Live on Site: Santiago de Compostela and the Way of St James

TRAVEL IN CONTEXT | LIVE ON THE GROUND | LEARN FROM A LOCAL

Pilgrims have been flocking to Santiago de Compostela for over 1000 years, in particular to visit the tomb of St James in the magnificent cathedral built for it. The city subsequently became a symbol in the struggle of the Spanish Christians against Islam and now boasts an outstanding ensemble of buildings and a well-preserved historic centre. In 1985, it was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO.

Join Galician local guide Manuel Ruzo and Academy Travel tour leader Dr Jeni Ryde as we explore the beautiful Old Town. We walk the last section of the Portuguese Camino from Alameda Park, where pilgrims catch their first sight of the cathedral, and after arriving in the centre of town we admire the exceptional ensemble of the Obradoiro, or main square, and the magnificent Romanesque cathedral façade in the Plaza de Platerías. We’ll also take a stroll through the medieval streets to the famous Abastos market, where we meet the local growers selling their produce.

LECTURER & LOCAL GUIDE

Dr Jeni Ryde is a linguist and art historian, and was for many years a senior lecturer in Italian at Western Sydney University. In addition to her expertise in interpreting and translation, and her PhD in Renaissance art history, tourism and museum management, Jeni has recently developed a passion for the Spanish language, and for the art, history and culture of the Iberian peninsula. She leads our tours to Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Manuel Ruzo was born and raised in Galicia in north-west Spain. After completing his degree in tourism at the University of A Coruña, he worked in the hotel and resort industry in the Canary Islands. A deep love of his homeland brought him back to Galicia, where he opened a restaurant and began to work as a qualified local tour guide. He now runs a regional tourism business, Art Natura, together with his wife, specialising in tours of the Camino de Santiago and in the cultural and gastronomic experiences for which Galicia is world-famous.

How it works

Each virtual tour allows for in-depth exploration of key sites. Your local guide walks you around the sites and explains, in real time, the context and significance of what you see. The visits combine live on-the-street video with background context from your Academy Travel tour leader and interpretative visuals to help you see even the finest details.

The Live on Site tour is 90 minutes in length and held on Zoom. The cost to subscribe to a Live on Site tour is $65. Online booking required – see details below.  Each booking is for one screen.

Live on Site & Zoom

Our Live on Site tours will be hosted on Zoom, a free online education platform. If you don’t already have an account with Zoom, you will need to sign up at www.zoom.us. To join with video, you’ll also need a device with a camera (such as a computer, phone or tablet with a webcam). Otherwise you can join with audio only.

A confirmation of purchase will be sent to your email and once we receive your enrolment, we will send you an email with a link and password to use for Zoom to access your Live on Site tour. We’ll send basic instructions on joining a lecture session for those who are new to Zoom, and your Academy Travel lecturer will be available 15 minutes before the tour starts to help with any technical issues.