Camino Frances Walking: Sarria to Santiago (guided group)

Join the group in Sarria. With its Celtic origins Sarria was a major medieval centre for pilgrims. The ancient atmosphere can still be felt in the beatiful old quarter streets. Walk around town, getting our first stamps on our Pilgrims passport. Dinner in town to get to know each other.

 

Today we start walking up and down the hills of Galicia through forests and rural landscape to reach the town of Portomarín over the River Miño. This town has the peculiarity that it was moved in 1962 when a reservoir was built in the River Miño leaving the old town under the water. The old church was moved stone by stone to the new location. This church is a good example of a fortress church with towers and battlements, very typical of the military orders that guarded the Camino in the middle ages and protected the pilgrims from thieves. 

 

Today`s walk starts with a prolonged uphill up to the village of Ventas de Narón from where the walk is more gentle and interesting. There will be plenty of places to stop along the way to enjoy a break, a picnic and to talk to locals and other walkers. We are now half way into our trek and we stay in the town of Palas de Rei where you can really feel the ambience of the Camino since there are many walkers staying here.   

Today walk is a very beautiful stretch of the Camino. We will cross roman bridges and several rivers mostly through delightful woodland to get to the town of Melide, famous for its bars where they sell octopus cooked in Galician style. Melide is also where pilgrims from the Camino Primitivo (Oviedo way) join the main Camino Francés.

We carry on walking through beautiful forest and rolling hills from village to village to get to Arzúa. This town is the last major centre or population before we enter Santiago. Arzua is famous for the cheese they produce; it is sold locally in many shops and bars.

Over half this stage is on natural pathways with good shade offered by eucalyptus forest. We can now really start getting excited about the arrival to Santiago since we are nearly there and there are more and more pilgrims sharing the paths with us. 

 

Today is the last day walking and we will make our way through forest and rural areas to the famous Monte do Gozo, where we will be able to see for the first time the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. From here we only have 5 more km to the Plaza del Obradoiro where all pilgrims celebrate their longed arrival surrounded by the beautiful facade of the Cathedral, old stone buildings, like the Parador de los Reyes Católicos, and the town hall.

We will also get our Compostelana (certificate in Latin of our pilgrimage).

Tonight we will celebrate together over a good table (special dinner with seafood) and enjoy the lively University city of Santiago.

The hotel we stay at in Santiago is very close to the city center.

Your tour finishes after breakfast.