Our route today is considered by many to be the highlight of the trip. Incredible landscape over the Miño river. In our opinion, one of the best stages in the whole Camino. Along the way, we'll stop to visit the Benedictine Monastery of Samos.Īfter 2 days of interesting walks, we get into the last 100 kilometers. After having the best tortilla de patatas and the famous Cebreiro cheese for lunch, we'll drive to the town of Sarria where we'll spend the night. Once we reach the top and enter Galicia, it's time to look back and see all the way done today as we enjoy a good glass of beer by the pre-Romanesque church of Santa Maria La Real while listening to a typical Galician song. The outline of the castle of Sarracín stands out against the forest of a distant hill and warns us about the big uphill coming to the end of our stage at the lovely and mystic town of O´Cebreiro. Then, we´ll continue our pilgrimage through the bucolic valley of the Valcarce River, where the sound of small waterfalls accompanies us as we pass hamlets surrounded by vegetable gardens and orchards dotted with tiny chapels. Today you'll drive to the starting point in Ambasmestas, but before we stop at the old Camino town of Villafranca del Bierzo, founded by French pilgrims as a place of absolution for those too weak to continue their pilgrimage, where we´ll visit the Forgiven Door. Our hotel tonight is an old palace with its own winery.ĭay 3: Sarria Convent de la Magdalena in Sarria This is the famous Bierzo region where you will be able to enjoy its fantastic food and wines.

After a long descent, we'll arrive in Ponferrada, our destination today, where we'll visit its astonishing 13th-century Templar Castle. This geographic location divides the Maragatería from the Bierzo, a region protected by high mountains and consequently with a microclimate that produces excellent quality wines and farm products. Then to Santa Catalina de Somoza (where we'll meet Bienvenido and his family), el Ganso (an important stop where we'll have a refreshing glass of cider, a typical Asturian drink), and to Rabanal del Camino (end of the short option) before starting our ascent to the Iron Cross, a humble monument, yet one of the Camino's most significant, situated on the highest point of the whole Camino at 4,933 feet above sea level. We will pass through the villages of the Maragatos, a unique ethnic group with mysterious origins the beauty and simplicity of their villages add to the magnificent natural surroundings. We start walking from Castrillo de los Polvazares, a historical town protected by the UNESCO, enjoying the fantastic panoramic views of the large mountains in the distance. It was also an important Roman city, Asturica Augusta, and key stop along the Pilgrims Way in Medieval times. It was the capital of the legendary Iberian tribe of the Astures.

The city is rich with the heritage of its past. Leaving the pretty city of Leon, we shuttle to Astorga, home of the 15th-century cathedral and the neo-Gothic Bishop's Palace designed by the famous Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudí.

Camino de santiago map