Arzúa is the cheese capital of Galicia. The Queixo de Arzúa-Ulloa has its own Denominación de Orixe, and the tetilla cheese — named for its distinctive breast shape — is everywhere. The tetilla's form was supposedly created by cheesemakers in protest: when the bishop ordered the removal of nude figures from the Pórtico de la Gloria in Santiago, the cheesemakers responded by making their product unmistakably anatomical. The story may be apocryphal, but the cheese is real and excellent.
This is where the Camino del Norte joins the Francés, and the trail gets noticeably busier from here to Santiago. The town is functional and well-serviced: multiple albergues and hotels, bars and restaurants, supermarkets. If everything is full, the polideportivo (sports hall) is sometimes opened for overflow.
The camino leaves Arzúa on a footpath, not the road. From the main square, walk past the church (back to the road) and turn right.
The Festival of Cheese in March is a three-day celebration of the local product — 40 years running. Corpus Christi and Nuestra Señora del Carmen (July 16) are also celebrated.
Arzúa has been a waypoint on the pilgrim road since the earliest documented routes. Its position at the junction of the Francés and Norte routes made it a natural gathering point.
The camino leaves Arzúa along a footpath, NOT the road. If you arrived at the main square, walk past the church (with your back to the road) and turn right onto the side street. The terrain is pleasant, a blend of trails and paved roads through small towns and lots of forests. There are a few steep sections but none of any considerable length.
15. September 2026 - 14:59
We stayed at Pension de Teresa (TRSA on the website) which is not on the app, but shares the same building with Albergue Santiago Apostal (is on the app). It's a good place to stay - see my review under the albergue.
15. June 2026 - 20:45
Arzúa feels like a scammy pilgrim town. I was not sold on the place but I had to stop and taste the cheese.
Decided to get a room at Casa Teodora. Building has structural problems and rumbles when truck passes by on the main street. It felt like a small magnitude earthquake every 10-15 minutes, and I could not sleep at all.
Paid 80€ when other websites indicated 64€. Never again.
20. May 2026 - 21:57
Excellent pension lovely rooms friendly host.
29. April 2026 - 16:59
Good coffee, good breakfast. Amazing homemade cookies for the Camino!! Bought 3!! Slightly off the way. Look it up: Brevis🚶🏻♀️.
22. September 2025 - 14:35
We had a great stay with Luis and his team. Nothing is a problem for him. English isn’t his strong suit but neither was our Spanish. We got by with Google Translate (he likes the version where he talks into the App). He even hauled a Spanish speaker off the street to help with the stay instructions! Later (after getting stuck in a rainstorm) he offered to drive us into the town centre for dinner! What a host!
27. July 2025 - 12:52
Go away from Arzua. If you ever wondered what a pilgrim’s nightmare looks like, just stop in Arzúa. A holy little piece of nowhere that seems to be allergic to charm and kindness
24. June 2025 - 6:58
Pension Casa Elena was a perfect stop in Arzua! The room was 150 sq. Feet and seemed very spacious with how it was laid out. The bathroom had plenty of space and the shower felt so good! The best part was the airflow and air conditioning they had in this room. So nice. Highly recommend!
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
15. June 2025 - 12:52
Very good breakfast. Fluffy scrambled eggs. Avocado, cheese and tomato toast. Good coffee con leche. Very nice and friendly young couple runs the place. Full breakfast and coffee for 3 people was 20€. Slightly Off the Way on a side alley
1. June 2025 - 20:19
Start serving breakfast at 6:30. Many choices not just what we pilgrims have been eating for 30 plus days.
Very friendly service.
Also great Callie’s cookie and coffee.
I had a burger and then came back the next day for breakfast.
17. May 2025 - 6:38
On the way out of town on right side Bar Ameixa is open at 6am for coffee and eats.
Hard to find sometimes when you hit the path early
24. October 2024 - 16:30
Horrible experience. Dirty, moldy rooms, moldy bathroom, mold everywhere. Waited 30 minutes after walking 18 miles for a man to come although online said a receptionist would be present from 1-7pm. Dirty couches in common area. No elevator and rooms are on 4th floor.
Not recommended for the amount of money I paid for this. If it was less than 25 euros I would stay here but not for 65. Bad bad bad
20. October 2024 - 15:58
A little off the Camino, but has huge portions and filled with locals, really enjoyed churrasco de terneira here, highly recommend.
17. October 2024 - 10:09
This lovely, new pension is just a block off The Camino and a block from the Municipal albergue and is a great choice for an overnight stay. The hosts are very nice and the rooms are clean and modern (this was my second stay there). Excellent breakfast available, too. Easy walk to cafes, supermarket, and restaurants. Highly recommended.
10. October 2024 - 17:22
I had been fairly successful using Trip Advisor to select restaurants for a late lunch / early dinner along the Camino until Arzua. The hours shown in Trip Advisor for the first two restaurants we tried were wrong: both closed. Third restaurant was fully reserved. We ended up going to a supermarket and getting food there.
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.
