Hostal dos Reis Católicos

The Hostal dos Reis Católicos is a historic building and state-run parador hotel in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, founded in 1499. It occupies a principal position on the Praza do Obradoiro opposite the Cathedral of Santiago.

The building houses preserved historic public rooms, a courtyard and guest accommodations within a late 15th-century structure, and it operates both as a luxury hotel and as a heritage site visited for its architecture and connections to the pilgrimage to Santiago. Decorative stonework and an enclosed arcade are among the architectural highlights seen by visitors.

Commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs as a hospital and shelter for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, the complex was completed in the early 16th century and has since been repurposed; in the 20th century it was adapted to function as Spain’s Hostal dos Reis Católicos, a state parador hotel preserving much of its historic fabric.

Sited on the eastern side of the main square of Santiago de Compostela, Praza do Obradoiro, the building directly faces the cathedral and lies in the historic centre of the city in Galicia.

• Position: Occupies the eastern side of Praza do Obradoiro directly opposite the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and functions today as a state-run parador hotel.
• Founding and use: Construction began in 1499 under the Catholic Monarchs as a royal hospital and pilgrims' hospice; the building was later converted to a parador hotel while retaining historical interiors and decorative elements.