10 Best Food Tours of Santiago de Compostela

Among the things to do in Santiago de Compostela you should definitely include a gastronomic tour of the city and its surroundings. Food is another way to get to know a new place and it also makes the tours more entertaining.

In several tours you can learn about the history of Santiago de Compostela, appreciate its sunsets, its nature and architecture while tasting a typical dish. These are ideal plans if you are travelling alone or accompanied. Santiago has a wide variety of plans waiting for you, are you up for it?

If you are in Santiago de Compostela, don't miss the opportunity to try the best Galician food. In a walking tour of about four hours and for the average price of 60 € you will be able to eat in a famous restaurant, as well as get to know part of Santiago. Do you like the idea?

This type of tour starts with a walking tour of the city, visiting the oldest part of the city. Then you'll pass through Alameda Park, the most impressive park in Santiago. There you will see beautiful natural scenery, sculptures and much more. From there you will have a beautiful view of the iconic cathedral.

When it's time for lunch your guide will take you to restaurants such as A Moha restaurant. There you can enjoy a delicious Spanish omelette accompanied by a Galician beer or wine. If you don't want alcoholic drinks you can always order another drink. You can also try the traditional "Pulpo á feira" or Galician octopus.

After lunch it is time to visit the Cathedral of Santiago. There you will see the main sculpture and the tomb of the saint, as well as visit the chapels. Before returning, I recommend having a coffee at Airas Nunes with a chocolate cake. It will be the best dessert to end a beautiful day.

Interesting details

• Price: around 60 €.
• Duration: approximately 5 hours.
• Means of transport: private bus and walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: you don't have to make a long journey to start tasting the best Galician food.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you don't like octopus, you'll have to talk to your guide to make an exception and recommend another dish.

If you are looking for things to do at night in Santiago de Compostela, a gastronomic night tour is one of the best plans. This type of tour usually starts at 8.30pm somewhere in the centre of Santiago de Compostela. It usually ends at 11pm, but you can talk to your guide to make it earlier. The average price of this experience is around 65 €.

The guide on this type of tour takes tourists on a walk through the streets of Santiago. You will be able to admire the night lights, the stars and the architecture of the city. Many of its corners hide stories of spirits and ghosts that your guide will tell you, are you ready to be scared?

On this tour you will visit a pub to try a drink. This is usually a short stop before dinner. Around 10 pm you will arrive at a typical Galician restaurant. There you will taste meat or fish accompanied by Queimada, a fiery drink. Drinking it is a mystical experience. It is even believed to have magical properties to remove evil spirits.

When you've finished your dinner it's time to head back. As the distances are short, your guide will accompany you back to the starting point. I recommend that you take a taxi to your accommodation. If you can talk to your guide to secure transport to your hotel it will be much more convenient for you.

Details of interest

• Price: around 65 €.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transport: walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: with this type of tour you can explore the city at night and have fun.
• Disadvantages of this option: these tours usually end late at night, so it's best to secure transport back home for a more relaxed return.

If you have a discerning palate then a seafood and wine tasting tour is the best plan for you. I invite you to take a tour from Santiago de Compostela to the Rias Baixas to taste the highest quality wines and mussels. The trip and the complete excursion has an average cost of 50 €.

On this tour you will depart by private bus from Santiago. The first stop will be at the Albariño vineyards. Here you will not only taste different types of wine, but you will also learn all about the production. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your local guide.

Afterwards it will be time for a tasting of mussels that are boiled in wine. This tasting will take place in one of the restaurants near the iconic A Lanzada Beach. This will be one of the day tours from Santiago de Compostela. At the end, your guide will take you back to the starting point.

Details of interest

• Price: around 50 €.
• Duration: approximately 5 hours.
• Means of transport: private bus and walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: this plan is great if you are a wine lover.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you don't like alcohol or wine, it would be better to choose another type of tour.

Wine lovers will get the best experience on this type of gastronomic tour. In approximately six hours and for €130, participants will be able to walk through the hidden streets of Santiago and stroll through traditional bars and wine bars. At each stop you will be able to taste the best of the best, are you up for it?

The local guide will take you through the narrow alleys and squares that often go unnoticed by most tourists. You will also enter a nunnery where you can try a traditional St. James cake. Passing through the Mercado de Abastos you will be able to see the food they sell there, as well as taste an Albariño wine at one of the stalls.

Afterwards you will visit some restaurants and wine bars in the surrounding area to try other traditional and new generation wines. In each one you will taste snacks such as the canapé and the Galician empanada which has a special preparation. At the end of the tour, your guide will take you and your group back to the starting point.

Details of interest

• Price: around 130 €.
• Duration: around 6 hours.
• Means of transport: walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: this plan is great if you are a wine lover.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you can't drink alcohol, you'd better take a different tour.

Santiago de Compostela can also be a romantic destination for couples. No matter what the occasion, you will have a pleasant experience with a city tour and a romantic dinner. This tour costs €60 and lasts approximately five hours.

These types of tours are group tours and ideally you should go with your partner. The local guide will take you around some of the squares, including the Plaza del Obradoiro. You will then continue through the streets until you reach Bonaval Park. On the way you will be able to taste chocolate sweets.

After watching the sunset, your guide will take you to a restaurant for a romantic dinner. Each couple will have their own table and eat an aphrodisiac dinner with molluscs accompanied by sparkling wine. This will be the perfect end to a romantic day.

