Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route From Astorga to Santiago

Name: Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route From Astorga to Santiago
Brand: BikeTours.com
SKU: bt48x1368
Rating: 3.5 (11 reviews)

“The perfect way to experience the Camino if you don't have time to walk.” —Jeff

★★★★★★4.3/5 (9)

7 nights | 30 miles/day
Self guided from EUR € 742
Bike tour in Spain

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Enjoy a sensational cycling holiday packed with authentic experiences

The Camino de Santiago offers an incredible cycling experience surrounded by the beauty of Spain. You'll find this tour packed with history - pilgrims have walked this route for over 1,000 years, and the way is lined by blissful cathedrals, churches, and quaint old villages. It's a varied tour, offering a change of scenery every day of the trip - the area of Castilla is very different to Galicia from a cultural and scenic point of view. Every day, you'll cast your eyes over the kind of landscapes that linger in the memory for years to come.

As you travel, sample the outstanding food and wines of these splendid regions. The Galicians, especially, are known for the excellent quality of their sumptuous seafood and tender meat delicacies. When riding as well as when eating, you may encounter other travelers drawn to the beauty and adventure of the Camino de Santiago, and so you can revel in the experience together. Millions of people walk or bike the Camino each year, many on solo adventures, meaning the trail has kept much of the feel of community venture that existed for the pilgrims who first encountered these glorious landscapes.

This is an unmissable cycling adventure for those who love to bike and travel. With its unique blend of wonderful experiences, it goes beyond the usual biking holiday!

It's also possible to travel the entire Camino (from Roncesvalles to Santiago) as an 18 day/17 night tour. Please inquire for further details.

If you are interested in a guided experience, please contact us for details and pricing.
View more photos
Highlights
- Astorga's Gothic Cathedral
- Monte de la Cruz, known as the 'Iron Cross'
- Picturesque town square in Villafranca
- Gastronomy in Galicia
- River Oribio
- Cathedral of Santiago
Learn More

Learn more about self-guided tours or see more Spain bike tours.

Interested in adding to your itinerary? Take a look at our cycling day tours in Spain.
Traveler photos
Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route

Tour Description Daily Program
Daily program

Day 1: Arrival in Astorga
Individual arrival in Astorga. This town is alive with history and intrigue. Be sure to visit the town center's impressive Gothic cathedral, as well as the Neogothic Episcopal Palace, designed by the world-famous Antonio Gaudí.

Overnight in Astorga.

Day 2: Astorga – Molinaseca (30 miles/49 km, 2320 ft/707 m)
Today you'll cycle into the Maragatería area, an atmospheric wooded mountain region where beautiful villages of red stone houses dot the landscape. Here, you'll climb to the highest point of the tour. Once you reach an altitude of 1.510 m, each pilgrim traditionally leaves a stone they've carried from their homeland at the top, so you might like to bring your own rock, stone, or pebble with you! Later, the tour descends into the rich valley of the Bierzo.

Overnight in Molinaseca.

Day 3: Molinaseca – Herrerias / O'Cebreiro (30-37 miles/49-59 km, 2201-4498 ft/671-1371 m)
Today you'll cycle through the flat, cultivated landscapes of the Bierzo Valley, known for producing sumptuous wines, fruit, and vegetables. Around midday, you'll reach the mountains as you enter the historic town of Villafranca del Bierzo. Depending on which hotel you're staying in, you may have to climb the famously steep O'Cebreiro mountain pass which separates the regions of Castilla and Galicia, or stay in the foothills and do the climb the following morning.

Overnight in Herrerías.

Day 4: Herrerias / O'Cebreiro – Sarria (34-28 miles/54-45 km, 3143-846 ft/958-258 m)
You'll explore a new region today, experiencing a different climate, vegetation, and community. Galicia is 'green Spain' - wooded and mountainous. You'll descend into the small town of Samos where you'll discover an ancient monastery from the Middle Ages, still inhabited by monks to this day. Don't miss the opportunity to visit! Your route then meanders alongside streams that lead you into the town of Sarria.

Overnight in Sarria.

