Camino Frances Cycling: Astorga to Santiago (self-guided)

Arrival in Astorga, a charming historic town. Time to explore this interesting city with its walled city center, episcopal church designed by Gaudi and beautiful Cathedral. Astorga is the European birthplace of chocolate and has been manufacturing it since the 16th century. If you have time you might want to check out the Chocolate Museum and stock up on lots of local chocolate for your trip! If you are flying to Madrid your best option is to take the fast train from Madrid to Leon and then a bus or ask us to arrange a transfer to your hotel in Astorga. The bus company ALSA runs a daily service from Madrid to Astorga (duration: between 4 and 5 hours; price: around 25€ per person). 

 

You leave the Castilian plains behind and climb gradually into the mountains of León to the Monte de la Cruz de Ferro (1505m). En route you pass through Castrillo de los Polvazares, known for its very special architecture created by strong orange coloured stone. After riding through the charming mountain village of Acebo (the main street is a straight line of beautiful balconied houses) you will enjoy the descent into Molinaseca, with stunning views of the surrounding valley.

The highlight today is the ride to the beautiful town of Villafranca with stunning views across the vineyards of the Bierzo region and the wooded mountains of León. After the first easy and mainly flat 25km, you have a short climb to Villafranca, which is worth a look for its many monuments and picturesque town square. In the last section today you will ride along the always green and beautiful Valcarce valley. Your charming rural hotel is located in the village of Las Herrerías de Valcarce, on the foothills of Monte de O'Cebreiro. 

Today you start cycling up (9 km) to the top of the mountain and the small village of O'Cebreiro, which is your first village in Galicia. From here, you will have wonderful panoramic views of the valleys that surround this peak, and you can admire the charming slated black roofs of the houses. Once you enter Galicia, the landscape changes dramatically and the area is populated by a number of traditional agricultural villages. Here, each family has small plots of land where they grow their own produce. As well as a change in culture, landscape and language, the gastronomy of Galicia is famous for using home grown products of high quality and preparing them in simple but delicious ways. You will cycle through Samos, home to one of the oldest monasteries in Spain, and cycle through chestnut forests to Sarria.

Today's ride runs through beautiful rural Galician countryside and along tree-lined paths to the town of Portomarín, which was rebuilt on a hilltop in the 1960s in order to construct a reservoir. After lunch, a 13 km climb, followed by a welcomed 12 km downhill, takes you to Palas del Rei, where today's stage ends.

 

You will make your way through forest and rural areas. Continue along the paths to Santiago de Compsotela, connecting villages. You can breathe the history along the way and can only imagine how many thousands of people over the centuries have shaped the path you are on today.

Today you will cycle only 19km; this last stage is intentionally shorter so that you can have plenty of time to discover the lively city of Santiago. Cycle to the famous Monte do Gozo, where you will be able to get your first glance of the towers of Santiago de Compostela cathedral. Continue The Camino to the heart of this old city into the Plaza de Obradoiro, where pilgrims gather to celebrate their hard earned arrival surrounded by the beautiful facade of the Cathedral and other old stone buildings. You will arrive with enough time to be able to get your “Compostelana” and visit the most important landmarks before saying farewell to The Camino.

 

After a hearty dinner and a good nights sleep, your tour finishes after breakfast. Unless of course you decide to book extra nights in Santiago de Compostela or continue your journey on to Finisterre and Muxia. Let us know if you would like to pursue either of these two options and we will be happy to make these arrangements for you.