Things to see in Santiago de Compostela

Housed in the lovely 16th-century cathedral cloisters, as well as the atmospheric crypt below the main entrance, the Cathedral Museum holds relics of the long history of Santiago de Compostela, as well as the Archive and Library. There’s a reconstruction of the superb Romanesque stone choir that was replaced in the 17th century, including some fine religious sculpture. The cathedral treasures stored here include abotafumeiro (giant incense box), while the tapestry galleries have splendid French and Spanish hangings.

The paved Praza do Obradoiro faces the main cathedral facade and comprises a whole ensemble of architectural gems. Probably the best surviving example of Romanesque civic architecture in Spain, the Pazo de Xelmírez (next to the cathedral cloisters) has a perfect vaulted medieval interior behind its 18th-century facade.

On the north side of the square, the Hostal dos Reis Católicos, with its four courtyards, was built by Ferdinand and Isabella as a pilgrim hospice, and is now one of Spain's loveliest parador hotels. The Colexio de San Xerome is a smaller medieval building with a finely decorated 15th-century portal. The Colexio de Fonseca, immediately behind it, is a Renaissance college decorated inside and out.

On the other side of the cathedral, the Praza da Quintana square has a flight of steps that divide it into the ‘Quintana of the Living’ and ‘Quintana of the Dead’ – there was once a cemetery here. Adjacent to this square, the Praza das Praterías (Silversmith's Square) has at its centre the ornate Fuente de los Caballos, a fountain of four horses with webbed feet. The arcades around the square are still lined with many shops selling silver articles.

One of the more active spots in the city, the Food Market is one of the best places to feel the pulse of Santiago de Compostela (and indeed Galicia) during the morning. The market has been operating here in one form or another for over three centuries. Best of all, a number of the restaurants around the market will cook up any fresh ingredients you have bought for a nominal fee.

The Praza da Inmaculada is graced on one side by the cathedral and on the other by the grand baroque facade of the Benedictine monastery of San Martiño Pinario. The monastery building, once the second biggest in Spain, is now mainly used as offices linked to the church. The church itself was completed in 1652 and is dominated by a vast, ornate Churrigueresque altarpiece that depicts its patron, St. Martin, riding alongside St. James.