A Coruña travel guide

Background

Such a fine natural harbour as Coruña’s was pounced upon early; it was used by the Celts and Phoenicians before becoming an important Roman port, Ardobicum Coronium. It was said that the foundations were laid by Hercules himself. The city remained (and remains) a significant port; it was the westernmost member of the Hermandad de las Marismas, a trading league formed in 1296 along Hanseatic lines.

Coruña’s northward orientation is historically linked with Britain, whose sailors referred to it as ‘the Groyne’. British pilgrims used to disembark here en route to the tomb of Saint James. This Camino Inglés was the easiest of the pilgrim routes to Santiago, at least when the Bay of Biscay was in clement mood.

In 1386 John of Gaunt, son of Edward III, decided to avenge the murder of his father-in-law, Pedro I, and landed here with an army. After a farcical progress through Galicia, a peace was finally brokered whereby John’s daughter would marry the heir to the Castilian throne. The Castilian king compensated him for the expenses occurred in the invasion and he went home, honour satisfied.

When John’s great-granddaughter, the Catholic monarch Isabel, died, Philip the Fair of Flanders landed here in 1506 to meet with Fernando and claim the Castilian throne. His grandson Philip II had plenty to do with Coruña too; while still a prince, he embarked from here to England, where he married Mary at Winchester. Some 34 years later he assembled his Armada, whose 130 ships put out from the harbour here with 30,000 men. In 1507 Francis Drake had also sailed here and set fire to the town but was thwarted by the town’s heroine María Pita, who saved Coruña by seizing the British standard and rallying the townsfolk to repel the buccaneers.

In 1809 a dispirited and undisciplined British army were relentlessly pursued by the Napoleonic forces of Marshal Soult. Having abandoned all their baggage and gold, the army made for Coruña where a fleet was stationed, but Soult was hard on their heels. To save as many men as possible, the Scottish general, Sir John Moore, faced the French with a small force while 15,000 troops embarked on to the ships. Moore was killed and the force defeated, but the majority of the army got away thanks to the sacrifice.

Compared with other Spanish cities, Coruña thrived in the 19th and 20th centuries; it seems its close ties to northern Europe and its flourishing port saved it from stagnation.

Getting around

Most of A Coruña is easily explorable on foot. The coastal paseo around the headland is a long one, but a tourist tram covers the route half-hourly; a beautiful ride. The bus and train stations are a 20- to 30-minute walk south from the centre of town. City bus No 1 runs from the main road between the bus and train stations into town.

Ins and outs

Getting there

A Coruña is connected with Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, and other Spanish cities by air. Clickair have a budget flight to London Heathrow, and Iberia also serve London, Paris, and Lisbon. It’s a major railhead and bus terminus, well connected with the rest of Northern Spain.

A Coruña

Air

A Coruña’s airport (LCG) lies to the south of the city. There are international flights to Lisbon, London Heathrow, and Paris as well as national ones to Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao. Buses run regularly from Puerta Real to the airport (€1.25). There’s also a daily bus (leaving at 1030, T981 257 082) from the Hotel Atlántico, Jardines Méndez Núñez, to the international airport at Santiago.

Bicycle hire

There’s a municipal bike rental shed on Paseo de la Dársena by the leisure harbour. Open 0900-2100 summer; 0900-1400, 1600-2100 winter. A 2-hr rental is €6; a whole day is €21.

Bus

Local

The bus station is to the south of town, on C de Caballeros. Frequent buses (No 1) connect it with the city centre. Within Galicia, Ourense is served 8 times daily, Lugo 11 times, Santiago hourly (via motorway 45 mins, via road 1 hr 20 mins), Pontevedra and Vigo 9 times, Betanzos 6 times, and Ferrol hourly. 5 buses daily go down the Costa da Morte to Camariñas.

Long distance

Destinations include Gijón/Oviedo (4 a day, 5-6 hrs, €21.31), Bilbao (2 daily, 11 hrs, €45.75) via Santander and Madrid (6-7 daily, 7 hrs, €40).

Train

The train station is just across the main road, and up the hill from the bus station. Santiago (45 mins, from €5.50) and Vigo (2 hrs, from €13.65) are serviced roughly hourly. There are also trains to Lugo (2 daily, 1 hr 30 mins, from €15), Ourense (4 daily, 2 hrs 15 mins, €23), Madrid (2 daily, 8 hrs, €49.60), and Barcelona (1-2 daily, 14½ hrs, €70-95).

A Coruña

Internet and telephone

Locutorio Unicornio, C Estrella 24, T981 210 639, has cheap internet and phone calls; Xebre 2, C San Andrés 138, T881 927 178, another central choice for internet and phone, Plaza@Net, C San Juan 5, internet only.

Laundry

Clean and Clean, C Juan Florez; self service, Paseo Marítimo s/n, where the big glass control tower is.

Medical services

Hospital Juan Canalejo T981 178 000.

Post office

The main post office is on Av de la Marina opposite the tourist office.