What to see and photograph in A Coruña
A Coruña is a city in north west Spain located in the Galicia region. Here are the points of interest of A Coruña;
- Tower of Hercules UNESCO site
- Castle of San Anton
- A Coruña promenade
- Elevator at Mount San Pedro (and view of the city)
- Riazor Stadium
- Aquarium Finisterrae
I would recommend staying close to the promenade whilst staying in A Coruña. You’ll be able to walk to all of the points of interest. A Coruña doesn’t get as hot as other parts of Spain.
Tower of Hercules
The Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse and UNESCO site. It is the oldest roman lighthouse in the world that is still in use. It was built in the 2nd century and overlooks the Atlantic ocean. At 55 meters tall it’s the second tallest in Spain after the lighthouse in Chipiona, Andalucia. An Instagram worthy location close to the tower is a huge rose compass. The compass is made from slate and granite. It features the emblems of 7 Celtic nations.
Castle of San Anton
The castle of San Anton was built in the 16th century to defend the city from attacks. In fact shortly after being constructed the city became under attack from my countryman, Sir Francis Drake. With the use of the castle the city was successfully defended during this attack. The castle and fort now houses an archaeological museum.
Promenade
A Coruña is well laid out with beaches and a promenade surrounding Orzan bay. The promenade is perfect for a walk or run, the total length is 9 km. It’s possible to walk to the Tower of Hercules as it’s less than 2 km away. The promenade leads all the way to the tower. There are lots of restaurants facing the bay, foodies will love A Coruña.
Elevator at Mount San Pedro
To the west of Orzan bay is a glass circular shaped elevator. This takes you to the top of Mount Saint Pedro. From the top you’ll see wonderful views of the bay, city, mountains, lighthouse and ocean. As you are ascending in the panoramic elevator you also get those good views.
Riazor stadium
The Riazor stadium is conveniently located in the center of A Coruña opposite the promenade. Deportivo de La Coruña is the football team which play here. As they are not so popular and the stadium is rarely full you can easily get a good value ticket to watch a game. They play in La Liga so face famous teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Aquarium Finisterrae
If you are traveling to A Coruña with kids you may want to visit the aquarium. It is located on the promenade before you reach the Tower of Hercules. You’ll see sharks, seals and octopuses as well as an interactive science center. The north western tip of Spain is the perfect location for an aquarium.
How to get from A Coruña to Santander by bus
The bus from A Coruña to Santander takes around 8 hours. This is on a very convenient direct bus which you can book online. The route you take through Northern Spain passes many beautiful vistas. This is a similar route to that of the Camino de Santiago.
A Coruna! What a strange Spanish name! I studied Spanish in high school but haven’t traveled to the mother country yet. The location looks quite different to the stereotypical image of Espana.
I’ve heard of A Coruña because of their football team. I think they were playing in Europe a few seasons ago. I had no idea about the city and what to do there though. The promenade seems to be an important part of it. The Tower of Hercules being the oldest functioning Roman lighthouse in the world is an impressive fact – worth visiting just for this!
James, thanks to your blog, I’ve discovered many destinations I wouldn’t otherwise have known about. I think this is the best thing about exploring by land – you get to stumble upon places that other travelers would’ve skipped. I love that A Coruna has the same monuments and interesting sights as you would find in other bigger Spanish cities but without the crowd!
Lovely! Such a small city and so much to offer. I love to visit such places that has so much in basket for its visitors. Aquariums are my favourite go-to place. I love watching marine life. Coruna sounds worth visiting with such great architecture and great monuments. Thanks for sharing
Coruna sounds quite interesting. I would love to do the Tower of Hercules for sure. Not just for the instagram or photo part of it but for the fact that it is a UNESCO site. BTW, did you take these pics with a Gopro or a Wide angle lens?
Cheers
Great tips! I’ve never been to Coruña. Looks like a place I definitely want to visit sometime! Eight hours by bus fly by.
I’ve never heard about A Coruña, but it seems like an interesting place to go! Thank you so much for sharing tips for transportation. One of the most difficult part when traveling alone is to find transportation, so this post is totally great for me.
A Coruña seems like a pretty great place for a
weekend getaway. The Tower of Hercules looks very interesting, as I’m a UNESCO sites fan I would definitely visit this place. The walk from the Promenade to the Tower sounds amazing, I’m sure the views are beautiful enroute.
As Coruña doesn’t get as hot as other parts of Spain, I think I’d love to visit during the hot summer months. A lovely place.
I don’t mind learning about a bit of history so would be interested to see the oldest roman lighthouse. No been to this part of Spain yet but there’s still time!
Coruna looks like a great place for a visit. Great history with the Tower of Hercules Lighthouse my favorite. Bus information a plus. Thanks for sharing!
Great tip on where to stay, thanks, and the oldest roman lighthouse in the world? That’s cool! I would definitely head to the top of Mount Saint Pedro for the view, thanks for sharing this unknown-to-me destination, pinned!
My list grows every time I read one of your posts, LOL! The views, architecture and history are definitely worth the visit. The bus journey sounds pretty too. #pinned
Great photos, really makes you want to buy a ticket to get to Coruña
I love lighthouses so a visit to the oldest in Europe still in use would be a “must see” for me. I also love places that have long walkways like the promenade in Coruna.