# Sunday in Santiago: the cathedral roofs, the Portico and the Alameda at sunset You step into the basilica, climb up to the cathedral's granite roofs, have lunch opposite the Mercado de Abastos and finish at the Alameda with the cathedral lit up. One hour from A Coruña. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/santiago-de-compostela/itineraries/cathedral-roofs-and-alameda · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:30 · Salida: 1 h by car (via the AP-9; park on the edge of the historic centre) - 10:30 · Santiago Cathedral and the Portico of Glory (basilica free; enter via Praterías without a rucksack) - 1 min on foot - 12:00 · Cathedral roofs and Carraca tower (€15 · buy the timed pass on the Cathedral Museum website) - 6 min on foot - 13:30 · Café de Altamira (market cooking €€ · booking) · Café de Altamira, €€ - 6 min on foot - 15:30 · Cathedral Museum and Gelmírez palace (included with the roofs ticket) - 8 min on foot - 17:30 · Herradura walk in the Alameda (the frontal view of the cathedral) - 19:00 · Vuelta (In A Coruña around 20:00) Santiago is a good Sunday if you do it in this order: the cathedral from inside, then from above and, at the end of the day, from a distance. You arrive from A Coruña or Pontevedra in an hour, park once and do everything on foot. The one detail to bear in mind is that the Mercado de Abastos is closed on Sundays, so lunch is at the Café de Altamira, on the same street. ## The day, hour by hour 9:30 · Set off. From A Coruña or Pontevedra, an hour on the AP-9. Leave the car in a car park on the edge of the old town, which is pedestrianised. If you are coming from A Coruña, the train takes about 30 minutes and saves you parking. 10:30 · The basilica. Go in by the Platerías door, without a rucksack: the basilica is free and opens at 7:00. Visit the tomb of the Apostle and the embrace of the statue of Santiago, in the main chapel. The pilgrims' Mass at 12:00 fills the church; before that, it is peaceful. 12:00 · The roofs. An hour with a guide over the granite roofs and the Carraca tower, at about 72 metres: 140 steps and the whole of Santiago at your feet. It costs €15 and you enter through the reception of the Gelmírez palace, in the Obradoiro, fifteen minutes before the time on your ticket. Buy it beforehand on the Museo Catedral website. 13:30 · Lunch at Café de Altamira. On Rúa das Ameas, opposite the market, a few minutes' walk away. Galician market cooking with a Bib Gourmand. Open on Sundays at midday; book ahead. 15:30 · Cathedral museum. The roofs ticket includes the museum, the Gelmírez palace and the crypt of the Portico. Master Mateo's stone choir and the cloister fill a quiet hour after lunch. It closes at 20:00. 17:30 · The Alameda. Five minutes' walk from the Obradoiro. From the Paseo de la Herradura you see the cathedral head-on above the rooftops: it is the postcard of Santiago, and in the afternoon light, the best. 19:00 · Head home. In A Coruña or Pontevedra around 20:00. ## With children, in the rain or with more time With children, the roofs work very well from about six years old; the reduced rate, for under-12s, costs €12. The Alameda has playgrounds. In the rain, the plan barely changes: basilica, roofs, lunch and museum are all indoors or nearly so. If it is your first visit and you want it explained to you, swap the morning for the Optimus Tours guided visit to the cathedral and museum, from €25. In good weather and with a taste for walking, climb Monte Pedroso instead of going to the Alameda: 40 minutes from Ponte Asén. ## Cómo llegar ### By car AP-9 from A Coruña or Pontevedra, an hour. From Lugo and Ourense, an hour and a half. Park on the edge of the old town. ### Without a car Atlantic Axis train from A Coruña, about 30 minutes, and also from Pontevedra. From the station to the Obradoiro, about twenty minutes on foot. Check the Sunday timetable on Renfe. ## Consejos ### Buy the roofs with a time slot Weekend slots sell out; the ticket is also valid for the museum for seven days. ### No rucksack You cannot enter the basilica or the museum with a rucksack. ### Book lunch Sunday is the busiest day in the centre. ## Cuándo no ir A Sunday in July around the 25th: the city fills up and the roofs sell out days ahead. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from A Coruña? An hour by car and about 30 minutes by train. ### How much does the day cost? The roofs, €15, which includes the museum. Lunch, about €30–40. The basilica is free. ### Is the Mercado de Abastos open on Sundays? No. It is open from Monday to Saturday in the morning. ### Can you do it with children? Yes. The roofs are the part they like most; the reduced rate is for under-12s. ### Do you need to book? The roofs and lunch, yes.