Why go now?

To be in a glorious city that is full of exhausted yet exhilarated people. Last year, 113,000 pilgrims converged on the cathedral from all over Europe, walking or cycling along the Camino de Santiago – the way of St James the Apostle, whose relics lie in a silver casket at the heart of the cathedral. Een if you take the easy option and arrive on a cheap flight, there is much to appreciate, from a fine main square to the well-preserved, granite-paved alleyways and colonnaded ruas.

Touch down

Start walking from Britain now, and you should reach Santiago in three or four months' time, via Paris, the Pyrenees and León. Alternatively, Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com ) flies from Stansted in under two hours. Two different bus services run from the airport into town for a couple of euros, taking around 20 minutes: a dedicated Ryanair link going to the Praza de Galicia (1); and the normal scheduled bus, which ends up on Rua do Doutor Teixeiro (2).

Get your bearings

The hub of Santiago de Compostela and its raison d'être is its impressive cathedral (3). This is ringed by plazas and has entrances on to each one. The main entrance, Portico de Gloria, opens on to the largest plaza, Obradoiro. The oval core of Santiago is tightly packed around this square, with less interesting modern districts beyond. Large-scale maps are free from the tourist office (4) at Rua do Vilar 63 (00 34 981 555 129; www.santiagoturismo.com ), open 9am-9pm daily in summer.

Check in

The two-star Hotel Costa Vella (5) at Porta da Pena 17 (00 34 981 569 530; www.costavella.com ) is perched on a rise on the western edge of the old town, and boasts a flower-filled patio. Four of its 14 rooms face the San Francisco convent. Book well ahead for double rooms at €75 (£65) , with breakfast at €5 (£3.80) extra per person; most nights this summer are already almost sold out.

The five-star AC Palacio del Carmen (6), at the north end of Rua Oblatas (00 34 981 552 444; www.ac-hotels.com ), wraps around an old convent in an almost rural setting, and offers stylish good service. Doubles start at around €150 (£125), with breakfast an extra €16 (£12.50) per person.

At the opposite end of the comfort spectrum, the Hospedaje Santa Cruz at Rua do Vilar 42 (4) (00 34 981 582 362), close to the tourist office, is one of many cheap hostels catering for pilgrims. A basic double room with a desk and shared bath costs €35 (£24) , without breakfast.

Take a hike

Fall in with today's pilgrims from around the world as they take their final steps towards the cathedral. Although the 12th-century wall surrounding Santiago was destroyed, the location where pilgrims enter the city survives: the Porto do Camino (7). Walk north along Rua das Casas Reais, then bear left into Rua das Animas. Head across Praza de Cervantes (8) and on to Rua Achbecheria, named for the artisans who worked with achbecheria, or jet – petrified coal, still sold in stores along this stretch. Carry on to the Praza Obradoiro and admire the façade of the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos (9), which claims to be the oldest hotel in the world. Originally a 14th-century shelter for pilgrims, it is now a parador – a state-run luxury hotel. After reaching Santiago, a few hardy pilgrims undertake an add-on journey to Finisterra – once thought to be the end of the world. Trace the start of this extension by descending the ramp in the north-east corner of Praza Obradoiro. Walk down Rua das Hortas to the end, and cross the main road on the zebra crossing. Then veer right down, following the sign to Figueras, leaving the 75km journey to the coast to the pilgrims as you head to the terrace of the Palacio del Carmen (6) for a drink.

Window shopping

Fruits and vegetables, herbs and flowers from the countryside, plus Galician shellfish, meats and cheeses are sold at the market (10) that runs along the Rua de Ameas. It opens 7.30am-2pm daily except Sundays.

For Galician handicrafts with a modern twist, visit A Mouga (11) at Rua Xelmirez 26 (00 34 981 560 796; www. mouga.com ), with 21st-century interpretations of crafts such as lacemaking and weaving. The 19th-century Farmacia R Bescansas (12) at Toural 11 (00 34 981 585 940) is handsomely preserved. Take home the musty smells of the ancient city with its own brand of cologne: Musgo de Compostela, or "Compostela Moss".

