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In September 2017 I hiked the last 265 kilometers (approximately 165 miles) of the Camino Frances, one of the routes that make up the Camino de Santiago. I walked from Astorga to Santiago (distance is according to what I tracked on Runkeeper but according to the magnet I bought it’s officially 260.4 kilometers). This article outlines the stages between Astorga and Santiago that I completed, and some of my experiences along the Camino. The best thing about the Camino is that you can choose to make each day as short as long as you want, this is by no means a set itinerary. I walked a total of 11 days, an average of 15 miles (24 km) a day, with the longest day being close to 18 miles (29 km) and the shortest being 12.5 miles (20.12 km).
For other information on the Camino de Santiago, be sure to check out my other posts regarding costs, a packing list, and other resources!
Here is a summary of the stages and the hotels and albergues I stayed in. You can also click on the stage to skip to the details of that stage.
| Day | Origin-Destination | Walking Distance | Accommodation | Type of Accommodation |
| Travel Day | Barcelona-Astorga | N/A | Hotel Gaudi | Hotel with private room/bathroom |
| Day 1 | Astorga-Foncebadón | 15.65 miles (25.19 km) | Albergue Parroquial Domus Dei | Donativo |
| Day 2 | Foncebadón-Ponferrada | 15.66 miles (25.2 km) | Albergue Guiana | Private |
| Day 3 | Ponferrada-Villafranca de Bierzo | 14.75 miles (23.74 km) | Albergue de la Piedra | Private |
| Day 4 | Villafranca de Bierzo-O Cebreiro | 17.01 miles (27.37 km) | Albergue O Cebreiro | Municipal |
| Day 5 | O Cebreiro-Triacastela | 12.65 miles (20.36 km) | Pension-Albergue Lemos | Private |
| Day 6 | Tricastela-Sarria | 15.69 miles (25.25 km) | Casa Don Alvaro | Private |
| Day 7 | Sarria-Portomarin | 14.35 miles (23.09 km) | Albergue Ultreia | Private |
| Day 8 | Portomarin-Palas de Rei | 15.56 miles (25.04 km) | Albergue Meson de Benito | Private |
| Day 9 | Palas del Rei-Arzúa | 17.80 miles (28.65 km) | Albergue Ultreia | Private |
| Day 10 | Arzúa-O Pedrouzo | 12.52 miles (20.15 km) | Albergue REM | Private |
| Day 11 | O Pedrouzo-Santiago | 13.35 miles (21.48 km) | Hostal Suso | Hotel with private room/bathroom |
| Day 1 Post Camino | Santiago-Finisterre | N/A | Hostel Oceanus Finisterre | Private |
| Day 2 Post Camino | Finisterre-A Coruña-Barcelona | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Travel Day
Friday, September 8 – Barcelona to Astorga
Accommodation – Hotel Gaudi (private hotel)
I arrived in Astorga in the early evening on September 8 after a long train ride from Barcelona and checked into Hotel Gaudi after having to call them because I couldn’t find the front door. I was happy I made myself understood in Spanish but at the same time felt dumb for not being able to find it myself (it was literally a couple of meters from where I was). After picking up my Credencial de Peregrino at the cathedral, I found an Italian restaurant and carbo-loaded on spaghetti and red wine and went to bed early.
Day 1
Accommodation – Albergue Domus Dei (donativo)
Day 1! It was like waking up for the first day of school. I woke up at 7 am, tired, excited, nervous, and ready to hit the trail. I got dressed, repacked my backpack, and checked out of the room. I ordered a cup of coffee from the hotel bar, ate a banana and one of my protein bars and headed out around 7:45. I took a selfie next to the first Camino sign I saw, recognizable by the scallop shell which is the symbol of the Camino, and started following it. I immediately saw other pilgrims several steps in front of me, noticeable by their walking sticks and huge backpacks, so I knew I was off to a good start. I noticed many people were wearing shorts and wondered if I should have brought more capri length pants (I only had one pair). I wondered if I should say “Buen Camino” to every person I passed or just a simple “Hola” was sufficient. I took photos of the beautiful scenery. I saw a guy wander off to the side presumably to take care of business. The elevation slowly increased and the air became a little cooler, and I changed my mind about wishing I had more capri pants.
