Cathedral De Santiago de Compostela

Cathedral De Santiago de Compostela

Cathedral De Santiago de Compostela
4.5
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  • swoodruf
    Muskegon, Michigan1,400 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mass in Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
    We were in Santiago de Compostela on a weekend, and we decided to go to mass as we were walking toward the cathedral. Once inside the beautiful cathedral, there was absolutely no place to sit, so we ended up standing up in the back of the church. It is so beautiful inside the church and knowing that so many faithful pilgrims have walked the way of St. James is quite humbling.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 24 March 2023
  • AlOz
    Narooma, Australia436 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place to visit
    The church service. In particular when they swung rhe incense burner at the end (can't think of correct name). We weren't expecting it and it is ama,ing. Get there early for an aisle seat in the side gallery for best view dont miss looking in the side chapels
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 May 2023
  • Mark L
    Evans, Georgia507 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The main attraction
    This is the main attraction of the city and what many pilgrims end at. the square in front is filled with the peregrinos. Very ornate and beautiful. Masses are in Spanish and are held many times a day. The giant incense urn that swings from the roof doesn’t usually happen except on holidays or if sufficient people now pay for it. Unfortunate
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 May 2023
  • Marlí Heyneke
    Newbridge, Ireland30 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Rooftop Tour is a must!
    We did the Tower and Rooftop Tour of the Cathedral. The last tour is at 19:00. Unfortunately is was not in English, but we still went to enjoy the views from the rooftops. You get access to one of the towers and the views did not disappoint! Well worth a visit!
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 June 2023
  • MelaDo Reiseabenteuer
    Muttenz, Switzerland309 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best views from the roof
    We opted for the tour on the roofs of the cathedral (through the musuem), which was a great experience and very informative. It takes about one hour, gives great views and insights about the different places around the cathedral and the building itself. Just be aware, there is no elevator, so only do it if you’re good to climb up the stairs. Also, tours fill up quickly in the summer, so book ahead.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 31 July 2023
  • hatmsmith
    Southport, United Kingdom87 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Small part of The Way of St James
    Couldn't find much info on this trip prior to making it, so hope this helps. We did this trip from a cruise ship (Cunard). The trip involved walking a small 5K section of the way of St. James. Then onto Compostela de Santiago. The walk was really scenic with some moderate hills and mostly in forested areas. The paths are really well maintained. There are lots of signs along the way. If you are looking to do this type of trip check your own fitness. There were cafes along the way too offer food, drink and ice creams. Toilets also available.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 21 August 2023
  • Sophie R
    12 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very nice, good views and amazing architecture
    Very nice Cathedral, lots of information inside about the history. We did the rooftop tour, and i must say i wasn't expecting to be walking on the actual roof tiles 😂 definitely wouldn't recommend wearing sliders as i was, ironically, sliding out of them and found it difficult to walk up the steeper areas (ended up just taking them off). Only downside was that the tour was only in Spanish, whilst i could pick up a few words here and there, i don't think i got the full experience 😂
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled on business
    Written 24 September 2023
  • Andrew H
    58 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    My favorite cathedral in Spain
    Words cannot describe the awe inspiring site of this Cathedral, filled with pilgrims completing their Caminos. We experienced all it had to offer including the splendid museum (with Goya tapestries), the rooftop tour, the Portico da Gloria, a Mass, and the visit to the sepulcher. The tour, Portico, and Museum are separate admissions but are worth it. This is a unique place in Galicia, and indeed in the world.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 September 2023
  • George F
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Santiago de Compostela
    Started in Porto and finished in Santiago de Compostela. A truly unique and unforgettable experience. History, culture, scenery, food and lots of memories. Thank you SantiagoWays and thank you Maria for organizing such an amazing trip for us. Let’s start planning next summer trip!!
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 3 October 2023
  • Yan C
    Hong Kong, China866 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning architecture
    Tourists to Europe some time are bored by visiting too many churches. This is however not just another cathedral. This is reported to be the burial place of St James, the destination of many early pilgrims, and no doubt one of the grandest architecture in Europe. The inside of the cathedral is not very big, but elegant and beautiful. The outside appearance is absolutely stunning. It is difficult to describe in words by awesome and imposing it is. You have to see it to appreciate it.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 26 October 2023
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles10,796 reviews
Excellent
7,841
Very good
2,166
Average
583
Poor
120
Terrible
86

