Plenty of authentic present items will catch your interest, from Spanish shawls, Galician lace goods and leather ware to articles made from Toledo steel, Lladro porcelain and wickerwork.
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Language
Two official languages are spoken, Spanish and Galician, but several people speak really good English.
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Currency & Greatest Way to Get Income
The currency is the euro. A few ATMs are dotted around town. Otherwise, look for the word “Cambio” (Exchange). For conversion rates, go to www.xe.com or www.oanda.com.
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Where You are Docked
The name of the cruise dock – Transatlantic Quay — reflects its location on the northwestern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. A Coruna is the closest European port to New York. A 5-minute walk requires you from the port to the city center. Bus stops sit close to the cruise terminal, and you can attain Torre de Hercules (see Never Miss section) by the No. three or No. 5 bus. You are going to get tourist details and maps from the tourist workplace just outdoors the cruise terminal gates, where you will also see taxis. Agree the fare just before setting off.
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Hanging About
A marina is just in front of the cruise terminal, and there is a shop and café. Being so close to town, there is no need to hang around the port.
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Receiving Around
By Car: If you want to travel further afield, you can rent from Avis (Plaza de Vigo 981 121201) and Europcar (Avda, Artejo 21 981 143536).
By Bus: There are 22 bus routes that cover most of A Coruna for around 1.45 euros.
By Bike: Rent a bike from Eco-Logica, which is near the Domus museum at the finish of Orzan beach. The town has a lot of hills. Costs from around 6 euros per hour. (Calle Cantabrico two 981 904 040)
By Tram: A tram starts at the Playa de Riazor and goes around the city, following the coastline and finishing at the harbor. It tends to make many stops, which includes the Tower of Hercules lighthouse, the Domus museum and Castle of San Anton. The fare is 1 euro per ride.
Note: Most of A Coruna can be covered on foot.
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Watch Out For
As in most cities these days, it pays to be alert and conscious of your surroundings. A very good thought is to take your ship’s daily newspaper with you so that you have the emergency numbers on hand if you should require them. Leave expensive things in the secure in your cabin.
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Never Miss
Torre de Hercules: The Tower of Hercules is the world’s oldest Roman lighthouse, dating to the second century. The nonetheless-functioning lighthouse and surrounding region have UNESCO World Heritage status. As your legs will achingly testify, the 234 measures make for a hefty climb, but the views from the best — more than 193 feet high — are utterly magnificent. Nearby, you will find a sculpture park and the Millennium Obelisk, a 150-foot crystal needle that depicts important moments in A Coruna’s history. (Avenida de Navarra 981 223730 open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. June to September and ten a.m. to 6 p.m. October to Might)
Picasso Museum: Art-lovers might want to check out this little museum, originally the home where the artist lived as a young boy for a few years when his father was a master at the art college. (Calle Payo Gomez 14 981 184278 open 10:30 a.m. to two p.m. and five:30 p.m. to eight p.m. Tuesday to Sunday)
Monte de San Pedro: This hilltop park is just a couple of miles north of the city center. This is exactly where to find the Cupula Atlantica, an observation dome, as properly as a maze, a restaurant and two rather forbidding looking restored gun emplacements that once protected the entrance to the harbor. (This was a military region.) If you don’t want to stroll up the hill — it is pretty steep — hop in the Ascensor Panoramico, a glass-ball shaped elevator that gradually ascends the hillside from the Paseo Maritimo. We all know it really is easier to stroll down than up, and at the bottom is a bus stop exactly where you can get a ride back to the city center. You can acquire a ticket from the driver for 1.20 euros.
Promenade: Stroll along right here to soak up A Coruna’s architecture, culture and atmosphere. At six miles, it is Europe’s longest promenade and serves nearly like an outside health club for locals who can be observed jogging, walking or cycling (there is a bike lane).
Shopping: A Coruna is exactly where the worldwide style chain Zara opened its 1st store in 1975. It really is now a far cry from the early days when its founder, Amancio Ortega, started his business by promoting aprons to housewives (Calle de Juan Florez 64-66 ten a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday). The main purchasing region is at Cuatro Caminos (Calle Ramon y Cajal), a bustling center with around 100 shops and restaurants. The lanes off Calle San Andres, which are hemmed with cafes and tourist shops, also offer a lot of retail alternatives. Most shops are open 9:30 a.m. to eight p.m. Monday to Saturday, and some close for a couple of hours in the afternoon. El Corte Ingles, a big city center department retailer, sells virtually every thing you may require (Calle Ramon y Cajal 57-59 981 189400 open ten a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday).
