Santiago de Compostela

Clima
Santiago de Compostela is located near the geographical centre of Galicia, Spain 's northern- and westernmost region.
The city, which is 260 metres above sea level, looks eastwards towards inland Galicia , through which the Way of St. James. advances among fertile hillocks and traditional architecture based on stone. Westwards, the Atlantic coast is only 30 kilometres away. An imaginary straight line drawn from Santiago would meet the coast halfway between the so-called Rías Baixas and Rías Altas regions, which makes for a nearby landscape of peaceful and wild beaches, fishing ports and marinas, rich gastronomy and seafaring legends.
The humid oceanic climate guarantees mild temperatures throughout the year. The annual mean temperature is around 15 o C, with an average of 8 o C in winter and a pleasant summer with temperatures ranging from 20 to 27 o C. Most of the rain falls in winter, with variable amounts in spring and autumn.

Moneda
Euro

Idioma
Spanish, Galician

Aeropuertos / Alquiler de coches
 
Location: Lavacolla
Distance: 10 KM (15 min. by car)
Tel:(+34) 981 54 75 00 / (+34) 981 54 75 01
www.aena.es

Access to airport by road
The airport is reached via the N-634a road, which links Santiago de Compostela with the N-547 road to Lugo. The turn-off is thirteen kilometres to the east of the city. It is also accessed via the A-54 dual carriageway, which links Santiago’s ring road with the N-547 road.

Vehicle hire
Atesa
Tel:(+34) 981 599 877
605@atesa.es
Avis
Tel:(+34) 981 547 831 / (+34) 981 547 830
Europcar
Tel:(+34) 981 547 740
lorenzot@mail.europcar.com
Hertz
Tel:(+34) 981 598 893

Transporte público / Taxis


Carreteras / Infraestructuras
 
Access by road
Atlantic Motorway AP-9: links Santiago de Compostela with A Coruña, Ferrol, Pontevedra, Vigo, Tui and Portuguese border.

Northwest Dual Carriageway A-6: links Galicia with the rest of Spain via Lugo province (links up with Santiago via the AP-9 near A Coruña).

Rías Baixas Dual Carriageway A-52: links Galicia with the rest of Spain via Ourense province (links up with Santiago via the AP-9 in Vigo or by means of the N-525 road in Ourense).

AP-53 Motorway: currently links Santiago with Lalín, connecting with the N-525 road to Ourense and Madrid (when the road works are finished at the end of 2006, it will link Santiago directly with Ourense).

N-634 Road: links Galicia with France via the Cantabrian coast (links up with Santiago via the Northwest Dual Carriageway A-6).

Eventos
Although they have lost part of their original functions with the passing of time, Santiago de Compostela's fiestas and traditions are still of great cultural interest; this, along with the city's historical-artistic heritage, is a reflection of its unique personality and character.
Compostela's most outstanding fiesta, due to its splendour and international scope, is that of the Apostle Santiago (July 25), the patron saint of the city, and also of Galicia and Spain . But each fiesta has its own meaning and atmosphere…
Thus, although it is to be expected that, in Christendom's third holy city after Jerusalem and Rome, religion would feature prominently in the calendar of feasts (Christmas, Epiphany, Holy Week, parish feasts), the festivities are also related to the earth's productive cycle. This is reflected in the abundance of agricultural and gastronomic festivals (Magosto, “annual markets” of the Ascension and the Apostle) or those related to the sun (San Juan) .
However, their original religious and agricultural nature is now combined with a varied cultural programme: music or dance festivals, street theatre, children's and recreational activities, etc, which enrich and light up the city's traditional celebrations.

Gastronomía
Compostela's gastronomy has become another highlight of the visit of those who appreciate good food and generous portions. The city's food market, called Mercado de Abastos, supplies all kinds of fresh produce, recently brought from the sea or the vegetable garden, which are proudly exhibited in the unusual still lifes decorating the windows of bars, inns and restaurants.

At mealtime, the choices depend on the size of your appetite: large appetites can be satisfied with a three-dish menu, whose price normally includes bread and a drink; those wanting a snack can go for an informal meal made up of “raciones” (portions), i.e. platters of squid, octopus, omelette, peppers, salad, cheeseboards or selections of cold meats, which are normally shared among a group. In this case, each person usually eats off the platter using his or her own fork; when it comes to paying, the bill is divided among the group in equal parts.

