Would you like to get to know Santiago apart from its monuments?
On this tour, you'll explore the city with a keen eye, discovering details that almost always go unnoticed.
We'll start at the Alameda, Santiago's grand historic park, where you'll learn how this leisure space came into being in the 19th century and how it has evolved with modernity. From there, we will venture into the historic centre, a medieval labyrinth of houses from different eras, with small clues revealing who their owners were.
As you stroll along the Rúa do Vilar, you will see interesting features such as the “ceiling peepholes” and learn to identify coats of arms, inscriptions, and symbols carved in stone that reveal the influence of the Cabildo, the University, and the monasteries on the city's life.
On the south façade of Platerías, a unique Romanesque gem, you will discover how history transformed its sculptural programme into a truly fascinating puzzle.
The tour continues to the Pazo de Fonseca, the birthplace of the University, where we will visit its cloister and, if available, some of its exhibitions.
We will conclude our tour in Plaza del Obradoiro, surrounded by four buildings that are essential for understanding Santiago: the Baroque Cathedral, the Neoclassical City Hall, the former Hostel of the Catholic Monarchs, and the Rectorate, with its magnificent Romanesque façade. From there, we can also see San Martín Pinario to gain an understanding of the 19th-century Spanish Confiscation and the transformation of monastic heritage.
This tour is perfect for those who want to discover the city through its history, its symbols, and its most authentic essence.