Vía de la Plata
27.7 km, 707 m up and 895 m down, through 15 places, 9 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from La Faba. 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.
La Faba is a small mountain village at about 1,100 m, roughly halfway up the climb from Las Herrerías to O Cebreiro. A basic albergue and a bar provide welcome refreshment. The village has a handful of stone houses and a…
The last settlement in Castilla y León — a couple of houses and a small albergue. From here the boundary with Galicia is close, marked by a stone at the provincial line. The landscape is open mountain, with heather and g…
You've entered Galicia — the final autonomous community on the Camino Francés. The boundary stone is modest, but the change is real. The language shifts (Galician appears on signs alongside Castilian), the landscape tran…
From O Cebreiro, the camino continues along the ridgeline through Liñares and Alto de San Roque before descending toward Triacastela. The first few kilometers stay above 1,200 m, with sweeping views when the weather cooperates.
Liñares is a small mountain hamlet just beyond O Cebreiro, sitting on the ridgeline above 1,200 m. A bar and a basic albergue provide services. The walking here is along the open mountaintop, with views in every directio…
A bronze statue of a pilgrim leaning into the wind stands at the Alto de San Roque (1,270 m), perfectly capturing what it feels like to walk this exposed ridgeline. On a windy day — which is most days — the statue's post…
Hospital de la Condesa takes its name from a medieval pilgrim hospital founded by a countess. The village is small — a bar and an albergue — but it sits in a pleasant mountain valley. The terrain begins to descend from t…
A small mountain village between Hospital de la Condesa and the Alto do Poio. A bar provides refreshment. The stone houses with slate roofs are typical of this part of the Galician mountains.
At 1,335 m, the Alto do Poio is the highest point on the Galician section of the Camino Francés. A bar-restaurant operates here, and a large stone monument marks the spot. The descent from here is long and steady, droppi…
Fonfría ('cold fountain') sits on the descent from the Alto do Poio to Triacastela. The name is apt — at this altitude, the water from the village fountain runs cold year-round. A couple of albergues and a bar serve pilg…
A tiny hamlet on the descent to Triacastela. No reliable services. The path drops through increasingly green countryside — the Galician landscape is asserting itself.
Another small hamlet on the descent. The vegetation thickens as you lose altitude: chestnut, oak, and the first eucalyptus trees appear.
A hamlet on the mountain road. No services. The descent continues through mixed forest.
A small village just above Triacastela. A bar may be open. The valley floor is visible below, and the walking eases as the gradient lessens.
Triacastela marks the bottom of the long descent from O Cebreiro and a natural stopping point. The village sits in a green valley, a dramatic contrast to the exposed mountain walking above. The name refers to three castl…
A tiny hamlet on the San Xil route. No services. The name refers to an old iron forge.
Between here and San Xil you will pass a large fountain with a large scallop shell with a lot of graffiti and algae. Beyond that by two more kilometers is the Alto de Riocabo. You will also pass through San Xil de Carballo, with no services.
The path splits here and rejoins before A Balsa. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
Between here and San Xil you will pass a large fountain with a large scallop shell with a lot of graffiti and algae. Beyond that by two more kilometers is the Alto de Riocabo. You will also pass through San Xil de Carballo, with no services.
You will not enter the village of Montán, but rather pass along the edge. While there is no fixed bar, there is a small picnic area with an on-again-off-again vending machine.
You will pass through Fontearcuda and Furela, no services.
The camino does not go through Calvor, but rather passes near its Iglesia de San Estevo y San Pablo. To get to the church, turn left for a short detour once you leave Pintín. The church itself is nothing spectacular, but the site has been home to one building or another since two monks from Samos founded a church here in the 8th century. Also the view towards Samos is worth the detour.
Pass several villages with no services: Lastres, Freituxe, and San Martiño do Real.
Pass Foxos, and in Teiguín the camino splits again.It is possible to stay on the road all the way to Sarria, but the connection to Aguiada is recommended. Along the road to Sarria is 8.8km, via Aguiada 12.6km
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 505 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 27.7 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.