Climbing the Rooftops of Ourense Cathedral

Ourense Cathedral lets you out onto its stone roofs two mornings a week. The visit is called Ourense desde el cielo (Ourense from the Sky), is led by a guide and lasts about an hour: you climb up through the inside of the church, walk along the rooftops and see the old town, the roofs of the houses and the Miño valley from above. It is the other side of the cathedral visit: that one looks inward, to the Pórtico do Paraíso and the altarpieces; this one looks outward.

When it goes up and how to book

There are only two slots, Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00 and 12:00. You can't just turn up: you book by phone on 608 505 531 or by email at [email protected], and the group needs at least five people to go. If there are fewer of you, it is worth calling a few days beforehand to ask whether there are other bookings you can join.

The prices published by the cathedral:

• General: €14.
• Young people aged 13 to 17: €10.
• Children up to age 12: €4, always with an adult.
• Schools and secondary schools: €5 per pupil.

The cathedral is in the centre of the old town, with the entrance on Patín Juan de Austria, beside Praza Maior. There is no parking of its own: if you come by car, leave it in a car park in the centre and walk up.

Who shouldn't go up

The cathedral itself excludes from this visit people with reduced mobility, heart problems, vertigo or claustrophobia, and pregnant women. It is a climb inside the building and a walk on the roofs in the open air, so think about it before booking with small children or someone older. Wear shoes with a good sole: the stone of the roofs is slippery when damp, and in Ourense damp is frequent from October to April. In heavy rain or wind, ask when booking what happens with the slot.

How to fit it into the day

As the slots are mid-morning, the practical thing is to book the 11:00 one, come down and then enter the church with general admission and its audio guide, or with the midday guided tour from Genuine Galicia. Afterwards, a vermouth in the Os Viños area is around the corner. If the day cooperates, the afternoon can be for hot water: the paid hot springs of A Chavasqueira are about 2 km away on foot, across the Miño.