Cathedral De Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

5tinaNtravel 5:00 PM Aug 27, 2022

Jaw dropping amazing
Jaw dropping amazing. The altar is stunning and everything in the church is! Be sure to go under the altar to see the blessed remains of St James. Also go through the Holy Doors which are on the side of the church near the gift shop exit. They are green with many carvings. We were unable to hug the statue of St. James on the altar due to Covid restrictions we were told. Be sure to walk all around the Cathedral as there are many rooms and separate church areas all worth visiting and noteworthy on their own. This is truly an impressive Cathedral. If you want to see the Jesse tree and statue of St James from the movie “The Way” - buy tickets online in advance. It was sold out all days we were there and closed on the actual feast day. Also, bring a mask. This was the only place we visited where masks were required.

4Jbinnacle 5:00 PM Dec 2, 2022

Baroque & Romanesque mix
The entrance to the cathedral is free. You can buy tickets to see the museum, the Portico and the rooftops. Photography is permitted in the naves, but not the museums nor the Portico (I don't understand why, they even have a security guard whose jobs is preventing people from taking pictures). Avoid visiting the Portico during the Pilgrim's mass, as it'll be cut from the rest of the cathedral by moving screens. Entrance to both tours are from the left-hand door in the Praza do Obradoiro. The webpage allows you to buy tickets, but it is rather confusing, because you need to "time" your activies yourself, as there is no way to buy a combined ticket. If you want the whole experience, you need a Rooftop ticket and a Portico ticket, which you buy separatedly (both permit entrance to the museum), timing them 90 minutes apart. The rooftop tour is guided and not really worth it unless you really really want to see Santiago from above. My guide was disastrous, how can a tourist guide not know what Polychrome means?? The museum opens to the cloister and you can see the original Romaesque Stone Choir there. Keep in mind that even if the exterior is super-decorated as it is Baroque (as well as the Santiago urn and altar), the cathedral itself is Romaesque, so very sober columns. The cloister and the views from the Gallery to the Praza do Obradoiro are really cool. If you want to "do everything": cathedral, museums, roofs, Portico, you should plan at least half a day there.