Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules was built in the first or second century AD on a headland guarding the approach to A Coruna, and it is the only Roman lighthouse still in operation anywhere, working continuously since antiquity apart from periods of neglect. The Roman core survives inside a neoclassical casing added between 1788 and 1791 by the engineer Eustaquio Giannini, who encased the crumbling original in a square outer shell and added a new upper stage, taking it to fifty-five metres. An inscription at the base names the Roman architect, Caius Sevius Lupus. UNESCO listed it in 2009. Around it stretches a headland park with a sculpture trail, Celtic-themed monuments and a rock carving site.

What you actually see

• The Roman core - original masonry inside the eighteenth-century casing.
• The neoclassical shell - a 1791 outer skin and upper stage.
• The founder's inscription - the Roman architect named at the base.
• The headland park - a sculpture trail and coastal walk around the tower.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the tower can be climbed, with 234 steps to the top, and closes in high wind. Galicia is wet year-round and the headland is exposed.

Honest expectations

Almost nothing Roman is visible from outside, since the eighteenth-century casing covers it entirely; the original masonry is seen in a section inside. The climb is a narrow stair of 234 steps. Wind on the headland is strong.

Nearby

A Coruna's old town and glass-fronted seafront are south; the Costa da Morte runs west.