Visit Lugo, Spain; a town completely surrounded by Roman walls

Visit Lugo

Lugo is capital of the province of Lugo in the region of Galicia. Lugo is completely surrounded by magnificent Roman walls.

Explore Lugo

The walls of Lugo are a World Heritage site and were built in the later part of the 3rd century to defend the Roman town of Lucus. They are entirely intact and are the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe. Indeed Lugo is the only city in the world to be completely encircled by Roman walls that are still intact!

The walls are ten to fifteen meters high in places and 6 meters thick and there are 71 towers built into the walls. It is a treat to walk around the top of the walls and admire the views of the city and of the countryside.

Inside the walls the lively old town has lots of old streets, lovely squares and even gardens. The Plaza Mayor has a distinctive Baroque Town Hall and in the Plaza Santo Domingo there is a black statue of an eagle, built to commemorate Caesar Augustus' taking of the city.

The large Romanesque cathedral of Lugo is modelled on the cathedral of Santiago and has a Baroque cloister.

The nearby Museo Provincal has exhibits of Celtic gold and gallego art.

In the old town you can also visit the underground remains of a roman villa called Domus Oceani. Here there are lots of remains of mosaic walls and floors to be seen.

Lugo, Galicia photo is copyright

Places to visit nearby

Nearby Betanzos has a lovely ancient centre and is considered one of the most beautiful towns of Spain.

The Las Medulas area is a stunning area of red rocks sticking up from the surrounding trees. It is a very unusual landscape created by gold-mining activities.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Galicia guide.