This post follows-on from Pt 1 – this time, what you should actually do in the city, including living like a local, eating and drinking good, and Zara.
Current State
A Coruña was changed immeasurably in 1975, when Amancio Ortega opened up his first Zara in the city center. Since then, Zara has grown to be the flagship chain of Inditex, Ortega’s conglomerate and the world’s largest apparel retailer. Inditex’s 100bn Euro valuation is good enough to make Ortega the world’s 11th richest man.
Inditex dominates the region’s economy. Its headquarters, in rural Arteixo, employs 5,000 designers who are shuttled out from the city daily. You can’t go more than a couple blocks without seeing one Inditex store or another, including its crown jewel, the Zara flagship, which lies at the intersection of the Calle de Sanchez Bregua and the Calle Compostela, one block from the ocean.
Zara brought modernity and industry to the city, attracting designers and models from all over the world, who went on to demand big-city amenities. Couture boutiques like Iamnue Store sprung up in its wake, as did fine dining of various cuisines, helping diversify the Galician diet away from its traditional reliance on mariscos.
This novel modernity has made A Coruña a very lively place. Professionals of all stripes walk its streets and crowd its bars alongside Erasmus students from across Europe. If there’s a baby bust plaguing modern Spain, you couldn’t tell by looking at Coruña – almost every young couple I saw had a baby in tow, and the playground of the Plaza Pontevedra in the city center was filled daily with shouts of playing kids.
Life is good in A Coruña, which also engenders a certain chill among its inhabitants. People were very happy indeed to spend their days at big restaurant tables, taking cañas of Estrella Galicia or bumming out on their lovely beaches like Riazor or Santa Caterina. For travelers more accustomed to the haughty monuments of Madrid or the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast, A Coruña’s different pace of life has a lot to offer.
Getting There
A Coruña has a small airport with mostly-daily flights to Madrid and Barcelona – according to Expedia, you can even get there from London-Gatwick.
If you’ve got the time, though, take the train. There are about 5 daily trains from Madrid’s Chamartin Station to Coruña via Renfe, the national rail operator. The journey takes 5-6 hours and lets you soak in the varied geography of Spain while also going through other Galician cities like Ourense and Santiago.
Sights to See
Ciudad Vieja
Large, pedestrian neighborhood entirely paved by cobblestones and hemmed in by tall townhouses which emerge occasionally into breathtakingly peaceful courtyards. Reminiscent of Venice in its breadth – you could spend your entire stay here.
Plaza Maria Pita
Large broad plaza at the narrow northern end of the isthmus, home to the Royal Audiencia established by the Catholic Monarchs. The statue at middle commemorates Maria Pita, a Coruñera who assisted in the defense of the city against the marauding British under the command of Francis Drake.
Marina
The best place in the city to see examples of A Coruña's characteristic architectural motif – the galerias, facade-wide bay windows which imitate the aft walls of large galleys.
Riazor Beach
Beach on the western side of the isthmus, facing the ocean. At low tide quite rocky, but no less beautiful.
Monte San Pedro
Large park on the hilltop to the southwest of city center – can be accessed via taxi or via a cool funicular which takes you to a big observatory. Great restaurant up there too.
Tower of Hercules
Already mentioned, but site of the oldest extant lighthouse in the world, built by the Romans in the early part of the first millennium. Lovely park surrounding it, with the compass rose of the Celts and a statue of a Celtic king.
Riazor Stadium
Home to Real Club Deportivo La Coruña, the city's soccer team, which plays currently in the fourth league. At one time (2005) they were actually good enough to win La Liga championship, but people love them regardless.
Estrella Galicia Museum
The Museo Estrella Galicia (MEGA) is a baffling thing – an absolute corporate narcissism and meticulously detailed and curated museum of the history of beer at the same time. At one point, a theme park ride puts you inside a vat of barley as you become hops. The 25 euro ticket is worth it for all the free beer at the end, but this is a long tour.
Museums
The Museo de las Bellas Artes da Coruña was very well-equipped, with a great selection of portraits from the 16th century up to the modern era. Also had a lovely collection just of Goya sketches. Other museums focus on Pablo Picasso, who spent his adolescence in the city.
Churches
The Colegiata de Santa María del Campo, located behind Plaza Maria Pita, dates back to the 12th century, which is sort of incredible in its own right. Otherwise go for the Parroquia de San Jorge, which is about 100 years younger.
Eating and Drinking
As an addendum to this section, I’ve put all these great bars and restaurants in a Google Map, available for viewing here.
Bakeries, cafes and fruterías
Every block in A Coruña has its own bakery and its own frutería. While there are supermarkets, people rely on these local shops for their fresh goods, and how fresh they are. Upscale bakeries like Tahona offer truly scrumptious treats with the Scandinavian industrial-chic design affectation a New York-based traveler might already be homesick for.
Some of my favorite cafes: Tahona, Vazva, Cafe Central Park, Astro Coffee, Cafe Siboney
Seafood
Cab drivers in Madrid on the way to the train will tell you to eat the seafood in Galicia, and they're not wrong. All of it's good, but try taking the little tapas camarones at Os Tigres on Calle Galera. Very lovely.
Some of my favorites: A Mundiña, NaDo, Peculiar, Gastromaar, Terreo Cocina Casual
Bars
Like I said earlier, there are a lot of kids and students in A Coruña, and they will absolutely mob bars along Calle Juan Canalejo basically every night of the week. Bars tend to close at 1am but there are clubs, lines for which you'll see begin to form as the street-fronts close up.
Some of my favorites: Twin Fin, La Maleta, La Tata, Abuela Josefa, Kvras
Otherwise
If you're hungry for some other cuisines, I had great Thai at KohLanta, great ramen at Monkee Ramen, and great poke and sushi at Restaurante Samyo in Quatro Caminos.
Shopping and city life
Coruñeros shop for clothes like Americans shop for gadgets – when in Rome, do as the Romans and go shopping!
Definitely try the Inditex complex – any of the several Zaras, the Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, and Bershkas available in city center all fantastic.
Boutiques in city center are great as well, and it's fun shopping at the David in the relationship when Goliath is worth 100bn Euros.
It's worth heading for Marineda City, the giant mall built on the city outskirts in 2011. If you're dying for it, they've got the region's only McDonalds and Starbucks.
Coruñeros also prioritize chilling, either in their many plazas or on their lovely beaches and parks.
Siesta is pretty well-adhered to most days – don't try and go shopping or out to eat between 2pm and 5pm.
Plaza Pontevedra always has kids screaming and skateboarding thanks to the Colegio which fronts it. Otherwise, Plaza Maria Pita is gorgeous, as are the Plaza de Galicia and Plaza de España.
For a nice day trip when it’s sunny out, try going to Santa Cristina Beach in Oleiros. You get a good view of the city’s bayside and can stop at any of the lovely bars on Avenida Che Guevara for a quick one.