> Spanish Courses at Santiago > Santiago de Compostela CityAbout Santiago de Compostela
The capital of Spanish region Galicia is Santiago de Compostela. The city is located in the province of A Coruña and it is most famously known for being the home of the remains of St. James the Apostle.
The population of Santiago is recorded to be about 93,000 inhabitants, but truer estimation would be closer to 130,000, including all the university students.
Besides being the burial grounds of St. James, Santiago is also the last stop of pilgrimage route, Camino de Santiago. The city was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and the fame of this medieval trek brings in thousands of tourists to the city each year. Santiago is steeped with a deep history, the Camino de Santiago; among several other important cultural and historical aspects make the city one of Spain’s most monumental cities. Adding the lifestyle and atmosphere that the university brings in, Santiago is a very multi-faceted culture to live and study in
History
The history of Santiago de Compostela is one of longevity and with quite interesting facets. According to Christian beliefs, Santiago was the place where St. James went to preach and convert people into Christians.
Excavations prove that the old town was under Roman rule into 7th century. The Romans called Santiago: Finis Terrae, which means the ‘ends of the earth,’ which is what they thought they were at during that time.
Historians and legend tell that the Apostle James was named the patron saint of the kingdom of Asturias because King Alfonso II recognized his tomb. King Alfonso II wanted to beat out the Moors’ in their expanding conquest of the Iberian Peninsula to make a center for Christian worshippers. The first church was constructed in Santiago in 830 and ever since then the city has been of extreme religious importance in Europe as well as throughout the world. People have made the pilgrimage, Camino de Santiago, since the city’s foundation.
Unfortunately for the King, the Moor invasion was able to overtake the city at the end of the 10th century. They did, however, respect the sanctuary created for St. James the Apostle.
Although the construction of the Romanesque cathedral was started in 1075, the project was not completed until the 13th century, most likely because of the Moorish presence in Santiago.
Like many cities in the time, throughout the next centuries, Santiago underwent many alterations, most noticed were the Renaissance and Baroque, but you can also see elements of Neoclassicism in the city’s structure today.
In the 1800s the city gained control of the Plaza de Abastos, what is, today, the city’s market, and the Alameda Park. There were walls surrounding the city, which were used in the past to protect the city, these were taken down, which also added to the dramatic change in appearance to the city.
In the early 1980s, Galicia became an autonomous region of Spain and Santiago de Compostela became the seat of government for the region.
Transportation
- Airport: The international airport of Santiago de Compostela is located about 15 minutes outside of the city in the municipality of Lavacolla. It is accessible by taxi or bus from Santiago. A taxi ride from Santiago to the airport, or vice versa, can cost around 15-20€. There are a few stations to take the bus from in the city to the airport and the trip can take between 20-30 minutes.
The airport services many of the large cities in Spain with direct flights daily. There are also some direct flights to international destinations within Europe, although for some other places it is necessary to stop and change at Palma de Mallorca first. - Train: The train station can be found on Calle Hórreo. There are basically three types of train services that operate from Santiago to other destinations in Spain. The first is the national service, with daily, direct trains to Madrid and Bilbao. There are also many other trains that run to most other cities throughout Spain. Per hour, another network of trains run to the main destinations throughout Galicia as well as connections to Portugal. If you want to take more of a touristy train adventure there is a system running in the north-northwest part of Spain that offers great views of scenery and landscapes.
- Bus: In Santiago you can find several different busses that run to the main Spanish cities, there is also a network (like the trains) of busses that travel within Galicia. Within the city you can travel on any of the 15 different lines to get to your required destination. A regular cost ticket for any city bus is 0.90€, but if you plan to stay in Santiago and use the bus regularly, there are better options for you than buying a ticket each day. If you are a student, you may request the student pass in the University. Otherwise, there is a monthly card, with unlimited trips, for 26€. There are also passes for up to 10, 20 or 30 trips.
- Foot: From old town, it is possible to visit most of the tourist monument sites. Plus, at nights it is quite common to wander the streets by foot to find places to go out.
Leisure
Throughout the city of Santiago you can find a tremendous amount of cultural and historical attractions. The city divulges its heritage in many facets, but probably the most famous monument in the city is the Cathedral (where St. James is supposedly buried). It is a highlight to see this grandiose masterpiece, even for those not very interested in the religious background.
Take a stroll through any one of the number of parks through Santiago, with the green, lush surroundings you can see a lot of beauty through the natural landscapes. Plus the two rivers, Ulla and Tambre can make for a nice relaxing atmosphere. The best place to view a brilliant sunset is atop Monte Pedroso, a hill just outside of the city center that gives you a whole overview of the city and Cathedral, plus the best spot for a sunset photo-session. Of course, you can find all types of sports activities, golfing, bicycling, diving, fishing and different places for fitness workouts.
The Mercado de Abastos takes up over 5,500 square meters and is situated near the Cathedral. Besides being able to pick up your favourite foods, this market is a sight to be seen, with all the vendors bustling around, preparing their freshest products. The colors, sights and smells make it the second most visited attraction, after the Cathedral, in Santiago de Compostela.
Gastronomy
Santiago has the gastronomy to feed any hunger. It is known to be rich on the palate and liberal in terms of portions. The main market in the city, Mercado de Abastos, brings in fresh sea food each day and produce that comes directly from their land. In many bars and restaurants in Santiago, there are unique displays of these products.
In Santiago it’s possible to order a full, three-course meal if you are feeling quite hungry, but there is also the option to order raciones which are comparable to tapas found throughout Spain. But raciones tend to be a bit bigger, meant to be shared in a group. Different plates can include: Spanish omelet, chesses, variety of seafood, meats or vegetables.
In general, the local favorite in regards to seafood tends to be mollusks and crustaceans. But, that doesn’t discount the delicious flavors you can get with prawns, shrimp, oysters, crab and mussels. Usually you will find these types of seafood grilled or boiled, but rarely accompanied by sauce. Sauces are said to be used only to cover up a lower quality of fish or seafood. Galicia also has a well-known way to prepare octopus; it is boiled and garnished with olive oil and cayenne pepper, and sometimes served with potatoes (cachelos).
Santiago is home to world-renowned Galician beef which supplies tender sirloin steaks for the barbecue, but in the winter time, pork is much more common in many dishes.
To cleanse your palate after all the rich flavors offered from Galician food, try any one of the many wines that are produced in the region.
Going Out
Nightlife in this capital city can be compared to many other Spanish cities in the sense that there is something for every taste and liking, and that things don’t start happening until later in the evening.
Santiago has been called a city that is never completely asleep, the university setting may have something to do with this, but normally on every night of the week you can find something happening. It is actually quite regular that people go out for drinks on Sundays and Mondays.
Walking through the streets in the center you will see a variety of bars, clubs and discos, each providing a different genre or setting.
Some nights in Plaza de la Quintana or Plaza del Obradoiro there will be live, street artists playing their favorite tunes.
The center is distinguished by two main areas for going out, old town and Ensanche (new town). The two are alike in the sense that each has a diverse array of places to go out and in terms of closing hours. The streets of old town have a pub or bar on basically every street. Follow the crowd and you will find some place to suits what you are looking for. Ensanche is more tightly knit; you will find the clubs, bars and restaurants more close together. Amid the streets of República de El Salvador, Carreira do Conde, Alfredo Brañas and Motero Ríos are typically the most frequented places. Also near the Plaza Roxa there is a good selection for nightlife
