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| Home > City Guide - Santiago de Compostela - Excursions | ||
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Excursions For a Half Day Finisterre: This delightful traditional Galician fishing village is just under 50km (31 miles) from Santiago de Compostela, along the C-543 road, on a cape (cabo) on the western coast of Spain. For the medieval pilgrims, Cabo Finisterre was literally ‘the end of the earth’. It is the westernmost point in all Europe and an ancient holy place for Druids, Romans and Christians. The Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), south of the Cape, is a dramatic landscape of cliffs and sandy beaches. On the south side of the harbour, there are a number of sardiñadas (open-air sardine grills) offering a fine assortment of fresh fish and mariscos (shellfish dishes). A return journey to Finisterre by bus with Transporte Finisterre (tel: (981) 647 041) costs EUR18.00 (journey time – 2 hours 30 minutes). It is a four-kilometre (two-and-a-half mile) walk to the headland, where, at the cape, a lighthouse perches high above the waves. Beyond the lighthouse and the trinket vendors is the viewpoint, Vista Monte do Facho, which offers spectacular views. For a Whole Day A Coruña: The official capital of the province, A Coruña is a thriving port and business centre on the north coast of Spain, approximately 60km (37 miles) from Santiago de Compostela. It also has some fine beaches, a bustling and attractive harbour with a characteristic honeycomb web of white-framed windows on its waterfront and striking tourist sights, most notably the Torre de Hércules (Tower of Hercules), an imposing restored Roman lighthouse, which still functions. The Old Quarter of the city rivals that of Santiago de Compostela, with monuments such as the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria do Campo. Trains from Santiago de Compostela to A Coruña run regularly (journey time – 1 hour 10 minutes) and cost EUR3.10-3.90 The local tourist information office on Rúa Jardines de Méndez Núñez (tel: (981) 216 161) provides details of attractions. Pontevedra: A distinctly Galician town comprising a maze of alleyways and colonnaded squares, lies 117km (73 miles) southwest of Santiago de Compostela. Pontevedra provides the perfect opportunity for visitors to wander around an ancient city that is both lively and lived in. The Museo Provincial houses a number of paintings by Spanish masters Ribera, Zurbarán and Murillo, although more notably the work of artist, caricaturist and writer Alfonso Castelao – author of Sempre en Galicia (1935-47), a bible of Galician nationalists – celebrating the strength and resilience of the Galician people and their culture. Buses and trains from Santiago de Compostela to Pontevedra run every 30 minutes (journey time – approximately 1 hour for both) and cost EUR3.20-4.05. The local tourist information office is located on Rúa Xeneral Guiterrez Mellado 1 (tel: (986) 850 814; e-mail: turgalicia@xunta.es; website: www.turgalicia.es). |
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