TOURIST INFORMATION

Important Notice:
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LA CORUNA
La Coruna is a beautiful city lying at the extreme northwest corner of Spain. It is an Atlantic city with a moderate climate that forms part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is right by the sea, boasting a beach within 5 minutes walking distance of the conference hotel and has a very lively social atmosphere.

It is an ancient city, in its area there are many Iron Age settlements and it has a lighthouse -the "Torre de Hércules"- that has been guiding seamen since the times of ancient Romans. The streets, churches and small squares of the old city are fine examples of the work carried out during the Middle Ages although they were the subject of subsequent additions.

In the sixteenth century, sea trade flourished and the development of the city was consolidated. In the eighteenth century the city embarked on a period of splendor with the construction of several large houses and churches. Since the end of the nineteenth century, La Coruna has become an important trading, administrative and industrial centre. The modernist city has many examples of the architectural past related to the progressive wave at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.

La Coruna is surrounded by a long promenade by the sea that has been constructed during the last 20 years. The promenade has become a new place for meeting and enjoying life. It is a cultural pathway in a natural setting - some of the new tourist attractions from the last decade have been built along its walkway - sculptures, the Tower of Hercules Park, the Museum of Mankind (Domus) the Finisterrae Aquarium, etc, along with those that already existed, such as the two thousand year old Tower of Hercules or the beaches of Riazor and Orzan.
See more at https://www.aytolacoruna.es/en/4turismo/indextur.htm

Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is 62 Km away from La Coruna. It is the capital of Galicia, but also a small town crammed with historic buildings including Galicia's grand cathedral. The old town is closed to traffic and entirely negotiable on foot. Santiago is a World Heritage site and has been one of the most important Christian pilgrimage destinations for more than 1,000 years. A great revival of this pilgrimage path has taken place in the last decade, but now it includes some modern tourist facets.

Santiago has a reputable history as a traveler destination. Since the miraculous discovery of the tomb of the Apostle Saint James by Bishop Theodomir in the year 813, the city has attracted crowds of pilgrims. 'So great is the multitude that comes and goes that there is barely enough space on the pavement,' wrote the 12th-century commentator Ali Ben Yusuf. Tourist-pilgrims, or pilgrim-tourists, are more than ever a feature of the city's human landscape, along with students (Santiago is a major university town).

At the town’s heart, the Cathedral of Saint James is the aim for pilgrims and a mayor point of interest for tourists. The western façade, dominating the Praza do Obradoiro, is the most astonishing piece of building in the city. Its ensemble of soaring towers, arches and windows, festooned with architectural frills, changes colour and personality depending on the light that falls on it, now amiably golden, now coldly grey.

City life revolves around the Praza do Obradoiro, a monumental square whose grandeur puts it up there among the great historic plazas and piazzas of the world. The Obradoiro's four sides are said to represent not only the four great architectural styles (Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and neoclassical) but also the four main constituents of civic life: politics (the Town Hall), religion (the Cathedral), culture (the Rectorate of Santiago University) and economy (the Hotel dos Reis Católicos). Within a few hundred yards from the Praza do Obradoiro are enough churches and museums to satisfy even the hungriest culture vulture.

WESTERN ROUTE - DEATH COAST     
The Death Coast extends from La Coruna to Finisterre Cape. It takes its name after the many boat wreks and accidents accounted there along the centuries. Following the coast it is a spectacular route through old fishing villages, some of whose history is material for mysterious tales and enigmatic legends. Behind the sands of Baldaio is one of the oldest watering areas in Galicia, shelter to birds migrating from the north of Europe. Finisterre, or ‘Fisterra’ as it is called in Galician, means in Latin the end of the world and takes its name after being considered to be the westernmost point of the known world from the time of its discovery by the Romans under Décimo Junio Bruto.

OTHER EXCURSIONS
Except for the Death Coast, the coastline of Galicia is characterized by having a great succession of capes and low estuaries or inlets called Rias. The Rias Altas are placed at the East of La Coruna while the Rias Baixas are at the South of Finisterre. They present many beaches broken by steep cliffs and wonderful landscapes. Also not far from La Coruna is an interesting fraction of the many monasteries, abbeys and Romanesque churches dispersed all along the wonderful rural landscape of Galicia.   

GASTRONOMY

Its excellent gastronomy is one of the reasons that are turning Galicia into an ever more visited region. In the universe of Spanish regional cuisines, Galician cuisine has a reputation for simplicity and excellence, emphasizing the quality of its raw materials over culinary technique. Galician specialities include Pulpo a Feira (octopus salad dressed with olive oil and paprika), Lacon con Grelos (boiled ham with turnip tops) and all kinds of fresh seafood washed down with fine local white wines such as Ribeiro and Albariño. Gastronomy, landscape and monuments all together make Galicia a real pleasure for senses.