Cathedral roofs and Carraca tower

You climb 140 steps up the inner stairs of a tower, walk with a guide across the granite roofs that step over the naves and finish at the Carraca tower, at about 72 metres, with the whole of Santiago at your feet. It lasts about 60 minutes and is in Spanish; there are English sessions.

What you see

The roofs are the cathedral's stepped granite rooftops, about 30 metres above Praza do Obradoiro, according to the Turismo de Santiago leaflet. From above you understand the building's plan and see up close what from the square can only be guessed at: the Baroque towers of the Obradoiro, the dome over the crossing, which reaches 32 metres inside, and the Clock or Berenguela tower, which Domingo de Andrade raised in 1680 to 73 metres. The Carraca tower, where the climb ends, was built by the same Andrade as a twin of the Bell tower, and takes its name from the wooden rattle it holds, the instrument that called people to Mass in Holy Week. All around, the rooftops of the old town.

Tickets and hours

Admission costs €15; €12 for under-12s, over-65s, students, unemployed people, people with disabilities, accredited pilgrims and large families with their family book. The reduced rate is verified at the entrance. The English session has a single rate of €15. It also includes free access to the museum's permanent collection, the Gelmírez palace with its exhibitions, the Portico crypt, the MuSar of the Sar collegiate church and the Diocesan Museum, on the same day and the following seven.

The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00 and the ticket offices close half an hour earlier. It closes on 1 and 6 January, 25 July and 25 December, and on 24 and 31 December from 14:00; there may be further closures for religious services. Tickets are not refunded or exchanged.

What the climb is like

You enter through the reception of the Gelmírez palace, on the Obradoiro, at the time on your ticket and with 15 minutes to spare. You cannot go up in a wheelchair, or with bags, backpacks, umbrellas or pilgrim staffs, and animals are not admitted except guide dogs. The website sets no minimum age, but there are narrow stairs and you walk on stepped roofs: it is not for anyone with vertigo.

To combine

If you also want the Portico of Glory, the full Cathedral Museum visit (€23, reduced €19) combines roofs and Portico in a single ticket. The basilica, which is free, can be seen before or after: see the Cathedral and Portico of Glory. For the best photo of the cathedral from outside, the Herradura walk in the Alameda is five minutes away.