Betanzos lies at the confluence of the Mandeo and Mendo rivers. Up until 1833, it was the capital of one of the seven provinces of the Kingdom of Galicia. Betanzos has a well preserved historical town centre, including parts of the medieval city walls, and three gates still standing. One of them, Porta da Ponte Vella, is the gate through which the Camino Inglés enters the town.
What to see in Betanzos
Igrexa de San Francisco
The church houses the tombs of numerous knights and nobles, the most prominent being the sarcophagus of Fernán Pérez de Andrade "o Boo" ('the Good'), resting on the backs of a bear and a boar.
Igrexa de Santa Maria do Azougue
The particular feature of this church is the agricultural references used in the ornaments. The ordinary farmers and their produce appearing here and there are reminders of its Romanesque origins. The name of the church is said to originate from the Arabic word for market, al-sūq.
