Santiago de Compostela at the end of the Camino Inglés

Welcome to Santiago. You've walked the English Way, and whatever your reasons for being here, the city has a way of making the arrival feel significant.

Your first pilgrim business is likely in front of the Cathedral, at kilometer zero. A shell and plaque mark the spot in the centre of Plaza Obradoiro. Take a moment — or don't. Some pilgrims are emotional here, others just want a shower. Both are valid.

If you want your Compostela, head to the Pilgrim's Office. It moved in 2016 to a bright new building. From Plaza Obradoiro, face the Parador (the large hotel on your left when facing the Cathedral) and take the road that goes downhill to the left. Halfway down you'll pass the public restrooms, then turn right at the next street. The office is at the end. There are few arrows pointing the way, which feels like one last navigational test.

You're encouraged to stay at least one extra day. Santiago's old town is a web of narrow streets that all seem to bring you back to the Cathedral, and there's more here than you'll see in an afternoon.

The Cathedral — Plaza by Plaza

1. Plaza de Inmaculada (Azabache): The first part of the Cathedral you'll encounter coming into the city. The Puerta de la Azabachería faces the Monastery of San Martín Piñario across the square.

2. Plaza Obradoiro: From Azabache you pass under the Palace of the Bishop — adjoined to the Cathedral and not the sort of palace that affords much peaceful sleeping, given the bagpipes from dawn to dusk. The stairway leads to Plaza Obradoiro and kilometer zero. The scallop shell is embedded in the centre of the plaza. The Obradoiro facade is the most photographed face of the Cathedral — 18th-century baroque, all movement and glass. Behind it lies the Pórtico de la Gloria, the original entrance to the church designed by Maestro Mateo 600 years before the new facade was built.

3. Plaza Platerías: Continue around the Cathedral to the Puerta de las Platerías, named for the silver shops that still trade below it. Some of the stonework is replacement carving — the originals were damaged and moved to the Cathedral Museum, and unfortunately nobody remembered the original composition. The result is a somewhat nonsensical arrangement. The Platerías fountain in front is the usual meeting point for pilgrims — everyone calls it 'the horse fountain'.

4. Plaza de Quintana: The largest of the squares, home to the Puerta de Perdón. The actual Holy Door is behind this facade — which isn't really part of the Cathedral structure, more a highly decorated wall built around the door itself. The 24 saints and prophets carved here are worth studying.

Inside the Cathedral

In medieval times, pilgrims slept on the Cathedral floor and fought — sometimes to the death — for the privilege of sleeping near their preferred chapel. Things have calmed down since.

The best time to visit is early morning, before the crowds. The crypt and the bust of Santiago can be visited quietly then. The botafumeiro — possibly the largest thurible in the Catholic Church — is swung across the transept by a team called the tiraboleiros. It has come loose from the ropes only twice, and never in modern times. The schedule for swinging it changes — ask at the Pilgrim's Office for current information.

San Martín Piñario

The Monastery of San Martín Piñario is enormous — you'll find yourself walking beside it constantly on the north side of the Cathedral. Three cloisters. The church entrance is curious: you descend stairs to reach the doors, rather than climbing them. The reason is a decree by the Archbishop that no building should exceed the Cathedral in height. The architects didn't make San Martín shorter — they dug down and started lower.

San Fiz de Solovio

The oldest building site in Santiago, though you wouldn't guess it from the modest exterior. Find it by heading to the Mercado de Abastos. San Pelayo — the hermit who rediscovered the bones of Santiago — was praying here when the lights called him. Excavations have revealed foundations and a necropolis dating to the 6th century.

The Mercado de Abastos

The produce market is a good place to wander for lunch. Compared to the markets in Madrid or Barcelona, Santiago's is a fairly solemn affair — utilitarian architecture, as Galician as it gets. But the vendors are the experience. Many are second, third, or fifth generation market operators. The current buildings date from the early 1940s but replace structures that stood for 300 years.

Alameda Park

Once a place for Santiago's elite to parade their wealth along class-segregated paths. Now democratic. The park hosts a Ferris wheel and feria in summer, an ice skating rink in winter, and a massive eucalyptus tree with views of the Cathedral year round.

Casa de la Troya

The Troya House inspired one of the most celebrated novels in Spanish literature — a young man from Madrid forced by his father to finish his law studies in Santiago. A tale of misery and eventually love. The museum recreates the boarding house as it would have looked when the novel was written. The Tuna musicians who perform nightly in Plaza Obradoiro would have lived here.

The Hidden Pilgrim

In Plaza Quintana, hiding in the shadows cast by the Cathedral, there's a pilgrim carved into the stone. He's only visible at night. Finding him might take a while.

Santiago has many more monasteries beyond these. Walking between them reveals the bones of how the city was built. Take the time.