I stopped about 8 miles in at a town called El Ganso where I sat on a bench and stretched. It was a lot cooler here, I was borderline cold (I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants). An old lady walked up to me and started talking to me and the only thing I could make of her Spanish was that I should put on a jacket. I smiled and thanked her then went inside a bar to have my first tortilla española and cafe con leche of the trip.
After my descanso I listened to part of the “The Power of Now” audiobook on my iPhone (other than this, I rarely used my headphones while walking the Camino). My shoulders had started to hurt a bit and I had been walking for almost 5 hours. I sent Viber messages to my dad and sister. My dad seemed to take a real interest in my Camino and had started doing his own research on it, so much so that each night he would send me a summary of what the next day held for me, which was nice, like having my own personal guidebook I didn’t even have to open. He told me people normally stop in Rabanal del Camino after Astorga, so I felt good about having made it to Foncebadón which is what my ForWalk guide had suggested.
I arrived in Foncebadón exhausted and happy. Foncebadón is a tiny village. It consists of a single street (actually a dirt road). That night I stayed in Albergue Domus Dei, a donativo. The albergue hosted a light family style dinner. The hosts spoke almost no English but there were several in the group that knew a little Spanish so it worked out. The hosts asked us to go around the table and talk about why we were doing the journey and it was a great way to connect with other pilgrims. Any doubt in my mind I had about being able to walk 20-25km daily disappeared. I was surrounded by people, many of them several years older than myself, who were already two-thirds of the way into their Camino, having already walked double what I would be walking.
Day 2
Sunday, September 10 – Foncebadón to Ponferrada – 15.66 miles (25.2 km), 807 ft elevation gain, 5:53:15
Accommodation – Albergue Guiana (private albergue)
Leaving Foncebadón at sunrise was absolutely gorgeous. Not to mention freezing! But it’s well worth getting up early because the scenery on this portion of the Camino has beautiful panoramic views. About 30 minutes after leaving Foncebadón I arrived at the Cruz de Ferro which is where you are supposed to leave a rock or personal object that you carry with you from the start of your Camino that signifies the release of burdens. Since the start of my Camino was only the day before, I didn’t think it would have as much significance so I didn’t leave anything.
Until reaching the small town of El Acebo de San Miguel about 5 miles in, this stretch is pretty much entirely along a trail through nature and feels more like a “legit” hike as opposed to walking alongside a highway or through a town. Since I had only eaten a piece of toast for breakfast, I was getting pretty hungry. When I got to El Acebo I stopped for coffee and food with two American guys I had met a couple of kilometers earlier who were on an 11-month mission trip through 11 countries, which I thought was pretty amazing.
After this first break, I continued downhill to Molinaseca, another 7 miles away. This section has some rocky downhill parts, so if you have knee problems I’d definitely recommend walking sticks. As I descended, the air got warmer and warmer, and my legs and shoulders got more and more tired, until I finally arrived in Molinaseca. Molinaseca is an adorable town with its own little river. I stopped on the bridge to adjust my backpack and take some pictures.
I saw the mission trip guys again, who said they were going to stop here for the night. However, my goal was about 3 miles further to Ponferrada, which felt like the longest 3 miles of the day. This last stretch was on a sidewalk alongside a road all the way down into the city, which was basically like walking in a suburb. I stopped several times because my shoulders were bothering me (another reason to not buy the cheapest backpack possible) and ate the last of my gummy bears. Finally, I made it to the big city of Ponferrada, which isn’t actually that big of a city. But compared to Foncebadón, it might as well have been Barcelona.
That night I stayed in Albergue Guiana which I had booked the night before. This is where I met Denise and Jorge who would I end up walking with for the next 2+ days.
Day 3
Monday, September 11 – Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo – 14.75 miles (23.74 km), 961 ft elevation gain, 5:22:23
Accommodation – Albergue de Las Piedras (private albergue)
I set out that morning in Ponferrada with Denise, Jorge and an Italian guy whose name I forgot, but it’s not my fault because he only walked with us one day. Denise was from Brazil and Jorge was from Spain, and neither of them spoke very much English so I used my broken Spanish and Google Translate to communicate with them (Denise was nearly fluent in Spanish).
This stretch passed through some gorgeous vineyards. We stopped in Cacabelos where I got cafe con leche and two mini churros for the amazing price of 1€.
The Italian had some ibuprofen cream, which was amazing for my shoulders and also my foot, the top of which was starting to hurt. He ended up going 10 kilometers further than we did that day as he had to be back home in a week so I had to say goodbye to him and his ibuprofen cream and went straight to the farmacia to get my own. Pro tip: get the one with menthol, it’s even better.
The albergue we had originally tried to book when we stopped in Cacabelos never answered their phone and when we arrived they only had 2 beds left. Since we wanted to stay together we ended up a couple of streets over at Albergue de las Piedras, which was supposedly built against a rock face and part of the rock is inside the hotel.
The town itself was really cute. It had kind of had a Jackson Hole vibe to it, nestled in the mountains with a river running through it.
Day 4
Tuesday, September 12 – Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro – 17.01 miles (27.37 km), 3280 ft elevation gain, 7:00:02
Accommodation – Municipal O Cebreiro (municipal albergue)
After breakfast in the albergue for only 2€, we set out along the highway. It rained a bit and I had to unwrap the rain poncho for the first time. The first few miles out of Villafranca del Bierzo is completely alongside a highway which made for a pretty unmemorable walk. Denise and I lost Jorge after a few miles (well actually, he lost us). We took two breaks, one in Pereje just 3 miles away for just coffee and to use the bathroom, and another at a truck stop for a snack of jamón and queso and another cafe con leche. Later in the day, we stopped in Las Herrerías de Valcarce, a small village which is where the ForWalk guide had originally suggested I end the day. But after yet another snack, we decided to keep ascending into O Cebreiro which was a great idea for two reasons – one, to get the hill over with and two, the views leaving O Cebreiro the following morning were amazing.
Between Las Herrerías and O Cebreiro, the Camino leaves the autonomous community of Castile y Leon and crosses into Galicia. The trail along this portion is beautiful, with rolling green hills and expansive views.
O Cebreiro is a magical little village and when we arrived it was super foggy and the small stone buildings and paths looked like something out of Game of Thrones. (Not that I would know because I’ve never seen it…) We found Jorge and also met two other guys, Jose and Adrian from Barcelona and León, respectively. Jose was a university student and spoke English well, Adrian was a nurse and spoke little English. These two would end up being part of my “Camino family” that I would end up in Santiago with. We still keep in touch to this day.
Day 5
Wednesday September 13 – O Cebreiro to Triacastela – 12.65 miles (20.36 km), 1015 ft, 5:01:04
Accommodation – Pension-Albergue Lemos (private albergue)
Waking up in O Cebreiro was just as magical as arriving. A sea of clouds greeted us outside the door as the sun rose. After spending 30 minutes or so taking pictures, Denise and I were on our way. We had woken up a little later than we had planned and Jorge had already left, so it was just us two.
This section passes over Alto do San Roque at 1270 meters, with the landmark statue of a pilgrim fighting the wind.
In Triacastela we did laundry, ate lunch, walked around the tiny town of ~700 people and had dinner with Jose at a hamburger place where a hamburger and an Estrella Galicia was less than 5€. Amazing!
Day 6
Thursday September 14 – Triacastela to Sarria, via Samos – 15.69 miles (25.25 km), 1663 ft elevation gain, 6:41:22
Accommodation – Casa Don Alvaro (private albergue)
There are two ways to go once you leave Triacastela. One is longer than the other but supposedly more scenic. Denise wanted to go the long way, and since I didn’t want to walk alone or suffer from FOMO, I went with her, after a breakfast of really good pan con tomate and cafe con leche. I mean, this pan con tomate was really good. Freshly crushed tomatoes were served in a dish on the side of the bread and you put as much as you want on top of the bread and added olive oil and salt. Delicious!
Once in Samos, we left our backpacks in a bar with the camarero (after taking out our valuables) to visit the monastery and take a 20-minute tour that happened to be starting in a few minutes. After the tour, we ate lunch and I booked an albergue in Sarria via booking.com since we realized we would arrive relatively late. Between the monastery tour, walking around, and eating lunch, we had spent almost 2 hours in Samos. It was another 3-hour walk to Sarria and this stretch of the Camino was really desolate. We only ran into two other people until we got closer to Sarria.
