Old Town


Take Rúa Castro up from the central Praza Irmáns García Naveira to the handsome Praza da Constitución, flanked by a couple of appealing cafes along with the Romanesque/Gothic Igrexa de Santiago, whose main portico was inspired by Santiago de Compostela's Pórtico de la Gloria. A short stroll northeast, two beautiful Gothic churches, Santa María do Azougue and San Francisco, stand almost side by side opposite the municipal market. San Francisco is full of particularly fine carved-stone tombs.

While Santa María contains many merchants' and artisans' tombs, San Francisco has many sepulchres of 14th- and 15th-century Galician nobility. Don't miss the sepulchre of Fernán Pérez de Andrade 'O Boo' (The Good), the local strongman who had all three of these churches built, at San Francisco's west end. It rests on a stone bear and boar (the latter being the Andrade family emblem). While San Francisco generally keeps to its announced opening hours, you may find that the other two churches (to which admission is free) are closed during their supposed timetable (10.30am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm to 7pm Friday, Saturday and Monday).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Igrexa de San Francisco

0.06 MILES

This 14th-century Gothic church contains many carved-stone sepulchres of Galician nobility. Don't miss the sepulchre of Fernán Pérez de Andrade 'O Boo' …

2. Praza dos Irmáns García Naveira

0.17 MILES

The sprawling main square is named after two Betanzos brothers whose statue stands in its centre. Juan and Jesús García Naveira made a fortune in…

3. Museo das Mariñas

0.21 MILES

Just around the corner from the main square, this museum peers into traditional Galician life with exhibits ranging from the mundane (old coffee mugs) to…

4. Torreón dos Andrade

8.94 MILES

The stout, 18m-high Andrade Tower was erected in the late 14th century, probably by Fernán Pérez de Andrade 'O Boo' (The Good), who fought on the winning…

5. Mosteiro de Monfero

9.71 MILES

Founded in 1134, this grand old monastery, standing in splendid isolation, was abandoned in the 19th century but has been partly restored. It has three…

6. Museo Arqueológico e Histórico

10.62 MILES

The 16th-century Castillo de San Antón, the fort set on its own little promontory guarding the entrance to the port, now houses the Museo Arqueológico e…

7. Museo Militar

10.84 MILES

The Military Museum showcases an assembly of arms, uniforms, banners and other military gear from the 18th to 20th centuries.

8. Xardín de San Carlos

10.86 MILES

The British General Sir John Moore (killed in the nearby Battle of Elviña in 1809, leading a British force against the French who had invaded Spain) lies…