A Coruña in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for A Coruña covers 12 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; A Coruña rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Tower of Hercules: The world's only working Roman lighthouse, built in the 2nd century AD and still in operation today, standing 55 metres high on the Galician Atlantic coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.
2. Glass Galleries (Galerías): A Coruña's most iconic architectural image, the white-framed glass balconies encasing the facades of buildings along the bay, creating a shimmering glass wall that faces the sea and has defined the city's silhouette for over a century.
3. Castle of San Antón: A 16th-century island fortress in the harbour of A Coruña, now home to the Provincial Archaeological Museum with Galician prehistoric and Celtic finds, accessible via a causeway and offering dramatic views of the bay.

Afternoon

1. Paseo Marítimo: One of the longest sea promenades in Europe, 13 kilometres of walkway along A Coruña's Atlantic coastline, from the city beaches north to the Tower of Hercules, with constant Atlantic views, wind-sculpted trees, and the distinctive Galician light.
2. Old Town (Ciudad Vieja): The medieval heart of A Coruña, a compact peninsula of narrow stone streets with Romanesque churches, atmospheric plazas, and the remains of the old city walls, where modern bars and restaurants mix with centuries-old stone buildings.
3. Domus Museum: The world's only museum dedicated entirely to the human being, an interactive science museum designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki (1995) on the Atlantic seafront, exploring the body, senses, consciousness, and what it means to be human.

Day 2

Morning

1. Galician Cuisine: One of the great seafood cuisines of Europe, built around the exceptional shellfish and fish of Galicia's Atlantic rias, with pulpo a la gallega (paprika octopus), percebes (goose barnacles), empanadas, and the crisp white Albariño wine.
2. Camino Inglés (English Way): The medieval pilgrimage route from A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela, used by British and Irish pilgrims who arrived by sea to avoid the overland journey through France, covering 75 kilometres of Galician countryside to the Cathedral.
3. Rías Altas & Costa da Morte: The wild, dramatic Atlantic coastline north and west of A Coruña, the Rías Altas (Upper Estuaries) and the Costa da Morte (Death Coast), named for its shipwrecks, with spectacular cliffs, fishing villages, Celtic hillforts, and the westernmost point of continental Europe.

Afternoon

1. Museum of Fine Arts: A Coruña's main art museum, built on the site of an 18th-century convent, it contains works by Francisco Goya, Rubens, and Murillo alongside important Galician artists, making it the finest art collection in northern Spain outside Bilbao.
2. Aquarium Finisterrae: A Coruña's excellent marine aquarium, located next to the Tower of Hercules, it focuses on the Atlantic marine life of the Galician coast, with a large shark tank, an underwater tunnel, and exhibits on the ecosystem of the Galician rias.
3. Plaza de María Pita: The grand central square of A Coruña, dominated by the Neo-Baroque City Hall (1927) with its distinctive towers, named after the local heroine María Pita who defended the city against Francis Drake's attack in 1589.

Full A Coruña guide and all stops →