The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Sept. 30, 2026 - Oct. 2, 2026
Notice all the backpacks behind us. That is because this is the final destination for those walking the famed El Camino or "Road to Santiago" or "Way of St. James" by foot.
Keeping good company with Jerusalem and the Vatican City, the city of Santiago de Compostela is one of Christendom's three principal pilgrimage destinations. And I can now say, I have been to all three!
I highly recommend planning in advance and doing the roof top tour. Pretty much any time there is a roof top tour option, I do it and I'm rarely disappointed!
Go to the website visitas.catedraldesantiago.es and press "Buy tickets for Cathedral - roofs in (preferred language - English or Spanish)"
The tour lasts about an hour and includes a 140 step trip to the top of the tower, the stepped roofs of the Cathedral and admission to several other things such as the Cathedral Museum, the Gelmirez palace, the Crypt of the Portico of Glory (very cool!) and the Diocesan Museum. There are different options of tickets depending on if you want ala cart admission tickets or combo tickets but plan on ~20 euros/person.
Rooftop view with friends and family.
Check out those steeples! So cool to be right up there with them!
Then we made our way up to the top of the tower and had a great view of the bell tower right next to us.
A birds eye view of all the pilgrims arriving to their final destination in the plaza below.
Then we went into the very top of the inside of the cathedral which was also a pretty incredible view.
And we were able to visit the 12th-century Portico of Glory.
This can only be visited with a paid admission ticket. It used to be the main entry to the Cathedral, but it is now housed behind a Baroque facade which was added on later.
It was built/made between 1168-1211 by Maestro Mateo. Back in the day, it was here that pilgrims would arrive after their arduous, hundreds of miles long journey to request the help of St. James. That is Christ in the top middle. Just below his feet is St. James. Pilgrims would place their hands on the column below James and over time, they wore away the area and now you can see five distinct finger holes. You are not allowed to take pictures of this or place your fingers in this well-worn area any more, but it was very cool to see it in person and to picture and imagine the thousands of people over the last thousand years who have come here, placed their hands here and implored of St. James.
The cloister
The altar within the nave.
Going to visit the tomb of St. James.
Waiting our turn to go inside....
And hug St. James. If you look closely, that is my head peeking out on the left side of his face with my arms wrapped around him from behind. This is a pilgrim ritual that is customary to complete the pilgrimage after arriving here at the cathedral.
Paying my respects inside the Cathedral of St. James.
Once back outside, we found the engraved shell that marks the "finish line" of the El Camino
And we stayed here for a while soaking it in and watching the pilgrims arrive and experience the emotion of it all.
We then left the square and explored and experienced the many other sights and sounds of this unique city, including tryin octopus at dinner! 🐙
But we kept coming back to the beautiful Santiago Cathedral, which was especially stunning during the Golden hour.
Falling in love in Santiago
Here's what I recommend...... Do alllll the things. Take the tour, attend mass, listen to the nuns sing, watch the pilgrims arrive, be a pilgrim arriving, climb on the rooftop, go to the bell tower. Do it all. But end your day and your time in Santiago with churros and a good hearty laugh with friends and family.
Then look out your window as you go to bed (in Gaio 7) and say goodnight to this beautiful man-made, yet divine creation that is Santiago Cathedral.
VERDICT: Yes! This is a must-do. I often find that my admittedly subjective criteria centers around how unique I find the particular sight or experience. Well, this one is unique! There are plenty of beautiful cathedrals in the world. But everything from watching the pilgrims arrive, climbing the rooftop, viewing the portico and finger-holes, hugging St. James, etc. made this one that doesn't blend in with all the others. It stands out in your mind as a beautiful, memorable sight and experience. I'm grateful I got to come here during my life. And whether it's before or after your half-century mark (which is where I am as I write this), I hope you do too!
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