Walking the Camino de Santiago
| Resort: | Walking the Camino de Santiago |
| Operator: | Just You |
| Destination: | Spain |
| Price From: | £2149.00 |
TOUR OVERVIEW Ancient churches, Gaudi-designed architecture, and Rioja vineyards. Discover all of this and more on a series of walks taking you to charming towns and cities located on the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.
YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES
ITINERARY DAY 1: UK – BILBAO Today, you fly to Bilbao, the largest city in Spain’s Basque Country. Meals included: D DAY 2: PUENTE LA REINA – LAGUARDIA Walk 6km – 3.73 miles 2 hours Today, we’ll head to medieval Puente La Reina, the meeting point of the Jaca Pilgrim Road and the French Way. We can admire the 12th-century church of Santa Mara de Eunate before beginning our walk along the Camino de Santiago. Passing through vineyards and rural countryside, we reach Puente La Reina, where lunch is included. Our tour then takes us to the La Rioja wine region for a wine tasting in one of the renowned bodegas, before arriving at our hotel in Laguardia. Meals included: B, L DAY 3: LAGUARDIA – BURGOS Walk 5.5km – 3.4 miles 90 minutes Our first stop today is at Navarrete, a town built in the 12th century by the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, offering wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. Then, we drive to Najera and start today’s walk through more vineyards of La Rioja. We’ll continue by road to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an important stopping point for pilgrims. On arrival in Burgos, where we stay tonight, you can join an optional guided tour. Meals included: B, D DAY 4: BURGOS – ASTORGA Walk 6km – 3.73 miles 90 minutes After breakfast, we’ll embark on today’s walk, which takes us to the Campos de Castilla area, known as the ‘breadbasket’ of Spain due to its cereal production. The canal we’ll follow was built for transportation of this commodity, and a highlight will be its locks, which allow for a 14-metre drop in terrain. In the town of Frmista, we’ll have free time for lunch before driving on to Len, where a walking tour is included to explore the old town and cathedral (approx. 2 hrs). Our hotel tonight is in Astorga. Meals included: B, D DAY 5: ASTORGA Walk 5km – 3.4 miles 90 minutes This morning, we’ll admire the Gaudi Palace and Bishop’s Palace of Astorga. Then, we’ll drive to Castrillo de los Polvazares, a wonderful medieval village kept in a time capsule. After a short visit, we will drive to the highlands of the Bierzo region, where we’ll start our walk at la Cruz de Ferro, the famous landmark ‘Iron Cross’. After a traditional lunch in Molinaseca, we’ll drive to the Templar Castle in Ponferrada before returning to our hotel in Astorga. Meals included: B, L DAY 6: ASTORGA – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA Walk 6km – 3.73 miles 90 minutes We’ll reach our goal of Santiago de Compostela today. First, we’ll stop at the Celtic town of O Cebreiro, one of the most picturesque villages on the Way of St. James. We’ll pause to admire its pre-Romanesque church and round stone houses. There’s time for lunch in the riverside town of Portomarn, whose historic buildings were rescued stone by stone when it flooded and moved to allow for a dam to be built on the Mio River. We’ll then drive to Lavacolla, a place some 6 miles before Santiago, where pilgrims in the past would change into their best clothes for the final stage of their pilgrimage. We walk from here to Monte de Gozo, or the Mount of Joy, which is the first point at which pilgrims can view Santiago de Compostela after their long journey. From here, we will drive to our hotel, our base for the next 2 evenings. Meals included: B DAY 7: SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA Walk 2km – 1.24 miles 30 minutes This morning, we’ll head to Fisterra, a historic fishing port where pilgrims would bathe in the sea to purify their souls and collect a scallop shell the symbol of pilgrims. On a short stroll around the lighthouse, see if you can collect a shell to take home as a wonderful souvenir of your trip. This afternoon, why not join our optional guided tour of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, with its porticoed streets lined by granite architecture. We’ll also visit the local market and have the opportunity to attend the pilgrim mass. This evening, we will gather as a group and head to a traditional Galician restaurant for a farewell dinner. Meals included: B, D DAY 8: SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – UK We’ll transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Meals included: B ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
