La Coruna (Spain)

La Coruna (aka Corunna) is an Atlantic port city in Galicia (northwestern Spain), with population around 250,000 (metro 420,000), ranking it Galicia's 2nd-largest and Spain's 17th largest. A cruise port, La Coruna serves Santiago de Compostela (Galicia's capital) located approx 56 km (35 ml) to the south.

Port La Coruna is a located on the entrance of a large gulf and as major cargo port serves the distribution of agricultural goods from Galicia. The seaport is the main engine for Galicia's economy and province's richest region.

The city is famous for its lighthouse (Roman Tower of Hercules, UNESCO site) which is in continuous operation since 2nd century AD. The lighthouse is surrounded by enormous public park with a golf course. The city is also famous for its glazed window balconies (galerías), Old Town (Ciudad Vieja), Calle Orzan district (where are the most clubs and bars), Los Jardines (park located close to Rua Real and Los Cantones shopping mall).

As cruise port, La Coruna was inaugurated in 2009. In 2017, it handled a total of 120 ship calls and over 184,000 passengers (45% increase over 2016). The year also had 22 two-ship days. The busiest months (high season) are May and September.

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela[a] is the capital city of Galicia (autonomous province in Spain) wit hpopulation around 100,000. The town was first mentioned in in 9th century and in 1985, the Old Town (featuring numerous historic buildings and narrow streets) was designated UNESCO site.

City's economy is based mainly on public administration (here is headquartered Galicia's government), tourism and higher education (USC university). Other large employers are FINSA (machined solid timber), UROVESA (heavy vehicle manufacturer), Blusens (electronics manufacturer), Televés (telecommunications equipment), Banco Gallego (Novacaixagalicia-owned Spanish bank).

Among tourists, the city is mainly popular for its nightlife, architecture and the cult of St James.The Way of St James (particularly in Holy Years - when July 25th falls on Sunday) attarcts between 200-300,000 pilgrims each year.

Besides Port La Coruna, Santiago de Compostela is served by a railway (high-speed trains) and an international airport (linking to Canary Islands, Barcelona, Malaga, Bilbao, Alicante, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Milan, Geneva, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, London).