Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital city of Galicia, Spain, and one fo the most important places for Catholicism because it's supposedly the place where St. James is buried.
The climate of Santiago is typical of the Spanish Atlantic coast: wet winters with frequent rains which, in light or heavy bursts, lasts from September to June. The summers are slightly less rainy than the rest of the Cantabrian coast. Temperatures remain mild throughtout the whole year with a yearly average of 19ºC. They drop down to about 8ºC in January, the coldest month of the year.
The traditional way of getting to Santiago de Compostela is by walking about 780 km from St. Jean Pied-de-Port in France, on the Way of St. James. It is just as traditional to arrive on horseback, though considerably more difficult in terms of facilities. You may be able to stable your horse with a local farmer, but virtually no hostels provide this service. Cycling is also popular.
Santiago is a relatively small city (about 100.000 inhabitants) and you can get anywhere by walking. Although this, there are several bus lines that connect every part of the city. These services are offered by the company Tralusa. The ticket costs 0,90 € for adults (for people under 18 it costs 0,55 €). If you are going to take several times the bus, you may buy a bono of 10, 20 or 30 tickets with a price of 0,55 € for each one. You can buy these bonos to the bus drivers and you must pay a deposit of 3 € that will be payed back to you if you return the card in good condition. The most interesting line for visitors is the number 5, that stops at the bus station and goes to the city centre. Taxis are not very expensive and the taxi drivers are usually kind and willing to help tourists.
Praza do Obradoiro is the heart of the city, and it's named after the workshop of the stonemasons that was established during the construction of the Cathedral (Obradoiro is the Galician word for wordkshop). This is the arrival point of thousands of pilgrims every day and just in the center of this square it's located the kilometer 0 of the Way of St. JamesThe surrounding buildings are examples of different architectural styles. At the East, the barroque front of the Cathedral with the Museum at its right and the Gelmírez Palace at its left. At the West, the Rajoy Palace, that it's the current city hall. At the North, the Catholic Kings Hostal, a plateresque building destinated to host the pilgrims. At the south, the San Jerónimo College, an old students residence and now the head office of the University of Santiago de Compostela.
