Hercules tower, A Coruna, Galicia, Spain.

© mmeee/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Torre de Hércules

Top choice in A Coruña

LoginSave

It was actually the Romans who originally built this lighthouse at the windy northern tip of the city, in the 1st century CE – a beacon on the furthest edge of the civilised world. The outer facing of the 59m-high tower was added in 1788–90, but the inside is mostly original Roman. Climb the 200-plus steps for great panoramas over the headland and its outdoor sculpture park. Buses 3 and 5 run here from Porta Real near Plaza de María Pita.

The headland on which the tower stands is a sculpture park with 18 diverse works by Galician sculptors that are well worth investigating.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología

    Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología

    1.21 MILES

    Not just for techies, the National Science and Technology Museum will engage everybody. You'll see the first computer used in Spain (a monstrous IBM 650…

  • Old Town

    Old Town

    12.17 MILES

    Take Rúa Castro up from the central Praza Irmáns García Naveira to the handsome Praza da Constitución, flanked by a couple of appealing cafes along with…

  • Casa Museo Picasso

    Casa Museo Picasso

    1.28 MILES

    Pablo Picasso lived in this large apartment from the age of nine to 13 (1891–95), while his father taught art at a nearby school. The apartment is kitted…

  • Mosteiro de Monfero

    Mosteiro de Monfero

    18.88 MILES

    Founded in 1134, this grand old monastery, standing in splendid isolation, was abandoned in the 19th century but has been partly restored. It has three…

  • Igrexa de San Francisco

    Igrexa de San Francisco

    12.15 MILES

    This 14th-century Gothic church contains many carved-stone sepulchres of Galician nobility. Don't miss the sepulchre of Fernán Pérez de Andrade 'O Boo' …

  • Museo Arqueológico e Histórico

    Museo Arqueológico e Histórico

    1.67 MILES

    The 16th-century Castillo de San Antón, the fort set on its own little promontory guarding the entrance to the port, now houses the Museo Arqueológico e…

  • Aquarium Finisterrae

    Aquarium Finisterrae

    0.22 MILES

    Kids love the seal colony and the underwater Nautilus room (surrounded by sharks and 50 other fish species) at this excellent aquarium on the city's…

  • Museo de Belas Artes

    Museo de Belas Artes

    0.97 MILES

    Highlights at the sleek Fine Arts Museum include paintings by Rubens, Picasso, Tintoretto and Sorolla, an impressive collection of Goya prints and a fine…

View more attractions

Nearby A Coruña attractions

1. Aquarium Finisterrae

0.22 MILES

Kids love the seal colony and the underwater Nautilus room (surrounded by sharks and 50 other fish species) at this excellent aquarium on the city's…

2. Museo de Belas Artes

0.97 MILES

Highlights at the sleek Fine Arts Museum include paintings by Rubens, Picasso, Tintoretto and Sorolla, an impressive collection of Goya prints and a fine…

3. Beach

1.08 MILES

A Coruña's city beach is a glorious, 1.4km-long protected sweep of sand, often with decent surfing waves. Named Playa del Orzán at its east end and Playa…

4. Plaza del Humor

1.09 MILES

This small square just west of Plaza de María Pita is decked with caricatures of famous laughter-makers from Cervantes to the Pink Panther. Not quite sure…

5. Ayuntamiento

1.13 MILES

The elaborate but architecturally harmonious early-20th-century Ayuntamiento dominates Plaza de María Pita.

6. Plaza de María Pita

1.16 MILES

Stately Plaza de María Pita is rimmed with cafes and dominated by the early-20th-century Ayuntamiento and a monument to the heroine the square is named…

7. Galerías

1.19 MILES

The expanse of classic late-19th-century Galician galerías (glassed-in balconies) fronting Avenidas de Montoto and Marina is an emblematic A Coruña sight…