project. The project was overseen by architect Enrique Egas, and has a Plateresque facade. In 1526, King Carlos V completed work on the Plaza Obradoiro, creating a large open plaza joining the Hostal and great Cathedral. The hotel was constructed with four colonnaded and interconnected courtyards within its walls. Two of these piazzas date from the eighteen hundreds, but the two earlier squares are from the sixteenth century and feature water fountains at their hearts. The later courtyards are of a baroque design and were constructed during an extensive re-modelling and renovation. Since the Hostal was essentially a large state-run hospital, it attracted many doctors and scholars. The Hostal began serving the medical needs of the city of Santiago de Compostela. One of the oldest medical schools in Spain spring up nearby, and it helped establish the tradition of the city as center for university learning and higher education. During the 20th Century, the dictator Francisco Franco stayed at the Hostal. It was Franco's decision, in 1954, to include it in the Spanish Parador hotel system, and to renovate the Hostal into a world class modern hotel. Today, the Hostal dos Reis Católicos is widely considered one of the finest hotels in the world. The hotel has a capacity of 262 guest. It has six suites, and handicap-accessible accommodations. The hotel has satellite television and free wifi service. The restaurant, Libredon, in the Hostal is one of the finest in Spain. The restaurant primarily serves seafood. It features two rows of wooden tables lining a stone Medieval chamber. This chamber was originally the morgue for the 15th century hospital.

Castle da Rocha Forte

Castle da Rocha Forte is a ruined fort near Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain. It was first mentioned in written documents from 1253, but it had probably been built earlier. The castle was situated in a strategic location by road from Padro village to Santiago. Pilgrims followed that route from Portugal. The castle is not on top of a hill as many other forts are, but in a valley where it could control all of the traffic into town. In addition to its purpose for defence, the castle was also a home for the Archbishop, which could provide the men of the local church a shelter from rioting citizens. In 1317, Berenguel de Landoira was nominated as Archbishop. The residents did not like him and started a rebellion. Archbishop Landoira had all the leaders of the rebellion executed. In the 15th century in Irmandiño wars the castle was damaged badly and it was abandoned. Later, in 1472 the walls were dismantled. During the Franco era the ruins were used as a hideout. In 1962, an electricity pylon was installed to the castle area.

Monte do Gozo

Monte do Gozo is a hill in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is known for being the place where Christian pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago get their first views of the three spires of their destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. At 370 metres, it is the pilgrims last hill and last stop before reaching the cathedral, with about an hours walk still to go, and by tradition is where they cry out in rapture at finally seeing the end of their path. Monte do Gozo is about three kilometers outside city centre, and is reachable by a 20-minute local bus ride in alternative to being walked. It is less than a kilometer away from the small hamlet of San Marcos. It rises 70 metres above the trail before it and 110 metres above the city. It is also a popular site for bicyclists. The hill features the large Ciudad de Vacaciones Monte do Gozo development, constructed in 1993 for benefit of the pilgrims, which includes a spread-out, bungalow-style, 500-bed hotel/hostel, a camping ground, the large Auditorio Monte do Gozo for outdoor concerts, and gardens and walking paths, all on 65 hectares . It was initially built in 1993 for use by the pilgrims and resulted in a reshaping of the hill. Sponsored by the local government in conjunction with that years local Holy Year for St. James Day, some aspects of the development drew the ire of the Church, which preferred a greater focus on the religious meaning of the area. While the hotel/hostel has helped relieve the city proper of accommodation pressure during peak times, its appearance itself has not always been viewed favourably, with one book calling it a "modern grief" and another characterizing it as "soul-crushingly awful". The Camino is paved asphalt during this stretch. The hill is surrounded by eucalyptus trees, which along with suburban structures have largely obscured the potential view of the cathedral from Monte do Gozo in recent times. Camino guide writer John Brierley cautions pilgrims not to expect too much from this stop and says that, "The tiny chapel of San Marcos is the only thing left on the hill that gives any sense of history to this romantic sounding place." Pope John Paul II visited the hill to lead the final mass in August 1989 of that years World Youth Day. Sculptures reside atop it; the most dominant one was placed to celebrate that event, and portrays on its base both John Pauls visit and a pilgrimage of Saint Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century.

