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Camino Stage 4 & 5: Leon to Santiago

16 Days & 15 Nights 4.6 Read 60 reviews
  • Walking the final 300km of the French Way to Santiago.
  • Starting your journey from the Cathedral in León.
  • Walking through the villages and mountains of Galicia.
  • Collecting your Compostela from the pilgrim's office in Santiago.
  • Meeting fellow pilgrims and turning strangers into friends for life.
Walk the last 300km of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, from the Cathedral city of León to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Following the ancient pilgrim’s route of the Camino de Santiago through the villages, towns and cities of Galicia you will have a journey filled with beautiful places, people and experiences on your way to Santiago.
The Camino attracts a wide range of pilgrims from around the world who walk for many different reasons. The final two stages include plenty of variety including the highest point of the Camino.

Tour Type:

Pilgrimages | For those looking to follow a path of self-discovery. Our Pilgrimage and Camino routes take you on a journey through diverse landscapes and local flavours, while meeting like-minded adventurers along the way.

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Long-Distance Trails

Activity Level & Terrain

This walk is graded moderate and includes daily walks of 9-28km so you will be walking for between 5 and 8 hours each day. The trail consists of a mixture of dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths.

Navigation

The Camino is very easy to follow. The route is marked with yellow painted arrows and a yellow shell on a blue background. The detailed travel pack we supply includes a detailed guidebook including maps, a detailed information pack for planning and preparing for your Camino, detailed instructions of how to find your overnight accommodation and everything you need for your Camino.

In addition to the printed route notes, you will receive in your travel pack, you will also have access to our Macs Adventure App, allowing you to follow the route on richly detailed mapping on your smartphone.

Accommodations

Our Camino Tours include small rural hotels and hostels close to the route of the Camino. You will always have a private room and en-suite (attached) bathroom. When staying in Leon, Pamplona, Sarria and Santiago, you will stay in 3* hotels, the other nights will be in a mixture of rural hotels and hostels.

Single Rooms

Single rooms are available, although a supplement is payable. The price for a single room is available on the included tab of this tour and in the booking engine.

Meals

A light continental breakfast is included each morning, which can sometimes just be coffee, bread and orange juice. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Every place you stop will have evening meals available, you can get a pilgrims menu for about 10 Euros which includes 3 courses, wine and water!

Extra Nights

We can add extra nights if you wish, allowing you to have rest days in between the longer walking days.

Included
  • 15 Nights accommodation in small rural hotels and hostels with en-suite W/C.
  • Daily breakfast
  • Baggage Transfers
  • A detailed information pack including route notes, maps and local information for your party.
  • Camino guide book.
  • Access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App
  • Emergency support from our local and UK offices.
Excluded
  • Return travel to Leon/Santiago.
  • Lunches, dinners (optional), snacks or drinks.
  • Travel Insurance.
  • Personal Equipment.
  • Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage.
Extras
  • Additional nights’ accommodation

When To Go

You can start your Camino on any day of your choosing, between February and Mid November subject to availability.

Time of Year

The spring months of March and April tend to offer nice mild conditions for walking although the nights can be quite cold at this time of year and there can be quite a lot of rain in the region of Galicia at this time. The summer months of July and August can get very hot and humid. The autumn from late September through to October offers cooler temperatures again although daylight hours start to become less at this time. The region of Galicia in particular experiences higher rainfall than the rest of Spain so you should come prepared with waterproofs!

Weather and Climate

The weather on the Camino will change slightly as you travel from the Pyrenees over to Galicia. The spring months of April and May tend to offer nice mild conditions for walking although the nights can be quite cold at this time of year and there can be quite a lot of rain in the region of Galicia at this time. The summer months of July and August can get very hot and humid. The autumn from late September through to October offers cooler temperatures again although daylight hours start to become less at this time. The region of Galicia in particular experiences higher rainfall than the rest of Spain so you should come prepared with waterproofs!

Getting to the Start

By Air: Oviedo is the closest airport and is serviced by EasyJet from London. There are 8 buses a day from Oviedo to Leon which takes 1hr30. Timetables and fares at Alsa. Madrid airport is the best airport if travelling from outside Europe. Connect by train from Madrid. We can also arrange a private transfer from Oviedo Airport to Leon for a hassle-free start to your trip! 

By Train: León is 2h45 by train from Madrid. Timetables and tickets at Renfe.

By Bus: León is 4h00 by bus from Madrid. Timetables and fares at Alsa.

Getting from the End

You can fly directly from Santiago back to the UK with Ryanair who fly direct to Stansted and Easyjet who fly direct to Gatwick. Another good point to connect through to travel internationally is Paris. You can fly from Santiago to Paris with Vueling or from Madrid with Ryanair.

We can arrange private transfers to take you from your hotel directly to Santiago Airport. 

Luggage Transfer

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Baggage transfers are included (max 20kg per person). Your main bag will be transferred each day between your overnight accommodation so that you only need to walk with a day pack.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Pilgrim Passport

The Pilgrim Passport is issued by the Church of St James, you will find this in your pack waiting for you at your first hotel. Alternatively, you can obtain one at the start of your walk in the Pilgrims’ Office or the local church in town. You need to get the passport stamped in churches, restaurants and hotels along the way. At the end of the walk, in Santiago, you can obtain your Compostela Certificate (only if you have walked the last 100km).

Equipment

Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, lightweight clothes, waterproofs and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in León and overnight Day 2 León to Villar de Mazarife 12.4 miles / 20 km Day 3 Villar de Mazarife to Astorga 17.4 miles / 28 km Day 4 Astorga to Rabal del Camino 12.4 miles / 20 km Day 5 Rabal del Camino to Molinaseca 14.9 miles / 24 km Day 6 Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo 18.6 miles / 30 km Day 7 Villafranca del Bierzo to Herrerías de Valcarce 11.2 miles / 18 km Day 8 Herrerías de Varcarce to O Cebreiro 5.6 miles / 9 km Day 9 O Cebreiro to Triacastela 13.7 miles / 22 km Day 10 Triacastela to Sarria 11.2 miles / 18 km Day 11 Sarria to Portomarín 14.9 miles / 24 km Day 12 Portomarín to Palas de Rei 14.9 miles / 24 km Day 13 Palas de Rei to Arzúa 17.4 miles / 28 km Day 14 Arzúa to A Rúa 11.8 miles / 19 km Day 15 A Rúa to Santiago de Compstela 11.2 miles / 18 km Day 16 Onward travel

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