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You don't just walk through Santiago: you interpret it. Through rigorous and enjoyable guided tours, you'll delve into the urban and heritage history of the historic center like never before.

Highlights

• You'll explore Santiago de Compostela from a heritage and urban perspective
• You'll interpret shields, inscriptions, and hidden symbols
• You'll read the city as a living historical document
• You'll analyze the urban layout and its temporal layers
• You'll connect monuments and homes with their social history

Description

What does a city tell us when we walk through it with attentive eyes? This tour invites you to discover Santiago de Compostela through its layout, its symbols, and its silences. We'll start at the Alameda, the city's green lung and a witness to its urban modernization in the 19th century. Here, we'll explore how this typology emerged, designed for citizen leisure, and how it transformed well into the 20th century. From there, we'll head into the historic quarter, a city of medieval origin that houses a surprising mix of houses from different eras. In streets like Rúa do Vilar, you'll see curious elements like the 'roof peepholes' and analyze the 'marks of ownership': shields, inscriptions, and emblems carved in stone that reveal the buildings' ownership by institutions like the Cathedral's Cabildo, the University, the Hospital of the Catholic Monarchs, or the Monastery of San Martín Pinario. The route continues on the south façade of Platerías, a 12th-century Romanesque jewel that, due to the vicissitudes of history, is presented as a sculptural puzzle: fragmented, disconnected, fascinating. We'll continue with the Pazo de Fonseca, a Renaissance building linked to the origins of the University. Here, we'll tour its cloister and, if available, visit the temporary exhibitions in the Artesonado Room and the upper cloister. The tour culminates in the Plaza del Obradoiro, where four emblematic buildings converge: the baroque façade of the Cathedral, the neoclassical Town Hall with its sculpture of Santiago Matamoros, the old Hospital of the Catholic Monarchs, and the University Rectorate, with a Romanesque portal that evokes the Portico of Glory. We finish in front of the Monastery of San Martín Pinario, where we'll talk about the 19th-century disendowment and the transformation of monastic spaces into multifunctional buildings. This tour is bilingual (Spanish/English), accessible, and reflective. Perfect for those who want to understand the city beyond its monuments. Direct WhatsApp support for bookings and personalized recommendations. Here, you don't just walk: you interpret, reflect, and discover how urbanism reveals Santiago's deep identity.

Includes

Guided tour of the historic center of Santiago de Compostela Heritage and urban interpretation throughout the itinerary On-site explanations about monuments, urban layout, and historical elements Visit the interior of the Pazo de Fonseca, along with the temporary exhibitions on offer in this space (free admission)

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund