La Coruna

La Coruna province has two of Galicia's jewels, the regional capital of Santiago de Compostela and la Coruna city itself. La Coruna city is second in size only to Vigo, the region's most populated city, however la Coruna has far more to attract the tourist.

Located on the coast, la Coruna has a large port and marina along with both an old and a new town. The old town has a number of interesting features including the remains of a Roman wall and a small formal garden that overlooks la Coruna bay. There is a port side fortress and the city's most famous architectural structure, a two thousand year old Roman light house called the Tower of Hercules. This lighthouse is open to tourists.

Elsewhere, la Coruna has plazas and courtyards, plenty of shopping and most notably its glass or crystal city. This name refers to a parade of buildings on the sea facing side of the city that are constructed with large amounts of glass on their facades. Originally the location of ould fishermen's houses, these building are now multi-storey structures with frontings made almost entirely of reflective glazed panels. They have become a symbol of modern la Coruna.

Getting around in la Coruna

La Coruna is a large city and, although easily navigated by referring to the ever present coastline, it takes some time and leg power to explore. Physical exertion can be reduced somewhat by hopping on and off a tram system that runs along the coast. This tram makes well timed stops at features like the lighthouse, the sea facing fortress and a new and futuristic museum and enables any tourist to get around the city with ease.

The la Coruna province, as a whole, is the most populated in Galicia and also has the city of Ferrol within its borders. It is the province that most tourists consider to be the best if you wish to drive along the coast, dropping in on the many towns and villages that line it. La Coruna is only a relatively short drive from the regional capital city of Santiago de Compostela.

The photographs on this page are of (top to bottom), the two thousand year old Roman lighthouse and one of the many glass fronted buldings found facing the ocean in la Coruna.

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