Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela stands tall in the heart of the old town, where every route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage ends. The ornate baroque front was added in the 1700s, built onto the west end of a much older medieval church. Four town squares sit around it giving you endless composition options. Praza do Obradoiro sits directly in front of the cathedral and highlights the imposing size of the towers, especially at sunset. On the east side, Praza da Quintana gets the morning sun instead. Circling the building lets you experiment with each plaza and you can come away with four separate buildings out of one. The Obradoiro is also where pilgrims arrive, so that can add an entirely different layer to your compositions. Ideally try an book a roof walk, if you can. It takes you up along the granite terrace around the roof's perimeter, looking down over the squares and across the old town rooftops. Entry to the cathedral is free through the Praterías door. Accessing the Pórtico de la Gloria needs a timed ticket, and photography generally isn't allowed in this area of the cathedral. Between tourists, photographers and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage this area can get quite busy to it is best to come early for best chance at having the squares to yourself. (Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain)