Your travels bring you, at last, to the beautiful city of León – the starting point of your Camino. Check in at your hotel, and enjoy the rest of your day! Similar to Burgos, León is another logical place to consider taking a „day off“ – the amount of things to explore and sights to see can otherwise seem overwhelming. Paying a visit to the Cathedral, the Church of San Isídoro and the Parador is a must, but just as rewarding is simply getting lost in the labyrinth of the narrow streets of the Old Town’s Barrio Húmedo – the „Humid District“ – which has earned this name because of (tapas-) bars beyond count that are situated here. Treat yourself to a drink or snack at the upstairs restaurant terrace of the Hotel NiMú Azotea, from where you can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of León.

8 km. (5 mi.) after León the Camino reaches the town Virgen del Camino, where it splits again into two options: the first one follows the highway for 25 km. (15.5 mi.) all the way to Hospital de Órbigo, and we do not recommend it.

The other option over Villar de Mazarife is scenic and very peaceful: it traverses pleasant landscapes and pops in and out of lovely Meseta villages. As soon as you passed Villar de Mazarife, you will encounter yourself amidst wide-open spaces one last time – with the difference that, now, the mountains lying ahead will be drawing nearer and nearer with every step. Enjoy the flat vastness of the terrain, and the liberating feeling of finding yourself in the middle of nowhere! Todays destination is the charming town of Hospital de Órbigo. Enjoy the site of the massive medieval bridge comprising 20 (!) arches – there is no other one like this on the whole Camino.

Distance: 35 km. (21.7 mi.)
Difficulty: long distance, but easy

(You can skip approx. 10 km./6.2 mi., if you decide to take a taxi at the beginning of the stage from León to Oncina de la Valdoncina (not incl., approx. 15 €)

After passing the first of only two small villages, Santibáñez, not long after setting out the small village of Santibáñez, you will start gaining a bit of altitude and – again – passing first patches of forest. Enjoy a lovely rest at La Casa de los Dioses – an enchanting oasis right on the Camino. Once you reach the Cross of Santo Toribio, you will be rewarded with a picturesque panoramic view of mountains to the west and to the north, and the city of Astorga with its majestic Cathedral spires lying straight ahead. Explore Astorga: its Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace (by Gaudí), the city walls and the ancient architecture of this once-Roman city are but a few sights to visit, both in daylight and at dusk.

Distance: 18.4 km. (11.4 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

This day’s stage is not long and quite comfortable, so there is no need to rush out of Astorga at the break of dawn. You will be passing various lovely villages and slowly, ever so gradually beginning to gain altitude. The scenery will also change rapidly before your eyes even by walker’s speed: grasslands will first turn into terrain covered with bushes and short, wind-defiant trees and, eventually, into full-sized forests. As you walk into the charming village of Santa Catalina de Somoza, marking the half-way point of today’s journey, turn around, take a look back and soak up the last panoramic view of Astorga at a far distance and bid farewell to the endless sea of Meseta beyond. And in front, no less epic views of Montes de León looming ahead will be getting you ready for mountain hiking that is to come. The end of today’s journey is the charming village of Rábanal del Camino. You can visit the medieval church in the evening for the vespers for Pilgrims, and rest up for tomorrow’s tough, but stunningly beautiful mountain trek.

Distance: 21.4 km. (13.3 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

As you leave Rábanal del Camino, you will begin a continuous ascent: first, up to the winded village of Foncebadón and, beyond it, to Cruz de Ferro – the Iron Cross – the iconic demarcation of the highest point on the Camino Francés. Here, pilgrims many centuries ago joined the tradition of an even older age: to leave a stone they brought from home at the Cross. Consider spending a bit of time at this summit – rest, and soak up its energies. The next several kilometers (miles) will be fairly flat as you will be walking on the mountain top, forests will give way to picturesque open mountain vistas, and then, two challenging descents will be awaiting you. First, it is a steep, rocky path down to the beautiful medieval village of El Acebo with an absolutely epic drop back view of the entire valley beyond. And then, after some level distance, the last challenge: the descent into today’s final destination – Molinaseca. You can have lunch in the beautiful medieval village of El Acebo before heading towards Molinaseca. This little town is absolute jewel, and many pilgrims rank it among their top 3 most beautiful places on the entire French Way. Spend some time resting on the pretty riverside lawn right across the gorgeous medieval bridge, and take an evening walk back to the bridge for some amazing twilight views.