Details of interest

• Price: 60 € more or less.
• Duration: about five hours.
• Means of transport: walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: it is ideal if you want to have a beautiful experience with your partner.
• Disadvantages of this option: the tour is shared with other couples, which can be uncomfortable for some people.

Among the things you can do in Santiago de Compostela in 3 days or more is to travel to the Rías Baixas and get to know all its splendour. But it gets even better if, as well as visiting the villages on foot, you take a cruise, do you fancy getting to know the sea this way? The whole experience lasts approximately ten hours and costs an average of €50.

For this tour you must travel for 50 minutes to Pontevedra, where you will take a short tour to get to know the town. You'll then stroll through the villages of Cambados, Combarro, and O Grove. Although you won't spend much time in each village, it will be enough to appreciate all the natural treasures that the Rías Baixas has to offer.

In O Grove, or the seafood capital, you can board a catamaran for a cruise across the Ria Arosa. Here it will be time for mussels and Galician wine. While you taste these foods, your guides will tell you how they are produced and other interesting facts. When the cruise is over it will be time to return to Santiago de Compostela.

Details of interest

• Price: 50 € more or less.
• Duration: about ten hours.
• Means of transport: private vehicle, walking tour and catamaran.
• Advantages of this option: in addition to tasting the typical food of the Rías Baixas, you will walk through its villages and take a tour on a cruise ship.
• Disadvantages of this option: you will only eat at the last stop of the tour.

The Camino de Santiago is a spiritual and cultural experience for pilgrims. Gastronomy is also an important part of this route. If you don't have time to walk the final stretch of the route, I invite you to take a tour where you will taste the typical foods that pilgrims ate in the Middle Ages. This tour lasts approximately three hours and costs 40 euros.

One of the typical dishes of this route was the pilgrims' broth. This is made with cabbage, turnips, broad beans and rancid bacon and is accompanied by stale bread. Your guide will take you to a special restaurant to try this dish. Accompanying this dish you will also taste sausages such as botillo, chorizo or smoked meats. All these products were prepared with dedication to guarantee their preservation during the route.

Finally, you will taste the Santiago cake, made with flour, almonds, egg and sugar. All the food will be served in small portions so that you can try a bit of everything, as you will then be guided to the Rúa de Raíña. There you can visit a tasca and taste wine, a drink that symbolises hospitality.

Afterwards you will be taken to the Mercado de Abastos to try some cooked or grilled molluscs. At the end of your tour I recommend you to visit the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela to continue enjoying your day.

Details of interest

• Price: 50 € more or less.
• Duration: about ten hours.
• Means of transport: private vehicle, walking tour and catamaran.
• Advantages of this option: nowadays pilgrims do not always eat these foods, but rather energy bars, sandwiches and similar meals. This is why this tour is ideal for a review of the gastronomy of the time.
• Disadvantages of this option: in this type of tour you will not do the route along the Camino de Santiago, as it only focuses on the food that pilgrims used to eat.

So far I have only mentioned restaurants for you to eat savoury dishes. However, if you are more of a sweet tooth, I recommend this tour. In about four hours and for an average cost of 50 € you will be able to taste the best Galician pastries in Santiago de Compostela.

After meeting up with your local guide and the rest of your group, you'll begin a tour of various pastry shops and cafés. Among these are the Panadería Pastelería Miguez bakery and the Confiteria Las Colonias confectionery shop. In each shop you will taste a specific sweet. One of them is the orellas de carnaval, a traditional dessert of this celebration that has a crunchy texture.

Other sweets you will try are filloas, a typical type of cake dating back to Roman times. Also of note is quesada gallega, a ricotta cake served cold. Apple pies are another favourite sweet, especially in Galician towns and villages. Your guide will tell you a little about the history of each dish and then guide you back to the starting point.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately €50.
• Duration: around 4 hours.
• Means of transport: walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: Santiago de Compostela is best known for its seafood dishes, so eating these sweets will give you an insight into a less popular side of the city.
• Disadvantages of this option: not recommended for people at risk of or suffering from diabetes.

Traveller Tip
For this tour I recommend having a good breakfast or lunch beforehand as everything you eat will be high in sugar and fats.

Before starting your day, what better than a breakfast tour of Santiago de Compostela? That way you'll start the day off on the right foot. These tours are done on foot and usually last about 3 hours. The average cost is around €30.

On this type of tour you will start by meeting your local guide early in the morning. Your guide knows the best cafés and restaurants for you to have the most typical breakfast in Santiago and Galicia in general. You will start with a visit to Café Tertulia for a coffee of your choice.

The next stop is Café la Carrilana. Here you can have an apple empanada or a delicious Galician quesada for breakfast. You can choose between a single dish or a sample of each Galician breakfast on the menu. When you finish your meal, your guide will accompany you back to the starting point.

Santiago de Compostela is a city full of history and much to discover. One of the best ways to get to know it is through its gastronomy. My recommendation is that you do it with a local guide.

This person knows the best restaurants, the best pastry shops and the best cafés. This will save you the trouble of researching which is the best option. This way you will be guaranteed a quality dinner, as well as a guided tour of interesting places in Santiago.

The main tip for a gastronomic tour in Santiago de Compostela is to go hungry. It may sound funny, but it's the truth. You should be prepared to eat all the samples offered in the restaurants, cafes and pastry shops.

You should also be prepared to walk and visit different sites as you wander the streets of the city on foot. Sites you will see include the Cathedral of Santiago and some of the squares, so I also recommend wearing sunscreen and staying hydrated at all times.