Every month around 15 to 20 cruise ships, and even more than that, arrive in our city. For all of them are our recommendations for a stopover in A Coruña. Day visitors to our city set out very early in the morning to find out what to see and do in the «glass city» in those few hours. From here we are going to help them, especially those who want to see the main points of interest on foot and on their own.
If you prefer to book a guided tour of the city, at La Guiateca we can offer you an itinerary of 60-90 minutes through the main points of interest for 15 € / person, or if it is a group of 6 or more, for the cost of 10 € / person. You can book this tour by email at laguiateca.escapalandia@gmail.com or by mobile +34 667 469 357. Please contact us by whatsapp for more information.
Cruise ships dock in the port of A Coruña at the Transatlánticos quay, where the passenger terminal is located. From here to Avenida de la Marina it is a step, let’s say about 300 metres in a straight line, about 4 minutes walk. Our first sight of this Atlantic capital will probably be the sun illuminating the glass galleries of the porticoed houses in the Pescadería district.
Once a neighbourhood of fishermen and traders, with its main doors leading to the inner streets, while the beach was destined for work at sea, this spot is now a tourist icon and the gateway for the English, Dutch, French and Germans via cruise ships.
But the good news is that just a few metres away, less than a kilometre even, there are plenty of interesting things to see. But let’s go from right to left and tell you what to see and do during your stopover in A Coruña, using this map with arrows that we have painted for you.
If we have from 9 am to 5 pm to see the city, which can be the usual stopover for cruise ships visiting A Coruña, our recommendation is to go down with comfortable shoes and a jacket, here it is sometimes windy or cool in the morning, especially if we go through the beach area.
The truth is that our museums do not open until 10 am, so the ideal is to take the perimeter of the Dársena and go to the Plaza de María Pita, tourist spot par excellence of A Coruña. Here we can see the statue of our heroine in the battle against the English back in the 16th century.
In front, the municipal palace is an early 20th century building by the architect Pedro Mariño, who left us other modernist constructions. If you look to the right, in the arcades is the tourist office where you can get information or maps. There is another one in the cruise terminal which belongs to the Xunta de Galicia.
From here, the best thing to do is to go into the Old Town, as the people of A Coruña call the old quarter, pedestrian streets with a medieval layout and houses from different periods, with galleries and balconies. There are two Romanesque churches here, the church of Santiago and the Colegiata, if you like medieval art.
There is also a convent that has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, that of Las Bárbaras, the Church of the Patron Saint of the City, the Virgin of the Rosary, the ruins of San Francisco and the temple of the Third Order.
And in the easternmost part, in the Paseo del Parrote, the old city gates and what remains of the city walls. In this area we have the San Carlos Garden, which is well worth a look, and the Maestranza Gardens, also peaceful and perfect for a stroll.
As they open their doors, you can pay attention to the House Museum of Emilia Pardo Bazán (Calle Tabernas but CLOSED FOR WORKS UNTIL 2025), a very relevant writer of the so-called Spanish Naturalism who portrayed the city and the Galician people, as well as leaving us a huge legacy of literary works.
Or the Castle of San Antón, the essential museum to understand the local history since ancient times, which was also a prison and an archaeological museum. Or the Military History Museum, which is also full of curiosities, especially for lovers of history and war tourism.
At the end of the Middle Ages, this area, located almost on the beachfront, housed warehouses and homes for fishermen and merchants, as the primitive walled city had become too small to accommodate the entire population.
Over time, this area has become home to the houses of the bourgeoisie and wealthy families, conserving construction typologies such as the arcades, the galleries; former work spaces for fishing and other trades; the gurugús or belvederes that we see in many houses and even the imitation elements from overseas.
In the last centuries it has been the main commercial artery of the city, it continues to be an area for traditional social strolls, and an important centre for the hotel trade with several areas for tapas and wine, terraces and restaurants.
The Obelisk is traditionally the heart of the most modern city, in the middle of a façade overlooking the park and the port, which was renovated between the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries in imitation of other Spanish and European cities of the time.
Modernist, eclectic, classicist and some neoclassical buildings, such as the Casas de Paredes, or iconic buildings, such as the headquarters of Banco Pastor (today Banco Santander) are intermingled in a line of tall houses that gradually replaced other lower and more traditional ones, following aesthetic postulates that emerged with the universal exhibitions and other European trends.
Today, its ground floor houses commercial offices, foundations, shops, restaurants and different businesses in an environment that is still bustling and festive.
Opposite, it is worth visiting the Jardines de Méndez Núñez, a historic park created during the port remodelling of the 18th and 19th centuries. The rose garden, with its 4,000 species of roses, the floral clock, the monuments from different periods to important personalities of the city, the promenade of palm trees and other remarkable botanical species, and the modernist buildings of La Terraza and the Kiosco Alfonso.
The liveliest visitors to A Coruña will want to look out to sea on the other side of the isthmus on which our city sits. The narrowest point to cross is what was once called Boulevard de Juana de Vega, which was also a landmark of modernity.
From the Plaza de Mina we have two options, if we continue towards the Plaza de Lugo we will be immersed in the block of the main fashion and accessories firms, especially with the stamp of Inditex (Zara). All this with the market as an incentive if you want to go shopping for fish, seafood or country produce, but also with the most beautiful modernist houses in the city as a backdrop.
The other option for this walk in your stopover in A Coruña is to go to the Pontevedra Square to start the Picasso route in front of what used to be his school, look out over the sea that he painted as a teenager, see the bay and the urban beaches as well as the Tower of Hercules in the distance, and drop by his House Museum, located on Paio Gómez street.
If you like cultural tourism, in Zalaeta street you have the Museum of Fine Arts, and 1.5 km from the quay, the Domus or House of Man, a scientific museum in a building by Isozaki. Almost opposite, the Aquarium Finisterrae is also highly recommended, especially for families.
If you are a good walker and want to take a look at our World Heritage Lighthouse, you can walk through the streets taking the Plaza del Humor and the San Agustín Market, an architectural icon from the 1930s. Continue towards the Plaza de España and the bustling and commercial Calle de la Torre, until you reach the Paseo Marítimo in the area surrounding the Tower of Hercules.
This monument can be visited and at the foot there is an information stand, you can climb up to the lighthouse lantern, and also take a stroll through the surrounding Sculpture Park. On the way back, you can return along the Paseo Marítimo around the city on a leisurely route. However, you will walk 5-6 kilometres in total, so it is advisable to get off the boat at your stopover in A Coruña prepared.
If your interest is more gastronomic, to eat more like a local than a tourist, you can stroll around the central streets such as La Estrella, Galera, Franja, Los Olmos, or Plaza de España. And if you are looking for a more fashionable touch, areas such as the area around the Plaza Cormelana are also popular.
Among the most famous restaurants or chefs in A Coruña are the Árbore da Veira, in Monte San Pedro about 4-5 km from the port; the Mundiña (Calle Real 77), the Nado (Callejón de la Estacada, Avda. Marina), the De Alberto (Comandante Fontanes, 1), La Penela (María Pita, 12), etc.
You have a lot of tourist information about A Coruña in the official website of the city
Las antiguas murallas de A Coruña con niños
Qué ver en los Jardines de Méndez Núñez
Visita al Museo de Bellas Artes de A Coruña
A Coruña con niños: la Torre de Hércules