Distance: 24.6 km. (15.3 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging

Soon after leaving Molinaseca, the Camino veers off from the street and into the fields – we recommend staying on the road as this is considerably shorter, and the alternative is not scenic enough to be worth it. The Camino takes you straight into Ponferrada – the last larger town until you reach Santiago. The most outstanding landmark of this otherwise busy modern city is the imposing medieval castle built by the Knights Templar, which is absolutely worth entering and exploring. Walking out of Ponferrada will take you Today you will enter the more densely populated region of Bierzo, famous for its excellent wines. The highlight of this day is the old Templar’s fortress in Ponferrada.

Distance: 23.3 km. (14.5 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy

Today’s journey takes you across the picturesque wine-country landscapes of El Bierzo until you reach Villafranca. This gorgeous town, situated in a valley where two rivers converge, is another well-known pilgrim hub very much worth spending some time in to enjoy and explore. The local Romanesque Church of Santiago (located right at town entrance) is the only one on the entire Camino – other  than Santiago Cathedral – that has the Gate of Forgiveness (Puerta de Perdón). Since the middle ages, pilgrims that were incapable to carry on for the remaining 185 km. (115 mi.) to Santiago because of their health could receive here their full indulgence and the „Little Compostela“ – Certificate of Pilgrimage Completion. Still in Villafranca, the Camino splits into two options: straight on up the valley of the River Valcarce, or up the Camino Duro (2.2 km longer and quite steep, but considerably more beautiful). Both Caminos then meet again at Trabadelo and lead on to the charming little valley village of Vega de Valcarce.

Distance: 23.5 km. (14.6 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy 
Camino Duro option:
Distance: 25.7 km. (16 mi.)
Difficulty: Challenging

Today’s comparatively short-distance hike comprises a continuous, moderately difficult ascent and is highlighted by absolutely stunning mountain landscape. Shortly after leaving the Valcarce river valley, the Camino will lead you onto a forest path up to the sleepy village of La Faba. Afterwards, the forest gives way to highlands, and as you continue to go up and up, each stop you take will reward you with breath-taking mountain views. Bar La Escuela in Laguna de Castilla is the last stop in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León; just beyond it, you will reach the iconic stone post demarcating the border of Galicia. The picturesque village of O Cebreiro – your final destination for the day – is like an open-air museum. You can marvel at the restored, traditional thatched-roof stone houses called Payozas, which stem from pre-Roman, Ibero-Celtic times and where used until the second half of the 20th century. You should also pay a visit to the Church Santa María la Real constructed on the ruins of a pre-Romanesque sanctuary. Enjoy the local desert specialty „Queso con Miel“ (cream cheese with honey) and the stunning panoramic vistas both at daytime and at sunset.

Distance: 11.8 km. (7.3 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging

O Cebreiro is not only the first village in Galicia – it is also the last one to be situated in the mountains. After some 12 km. (7.5 mi.) of hilly ups and downs through forests, occasional openings with majestic highland views and a few peaceful villages, the Camino begins to descend – first, gradually, and then quite steeply into what Galicia is, really, all about: lush-green, thick and mossy forests. Just before you enter the charming town of Triacastela, you will pass the oldest chestnut tree on the Camino – Castaño de Ramil – which is said to be over 800 years old. After today’s challenging altitude drop of over 600 m. (1,970 ft.), you can now rest or take a quick walk over to the river and relax on its bank, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the lovely Triacastela.

Distance: 20.9 km. (13 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate

As you leave Triacastela, the Camino splits once again into two options: to the left, via the Monastery of Samos (longer) and to the left toward San Xil, which is the one we recommend. The terrain that started at the end of yesterday’s journey will continue for much of today, and you will find yourself traversing lush, most of the time damp forests with moss-clad stones on both sides of your path. As you pass occasional villages, you will find lovely places to stop and rest. Eventually, the Camino will run along a road for some 3 km. (1.9 mi.) and eventually lead you into the bigger town of Sarria. For many pilgrims, Sarria is the starting point of the Camino – it is easily reachable by public transportation, and distance from Sarria to Santiago is just over 100 km., entitling those who walk it to receive their Compostela (Certificate of Pilgrimage Completion).

Distance: 17.6 km. (11 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate

Farewell,Sarria; farewell, Camino – and safe travels on your journey back home or to your next adventure! Or, here is another option well-worth considering: to continue onto our next Part 6 of the Camino; Sarria to Santiago de Compostela – the end of the Camino Francés.

¡Buen Camino!