This type of break is getting particularly well-liked with those wishing to take a long weekend in a location having a café culture, good restaurants and a few buildings and museums to visit. If this may be the kind of holiday you’re considering, then Spain’s northern city of Santiago de Compostela may well fit the bill.

Santiago is the capital of the region known as Galicia and its the most visited city in the north of Spain. Over recent years its cosmopolitan nature has attracted an ever increasing number of foreigners and it’s now promoted as the cultural capitol from the northern Iberian Peninsula, and with good reason. What Santiago has to offer is history, monuments, a religious legend and an old town steeped in baroque and neo-classical architectural beauty. The city’s most famous building is its massive cathedral which, according to the Catholic Church, has within it a tomb containing the remains of the apostle Saint James. It all sounds a bit macabre, but the story behind these claims have led to Santiago becoming the finishing point of arguably the worlds biggest Christian pilgrimage called the Way of St. James.

Religion aside, the cathedral is a really spectacular building and it sits on the city’s big Obradoiro plaza facing the equally impressive Rajoy palace. The world’s oldest hotel, now a state run Parador, also occupies this square. Plazas or squares are an integral component of the old district of Santiago’s charm and there are four famous courtyards dotted around the cathedral that contain, or are overlooked by some of the city’s outstanding buildings. Several of these older building are now, in part a least, museums and the cathedral itself can adequately fill two or three hours of most tourist’s time if they choose to view the numerous exhibits.

A café culture is also one of the city’s appeals and although an international menu is available at most restaurants, all favour dishes based on the Galician speciality of fish and seafood. Prices can be high, but that depends on where you select to eat and numerous excellent restaurants are highly affordable, particularly should you venture slightly off the beaten track. As an example, we have enjoyed a 3 course lunch within the city center for as little as eight Euro per head.

Getting to Santiago is getting ever easier as well as cheaper with direct flights from most European countries to either Santiago air-port or neighbouring A Coruna airport. Hotels are plentiful and if you merely want a short break for a few days Santiago should fill your time amply.

Ryanair offer no direct flights from Ireland however direct flights are available from Stansted Airport to Santiago de Compostela which may be worth considering if it works out better financially.

The airport is located twelve kilometres from Santiago city. Many people holidaying in Spain do so for the sun and sand however others will often forego those delights in exchange for some culture. If you are looking for a city with some nice museums, bars and restaurants then Santiago may be the city for you.

Santiago is one of the most popular cities in Spain and is the capital of Galicia. Visitor numbers have increased rapidly over the years with much work going on at a local level to promote the area.

There are many items of historical significance in Santiago. The cathedral in the city is said to contain the tomb of Saint James. This has meant a huge religious following for the city. The Way of St. James is considered to be the biggest Christian pilgrimage in the world. The cathedral is located on Obradoiro plaza opposite the Rajoy palace. You can also find the oldest hotel in the world here.

Four courtyards are situated around the cathedral surrounded by old buildings many of which are now used as museums. Put aside at least three hours to take in everything in this area.

Seafood is a real specialty in Santiago. Dishes are prepared in the traditional Galician way. Its worth looking around a bit as prices can be quite high in the more touristy areas of the city.

There is plenty of exploration to  be done in the surrounding areas of Santiago. It is worth considering a car Santiago de Compostela when visiting this part of Spain.