43.37° N · 8.40° W
What to do in A Coruña: climb the Tower of Hercules, the Aquarium and the Domus, surf at the Orzán, the seafront bike ride and Monte de San Pedro, with prices and opening times.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Roman lighthouse · 45 min · €3, reduced €1.50 · Free on Mondays · Timed entries every half hour, 32 people
Aquarium · 2 hrs · €10, reduced €4 · Seals fed at 12:00 and 17:00 · Next to the Tower of Hercules
Interactive museum · 1 hr 30 · €2, reduced €1 · MiniDomus up to age 6 · Building by Arata Isozaki
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Getaways from A Coruña
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From June to September, with more daylight, the Tower open until 21:00 and the beaches at their best. The rest of the year the city works just as well: the museums are indoors and the surf school gives lessons all year in winter wetsuits.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
You arrive by the AP-9 from Santiago, Pontevedra and Vigo, or by the A-6 from Madrid, via Lugo. Inside the city the car is almost always unnecessary: park at the hotel and do the centre and the promenade on foot or by bike. Where it does help is for going up Monte de San Pedro while the lift remains closed and for following the surf school when the lesson is held at Bastiagueiro, Sabón or Caión.
A Coruña is easy to get around without a car. The train arrives at the San Cristóbal station from Madrid and from Santiago, about half an hour away on the Atlantic Axis, and the city fits on a peninsula: the centre, the Old Town, the beaches and the Tower of Hercules are linked by the seafront promenade, on foot or by bike. Only surfing, when the Orzán has no waves, may take you to another beach by car.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
A Coruña is a comfortable city with children: the science museums are cheap and almost everything is indoors, the Tower of Hercules costs €1.50 for under-16s and the seafront promenade links the visits beside the sea. Split the day between a museum, the promenade and the beach.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Four-star boutique hotel on the seafront at Riazor beach, with sea-view or terrace rooms, a 24-hour gym and the Cícero restaurant.
Why we like it: Hotel with 70 rooms renovated in 2024 beside Plaza de Pontevedra, a few metres from the Orzán and Riazor, with its own 21-space car park and a restaurant.
Why we like it: Family-run three-star hotel with 85 rooms on Ronda de Outeiro, beside the train and bus stations, with a private spa, a gym and the Eira restaurant.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town and María Pita | Squares, Romanesque churches, San Carlos garden and tourist office | |
| Riazor and the Orzán | City beaches, surf school, Domus and seafront hotels | |
| Tower of Hercules | The Roman lighthouse and the Aquarium Finisterrae, at the end of the promenade | |
| Monte de San Pedro | Viewpoint park over the Atlantic and two restaurants | |
| San Cristóbal | Train and bus stations, south of the centre |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: Culuca's tripe as a tapa, the potato salad and some roast chicken croquettes to share; then a fish or a grilled meat
What to order: the 5 Mares tasting menu, or the pickled mussels and the hake to share
What to order: the eight-dish Raíces menu if it is your first time; mention allergies when booking and confirm the table by phone on the same day
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
Admission is free; collect your ticket at the CIAV.
They are fed at 12:00 and 17:00.
On the promenade and on Monte de San Pedro the Atlantic breeze blows.
It is temporarily closed.
A Coruña is a city on a peninsula, surrounded by sea on almost all sides, and it is best understood by following the seafront promenade: more than 13 kilometres linking the Old Town, the Riazor and Orzán beaches, the science museums and the Tower of Hercules, the Roman lighthouse that is still working at the northern tip. In a day you see the essentials; with two nights you add a surf lesson, sunset at Monte de San Pedro and wine afternoons in the centre.
By train you arrive at San Cristóbal station, south of the centre: there are AVE high-speed and long-distance services from Madrid, and Eje Atlántico trains from Santiago, about half an hour away, Pontevedra and Vigo. From the station you reach the centre by city bus, by taxi or in about half an hour on foot. By car, the AP-9 comes from Santiago and the Rías Baixas, and the A-6 from Madrid via Lugo. In the city a car is surplus to requirements: the promenade is done on foot or with BiciCoruña, the public bike scheme, with an occasional-use pass of €10 a month.
The Tower of Hercules, a World Heritage Site, can be climbed inside for €3, and on Mondays it is free. Next door, the Aquarium Finisterrae has a huge five-million-litre tank and seals fed at 12:00 and 17:00, for €10. Above the Orzán, the Domus explains the human body with more than 150 hands-on modules, for €2. With the Bono 3 Casas, at €12, you enter both museums and the Casa de las Ciencias.
In the centre, Plaza de María Pita, with the City Hall, leads into the Old Town: Romanesque churches such as Santa María do Campo, Plaza de Azcárraga and the San Carlos garden, with a view of the bay. You can see it on your own or with the two-hour private guided tour by Optimus Tours. For the end of the day, Monte de San Pedro, to the west, is the lookout over the Atlantic; its panoramic lift is temporarily closed, so you go up on foot or by car.
Yes, all year. Base Surf Camp has its premises facing the Orzán and gives hour-and-a-half lessons from €35, with board and wetsuit, from age 6. The school chooses the beach each day according to the sea: the Orzán when it is breaking well, or Bastiagueiro and other nearby beaches, less than 45 minutes by car.
The market in Plaza de Lugo, the Eusebio da Guarda market, is the city's fish and seafood market; its first building opened in 1910. For tapas, Turismo de A Coruña points to the wine streets of the centre, la Estrella, los Olmos, la Galera and la Barrera, with la Franja and el Torreiro, for vermouth, tripe, tortilla or croquettes; their best moment is weekend afternoons and Sunday mornings. For a sit-down meal, Culuca, on Avenida de Arteixo, makes its own tripe and croquettes; on Monte de San Pedro there are the Taberna 5 Mares, with a €40 tasting menu, and Árbore da Veira, with a Michelin star and menus from €65 to €95.
On the seafront, the Hotel Riazor, right on the beach. Next to Plaza de Pontevedra and a few metres from the Orzán, the Hotel Zenit Coruña, with its own parking. If you arrive by train, the Hotel Avenida is next to the stations, with family rooms and parking.
Questions
€3, and €1.50 for under-16s and over-65s. On Mondays it is free.
The Aquarium Finisterrae with its seals, the Domus and its MiniDomus, the Tower of Hercules and, from age 6, a surf lesson.
Yes: the Tower and the Aquarium in the morning, the seafront promenade at midday and the Old Town or Monte de San Pedro in the afternoon.
On the Eje Atlántico, in about half an hour on the fastest trains.
Not for now: Turismo de A Coruña lists it as temporarily closed.
Yes. Base Surf Camp gives lessons all year, except from 21 December to 3 January.
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