Camino Francés
30.2 km, 114 m up and 103 m down, through 3 places, 2 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Sahagún. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
Sahagún isn't the prettiest town on the Francés, but it has a stubborn historical significance that rewards exploration. At its peak, it rivaled Burgos and León in importance — a claim that's hard to believe until you st…
A certificate is available from the Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina on the way out of Sahagún — a type of halfway Compostela. The sanctuary is not on the camino proper; check the map for its location.
Leaving Sahagún, cross the Río Cea. About 4.4 km from town, near a large highway interchange before Calzada de Coto, the route splits into two options. The Camino Real (straight ahead) follows the traditional route thro…
The name tells the story: the original inhabitants came from the Bierzo region, and the village sits on the Camino Real — the 'Royal Road,' a designation that refers not to royalty but to a primary public road. It's a us…
The path between El Burgo Ranero and Reliegos follows a manicured track lined with trees. Unfortunately, the trees are on the wrong side of the path for afternoon shade, so on sunny summer days you're fully exposed. Carry plenty of water.
In late May, check the stork nests on the church tower — the chicks are a highlight of the season.
Bar Elvis, quite possibly the most famous bar on the Camino, occupies the main square. The owner is a character, and the walls and ceiling are covered in pilgrim graffiti — this is one of the few places where writing on …
The path splits here and rejoins before Reliegos. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
The path between El Burgo Ranero and Reliegos follows a manicured track lined with trees. Unfortunately, the trees are on the wrong side of the path for afternoon shade, so on sunny summer days you're fully exposed. Carry plenty of water.
The Vía Trajana continues through open farmland toward Calzadilla de los Hermanillos. The terrain is flat and the walking quiet — this variant sees far fewer pilgrims than the Camino Real.
The Vía Trajana continues through flat farmland before converging with the Camino Real route ahead of Mansilla de las Mulas.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 156 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 30.3 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.