27philip
Greenwich, UK46 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
Really attractive cathedral believed by Catholics to be the final resting place of St James. Don’t miss the Portico of Glory, well worth seeing, very impressive with much of the original medieval paintwork still there!
Written 9 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Whissely
Sao Paulo, SP408 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
An impressive Cathedral with a good museum tour that includes a visit to the top of the cathedral and a roof view. Pure history and if you're lucky they'll be playing the organ when you visit.
Written 21 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Beverley D
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
Guided tour of Old town and cathedral was excellent. Separately did rooftop tour, unfortunately only Spanish, and Portico Gloria, English guide via mobile phone. All well worth it. A most incredible place
Written 31 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Suzanne H
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom88 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Solo
Beautiful cathedral in the centre. Free to enter but worth buying the museum and Portico ticket. Watch the video on the Portico first. No photos allowed throughout
Written 21 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

frb0b
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Solo
I walked the Camino Sanabres to see the completed restoration of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. I had been there 3 times before while it was completely under construction and had never able to see it. If you go to Santiago, make sure you book one of the tours for the ROOF of the Cathedral. NOT KIDDING, one of the coolest things I've ever done.
Written 21 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

traveler
Washington DC, DC13 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Business
Today, Nov 22, I bought two tickets to enter the museum. At the end of
Tour tried we to enter the church and the two security guards treated us badly.

In a derogatory way they told us twice that “this was not our house to enter whenever we wanted” and they dismissed us with their hands in a rude manner, after having only asked if that was the entrance to store a backpack (they do not allow carry-on backpacks) they angrily threw us out and told us that we were not allowed in. It appeared that there was a Mass taking place but there was no notice to state that. Just two immediately aggressive guards angrily yelling for us to leave.
After driving 3 hours to see this church we left offended and disappointed that two disrespectful people believed they were the owners of a church. Temples are the house of God. They are places of prayer, not elitist places where guards insult tourists who pay tickets so that they can earn a salary. Here is the photo of the entrance and the man who insulted us. The signed were moved after the insult, when we tried to get in they were on the side.

……….,……..,.,,

Hoy 22 de noviembre compré dos entradas para entrar al museo. Al final de
Tour intentó que entremos a la iglesia y los dos guardias de seguridad nos trataron mal.

De manera despectiva nos dijeron dos veces que “esta no era nuestra casa para entrar cuando quisiéramos” y nos despidieron con las manos de manera grosera, después de habernos preguntado sólo si esa era la entrada para guardar una mochila (no permiten mochilas de mano) nos echaron enojados y nos dijeron que no nos permitían entrar. Parecía que se estaba celebrando una misa pero no había ningún aviso que lo indicara. Sólo dos guardias inmediatamente agresivos nos gritaban enojados que nos fuéramos.
Después de conducir 3 horas para ver esta iglesia, salimos ofendidos y decepcionados de que dos personas irrespetuosas creyeran que eran los dueños de una iglesia. Los templos son la casa de Dios. Son lugares de oración, no lugares elitistas donde los guardias insultan a los turistas que pagan boletos para ganarse un salario. Aquí está la foto de la entrada y del hombre que nos insultó. Los firmantes se movieron tras el insulto, cuando intentamos entrar estaban de lado.
Written 22 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Myo M
Coquitlam, Canada24,692 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Solo
On a day which started with an "overcast sky" and got gradually worse with a "climax of downpour" by the time I finished the visit, it was on the south side of the old-town area where I started the day with a good breakfast at a "quaint-looking" restaurant (right at the entrance to the "old town" with also a few colorful beds of flowers to kind of enhance the beauty of the many lovely buildings similar to my breakfast place as just mentioned) followed by the arrival on the "main square" Praza do Obradoiro (actually yes, a "brief initial arrival" at the Square and briefly inquiring at the "ticket office" right at the entrance to the Square before going back out for breakfast then coming straight back after breakfast). In any case, yes among the four "lengthy buildings" each fully occupying one of the four sides of the Square, it's this cathedral on the east side which is the most-impressive-of-all with its "quite-solid-built" facade (which is also the "main facade" with just a "straight length" whereas those on the other three sides with some varied-styled architecture I would say) and also as a "visible proof" of the strength of that massive facade was seeing these "great-sized pillars" just inside the Cathedral at about halfway along the length of the facade (actually the area entered with the "museum ticket" although physically a little part from the Museum itself); and yes not as much as by the great structure of the Cathedral, but "fairly awed" by was the spaciousness of the Square (also a nice "overall view" of it from the balcony right above a corner of the Cathedral and which is an area of the Museum to enter with the "museum ticket"), and also seen at the time was a group of "likely pilgrims" who I actually first heard (their quite-audible singing of sorts) before seeing them enter through the northeast gate of the Square.

