A Coruña City Guide A Coruña City Guide

A Coruña City Guide

ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE TO VISIT A CORUÑA

A Coruña

The best travel guide to A Coruña: top things to do, hotel recommendations, best restaurants and tips by local experts

A Coruña is located in northern Spain, in the community of Galicia. This region of Spain enjoys immense natural beauty, and A coruña itself is a bustling historical city with tons of things to do and see. 

In our city guide of A Coruña, we will go over the city’s Roman architecture, as well as its more modern section, its many magnificent town squares, the beaches, the marina, the fishing port, and the commercial port. Here you will find everything you need to know to get the most out of your trip to A Coruña. 

A Coruña travel guide - Contents

Top 5 Reasons To Visit A Coruña

Hercules Tower in A Coruña

The Tower of Hercules is undoubtedly one of the great emblems of the city and its history is full of myths and legends.

There are several legends related to the construction of the Tower of Hercules. One of them tells that Hercules arrived by boat to the coasts that currently surround the Tower and that it was precisely there where he buried the head of the giant Gerión, after defeating him in battle. 

Another legend surrounding the tower is that it is the site of the Tower of Breogán a mythological tower that appears in Irish Mythology. In the story, Ith, son of Breogán, would have sighted the coasts of Ireland from this point. 

What is not a myth is that it is the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world and the only one from that time that is still in operation today.

tower of hercules a coruña

Maria Pita Square in A Coruña

It is the main square of the city and in which the town hall is located in a beautiful building. It takes the name of one of the most important heroines of the city, to whom a sculpture that presides over the square has been dedicated.

The story goes that thanks to the bravery of Maria Pita the city survived the 1589 siege of the English fleet that had the population cornered within its walls.

Rosa Dos Ventos in A Coruña

The Rosa Dos Ventos is located just below the Tower of Hercules and is a huge mosaic that, similar to a compass, represents the nautical directions. Different meanings are attributed to it on ancient Celtic legends, hence it is considered a very special spiritual place where positive energies converge.

It is a very peaceful place and a great site from which to enjoy one of the best sunsets in A Coruña with panoramic views of Riazor beach.

Market Plaza de Lugo in A Coruña

The Galician coast is rocky and jagged, bathed by the cold Atlantic Ocean, which makes it the ideal place for all kinds of seafood.

The market in Plaza de Lugo is the most impressive in the city and offers some of the freshest seafood you will ever taste. There are several markets where you can buy seafood in A Coruña, but this is undoubtedly the most charming and interesting. 

It is a large market with two floors, where the lower part is dedicated only to seafood and the upper floor to meats and vegetables. It is an impressive sight to see the quality and variety of seafood that is on display, but that’s just how it is in Galicia. 

 

A Coruña’s old quarter and the Castle of San Antón 

A Coruña has always been a city linked to the influence of the sea, so its old town has many buildings of fishing tradition and vestiges of colonial houses with spectacular ornamentation.

To visit the old town is to walk through years of history, and where you can see large windows that impress any visitor.

It is currently the area with the most life in the city, where the vast majority of the restaurants and nightlife areas of A Coruña are located.

Here you will also find the Castle of San Antón. This 16th-century castle was part of the fortress that was used to defend the city from the attacks of the invaders who besieged it for several centuries.

The castle of San Antón de A Coruña was also used as a prison, even as a quarantine area for sailors who arrived with some disease.

Located above the old fortress, you can now visit a museum where you can see archaeological remains from all eras found throughout the years in the city.

Best Time To Visit A Coruña

The best months for good weather in La Coruña are May, June, July, August, September, and October. On average, the warmest months are July, August, and September, so if you are thinking of hitting the beach, this might be the best choice. The coldest months are January and February. Tourism isn’t a huge inconvenience but the summer months are the most popular among visitors.

Weather In A Coruña

As in an important part of Northern Spain, the climate of A Coruña is known as an Atlantic climate and it is characterized by cold winters and warm summers with a good amount of precipitation during the year. The worst months in terms of weather are from December to February and in January particularly the weather is at its worst with average temperatures of 11 ° C and it rains about 108mm.

 

Video of A Coruña - The city in a nutshell

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