Santiago de Compostela, however you want it.

Welcome to Santiago de Compostela, the city that has been the centre for culture and scholarship for centuries. This beautiful city is most famous for being the end destination of the thousand-year-old pilgrimage, El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of Saint James. But you don't have to be a pilgrim to enjoy the wonders of Santiago. As the capital of the Galician region in north-western Spain, Santiago de Compostela has a modern and chic everyday life. Awarded recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage City in 1985, it is a historical gem and one of the most impressive cities in Spain. The historic centre of Santiago is widely accepted as one of the most beautiful old towns in Spain, if not the world. Wander through narrow streets among ancient stone buildings and be greeted by history at every turn. Santiago is considered to be one of the spiritual capitals of Christendom, on par almost with Jerusalem and the Vatican. The city has been shaped around the spot where the relics of the disciple James – Santiago – are said to be found in a field almost 1,000 years ago, sparking the religious pilgrimages in the Middle Ages.