7 Best Sights in Galicia and Asturias, Spain

Muséu del Pueblu d'Asturies

Fodor's choice

Across the river, on the eastern edge of town, this rustic museum contains traditional Asturian houses, cider presses, a mill, and an exquisitely painted granary. Also here is the Museo de la Gaita (Bagpipe Museum) celebrating the area's centuries-old bagpiping tradition. There are bagpipes from other parts of the world on display as well.

Castillo de San Antón (Museo Arqueológico e Histórico)

At the northeastern tip of the old town is St. Anthony's Castle, a 16th-century fort that houses A Coruña's Museum of Archaeology. The collection includes remnants of the prehistoric Celtic culture that once thrived in these parts, including silver artifacts as well as ruins from castros, the Celts' stone forts. 

Paseo Alcalde Francisco Vázquez 2, A Coruña, Galicia, 15001, Spain
981-189850
Sights Details
Rate Includes: €2, Closed Mon.

Museo Arqueológico de Asturias

Housed in the splendid Monastery of San Vicente (behind the cathedral), this museum contains fragments of pre-Romanesque buildings. Descriptions are in Spanish only.

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Museo de Pontevedra

Housed in two 18th-century mansions connected by a stone bridge, this museum includes exquisite Celtic jewelry, silver from all over the world, and several large model ships. The original kitchen, with a stone fireplace, is intact; below, descend steep wooden stairs to the reconstructed captain's chamber on the battleship Numancia, which limped back to Spain after the Dos de Mayo battle with Peru in 1866. Complete the loop by going upstairs in the first building, where there are Spanish, Italian, and Flemish paintings.

Museo do Pobo Galego

Next to the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea stands the medieval convent of San Domingos de Bonaval. The museum within holds photos, farm implements, traditional costumes, and other items illustrating aspects of traditional Galician life. The star attraction is the 13th-century self-supporting spiral granite staircase that still connects three floors.

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San Domingos de Bonaval, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15703, Spain
981-583620
Sights Details
Rate Includes: €4 (free Sun.), Closed Mon.

Museum of Pilgrimage and Santiago

North of Acibechería (follow Ruela de Xerusalén) is the Museo das Peregrinacións containing Camino de Santiago iconography: sculptures, carvings, azabache (compact black coal, or jet) items, and more. For an overview of the history of St. James, the cathedral, and the pilgrimage, as well as the Camino's role in the development of the city itself, this is a key visit.

Praza das Praterías 2, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, 15704, Spain
981-566110
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Free admission since the pandemic and at the time of writing., Closed Mon. and some holidays

Provincial Museum of Lugo

This museum has a large collection of clocks and sundials you may want to take the "time" to see.