I was exhausted once we finally arrived in Sarria, which wasn’t until nearly 5 pm. We checked into the albergue, did laundry and drank a beer. We were in a room with only 2 bunk beds (4 people max) and only one more girl was going to be arriving, so it was fairly private. Jose and Adrian happened to be staying in the same albergue. The new girl arrived, her name was Julia from Barcelona. We all decided to start walking together at the same time the following day. Denise and I went out to find dinner. We decided on Italian food but at the last minute, she changed her mind so we decided to eat dinner separately. I saw a guy eating by himself, and I realized I had noticed him in the Italian restaurant in Astorga, on my first night. What a coincidence! We started chatting and I found out that it wasn’t because he was obsessed with Italian food that he always sought out Italian restaurants, but because they were usually the easiest places for him to find vegetarian-friendly food along the Camino (pro tip for the vegetarians out there).
As I’m not a vegetarian I devoured a plate of spaghetti bolognese along with a glass of vino tinto, and went to bed early.
Day 7
Friday September 15 – Sarria to Portomarin – 14.35 miles (23.09 km), 1519 ft elevation gain, 4:57:51
Accommodation – Albergue Ultreia (private albergue)
All of the stats on this stage aren’t entirely accurate because I forgot to unpause Runkeeper at one point…
Once you start in Sarria the trail is full of pilgrims, as this is the starting point for the minimum distance required. It was the complete opposite of the day before between Samos and Sarria. Now the trail was full of people. We stopped for a sandwich only a few miles in and Denise decided to go on ahead. It was the last time we ever saw her. Luckily we had added each other on WhatsApp, and she texted me later to tell me she ended up going a little further past Portomarin, where we stopped for the night.
Portomarin is a town on a hill alongside a river. When we arrived it was cool and cloudy. We checked into the albergue, showered, went out for lunch and I went back and took a 3-hour nap. Adrian gave us all foot massages and they were amazing. I shared a bottle of red wine with a mother and daughter from Canada who had just started their Camino and then went to bed again. I could get used to this routine…
Day 8
Saturday, September 16 – Portomarin to Palas de Rei – 15.56 miles (25.04 km), 1981 ft elevation gain, 5:19:39
Accommodation – Albergue Meson de Benito (private albergue)
When I woke up I had ZERO desire to walk. It was only day 8 and I had hit some sort of wall. All I wanted to do was eat a burrito, stay in bed, and watch Netflix. Unfortunately, there were no burritos to be had anywhere for miles, and check out time was at 8 am. So I reluctantly got up and got organized and off we went. First stop was breakfast. This time the pan con tomate left something to be desired. It was the complete opposite of the pan con tomate from the bar in Triacastela. Instead of fresh tomatoes, the “tomate” came in a packet like it was grape jelly. No me gusta.
The morning was cool and foggy, I was tired and my knee started to hurt again. It was a long day. But after struggling most of the morning and hating life, after 10 miles and a free cup of coffee I got my second wind and gained the energy for the last 5 miles into Palas de Rei. Here we met 86-year-old Lee from Australia who was walking the Camino solo, a few kilometers each day, an amazing inspiration!
Day 9
Sunday, September 17 – Palas de Rei to Arzúa – 17.80 miles (28.65 km), 1954 ft elevation gain, 6:31:07
Accommodation – Albergue Ultreia (private albergue)
Today was another long day, the longest of the journey. We stopped in Mellid for pulpo gallego. Several hours later, arriving in Arzúa was an amazing feeling, especially after first arriving in Rivadiso and thinking we had made it to Arzúa when we still had another 2 (uphill) kilometers to go. The albergue in Arzúa was easily a favorite, it was clean and cozy and the bar served the most amazing salad, the best I’d had on the Camino.
Day 10
Monday, September 18 – Arzúa to O Pedrouzo – 12.52 miles (20.15 km), 1336 ft elevation gain, 4:13:09
Accommodation – Albergue REM (private albergue)
After eating breakfast in the bar in our albergue, we headed out. It was a pretty uneventful and drizzly day. We arrived in O Pedrouzo, which was probably the most unremarkable town we had stayed in. I literally remember nothing about it except that I ate an entire pizza.
Day 11
Tuesday September 19 – O Pedrouzo to Santiago – 13.35 miles (21.48 km), 1408 ft elevation gain, 4:20:18
Accommodation – Hostal Suso (private hotel)
This was the first morning we couldn’t find a nearby bar open for breakfast so we just started walking. The Camino immediately put us into the woods, and since it was still pitch black, we needed flashlights. We found a restaurant about 3 miles in for necessary coffee and food. I couldn’t believe it was my last day walking. I was anxious to get there but also reminded myself to be present and enjoy these last moments, because after today it was over, I wouldn’t be doing this routine anymore. Until the next time that is…
Early on you pass the Santiago airport, which is about 12 kilometers / 7 miles from the cathedral. It was pretty foggy for most of the morning and we couldn’t see much. We were on a dirt trail most of the time through this stretch.
