Cacabelos is the wine capital of the Bierzo. The town sits on the Río Cúa, and its main street is lined with bars and bodegas offering tastings of the local Mencía — a red that's lighter and more aromatic than the Tempranillo-based wines you've been drinking since La Rioja. The Godello whites are excellent too.
The Museo del Vino near the archaeological site of Castro Ventosa tells the story of Bierzo winemaking. The Iglesia de Santa María has a fine Baroque altarpiece.
Several albergues and bars serve the town. A supermarket handles provisions. Cacabelos makes a good stop for anyone interested in wine — and after 600 km of walking, that should be everyone.
The Roman settlement of Bergidum Flavium once stood nearby, and the Castro Ventosa ruins on the hilltop above town preserve traces of the Roman fortifications. The wine tradition here is ancient — vines have been cultivated in the Bierzo since Roman times.
From Cacabelos the camino continues through vineyards to Pieros and then Villafranca del Bierzo. The walking is easy and the scenery pleasant — orchards, vineyards, and the mountains closing in as the valley narrows.
11. August 2025 - 13:35
Most bars/restaurants don’t offer food, just drinks
Consider it if you are starving
21. June 2025 - 20:30
The host is a showman and he will rip you off all the while smiling to your face. No pricing on menu and it ended as a 50€ meal for two.
14. May 2025 - 21:25
The minucipal albergue is closed
14. September 2024 - 20:18
Nice people working there! We had a very yummy dinner and enjoyed our private room.
18. July 2024 - 18:54
If you get in early enough (they closed at 3), check out the Archeological Museum. It has one floor dedicated to the history and archeology of the area and two dedicated to special exhibits. It's pretty small and takes well under an hour, but it's really well done and only costs €1.50 for pilgrims.
18. May 2024 - 18:49
This hostal is one of our favorite places on the Camino! The room is gorgeous; we loved the exposed rock wall and skylight with views to the adjacent church bells and stork nest. The owner runs the bar and restaurant downstairs and was so helpful checking us in (even allowing us to check-in earlier than the standard check-in time). We would come back again in a heartbeat.
21. July 2022 - 13:22
Balthazar was amazed that he is mentioned in this app. The pilgrim’s menu was fantastic. And his is definitely the soul of this place!
Cheers
Georg
12. May 2022 - 13:55
The food here is really good and great value at 12 EU pilgrim meal. Balthazar is life and soul of the place with great energy and commitment to giving pilgrims what they want.
7. August 2021 - 20:35
I stayed a night in spacious private room far away from any noise, when there were no albergues available ahead. The business is run by Abel, a man with both Spanish and British roots. He went above and beyond to help me as a guest and his food is simply out of this world. Whether staying or passing through drop by to refuel. Ask for the ravolli pasta. An excellent establishment.
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26. April 2019 - 21:50
El Refugio de Saul is excellent!! We all had excellent tapas and vino.
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.