City of Culture of Galicia

The City of Culture of Galicia is a complex of cultural buildings in Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, designed by a group of architects led by Peter Eisenman. Construction is challenging and expensive as the design of the buildings involves high degree contours, meant to make the buildings look like rolling hills. Nearly every window of the thousands that are part of the external façade has its own custom shape. In 2013 it was announced that after more than a decade, construction of the project would be halted. The International Art Center and Music and Scenic Arts Center will not be built. In February 1999 the Parliament of Galicia held an international design competition for a cultural center on Mount Gaiás. The entrants were Ricardo Bofill, Manuel Gallego Jorreto, Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer, Steven Holl, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, Cesar Portela, Santiago Calatrava, who later withdrew his proposal, and Eisenman, whose proposal was selected for both conceptual uniqueness and exceptional harmony with the place. The concept of the project is a new peak on Monte Gaiás, made up of a stony crust reminiscent of an archaeological site divided by natural breaks that resemble scallops, the traditional symbol of Compostela. The building site has also become the base for the development of a public transparency urban experiment by the Spanish architect and artist Andrés Jaque. With Jaque's 12 Actions to Make the Cidade da Cultura Transparent, the building site was equipped with devices that make the political implications and ecological extension of the construction works understandable for the general public. The public toilets had no toilet roll. The project has more than doubled its original budget and has not attracted significant numbers of visitors (becoming a white elephant for subsequent governments and taxpayers). Construction of the final two planned buildings was stopped in 2012 and terminated definitively in March 2013 due to the high cost overruns.

Auditorio Monte do Gozo

Auditorio Monte do Gozo is an outdoor concert venue in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is an amphitheatre-like setting, with a stage, an open area, and then rows of concrete bench seating arranged in a semicircle. It has a capacity that has been stated as anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 people, with one account stating an official capacity at 37,800. The venue is sited on the Monte do Gozo, about three kilometers outside city centre, which is known for being the hill where Christian pilgrims on the Way of St. James get their first views of the spires of their destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is reachable by local bus that goes on a small road up the hill; it can also be walked. It was initially constructed in 1993 for use by the pilgrims. Sponsored by the local government in conjunction with that years local Holy Year for St. James Day, the development drew the ire of the Church, which preferred a greater focus on the religious meaning of the area. The concert facility is part of the much larger Ciudad de Vacaciones Monte do Gozo, which includes a spread-out, bungalow-style hotel, a hostel, a camping ground, and gardens and walking paths, all on 65 hectares . Auditorio Monte do Gozo has been the venue for major music acts to appear in Santiago de Compostela. It its first year it saw the Bruce Springsteen and the "Other Band" Tour. In subsequent years came such as The Rolling Stones in 1999 on their Bridges to Babylon Tour. With 2004 being another Jubilee Year, the Xacobeo Festival was held over several days in July, with Bob Dylan, The Cure, and David Bowie all slated to appear . The summer also saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their By the Way Tour. Following that year, the venue was not used for concerts again until the 2007 Amar es Combatir Tour by Maná. Xacobeo Festival returned for a Holy Year again in August 2010, featuring Muse, Pet Shop Boys, and Jónsi. The site has been used for other music festivals as well, such as MTV Galicia 2010, which headlined Arcade Fire and Echo the Bunnymen. A Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show on their 2009 Working on a Dream Tour at the Monte Do Gozo was marred by disorganized security and overbooking by the promoter, leaving some of the approximately 40,000 ticket holders unable to get in. Dozens of complaints against the promoter were filed to police, city, and consumer authorities the following day. Ticket availability for the Xacobeo and MTV Galicia festivals the following year were consequently limited to 25,000 people. The effect of Auditorio Monte do Gozos existence on Santiago de Compostela has been enough for The New York Times to write, in 2004, "Christian pilgrims and pop stars. ... This city in northwest Spain is full of contradictions, especially in a Jubilee year like this one, when David Bowie, Bob Dylan and other modern idols will descend upon the citys ancient squares."
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