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5 Days 6 nights
Daily Tour
2 people
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This is the last route of the five that traditionally compose the French Way. It is of moderate difficulty, with some ups and downs. The route consists of a network of green footpaths and shady forests together with typical small Galician villages. Most pilgrims choose it as their first experience due to the fact that the Office of the Pilgrim awards the document called the “Compostela” only to those who exclusively walk the last 100 km to Santiago. Ideal between April and October (both included) to avoid the commonly rainy Galician winter and enjoy the months of average temperatures and mild Atlantic weather. As it is commonly crowded with pilgrims and groups, it is specially recommended for those looking forward to enjoying some company and wanting to meet new people from all cultures.
| # | Discount group | From adult | To adult | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discount Single Use | 2 | 2 | €380,00 |
Sarria is known as a meeting point for long and short distance pilgrims. It was indeed founded by a pilgrim - the king Alfonso IX - who died there when undertaking the Way to Compostela. Today a modern place, its small old quarter, which climbs up Rúa Maior passing some historical monuments, takes us back into the past. We will be able to visit the churches of Salvador (XIIth century), Santa Mariña (XIXth century) and the Monastery of the Magdalena, itself founded by some Italian pilgrims.
This first stage of the Way takes us through paths surrounded by oaks and chestnut trees that will both shade us against the sun and give us shelter in case of rain. In this rural landscape which combines crop areas with grazing land, we will almost certainly run into more than one cow (very peaceful, they are more than accustomed to pilgrims). There are also small cafés along the way for us to have some rest and regain strength. We inevitably pass by villages like Barbadelo, Morgade or Ferreiros – where we can see the legendary cairn indicating that hardly 100 km remain to arrive in Compostela.
The surprise that welcomes us upon arrival in Portomarín, after crossing a modern bridge, is a breathtaking staircase that takes us up to the town centre. The history of Portomarín is a sad one because of the transfer of the whole village to the current hill. This transfer was completed after the dam was built across the river to create the Belesar reservoir in 1962 and all the original architecture of Portomarín was sacrificed. The only monument that was rescued is the Romanic church of San Juan and San Nicolás which we can see today in the central square of the modern town.
Today we leave the infamous reservoir of Belesar behind and undertake a long ascent up the Ligonde mountain range. We go through villages such as Gonzar or Hospital da Cruz. A day of varied terrain, the landscape changes little by little and we notice more presence of pine and gorse. Unfortunately though, in the last 10 kms of this stretch, the presence of asphalt is unavoidable. Once we pass the villages of Ligonde and Eirexe, if we still have the strength and time, we can take a detour to Vilar de Donas. There, we can find a small temple donated to the order of Santiago in the 12th century that conserves some of the best Gothic paintings in Galicia. From there, we pass Lestedo and we are only a few steps from Palas de Rei, a name that derives from the Latin Pallatium Regis in memory of the Visigothic king Witiza who would have his residence here at the beginning of the 8th century. The Codex Calixtino mentions Palas as a compulsory stop although little of the past glory is preserved today: just some architectural details integrated in the modern buildings.
Today we change province as we cross six shallow river valleys embedded in forests that provide us some rest from the national motorway, some of whose parts we will have to cross again several times along the day. Also, we notice an increase in pine and eucalyptus from now on. As this is a long stage with quite a lot of ups and downs, it is strongly recommended to make an intermediate stop in Melide. In Melide, 2 roads meet: the French and the Primitive.
Therefore, the groups of pilgrims grow even larger during these last 2-3 days of the route. Very little is preserved of the past of Melide, just 2 churches: San Pedro or Sancti Spíritus and San Roque, next to one of the possibly oldest cruceiros in Galicia.
Apart from these, the old pilgrims' shelter has been converted into a museum and information centre. Since in recent decades Melide has become famous for the regional speciality, octopus, most pilgrims take the opportunity to try it here for the first time.
In the stretch Melide–Arzúa, a highlight is the village of Ribadiso where the public hostel is located. This hostel catches the eye for being one of the few that are preserved in a privileged location: in the proximity of a river and a medieval bridge. Finally, we arrive in Arzúa, nationally famous for its cheeses and wines with a denomination of origin Arzúa-Ulloa and home to a famous cheese festival held every year in springtime.
This penultimate stage gives us the shade of the ubiquitous eucalyptuses but we still have to cross some parts of the Santiago-Lugo highway. At the end of the day, a gentle slope to the Hill of Santa Irene awaits us and, from there, we go down to Pedrouzo. This last stop is a quite technical one, due to the distances, since Pedrouzo is just a modern residential area, a dormitory-town of Santiago.
The first part of the route of today continues among the eucalyptuses. It is highly recommended to enjoy the calm these trees provide since, after the first ten kilometres, we cross the surrounding area of the airport of Santiago (located in the town of Lavacolla) and from there, we no longer abandon the asphalt. A popular legend has it that the name of Lavacolla comes from the habit of pilgrims washing their clothes before entering the city of Santiago.
However, the highlight of the day will definitely be the ascent to Monte do Gozo (Hill of Joy) from where we catch sight of the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago for the first time. We will shortly enter the city. Just a few kilometres through the neighbourhood of Saint Lázaro separate us from the arrival at Praza do Obradoiro.
Congratulations! You’ve made it! After obtaining your sealed diploma, the Compostela, and attending the customary Mass of the Pilgrim in the Cathedral, take advantage of a stroll by the streets of the old town in Santiago. Its many bars and restaurants await you with their excellent food and legendary “tapas”. Pay a visit to the local marketplace (Praza de Abastos), stroll through Bonaval park (former municipal cemetery) with its adjacent museums, or take a quick trip to the powerful architectural experiment of the City of Culture. In order not to run out of time to enjoy the medieval city and its area, we strongly recommend the reservation of an additional night in Santiago. And if a weekly experience like this is not enough for you, in the future, we strongly encourage you to keep walking from Santiago to Fisterra and Muxía, or the “end of the world” as the Europeans once believed before discovering America.
