Camino de Santiago from Sarria ESSENTIAL

You will arrive at your accommodation in Sarria by your own means, or if you prefer we can also handle a private transfer from the airport of Santiago de Compostela, the train station or from the city centre of Santiago or any other point of our geography. Before you start the last 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago we suggest you arrive with enough time to Sarria, a town with a greatest Jacobean tradition and the starting point with the largest number of pilgrims of the French Way of Saint James. You can visit the monastery of la Magdalena, the neighbourhood of San Lázaro more than 200 years old, the medieval fortified tower and the street Rúa do Porvir where you can enjoy its antique shops and also its restoration and collecting stores.

• Day 2
• Sarria
• Portomarín
• 24 Km.

After a good breakfast at your hotel in Sarria, you will start the first stage of the last 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago, this distance allows you to apply for the Compostela certificate. You will leave behind the centre of Sarria guided by the yellow arrows that will take you to the beautiful bridge of Áspera. From this point, you will start a climb until the place of Barbadelo where you will be able to visit the church of Santiago de Barbadelo, decorated with scallop shells. You will cross several streams and meadows towards the banks of river Miño and you will pass through small villages of the French Way such as Mercado da Serra, Leiman, Morgade, Ferreiros, Mirallos, A Pena, Mercadoiro, Moutrás and Vilachá. From here you will descend towards the reservoir of Belesar and you will cross the bridge over the river Miño with views over the Roman bridge of Portomarín and its arches and you will finally reach Portomarín. Pons Minea, this is how this town is referred to in the Codex Calixtnus, an obligatory stop of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago where you will be able to visit the church of San Nicolás, its cobbled streets, its low houses with colonnades typical of the Galician cities and you will also enjoy its cuisine tasting the renowned cake “tarta de Santiago”, the “empanada” of European eels and drinking a shot of “aguardiente”, our famous liquor.

• Day 3
• Portomarín
• Palas de Rei
• 25 Km.

Today you will start the second stage of the French Way from Portomarín and Palas de Rei with Galician Roots. This walk will take you to the hillside of the Mount San Antonio passing through Toxibo, Gonzar and Castromaior. A few metres after Castromaior you can divert to see the fort Castro Castromaior, an archaeological site from the Iron Age and the Celtic culture, it is one of the most relevant forts of the Iberian Peninsula. You will continue your Camino through Ventas de Nalón and you will climb to the mountain range of Ligonde that will reward you with amazing views at its top. In your descent towards Ligonde you will find the stone cross of Os Lameiros, one of the most photographed and famous in Galicia due to its double side: on one side you can find virgin Virgen de Los Dolores and on the other side can be found the Crucified Christ. After Ligonde you will traverse Airexe and Portos, from this point there is a detour towards another great monument of this stage, the church of Vilar de Donas, declared as a national monument since 1931. You will reach the parish of Lestedo and after a gentle slope, you will arrive at Palas de Rei where you will spend the night. At Galician Roots, we offer a visit to the castle Castillo de Pambre from Palas de Rei, an impressive fortress with a military architecture.

• Day 4
• Palas de Rei
• Arzúa
• 29 Km.

Today’s stage between Palas de Rei and Arzúa is the longest stretch of the French Way between Santiago and Sarria. During this stage, you will walk along shaded paths, short climbs, large meadows and numerous streams. You will cross the villages of San Xulián do Camiño, Pontecampaña, Casanova, and O Coto where you will abandon the province of Lugo to enter the A Coruña and passing through O Leboreiro, San Xoán de Furelos, where you will pass above the beautiful medieval bridge and its lovely cobbled street town. You will arrive to Melide where the French and Primitive Way join, it is a mandatory stop to eat the “pulpo” (octopus) and try some of the typical treats such as the melindres, ricos and almendrados. You can also enjoy some of its monuments as the chapel of San Roque and the oldest stone cross of Galicia located beside, the square Plaza del Convento and the museum of Terra de Melide. At the exit of Melide you will find the church of Santa María that is the home to valuable Renaissance paintings and to a Romanesque altar, you will cross the most photographed stone path of the French Way located over the river Catasol, you will also pass by the villages of Boente and Castañeda, where were located the lime kilns who helped in the construction of the Cathedral of Santiago. You will continue through the beautiful town of Ribadiso located in a valley with its stone houses facing the river. After a hard climb, you will reach Arzúa through the street Calle del Carmen with its paved floor flanked with colonnades of old houses. You can’t leave Arzúa without trying its most delicious delicacy, the cheese with the designation of origin Arzúa-Ulloa, a handmade produced cheese with cow milk.

• Day 5
• Arzúa
• Pedrouzo
• 19 Km.

In this new stage from Arzúa to Pedrouzo, you will join pilgrims walking the Northern Way as Arzúa is the town where this path merges with the French Way. This stage is pretty easy both for the profile and the number o kilometres. You will enjoy the beautiful landscape typically Galician, with its large cornfields during summer, its green valleys and endless streams. You will cross many towns of the Galician countryside such as Preguntoño, Taberna Vella, Calle, Salceda, Brea and O Empalme. As you progress through paved trails you will find another feature of the Galician countryside; a string of dispersed houses and the abundance of eucalyptus forests. After O Empalme you will arrive to Santa Irene where you will be able to visit its chapel dated from the late 17th century and surrounded by a gorgeous oak grove where you can take a relaxing break. Located only a few metres from there can be found the fountain of Baroque origin known as the fountain of the eternal youth (Fuente de la Eterna Juventud), according to legend anyone who washed with its water will always be young. You will continue your walk through a paved trail until Rúa before you reach Pedrouzo where you will spend the night. Once in Pedrouzo, you can visit the church of Santa Eulalia de Arca, a chapel with a neoclassical style that is strongly linked to the Camino de Santiago, in fact, one its most important characteristics is an interesting altar with a scallop shell shape. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to taste one the best delicacies of this region; the meat of chicken or hen of “Piñeira”, a native breed introduced by the Celts.

• Day 6
• Pedrouzo
• Santiago
• 20 Km.

After a good breakfast, you will fulfil the last stage of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago with Galician Roots from Pedrouzo to Santiago. This last stage like the previous day goes by eucalyptus forests, meadows and the inseparable national road, a constant in the final stretch due to the imminent arrival to the capital. You will go through several urban areas such as Amenal, Cimadevila, San Paio and Lavacolla, a place where pilgrims used to get rid of their dirty clothes formerly as gathers the Codex Calixtinus. Then you will reach another emblematic place of the stage, the Monte do Gozo from where you can have a glimpse at Santiago and the towers of the cathedral. The name of Monte do Gozo (the enjoyment mount) derives the satisfactory emotion which fills the pilgrim's spirit when sighting from there the city of Santiago Apostle. From this point, you are only 5 kilometres away from your final goal and the end of the route of the Way of Saint James, walking by urban ground you will reach Santiago and enter its old quarter considered Heritage of the Humanity. As your steps move you closer to the Plaza del Obradoiro through the narrow cobbled streets of the city you will not only feel the greatest emotion of getting to your final destination but you will also feel the bond with a historical place where thousands of pilgrims as you have fulfilled this millenary route for centuries. You will spend the night at a hotel located in the city centre of Santiago where you will have the opportunity to fancy its monuments, its atmosphere and of course its gastronomy.

After breakfast, our services will end. If you wish you can attend the pilgrim mass officiated every day at 12 noon. If you have more days available in Santiago at Galician Roots we recommend you to check our guided trips section, where we offer a wide variety of guided visits to discover Galicia such as a guided visit in Santiago and many other exciting experiences through our land.