This March, I took a trip with my dog to Galicia in Spain. While we were there, we not only visited Santiago de Compostela, but we also took a little detour to see the Tower of Hercules and the surrounding park in A Coruña.
In this article, I will tell you all about our trip to the Torre de Hércules lighthouse and its gorgeous surrounding park, which doubles as an open-air sculpture museum and a bird observatory.
THE ROUTE
When visiting the Tower of Hercules by car, the best place to park is just in front of the Aquarium, where you can find a relatively large parking lot that is free of charge. They even have six spots reserved exclusively for motorhomes – it must be a fabulous spot to spend the night right by the sea. From there, you can easily walk over to the Tower of Hercules and the park that surrounds it.
The tower itself used to be a lighthouse and today is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Can you believe that it was already built in the 1st century? That is not a typo. Its designed is believed to be based on the original Lighthouse of Alexandria. It is known as the Tower of Hercules, because according to legend this is where Hercules beat the giant monster Geryon after a long fight. On Mondays, humans can visit the tower free of charge.
The park is also known as an open-air sculptural museum. It covers an astonishing 47 hectares with some famous sculptures dotted around. Can you spot the enormous horn of plenty known as Caracola in the distance?
As it is right by the sea, there are also different species of birds nesting in the cliffs, which makes the Torre de Hércules park a great spot for bird watching as well. Of course, it is also an ideal place for a beautiful walk with your dog. There are many different paths and because the area is so large, you will never get bored. If you need a rest, you can find plenty of benches with beautiful viewpoints.
HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR
We spent around 90 minutes here and it was not nearly enough to cover the whole park. You can certainly spend much more time here, or come back on multiple days to discover different parts of the park. We mostly focused on the area around the tower itself, but the sculpture park extends very far.
Although the Tower of Hercules sits on a hill, the paths were ascending quite gradually and the area seemed accessible.
There is also a stone path leading to the tower which might be more suitable for wheelchairs or prams even in wet conditions.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Tower of Hercules and its sculpture park made for a very nice trip with my dog. It is a great place for a gentle stroll paired with gorgeous views over the sea surrounded by beautiful nature. We would definitely come back again!
A trip with my dog 