Coruña, A · Galicia
Santiago de Compostela
The destination of half a million pilgrims a year on the Camino de Santiago, and one of Spain's most beautiful cities — the aura of past centuries lives on the strongest here.
What Santiago de Compostela is like
Portrait drawn from Lonely Planet & The Rough Guide.
An ancient pilgrimage centre, its medieval core a superb, largely pedestrianized ensemble of stone lanes and squares.
On the table. One of Spain's most engaging food markets and scores of characterful watering holes serving fine Galician food and wine.
Worth the trip
- Plaza do Obradoiro and the majestic Catedral, tradition holding the tomb of St James beneath the high altar
- One of Spain's top universities
- The Paseo da Ferradura promenade in the Alameda for an overall view of the old town
Fiestas
- Festival of St James, 25 July, with 'Holy Years' when the date falls on a Sunday (next in 2027) drawing even more intense activity
A little history
Weatherbeaten pilgrims at the end of a 1200-year-old tradition are seen any day of the year in Plaza do Obradoiro before the cathedral.
Who it suits: Camino pilgrims · Culture and food travellers
The numbers
The decision data — each figure against the Spanish average. Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 9.8°C 2°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 24.9°C 5.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 128 days 87% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 7 49 below the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €2,365/m² 7% more than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Net income per person
- €17,514 21% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 25.5%
Safety
- Recorded crime
- 51.3 per 1,000 17% more than the Spanish average (44 per 1,000)
Schools
- Schools in town
- 72
- Nearest international school
- 1 km
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 486 5 above the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min
- Nearest health centre
- no local data
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 73 days 32% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 13 min
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 95% 17% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 99% 15% above the Spanish average (83%)
Who lives here
- Population
- 100,842
- Born in Spain
- 85.6% 3.2% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 2.4% 1.4% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 2.49 per 1,000
Numbers: SettleSpain town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma, Ministerio del Interior and the Catastro. National average = the unweighted mean across all 8,132 Spanish municipalities with data. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Santiago de Compostela fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Santiago de Compostela against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 52 min from Coruña, A, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Santiago de Compostela for you →Nearby towns
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