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 traveling alone or accompanied. Santiago has a great variety of plans waiting for you, are you up for it?

If you are in Santiago de Compostela you can not miss the opportunity to taste the best Galician food. In a walking tour of about four hours and for the average price of 60 € you can eat in a famous restaurant, in addition to knowing part of Santiago. Do you like the idea?

This type of tour starts with a walking tour of the city, visiting the oldest part. Then you will go through the 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 beverages you can always order another drink. You will also try the traditional "Pulpo á feira" or Galician octopus.

After lunch it will be 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 you to have a coffee at Airas Nunes with a chocolate cake. It will be the best dessert to end a beautiful day.

Interesting details

• Price: about 60 €.
• Duration: approximately 5 hours.
• Means of transportation: private bus and walking tour.
• Advantages of this option: you don't have to make a long trip to start tasting the best Galician food.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you do not like octopus, you will 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 night gastronomic tour is one of the best plans. This type of tour usually starts at 8:30 pm somewhere in the center 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 about 65 €.

The guide on this type of tour takes tourists on a walk through the streets of Santiago. You can 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 get scared?

On this tour you will visit a pub to try a drink. It 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 finish your dinner it is time to head back. As the distances are short, your guide will accompany you to the starting point. I recommend that you take a cab to your accommodation. If you can talk to your guide to secure transportation to your hotel it will be much more comfortable for you.

Details of interest

• Price: about 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 is best to secure transportation back home for a more relaxed return.

If you have a discerning palate then a tour to taste seafood and the best wine in Galicia 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 types of wine, but you will 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: about 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 do not like alcohol or wine, it would be better to choose another type of tour.

Good wine lovers will get the best experience in this type of gastronomic tours. In approximately six hours and for 130 €, participants will be able to walk through 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 nun's convent where you can try a traditional Santiago cake. Passing through the Mercado de Abastos you will 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 try appetizers 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: about 130 €.
• Duration: about 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 the occasion, you will live a pleasant experience with a city tour and a romantic dinner. This tour costs 60 € and lasts approximately five hours.

This type of tour is done in groups and ideally you should go with your partner. The local guide will take you around some squares, among which the Plaza del Obradoiro stands out. Then you will continue through the streets until you reach the Bonaval Park. Along the way you can 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 mollusks accompanied by sparkling wine. This will be the ideal ending 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 nice 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, travel to the Rías Baixas and see all its splendor. But it gets better if in addition to touring the villages on foot, you take a cruise, do you dare to know the sea in this way? This whole experience has an approximate duration of ten hours and an average cost of 50 €.

For this tour you must travel for 50 minutes to Pontevedra, where you will make a small tour to get to know the town. Then you will walk through the towns of Cambados, Combarro, and O Grove. Although you will not spend much time in each town, it will be enough to appreciate all the natural treasures that the Rias Baixas has to offer.

In O Grove, or the seafood capital, you can board a catamaran for a cruise across the Arosa estuary. Here it will be time to eat mussels and Galician wine. While you taste these foods, your guides will tell you how they are produced and other curious 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 stroll 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 do not have time to walk the final stretch of the road, 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.

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 journey.

Finally you will taste the Santiago cake, made with flour, almonds, egg and sugar. All the food will be served in small portions so 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 the wine, a drink that symbolizes hospitality.

Afterwards you will be taken to the Mercado de Abastos to taste some cooked or grilled mollusks. 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 energy bars, sandwiches and similar meals. That is why this tour is ideal to review the gastronomy of the time.
• Disadvantages of this option: in this type of tour you will not go through the Camino de Santiago, as it only focuses on the food that the pilgrims used to eat.

So far I have only mentioned restaurants for you to eat savory dishes. However, if you are more into sweet dishes 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 with your local guide and the rest of your group, you will begin a tour of several pastry shops and cafes. Among these are the Panadería Pastelería Miguez and the Confiteria Las Colonias. 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 taste are the filloas, a type of typical cake that dates back to Roman times. Also noteworthy is the Galician quesada, a ricotta cake served cold. Apple pies are another favorite sweet, especially in Galician towns and villages. Your guide will tell you a bit of the history of each dish and then guide you back to the starting point.

Details of interest

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

Traveller Tip
For this tour I recommend you to have breakfast or lunch very well before because everything you will consume will be high in sugar and fats.

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

On this type of tour you will start by meeting your local guide early in the morning. Your guide knows the best cafes 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 will be 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 eating, 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 which are the best restaurants, the best pastry shops and the best cafes. 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 is 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. The sites you will see usually include the Cathedral of Santiago and some squares, so I also recommend wearing sunscreen and staying hydrated at all times.