Old Port
Plaza Mayor
Castelo de Santo Anton
City Beach. July 2016
A Coruña is located at the very northwestern tip of the Iberian peninsula and may well be my favorite city in all of Spain. Its location first attracted me - how amazing would a city be located literally on the very corner of Spain? It had to be interesting by virtue of geography alone. On that huge summer vacation of 2016 A Coruña was included in the Spanish part of the trip.
I arrived by high speed train from Vigo and realized that the old part of the city was quite the slog from the station. I almost caved in and took a taxi, but it was a lovely sunny day and I only had my little carry-on, roller bag. I walked down into the city (the train station was on a bluff overlooking the old town). Not really a pleasant walk, perhaps it was the only downside of A Coruña. I planned some day trips requiring long walks every morning to the train station and then equally long walks back to the hotel every afternoon. The walk back was always the kicker. After a busy day of walking around another city, I realized I had become spoiled by staying in hotels that were just a few paces from the train station. A long walk back to the hotel after a full day of touristing was never welcome. Nonetheless, I still loved A Coruña.
The city had a lovely old marina overlooked by whitewashed, window-bedecked buildings. A short walk in the opposite direction (A Coruña was on a slender peninsula) was the city beach spread out in a wide crescent of sand in a more modern part of town. A Coruña had a lovely Plaza Mayor and two big old forts. At the tip of the city peninsula was a park with a rocky coastline and a few hidden beaches in small coves. At the tip of a promontory stood the "'Tower of Hercules", a lighthouse with Roman origins. A Coruña had a beach, an old city, a harbor, cliffs, stunning sea views, AND an old Roman lighthouse. That was a lot for a place that few people visited. Why?
A Coruña may well also be the Seattle of Spain from a weather perspective. Its fabulous position jutting into the North Atlantic is known for cloudy, rainy weather. I was lucky enough to have a string of sunny days for my visit - would my feelings toward the city have been different had I visited in the rain? All I know is that I really wanted to extend my time there - the city was great, the seafood was fabulous and fresh, and it was blissfully free of tourists due to its rainy reputation!
In a special bonus to tempt me back, the high speed rail system of Spain has finally linked Galicia with Madrid. It is now possible to fly to Madrid and hop a train to A Coruña and be there in under three hours. Added to my list of "places I wish to return", a plate of steamed mussels is waiting for me. I'd even eat them in the rain.
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