Hi Maria, hope you don't mind sharing more of your trip to Santiageo de Compostela with me.I have been to Spain in 2000 and visited places like Madrid, Serville,Segovia and Barcelona.Planning to go back to Spain and you are the right person to ask as I am interested in the above you mention.I would like to include Portugal this time and intending to go from Coimbra north of Portugal to Santiago.Do you know of any best route to reach Santiago?Please give me as much info as you can and any other advise and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.Thank you and greeting from Singapore.

Hi Florence,<BR><BR>I'm sorry I won't be able to help you with the driving route from Portugal to Santiago since we flew from Madrid and then flew back to Madrid. But I've read in this board messages of people that have driven to Santiago so maybe some will jump in. <BR>We stayed at the Parador Reyes Catolicos and were very pleased. The location is right on the Plaza de Obradoiro where the Cathedral is. The cathedral is awesome and at night with the lights illuminating it is breathtaking. For me , it was difficult to tear myself from looking at it and go to sleep! IMO, a very special place! If you have any other q's , let me know.

Hi, here I am jumping in as Maria said, we drove from Coimbra to<BR>Porto, from Porto we visited Guimares and Braga, then going into Portugal stayed at Viana de Castelo the day they have the extraordinary big market day, this market is something I have never seen before, it has been held for centuries.!!<BR>We drove into Spain and stayed in the otustanding Parador de Baiona, asking a room facing the ocean, then<BR>we continued Nort towards Santiago.<BR><BR>There are many options to stop before arriving to Santiago in small towns located on the old roads to Santiago .<BR> In Santiago, the Parador was full, which happens to be most of the time, Maria was lucky.<BR> I agree it is a fascinating Parador, we had lunch there.<BR>In Santiago we stayed in a new three stars Hotel which is very nice, could even be a four star. Called Hotel San Carlos. Phone number is 981 56 05 05, they offer week -end specials, it is well located and there is a parking garage a few meters away where you can park and forget about your car. The center of Santiago is of course a medieval town.<BR> In Santiago there many places to visit, none so fascinating as the Cathedral. Buena suerte.<BR><BR>Note, there are several internet sites about the different Roads to Sangiago so you can choose one or another road and also choose the places to stop before or after Santiago. <BR>

Hello.<BR>I´ve been several times to Santiago and traveled by train, I think the best way to go there is by plane or by car. the Hostal Reyes Catolicos is one of the best hotels in spain but also there are a lot of hostels, I can recomend you &quot;Hostal 25 de julio&quot; or Hotel Compostela I think the first one is better because it´s a small hotel with 8 rooms but very good atention from de owner...I´m gonna look for the telephone number and I will give it to you! <BR>Good luck!<BR>Maria

Florence,<BR>I'll jump in just to second all that Graziella has told you.<BR>On our Galicia explorations last year we drove from the Spanish/Portuguese border to Santiago while staying in a seaview room at the fabulous Parador in Baiona tucked within the medieval ramparts-spectacular! It took us exactly 1 hr. 15 min. on the super fast A9/E1. We also travelled the A3/EI from the border down to Viana do Castelo. As Graziella says, don't miss this charming, highly atmospheric town with its great Friday outdoor market at Campo da Agonia. I would park in Viana at the public lot right at the ferry port. and spend the afternoon in this wonderful, atmospheric town with its fine granite architecture. Also there's great shopping for beautiful handmade lace items and ceramics on the Rua Dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra, leading from the port, and in the cute Praca da Republica, <BR>Have a sumptuous, leisurely lunch (one of our best meals in this entire area) in the elegant dining room of the Pousada do Monte de Santa Luzia high atop the city (fabulous breads, olives, cheeses, caldo verde soup, roast chicken, dessert bar), then walk down to the pretty and immaculate church, Templo de Santa Luzia, so lovingly maintained and a major pilgrimage site at end of June. Not to be missed! <BR>Then the A3/E1 connects to the A1/E80 to Porto then Coimbra. Very easy. <BR>And I'd highly recommend an overnight in very interesting Porto. <BR><BR>About lodging in Santiago:<BR>We had stayed in the Parador on a previous trip, so we researched other options, as the Parador is quite hectic, extremely busy during the summer. For a 3 star hotel option, I can recommend the Virxe da Cerca, near the fascinating covered market, Mercado do Abastos, a member of Pousadas de Compostela and Estancias de Espa&ntilde;a, <BR>www.estancias.com or <BR>www.galinor.es/pousadasdecompostela/virxedacerca/<BR>Also the small, charming B&amp;B run by an energetic couple , &quot;As Artes&quot; within steps of the Cathedral and Praza do Obradoiro, where Fodor friends have very happily stayed (Ihope they see this and tell you all about it!) <BR>www.asartes.com<BR>If the Parador doesn't fit your budget, these are very nice alternatives.

Me again just to copy some ideas from my Galicia file:<BR><BR>There are so many wonderful excursions you can take from the border or Baiona or Santiago: <BR><BR>From the frontier Valencia do Minho, across the river from Tui, with their once dueling fortress Paradors facing one another:<BR>Drive along the lushly green Minho River valley on the N101 to Moncao, where you can take an amusing little car ferry across the river into Spain. You'll feel as if you've gone back 30 yrs. in time!<BR><BR>from Baiona: <BR>in summer, a ferry to the Islas C&iacute;es National Park with its pristine beaches, Rias Baixas wine tasting in O Rosal, near A Garda, the lobster capital of Galicia, the nearby Celtic castro settlement at Monte Santa Tecla, north to the charming Old Quarter of Pontevedra, the Rias Baixas villages of Combarro (with its outstanding collection of granite granaries or h&oacute;rreos that look like tiny chapels), the tiny green pepper town of Padr&oacute;n, the spa island of A Toxa, the huge beach of La Lanzada, the lovely Albari&ntilde;o wine town of Cambados (fine seigniorial homes-fabulous seafood at Bar Pinto in the Santo Tom&aacute;s fishing quarter) or west to the Ribeiro wine town of Ribadavia with its still intact ancient Jewish quarter.<BR><BR>From Santiago: <BR>a slow drive along the Rias Altas, through Noia, Muros, Corcubi&oacute;n, Fisterra (the end of the earth), even as far as the lace making town of Camari&ntilde;as and the breathtaking views at Cabo Vil&aacute;n (very slow-going, would take a full day but wonderfully off the beaten path).<BR>Another nice day excursion from Santiago could be the city of A Coru&ntilde;a. So many wonderful possibilites... <BR><BR>In Santiago don't miss the noon pilgrims' mass at the Cathedral when the 8 crimson- robed priests (&quot;tiraboleiros&quot put the enormous &quot;botafumeiro&quot; (incense burneri) into flight and read the list (starting point and country) of the day's arriving official pilgrims who have travelled the Camino de Santiago.<BR>It's very moving. Plus a visit to the Cathedral museum, where you can see the original silver botafumeiros in a corner of the library, stroll the atmospheric, porticoed cobblestone streets of R&uacute;a Villar and R&uacute;a do Franco (stopping at #42 for an authentic, delicious Galician seafood lunch with the locals at Bar O 42), the covered market at the Praca do Abastos around the University, the pilgrims' museum, etc.<BR>Santiago is one of my 5 fav. cities. You'll fall in love with it.