“Raciones” should not be mistaken for “tapas”, which are the small snacks that are usually served along with drinks without being requested and are on the house –in Santiago , unlike other places, they are free.

Estilo de vida
Walking around the illuminated city, having a relaxed dinner, conversing over a few drinks, attending a cultural event… Or going out for some wine and ‘tapas’ to the most popular places, meeting up with Compostela’s residents, to discover their routes and routines when the sun goes down.
There are always places open and cultural possibilities for the night. Unlike other cities, here it is normal to go out for a drink even on a Sunday or Monday. The street is never completely deserted, because Compostela is never completely asleep.
The city’s non-stop atmosphere is due to the quantity of young people that study or work here, especially university students –they mark the times and rhythms of the entire city, which gets up lazily and goes to bed late, in harmony with the abundance of nightclubs and cultural events on offer.
At nighttime in Compostela, you do not need a car since you can easily walk around the city, and doing so is very pleasant and completely safe. And that is what people do here: walking from one place to another, visiting several each night. The city and its residents will carry you along.

Monumentos
Cathedral
Praza do Obradoiro
Santiago Cathedral, conceived as a small city of stone centred on holy relics and endowed with its own life, has evolved dynamically through the years, resulting in today’s heterogeneous building of different historical styles and artistic tendencies that have been successively superimposed.
The Romanesque Cathedral, designed according to the French model of pilgrimage churches, was erected (1075-1211) on the site of the first churches built in the place where the Apostle’s ashes appeared, the last of which was destroyed by Almanzor in the summer of 997. The boom of the pilgrimages and the riches of one of the Iberian Peninsula’s biggest feudal estates enabled the beginning of the Cathedral’s construction during the episcopacy of Diego Peláez. The building has a traditional Latin-cross ground plan with three naves. The ambulatory surrounds the High Altar in order to provide access to the relics, by means of a small transversal corridor, where the apostolic ashes are kept. The naves have cruciform pillars with annexed columns. Elegant semicircular arches are used to delimit the volumes. The gallery was built above the aisles, all along the length of the Cathedral, the transept arms and the ambulatory. The exterior part, or triforium, consists of arcades with sections formed by two smaller arches. The gallery is a characteristic construction of pilgrimage churches, due to the need for increasing the capacity in order to accommodate a large number of visitors. The central nave is 97 m long and 20 m high; it is covered by barrel vaults and the aisles by groined vaults.
The west entrance was completed in the year 1188 with the masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture: the "Pórtico de la Gloria." Conceived as a vestibule or narthex of the Cathedral, this complex work sculpted by Maestro Mateo in only 20 years consists of three arches. More than 200 granite figures make up a theological message centred on the idea of salvation. On the central arch, the apocalyptical vision of Heavenly Jerusalem: the resurrected Christ, surrounded by the four Evangelists, John, Luke, Mathew and Mark, who make room for the righteous and a procession of angels. Above them, in the archivolt, the 24 elders converse among themselves while tuning the instruments they will use to intone the song of Glory. The left side arch features Old Testament scenes, supported by columns bearing the prophets. Among them the figure of Daniel stands out due to his smile that became famous; such naturalness and expressiveness were unusual in the Romanesque period, thus heralding new artistic times. These were the first steps of the Gothic style in Compostela, also announced by the ribbed vault. The right arch, for its part, is devoted to the Final Judgment and supported by the figures of apostles: Peter, Paul, James and John. The Cathedral’s patron saint, the Apostle James, also appears in the central column of marble. This mullion, sculpted with a representation of the Tree of Jesse, or Christ’s genealogy, features half way up the profound handprints made by pilgrims. Behind the column, the kneeling Maestro Mateo has become known as the Saint of the "Croques," which refers to the popular tradition of touching the sculpture three times with one’s head in order to receive some of his talent.
Observations: VISITABLE. Open: every day, 7 am-9 pm. || WORSHIP. Chapel masses: every day, 7.30, 8, 8.30, 9 and 11 am. Mass “Capilla de la Corticela” (parish of pilgrims, foreigners and Basques in Compostela): every day, 11.15 am. Mass High Altar: Monday-Saturday, 7.30 pm, Sunday; 1, 6 and 7.30 pm. Solemn mass High Altar: Monday-Saturday, 9.30 am; Sunday, 10 am. Pilgrim mass High Altar: every day, 12 noon. Web: www.catedraldesantiago.es.