Day 5: Sarria – Palais de Rei (30 miles/48 km, 3665 ft/1177 m)
Today's cycle ride runs through blissful rural Galician countryside, passing through many little villages. Most of this stage follows tree-lined roads and pathways, with a mix of secondary roads and old paths. Around halfway through the route, you'll come across the town of Portomarin, rebuilt on a hill after the old town was moved to construct a reservoir in the 1960s. Carry on until you reach Palais de Rei, a small town full of pilgrim history.

Overnight in Palais de Rei.

Day 6: Palais de Rei – O Pino/O Pedrouzo(37 miles/60 km, 3862 ft/1177 m)
Today you'll be tempted to stop and savor every village you encounter, each one a hidden gem with stone-built houses and narrow streets that are seemingly caught in a timewarp! Breathe in the history as you bike, imagining how thousands of people over the centuries have shaped this legendary route.

Overnight in O Pino/O Pedrouzo.

Day 7: O Pino/O Pedrouzo – Santiago (17 miles/27 km, 1965 ft/599 m)
Time to relish the last remaining ride of your adventure! Today the Camino leads you into the very heart of the unique city of pilgrims, Santiago de Compostela. You'll arrive in the Plaza de Obradoiro, overlooking the cathedral built in honor of Saint James. With a buzz of satisfaction and a smile on your face, you'll arrive with enough time to get your 'Compostelana' - your 'Pilgrim's Passport'! This city offers many important landmarks for you to enjoy, every corner imbued with history and atmosphere.

Overnight in Santiago.

Day 8: Individual Departure
After breakfast, individual departure or extended stay.

Surface and terrain

The tour takes place along moderately hilly terrain. All of the tour takes place along paved secondary roads, closely following the Camino itself which is occupied by walkers.

You will not cycle along the Camino itself as you would need mountain bikes - the Camino terrain can be very technical and so we prefer to offer the route along quiet country roads very close to the Camino and on hybrid bikes.

There are two major climbs: one on Cycling Day 1 up to Cruz de Ferro mountain pass, and the other on Cycling Day 2 to O´Cebreiro, entering Galicia. Other days have many small climbs and descents but not nearly as long as these two.

Tarmac: 100%.

Hotels

These are sample hotels and may vary by availability.

The accommodations on this tour are 2- and 3-star hotels and family-run rural accommodations.

Hotel Astur Plaza, Astorga
www.hotelasturplaza.es

Hostal el Palacio, Molinaseca
www.casaelpalacio.com

Hotel Casa Lixa, Herrerias
www.casalixa.com

Hotel Roma, Sarria
Hotelroma1930.es

Pensión Casa Camiño, Palas de Rei
Pensioncasacamino.es/restaurante

Hotel O'pino, Rua
www.hotelopino.com

Hotel Avenida, Santiago de Compostela
www.hotelesavenida.com

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.

How to get there

Tour start
Nearest airport: Madrid, Spain
Nearest train station: Astorga, Spain

Tour end
Nearest airport: Santiago or Madrid, Spain
Nearest train station: Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Transfers from Madrid to Astorga and from Santiago to Madrid are easy via bus.

Tips on getting to and from your tour.

Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route

Tour Photos Dates & Prices
Dates
Daily, upon request: Apr 1-Oct 31, 2023

Prices

Tour package

Per person, double occupancy €742
Single use room (1 person/1 room) €942
Bike Rentals

Hybrid touring bike, 24-speed €90
Electrically assisted bike €180
Additional Options

Optional dinner package(not in Santiago) €120
GPS unit (1 per room) €30
Extra luggage (per item) €74

Extra evenings in Astorga and Santiago available on request.
Included services
- 7-nights accommodation
- Daily breakfast
- Luggage transfer between hotels (limit to one piece per person, up to 20kg)
- Detailed maps and roadbook with your trail clearly marked, instructions to find the hotels each night, and recommendations for things to do and places to visit
- Emergency telephone support in English and Spanish
- The pilgrim’s passport (to be stamped at designated locations in order to acquire certificate in Santiago)
Bike rentals

Bikes are available to be rented (in advance at the time of booking) include:
- Hybrid bikes with 24-gears (men's and ladies bikes) or equivalent
- Electrically assisted bikes*
*More about electrically-assisted bikes >

Each bike is equipped with the following at no additional charge:
- Odometer
- 1 Rear pannier
- Mudguard
- Map carrier
- Helmet
- Water bottle
- Lock(per room)
- Repair kit, pump, spare inner-tube, multi-tool (1 per room)
GPS units are available to rent for €30 (1 per room)

Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that https://www.biketours.com/info/trip-prep/bikes/HERE.

Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. You are welcome to bring your own pedals, but please also bring your own shoes and necessary equipment to change the pedals.

Helmets:
Although a bike helmet is included with rental, we recommend for safety and hygiene reasons that you bring your own helmet.

Tour Company
Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route

Daily program Route Map
Route Map

Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route

Dates & Prices Tour Reviews
Reviews

Write a review
- ★★★★★ Fabio Freire de Carvalho Matos September 6, 2022
  
  One of the best journey in my live
  
  The bike was not so good, but de experience was great. Galícia is a wonderfull place and its people are so kind and happy. I love the organization, all the hostel and hotels, the food, and the maps is very importants for de tourists.
- ★★★★★ Matthew Rogers August 4, 2022
  
  Great adventure
  
  So many great stops. Really loved Las Ferrerías even tho it’s the smallest town - low cultural interest but great people. Two improvements - for O Pino either stay in the town (rather than outside, we had to bike to dinner) or skip that stop. Would be a long day from Palas de Rei (another favorite) but might be worth it. Add another day/night in Santiago to make up for it. Loved Molinaseca - very lively town beach on the river. There are too many great memories to list here, but you guys really did a great job. O Cebreiro beautiful. The Galician castle detour highly recommended. I loved your throwback book of directions. Had to keep in our toes but getting lost sometimes is part of the fun. Going to hit you here with things to improve but it does not mean we did not enjoy our time. The bike I had was in terrible shape - your non e-bike fleet needs some help. By the way, you should tell people who are planning to not use ebikes that this is fairly strenuous! I’m a fairly strong cyclist and I was wasted after most days on the mechanical bike. Maybe it was the extreme heat though that made it seem tougher. Family loved the e-bikes, but the keys were broken, making it more difficult to charge at night. I think your mechanic in Astorga should have checked my back wheel better and should have had the tools to fix the key situation.
  Many thanks for a super memorable experience. Will recommend 100%!
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  July 2022
  How many tours have you completed?
  Over 10
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Much harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 5/5 Included meals
  - 2/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Gillhart September 29, 2019
  
  Cosmic!
  
  Cycling the Camino was a
  revelation! The routes chosen, the hotels (minus one loud one in Sarria), the food, the transport of luggage, everything was thoughtfully organized and otherwise excellent. I highly recommend this trip! (I do have some suggestions about maps and directions which will make the trip even better. Let me know if you’d like them, Biketours!!)
  
  How many tours have you completed?
  None
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  As expected
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  No
  - BikeTours.com staff reply from Chloe September 30, 2019
    
    Thanks for the high-star review! If you like to send us your suggestions, simply respond to the email generated by this response. We'd love to know more!
  - 5/5 Value
  - 4/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Jeff ak October 8, 2017
  
  Excellent way to tour Spain
  
  So many positives and a few negatives. First the trail was excellent for mountain bikes with a mix of paved roads and dirt trails. Great rolling hills and scenery. Lots of walkers and sometimes we shared trail which could be crowded and sometimes we were on highway. Most people friendly and understood sharing trail with bikes. We were surprised to see hundreds of people a day walking the trail.
  Signage was yellow markers/arrows and was excellent. Most of the time we followed them but bike markers were not too good. My major complaint was our maps were not good. They were google type maps that were either too detailed and small that you couldn't read them or too general and broad that you didn't know where to go. We got lost and had to rely on a book with detailed directions comparing it to a general map. That was frustrating especially when the walking trail and bike trail diverged. If in doubt we followed the yellow markers with the walkers but we got onto some really bad hills and had to push bikes. I suggested to the booking company to provide mid level detailed google maps with major landmarks noted on map.
  Overall it was a good trip and the hotels were small and generally 3 star. The small towns were interesting and excellent. Booking company Tee Travel was very good and responsive to our bike problems - one bike had no front brakes and they had it repaired and delivered to our hotel. Overall our bikes were very good rental equipment.
  I highly recommend someone in your group speaks Spanish as we would have had major problems if no one spoke Spanish. The bikes were delivered to our leon hotel by an employee that only spoke Spanish so he could not answer our English questions. Fortunately we had someone in our group that spoke both languages fluently so she translated questions and answers. Our Spanish translator also helped us with getting directions from locals and ordering food. Most hotel employees spoke adequate English.
  Favorite city was ponferrada due to a huge castle. Our favorite hotel was portomarin due to small cabins overlooking a river and vineyards. Also best service and meal was in portomarin where we got all you could eat veal, salad and dessert for $13 euros each.
  You should be an intermediate biker since sitting on a bike for 53 K a day is difficult for a week. I was a casual bike rider and paid the price on my rear end.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  Oct 1st 2017
  How many tours have you completed?
  First one
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 9, 2017
    
