Natural Santiago

The relationship between Santiago’s city centre and the natural surroundings is exceptional. Almost any part of the city features views of green woodland in urban parks, or meadows and forests on the surrounding hills.

The city is located between three main hills–Pedroso, Viso, and Gaiás- and sits on top of other smaller ones. All these high places serve as natural viewpoints overlooking the city centre and the omnipresent Cathedral.

Two small rivers, Sar and Sarela, surround the city. The paths running along their banks, which used to feature water wheels and tanneries, along with those running through the woodland parks of Monte Pedroso, as well as Monte Gaiás and Monte Viso, make up a network of pleasant nature trails that can be easily reached on foot from the city centre.

In relation to parks and green spaces, the surface devoted to this use speaks for itself: a total of five million square meters, equivalent to 50 m2 per inhabitant, which is higher than the European average. This makes Santiago a city of great environmental and scenic quality, resulting in numerous environmental awards.

But Santiago is a lot more than its city centre: the municipality has a total area of 223 km2, which includes 21 rural parishes. Besides, the municipality of Santiago is part of a natural region, watered by two of Galicia’s main rivers, the Tambre and the Ulla (famous for their trout, “escalos,” and salmon), which are ideal for numerous river sports, and feature magnificent swimming areas and recreational areas and trails less than 15 minutes drive from the city.

RECOMMENDED PATHS

 We recommend a range of 8 nature trails  that can be accessed on foot from the city, of short and medium length, and with no or little difficulty. They can be completed in a couple of hours or half a day at the most, being suitable for families with kids, pets, or persons of reduced mobility, as well as seasoned cyclists and trekkers.