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The towers of Santiago de Compostela cathedral lit by late sun above the old town, seen from the Alameda park under a cloudy sky.

Where to stay in Santiago de Compostela

Photo: Fernando Pascullo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Santiago de Compostela

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About Santiago de Compostela

Santiago has charged a tourist tax of EUR 1 to 2.50 per person per night since October 2025, for at most five nights. The old town is closed by bollards and cameras, so the car stays at its edge.

Spain. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Santiago-Rosalía de Castro (SCQ), about ten kilometres north-east of the city according to Aena, and about 15 km by road to the Praza do Obradoiro. Source
Tourist tax
A municipal surcharge on the Galician tax, in force since 1 October 2025: EUR 1 to 2.50 per person per night by category, EUR 2 in a tourist-use flat, for at most five nights. Minors, the Xunta's pilgrim hostels and youth hostels are exempt. Source
Tourist flats
Galicia's Decreto 12/2017: a tourist-use flat is a whole home let for stays of less than 30 consecutive days and entered in the REAT register. It must offer a 24-hour phone and complaint forms, with a notice saying so. Source
National registration number
The national registration procedure was largely annulled in May 2026, regional registers still apply, and whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. In Galicia the regional register is the REAT. Source
ID at check-in
Real Decreto 933/2021: anyone providing lodging records each guest's identity data and sends it to the Interior Ministry. Source
Old-town access
The Cidade Histórica is closed by bollards and plate cameras, and access depends on the reason for the trip, not on the car's label. Press report of the rules approved in November 2025. Source
Car parks
The Xoán XXIII car park by the cathedral sells monthly passes and tourist cards for 7 and 15 days; its 2020 tariff sheet caps 10 to 24 hours at EUR 11.08. The Santa Marta parking area is free every day from 07:00 to 19:00. Source
Street parking
ORA: 2 hours in the general zone (EUR 1.05), 4 hours in long-stay streets (EUR 1.05), paid Monday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 20:30 and Saturday mornings. Source
Holy Year
The cathedral's calendar opens the Holy Door on 31 December 2026 for the Holy Year of 2027. Source
Monthly stays
A stay of 30 consecutive days or more falls outside Galicia's tourist-flat decree. A seasonal lease under article 3.2 of the lease law carries a deposit of two months' rent. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Santiago de Compostela

A granite street in Santiago's old town on a rainy afternoon, with souvenir shops, walkers under umbrellas and a cathedral tower at the far end.
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cidade Histórica

The cathedral, the Praza do Obradoiro and the granite streets of the old town, where the Camino ends. It suits first visits and pilgrims who want everything on foot.

Airport by road
about 16 km
Praza do Obradoiro
under 1 km

Car and parking

Bollards and plate cameras close the old town, and access depends on the reason for the trip, according to press reports. The Xoán XXIII car park by the cathedral sells tourist cards for 7 and 15 days; the Santa Marta area is free from 07:00 to 19:00.

Rúa do Hórreo in Santiago's Ensanche, a street of shops and apartment blocks with cars at a crossing and traffic lights.
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Bene Riobó, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ensanche

The twentieth-century new town south of the old one, with shops and restaurants near the railway station. It suits longer stays and a car that has to come and go.

Airport by road
about 15 km
Praza do Obradoiro
under 1 km

Car and parking

Outside the old-town zone, which does not reach the Praza de Galicia area. In ORA sector 1, on streets such as Hórreo and República Argentina, a car may stay 2 hours and must then leave the sector for 2 hours.

Rúa de San Pedro in Santiago, a cobbled street of whitewashed stone houses with balconies and potted plants, and traffic signs at the corner.
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

San Pedro

The street running east from the edge of the old town, with small hotels and guesthouses. It suits walkers who want the cathedral close and a quieter base.

Airport by road
about 14 km
Praza do Obradoiro
under 1 km

Car and parking

The nearby ORA streets of sector 3, such as San Roque and Santa Clara, allow 2 hours without the sector 1 rule against parking again. Ask the host about access by car.

San Lázaro

Hotels on the east side of the city, on the way to the airport and Monte do Gozo. It suits arrivals by car and early flights, less so evenings in the old town.

Airport by road
about 11 km
Praza do Obradoiro
about 3 km

Car and parking

Street parking rules here were not verified; ask the hotel about its car park.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Santiago de Compostela?

Since 1 October 2025: EUR 2.50 per person per night in five-star and four-star superior hotels, EUR 2 in hotels from two-star superior to four-star and in tourist-use flats, EUR 1.50 in one-star and two-star hotels and pensions, and EUR 1 in albergues, campsites, rural houses and tourist apartments. It is charged for at most five nights, and minors pay nothing.

Do pilgrims pay the Santiago tourist tax?

Stays in the Xunta's public pilgrim hostels and in youth hostels are exempt, as are minors. Other albergues pay EUR 1 per person per night, for at most five nights.

Can a rental car drive into the old town?

The Cidade Histórica is closed by bollards and plate cameras, and access depends on the reason for the trip, not on the car's label, according to press reports of the rules approved in November 2025. Park at the Xoán XXIII car park by the cathedral or the free Santa Marta area.

Which Santiago area suits a first visit?

The Cidade Histórica puts the cathedral and the Praza do Obradoiro on foot. With a car, the Xoán XXIII car park by the cathedral sells tourist cards for 7 and 15 days.