Daily program
Day 1: Arrival to Leon
Arrive to your first hotel in Leon to join the group. We'll walk around town, getting our first stamps on our Pilgrims passport and dinner in town to get to know each other. We will be able to visit the gothic cathedral and enjoy some tapas in the lively center of Leon.
Day 2: Leon – Astorga (36 miles/58 km)
Start cycling through the plains of Castilla crossing the quaint town of Hospital de Orbigo with its long medieval bridge to get to the old Roman town of Astorga where you can admire the Cathedral and the Bishop's residence designed by the famous architect Antonio Gaudi.
Day 3: Astorga – Molinaseca (32 miles/51 km)
We have to cross today our first mountains and we will enjoy cycling along quiet back roads with beautiful scenery. We pass the Cruz de Ferro where pilgrims leave a stone they have brought from home and then descend to the village of Molinaseca where we can enjoy a good rest and eat well in our hotel next to the river.
Day 4: Molinaseca – Herrerias (32 miles/51 km)
Today's ride takes us through the valley of el Bierzo. We will first enjoy a visit to the city of Ponferrada with its picture perfect templar's castle. Then we will cross the vineyards that make the great local wine to reach the town of Villafranca del Bierzo. From here we approach the border with Galicia and we stay in a lovely green valley in Herrerias just before the climb to the village of O Cebreiro.
Day 5: Herrerias – Sarria (35 miles/57 km)
In the morning with all the energy and the fresh temperatures we climb to the village of O Cebreiro with its wonderful views of the regions of Castilla y Leon and Galicia. We cycle now into the region of Galicia. First we have a long descent to the village of Samos where we admire one of the oldest monasteries in Spain. We then start cycling through oak, walnut and chestnut forest to get to Sarria.
Day 6: Sarria – Melide (39 miles/63 km)
From Sarria we have a lovely few miles to Portomarín cycling through rural Galicia using the off road paths and some very secondary roads. Portomarín is a new town by the river Miño that was completely rebuilt when a reservoir was build in the 1960s. The Romanic church was also moved stone by stone. After lunch we start climbing to a high point to then cycle on undulating landscape through lovely rural areas full of little hamlets to reach Melide.
Day 7: Melide – Santiago de Compostela (32 miles/52 km)
Today is the last day of cycling. We will make our way through forest and little villages to reach 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 3 more miles (5 km) to the Plaza do O Bradoiro where all pilgrims celebrate their longed arrival surrounded by the beautiful facade of the Cathedral.
We will also get our Compostelana (certificate in Latin of our pilgrimage). That night we will celebrate our arrival and enjoy the lively University city of Santiago. The hotel we stay at in Santiago for one night is very close to the city center and is a modern and comfortable building.
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast the tour ends each person will make their own way back. If you need help getting public transport or prices for private transfers let us know and we can help you.