Lunch on the run

Suso, next door to the tourist office (4) at Rua do Vilar 65 (00 34 981 586 611), offers salads, bocadillos and endless coffee at outdoor tables beneath the colonnades.

Cultural afternoon

The smooth granite exteriors and clean, spare interior spaces of CGAC (13) (the Contemporary Art Museum of Galicia) contrast sharply with the rest of Santiago. The museum, on Ramon del Valle Inclan (00 34 981 546 629; www.cgac.org ), houses contemporary works primarily by Galician artists. It opens 11am-8pm daily, except Monday; admission is free. Next door, the 13th-century Bonbal Convent was converted in 1977 into the Museo Pobo Gallego (14) (Galician Folklore Museum; 00 34 981 583 620; www.museodopobo. com ). The highlight of the museum is part of its fabric: the spectacular, free-standing triple spiral staircase, designed by the architect Domingo de Andrade. The stairs each reach different heights in an Escher-like design. Take the one marked III to get to the top. Open 10am-2pm and 4-8pm from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-2pm on Sundays; admission is free.

An aperitif

You could almost make a meal out of the free and delicious tapas that accompany your drink order at the San Clemente (15) at 6 Rua San Clemente (00 34 981 565 426; closed Monday).

Dining with the locals

Close by, at Avenida Rodrigo de Padron 11, Marte (16) offers indoor or outdoor dining with a mostly local crowd who know good value and food: simply grilled or Galician-style meat and fish dishes. Try the excellent local white wine, Albariño.

If you prefer to dine with the pilgrims, Casa da Manolo (17) on the Praza Cervantes is a bright, modern restaurant that offers pilgrim-sized portions at very low prices: a three-course dinner for €8 (£6.70), with a bottle of house wine just €3.50 (£2.70).

Sunday morning: a walk in the park

The Alameda is a pretty park that marks the eastern end of the city, and the ideal place to watch Santiago wake up.

Take a view

Climb up through the park and wander over to the western escarpment, where you will find a mirador (18) that looks across to the university and the hills of Galicia.

Out to brunch

The grandest place to sip coffee on a Sunday morning is the Café Casino, on Rua do Vilar, just along the road from the tourist office (4); plant yourself in an armchair, and nibble a range of Spanish snacks. It theoretically opens at 8.30am daily, though sometimes this aspiration slips.

Go to church

In the late ninth century, the Asturian King Alfonso III ordered a chapel built to mark the site where the hermit Pelayo was said to have rediscovered St James's grave. Destroyed 100 years later in a Moorish attack, it was rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries into a grander, Galician Romanesque cathedral, and further expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, the cathedral (3) is wonderfully welcoming; it is open 7am-9pm daily. Follow the pilgrim ritual: climb the stairs behind the altar to embrace the statue of St James, then descend to kneel in front of his casket. The cathedral (00 34 981 581 155; www.cathedralsantiago.es ) takes on an altogether different feel during Sunday's noon Mass for pilgrims. If you are lucky, you might see the world's largest censer in full swing. Originally used to purify the air when the cathedral was filled with sickly pilgrims, this silver scent scatterer weighs over 50kg and reaches speeds of up to 70km/h when swung by eight men.

After Mass, move east to the church of Santa Maria de Sar (19). It was built on a shifting riverbed, which has made the interior columns splay wildly as they ascend.

Write a postcard

At Casa das Crechas (20), a friendly and funky café at Via Sacra 3 (00 34 981 576 108; www.casadascrechas.com ), you can sit by the window and look out over a small square for inspiration.

Icing on the cake

Invest around €25 (£18) in a taxi back to the airport – and ask the driver to stop en route at Monte de Gozo, or Mount of Joy, where the pilgrims stop for their first sight of Santiago's cathedral, 4km away – though modern developments and eucalyptus trees obscure the spires. Walk to the statue and visit the chapel where pilgrims get the last passport stamp of the camino before you return sheepishly to the taxi – and vow to walk next time.