We had our last cafe con leche of the trip at a bar just outside Monte do Gozo before stopping there to take pictures.
Soon after we were within the city limits of Santiago, but still had 3 kilometers or so until the cathedral. The sun was finally shining. We finally got closer to the plaza and we were all pumped up. We walked into the plaza a little after 1pm with our hands in the air, blowing kisses to the crowd, some of whom started clapping, it was an amazing feeling. We took our pictures in front of the cathedral that is perpetually under construction and laid in the sun in the plaza before having lunch and parted ways to shower and nap. Later that evening we met for dinner and walked around the town together until the wee hours of the morning when we all said teary goodbyes and parted ways. <3
El Fin!
Day 1 Post Camino
Wednesday, September 20 – Santiago-Finisterre
Accommodation – Albergue Oceanus Finisterre
I was looking forward to sleeping in on Wednesday morning, but that didn’t happen because I wanted to get my Compostela. So I woke up a little after 7, got ready and headed over to the Pilgrim’s Office which opened at 8am. I was there a few minutes before 8am and there was a line already around the corner. When the office opened a few minutes later, we all started shuffling inside, but it still ended up being a 3-hour wait. I regretted not getting coffee or food beforehand. Afterwards, I rushed to a cafe and had a quick breakfast, then checked out of the hotel and made my way to the bus station to catch the bus to Finisterre (13.10€ via Monbus).
Finisterre (Fisterra in Galician) is a little less than 90 minutes drive from Santiago in a car, but via bus, it took almost 3 hours, as it followed a route along the coast. By the time I got there, I was feeling sick and just wanted to lie down, but then I misplaced my wallet in the albergue (I had ended up putting it in the only other pocket in my backpack that I had forgotten existed) and my adrenaline kicked in. By the time I found it I was feeling much better, so it was a blessing in disguise. I got some snacks from the grocery store and ate a quick lunch in the kitchen of the albergue, then walked to the beach (Praia Mar de Fóra) which was about a mile walk.
I was going to wait there for the sunset, but I still had 2 hours to kill, so I decided instead to walk the 2 miles to the lighthouse (Faro de Finisterre) to catch the sunset, take a picture with the 0km mile marker, and get the very last stamp in my pilgrim’s passport. I was really glad I did that as I realized the lighthouse is a must visit when you’re finishing the Camino in Finisterre.
Day 2 Post Camino
Thursday, September 21 – Finisterre-A Coruña-Barcelona
There’s no actual bus station in Finisterre, it’s a bus stop that drops you off on the street Federico Avila, near Plaza Santa Catalina. I had read that you could purchase bus tickets at the kiosk across the street, but I can’t remember now if I had asked them about tickets or if they were closed, but either way I ended up inquiring at a travel agency office (looking at Google Maps now, I’m pretty sure it was Brigantia Viajes). The woman told me they didn’t sell tickets in advance, but gave me the bus schedule for A Coruña for the following morning and told me I could buy tickets on the bus, which would be in the same location where I was dropped off. There was one at 7:10am and another at 7:50am (along with a couple of others later on), I opted for the 7:10am to be safe (my flight was at 1pm from A Coruña).
There were a couple of hours to kill in A Coruña, if it hadn’t been pouring down rain I would have visited the famous lighthouse Torre de Hércules… instead, I ate breakfast and got to the airport early. There is an airport bus runs fairly regularly that is about a 10-minute walk from the bus station.
An uneventful end to an amazing journey. At some point in my life I will come back and do the entire thing. It was an incredible experience to be in nature every day for almost 2 weeks. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I had to meet amazing people, be healthy enough to be able to hike 12-16 miles a day with relatively little pain, and to learn to be more patient, to persevere, and practice being present.
Hi Laura, I’ve just found this post trying to find photos of the descent into Molinaseca – and am SOOO happy to have found another Pilgrim who has walked the EXACT stages I’m planning for May this year!!! I’m even booked in at Hotel Suso in Santiago!! Just thought I’d mention – as I said above… Very Excited!!! Going back up to read the whole blog now… Buen Camino, Bek 🙂
I’m glad you found it! So fun, you’ll have a great time. Hope you find the other posts useful as well, let me know if you have any questions! Buen Camino!