Camino de Santiago – St. James Way

“Learn all you can from those who walk by your side.”
-Reflexion on Camino de Santiago by Unknown Author

Camino de Santiago

DAY 1- ASTORGA TO SARRIA
Our meeting point will be in the city of Madrid in the lobby of the NH Paseo del Prado hotel at 8:30 am.

From here the group will be transferred to Sarria in our private vehicle. We will visit the beautiful city of Astorga, situated in the province of León, which has very rich medieval legacy. Here we will enjoy a delicious welcome lunch. Then, we will visit the famous Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) where we can follow the centuries-old tradition of placing a stone at the base of the Cross.

Finally, before arriving in Sarria, we will visit the town of O’Cebreiro which marks the beginning of the Camino de Santiago in Galicia. Tomorrow we will begin our Camino!

DAY 2- SARRIA TO PORTOMARÍN (18.7 KM)
As we journey through this stage, we will come across many little villages. The most interesting are Barbadelo, Ferreiros, Vilachá and Portomarín, where we will see many important monuments. For example: the church of “Santaigo de Barbadelo”, famous for its beautiful architecture, the Romanesque portico at the church of Ferreiros, the legendary 100 km marker and the fortified church of St. Nicholas in Portomarín. We will also have the opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Miño river valley right outside the town of Vilachá.

DAY 3-PORTOMARÍN TO A BREA (22.5 KM)
Today’s journey will take us through beautiful oak and eucalyptus forest trails. Pass the villages of Gonzar, Ventas de Narón, Ligonde and Airexe on our way to the town of A Brea.

DAY 4- A BREA TO BOENTE (23.3 KM)
In today’s stage we will walk along peaceful forest paths passing by the town of Palas de Rei. Stop to admire the Romanesque portico of San Tirso’s church. Next, we’ll cross the border that divides the provinces of Lugo and A Coruña on an ancient Roman Road. Once in A Coruña, we’ll marvel at true jewels of the Camino, such as the church of the “Virgen de las Nieves”. Also, the ancient Roman bridge in the town of Furelos is worth a picture. The churches of Sancti Spiritus and Santa María de Melide are in Melide, a town famous for its octopus. We can sample some in one of its many “Pulperías” (establishments specializing in octopus).

DAY 5- BOENTE TO SALCEDA (19.5 KM)
Today we’ll start our walk from the town of Boente, home of the spectacular church of Santiago, and continue on through the lovely towns of Arzúa, Ribadiso and Castañeda – all very closely linked to the Camino’s history. In Arzúa, we can see the beautiful chapel of “La Magdalena” built in Gothic style and founded in the 14th century. Try some of the delicious local cheese, with its own denomination of origin. We’ll continue walking past the town of Calzada on our way to Salceda.
Night in Arzúa.

DAY 6- SALCEDA TO MONTE DO GOZO (22.9 KM)
Our stage of the Camino de Santiago for this day will take us through the beautiful villages of A Brea, Santa Irene, A Rua and O Empalme. Along the journey we will have the opportunity to see the hermitage of Sta. Irene and its Baroque fountain. The water from the fountain is said to have healing properties. Stop in the town of Lavacolla where the purification ritual needed to arrive in Santiago was performed in ancient times.

The end point of today’s stage is one of the Camino’s most emblematic places: Monte do Gozo (Mount of Joy). From here we can enjoy a marvelous panoramic view of Santiago, where we’ll be able to make out our final destination: Santiago de Compostela’s Cathedral.
Night in Arzúa.

DAY 7- MONTE DO GOZO – SANTIAGO (4.8 KM)
Today is our journey’s most exciting day! We’ll make our way to Santiago’s Cathedral. We’re scheduled to arrive in Santiago before 12:00 pm, so that those who wish to attend the pilgrim’s mass and perform any pilgrim rituals like hugging the Apostle James can do so. In the evening we’ll have a wonderful farewell surprise accompanied by a delicious dinner to celebrate our arrival. Night in Santiago de Compostela.

DAY 8- SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
In the morning we’ll enjoy a guided visit through Santiago. The focus of the guided tour will be on the old city, where we’ll recall the history of the city and the pilgrimage to Santiago through its main monuments, squares and streets. During the visit we will enter the Cathedral where, in addition to its history and evolution, well-known traditions will be explained. On our tour we’ll also go to the fresh produce market, called Mercado de Abastos. Once there the group will have the opportunity to purchase typical Galician gourmet products (fish, seafood, veal…) that can be sampled later in one of the nearby restaurants. Your Camino de Santiago comes to an end at about 1 pm.

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