Santiago de Compostela: Crafts and souvenirs in the historic centre

Crafts and souvenirs in the historic centre

Santiago's old town has the UNESCO World Heritage designation. Here you will find a host of small shops and craft workshops with special charm. In the streets and squares of the historic centre, such as Nova, Vilar, San Pedro and Preguntoiro, along with Plaza Toural and Cervantes Squares and the whole area around the Cathedral, you will find all sorts of shops, with everything from foods and the finest fashion, to jewellery, books and shoes. Most outstanding, though is the array of different craft items and souvenirs: incense burners, walking sticks and hats for pilgrims, scallop shells, jewellery in silver and jet (the city's magic stone), ceramics, bagpipes, candles, carvings, tapestries, carpets, glassware, precious metalwork, leatherwork, etchings... If you are looking for silverware, then head for Plaza das Praterías Square and the surrounding area. Here you will find everything from necklaces, brooches and bracelets with the latest design, to more classic figurines, candelabras and trays. It is also well worth a trip to Acibechería street and square, where there are workshops and shops selling jewellery and costume jewellery fashioned using jet.