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Been There, Completed That
Museo Militar: Museo Militar homes armaments, uniforms, military documents and has exhibitions of models of defensive castles on the A Coruna coastline. (Plaza de Carlos 1 981 205 300 open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and ten a.m. to two p.m. Sunday)
Fine Arts Museum: The Fine Arts Museum in the old Capuchin convent is exactly where to see operates from the Prado Museum in Madrid and Spanish and European paintings from the 16th to 20th centuries, as nicely as Galician paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. (Rua de Zalaeta 981 223723 open ten a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, ten a.m. to two p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and ten a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday)
Archaeological Museum: The Castle of San Anton, formerly a huge16th-century fort, stands at the northeastern tip of the town and homes the Archaeological Museum. Inside, it is overflowing with goldwork and objects from the Megalithic Age, Bronze Age, Celtic settlements and Roman occasions. (Walk Parrote 981 223730 open ten a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and ten a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday from September to June and ten a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and ten a.m. to three p.m. Sunday in July and August)
Clock Museum: Inside the 3-domed City Hall, the unusual Clock Museum functions 84 clocks of every kind imaginable, like wall clocks, grandfather clocks and ship clocks dating from the 17th to 20th centuries. (María Pita Palace 1 981 184200 open five p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday)
The Domus Museum (Residence of Mankind): This is a single of the handful of interactive museums in the globe devoted to humans. Anthropology, organic history and science exhibits are devoted to the senses, heart, brain, abilities and language. The developing has an IMAX projection room and a sail-shaped layered facade that fronts the Bay of Riazor. (Calle Santa Teresa 1 981 189840 open January by way of April, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from January to April, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Could and June, ten a.m. to eight p.m. Monday to Sunday in July and August and ten a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from September to December)
Santiago de Compostella: Given that the Middle Ages, the city not far from A Coruna has been one of the world’s wonderful pilgrimage destinations and the site of the shrine of Saint James the Apostle.
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Beaches
A Coruna has a number of beaches, even though swimmers may uncover the sea a bit chilly at occasions.
Ideal Close to Town: Playa del Orzan and Playa de Riazor are the primary beaches, usually both busy in fine climate, common with surfers and with great places appropriate in town. (Ahead of swimming, verify no matter whether the green flag is hoisted waves can be severe when it is windy.) These are public beaches with lifeguards and a lot of sunbeds for employ. Getting in town, there are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby.
Very best for Active Pursuits: Playa San Amaro is a blue flag beach which indicates that it’s environmentally friendly. It’s very good for scuba diving too. It is just more than a mile out of town. This public beach is equipped with showers and wheelchair ramps and has a lifeguard service. There are restaurants within 300 meters.
Very best for Relaxing: Playa Santa Cristina is a quiet public beach a mile or so outside A Coruna, excellent for relaxing or enjoying a picnic. It has small in the way of facilities but is well-known with sunbathers.
Lunching Seafood lovers are in their element in A Coruna. Freshly caught fish and shellfish are abundant, and costs will not mangle your wallet. You will uncover everything from boiled octopus and stuffed squid to shrimps (typically fried in garlic), scallops, mussels, crayfish, eels, choquitos or chipirones (different sorts of tiny squid served in its own ink) and grilled sardines — which are best enjoyed with regional red wine.
Speaking of wine, neighborhood wines have no “denominations of origin” (nicely-known developing places), but Galicia produces superb white and red wines that are often drunk from white china bowls and accompanied by platters of seafood. Specialties consist of fish stews with baked potatoes or sausage and bacon stew with potatoes, beans, turnips and cabbage. Empanadas, patties filled with pork, eels or lampreys, make a filling snack.
If you choose weak coffee, appear for cafe Americano on menus coffee with milk is “con leche,” sturdy black coffee that comes in a tiny cup is “solo.” If beer is a lot more your factor, Estrella Galicia is A Coruna’s signature beer.
Pablo Gallego: This is a classy, midpriced restaurant with cozy atmosphere. It serves inventive Galician cuisine with a seafood emphasis. Alternatives variety from basic anchovy dishes and monkfish medallions to grilled octopus with piperrada (stewed peppers) and tuna with sun-dried tomato pesto. (Calle Capitan Troncoso four 981 208 888 open 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday)
Taberna Da Penela: Try the octopus, caldo gallego (a potato and vegetable soup with added chunks of meat or sausage) or tortilla de Betanzos (a potato omelette). (Plaza de Maria Pita 9 981 201969 open 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and eight:30 p.m. to midnight Tuesday to Sunday)
Restaurante Casa Vasca: This is a friendly economical restaurant serving delicious meals and homey puddings. Chocolate mousse, rice pudding or cheesecake with raspberry, anyone? (Calle del Capitan Troncoso 981 223459 open 1 p.m. to four p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to midnight)
Staying in Touch Cafes and hotels around town offer you free of charge Wi-Fi when you obtain anything, such as a coffee.
You can also log on at a Cyber cafe: Net & Game (Juan Canalejo 63 981214359 open 10 a.m. to two p.m. and four p.m. to three a.m. Monday to Friday) and InforOcasion.com (Calle de San Sebastian 7 902 92 20 00 open 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and four p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday).
Shore Excursions Greatest for Leisure-Lovers: Take pleasure in the “Sights of the Crystal City” from your coach. You are going to quit for a stroll about the sculpture park to take photographs at Europe’s oldest working lighthouse, the Tower of Hercules, the city’s most critical monument. For the duration of this scenic drive, you will also see the Domus Museum, Orzan and Riazor beaches and the city center. Full the tour with a plate of tapas and wine at a restaurant. This tour lasts 2.five hours.
Best for Garden-Lovers: Drive into the countryside to see the “Pazo de Oca Gardens,” at times referred to as the Galician Versailles. Tour the grounds to see the glorious fountains, artificial lake and exotic trees. The excursion also involves a check out to Pazo de Galegos, former residence of Don Antonio Lopez Ferreiro who is said to have found the tomb of Saint James. Refreshments and a stroll by means of the vineyards complete the excursion. This tour lasts 5 hours.
For Much more Info On the Net: Central Square – Flask-ka/Shutterstock
Tower of Hercules – Hector Ruiz Villar/Shutterstock
Monte de San Pedro – Ron H/TripAdvisor
Monasterio de San Martin Pinario – A.B.G./Shutterstock
Domus Museum – petifoque/TripAdvisor
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