And as for the Museum with a number of rooms on some "multiple floors" (with displays starting with archaeological artifacts on the lower floors to those of religion on the upper floors), the "most exciting" of all those seen for me were these "nice-sized & colorful" tapestries on the walls of the "top rooms" which are on about the same floor as the balcony with an all-inclusive view of the Square (as mentioned above), and where along the way up from the archaeology & religion floors to that with the tapestries is also an "upper courtyard" with nothing much around it except one display room with some "shiny items" (time for around that courtyard somehow just on my way back down from the balcony).

And as for the "church part" of the Cathedral (with its entrance not on the main side which is the west side with the entrance to the "museum part", but on likely the south side which I arrived after the Museum with also its front-center area with big pillars a bit apart from the Museum as mentioned above), the "centerpiece of attention" in the interior (also at pretty much right about the center of the floor where two big aisles intersect, and yes "so popular" that some amounts of time & patience are required to get right to the front of it!) is the "golden altar" with its central figure of St. James, and yes as remarkable to see the altar featuring the Saint on the floor was also seeing the "tomb of the Saint" a little underground in like a basement chamber (to pass by in a line-up but really a "clear view" of the tomb). And so yes, seen here was my third of the "3 tombs of saints" seen in three countries (with the first one being that of St. Thomas in Chennai, India and the second one being that of St. Peter in Vatican City which was actually just about a month prior to here).

And after this great site of a "museum & church combo" was also two brief stops firstly at the quite-sizeable San Martino Pinario Monastery (actually its "guesthouse part" where I walked along a pretty-long corridor to some interior parts, but finding it closed when getting to like the "sightseeing part" of the Monastery) and secondly at also some monastery-like building with an inner courtyard where I walked around but which is much smaller than San Martino Pinario (likely the one seen to the left just outside the Obradoiro Square from the balcony of this cathedral as mentioned above).
Written 22 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ksufan88
Wichita, KS5,459 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
This massive cathedral is the final destination for all the pilgrims hiking the Camino de Santiago. The facade is very impressive with the tall spires, but we enjoyed watching the pilgrims gather and celebrate the end of their journey in the large square directly in front of the church.
Written 2 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lisa Rose W
Taboada, Galicia, Spain118 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
I've been to Santiago cathedral many times but as we had family over I booked the carracas tower tour. Although I was able to book the tour in English, the commentary was only in Spanish. Most cathedrals nowadays have translation earphones available and I was surprised the info didn't state Spanish only. I translated for the family but the guide was brusque and rushed us through the rooms of treasures to view. If Spanish is not your first language I wouldn't pay for the tour despite the views from the top.
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yan C
Hong Kong, China866 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
Tourists to Europe some time are bored by visiting too many churches. This is however not just another cathedral. This is reported to be the burial place of St James, the destination of many early pilgrims, and no doubt one of the grandest architecture in Europe. The inside of the cathedral is not very big, but elegant and beautiful. The outside appearance is absolutely stunning. It is difficult to describe in words by awesome and imposing it is. You have to see it to appreciate it.
Written 27 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Cathedral De Santiago de Compostela

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