    We're happy to hear you had a great time overall! Thanks very much for letting us know about the maps. We'll speak with our local operator partner about upgrading the maps for future clients.
  - 5/5 Value
  - 4/5 Included meals
  - 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 2/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Jeff August 14, 2017
  
  A great way to experience the Camino
  
  Riding bikes is the perfect way to experience the Camino for the person who does not have the months available to walk. Although certainly less physically demanding that walking, biking is not for everyone. It was more difficult than we expected.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  August, 2017
  How many tours have you completed?
  1
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 4/5 Value
  - 3/5 Included meals
  - 2/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 4/5 Scenery
  - 2/5 Ease of navigation
  - 3/5 Tour documents
  - 4/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Fuzzy June 23, 2017
  
  Fantastic Tour
  
  Well organized, great accommodation.
  Beautiful scenery. Good bikes
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  May 30-June 5/17
  How many tours have you completed?
  3
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 3/5 Ease of navigation
  - 3/5 Tour documents
  - 4/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Sagan September 29, 2016
  
  Follow along the path to glorious Santiago de Compostela
  
  Started the trip in Astorga, we arrived on market day (Tuesday) so all the squares were packed with people and stalls.
  Everyday our bags were picked up between 830 - 9am.
  The Road book resetting of bike computers were invaluable and really easy to use.
  This tour had more climbs than expected and on some days there were very steep and very long ascents.
  Downhills were challenging too. We had trained but do not live somewhere with the same terrain. By day three you were used to it.
  You are always on the road most road users are respectful to cyclists leaving plenty of room. The worst traffic was going into Santiago but only for 10Km
  All hotels were easy to fiind and overall everyone was friendly. Best place was El Capricho de Josana in Las Herrerias the food was amazing.
  I would recommend getting your Pilgrim passport and collecting stamps along the way a great souvenir to have and you can collect your certificate in Santiago.
  Arriving in Santiago felt great and a real sense of achievement that we were not expecting.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  6th Sept 2016
  How many tours have you completed?
  4
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 4/5 Value
  - 4/5 Included meals
  - 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 5/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Tour documents
  - 4/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Dad and sons August 23, 2016
  
  Biking the Camino with my sons
  
  A real biking adventure. The biking camino was much more mountainous than we imagined. It was beautiful scenery, thrilling, strenuous, dangerous, rewarding and memorable. We hiked the first half and stayed in hostels. From Astorga we biked and stayed in hotels. Hiking and hostels were much more conducive to meeting incredible new friends. The price of the biking tour seemed a bit expensive for what you recieve.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  August 2016
  How many tours have you completed?
  I've done many bike rides
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 1/5 Value
  - 1/5 Included meals
  - 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 2/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 3/5 Tour documents
  - 2/5 Local tour company services
  - 3/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Robert June 4, 2016
  
  Great way to experience the Camino
  
  The tour was well organised with bikes in good order and daily luggage transfers between hotels very effecient. All the hotels were clean, comfortable and friendly, and we found plenty of good and cheap restaurants for dinner. The food and wine were a highlight for our group. The daily rides were varied and apart from the last day to Santiago, the roads were uncrowded with little traffic. On the last day we found local roads to avoid the busy main roads which was easy to do and extended the day's ride to about 50kms. Highly recommended and we are now looking to book another ride later in the year.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  end april / early may
  How many tours have you completed?
  1
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  As expected
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim’s Route

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