Starting in Ourense, a city known for its steaming thermal springs and its great Roman bridge over the Miño, this final stretch of the Vía de la Plata (Camino Sanabrés) covers just over 100 km to Santiago, enough to earn the Compostela.
It begins with a steep climb out of the river valley before reaching Cea, a village famous across Galicia for its traditional wood-fired bread. From there the trail passes through quiet oak woods and small hamlets to Castro Dozón, then drops into the rolling farmland of the Deza region and Lalín, the heart of Galicia’s cocido tradition. Beyond Silleda, pilgrims cross the medieval Ponte Taboada and follow green lanes and chestnut groves down to the Ulla river at Ponte Ulla. The last day climbs out of the valley, with the sacred peak of Pico Sacro nearby, before the first views of the cathedral spires and the final walk into Santiago de Compostela. It is a peaceful, authentic route with far fewer crowds than the Camino Francés, offering a real taste of rural inland Galicia.
Price: € 1400,- per person.
Interested in this walk? Email us at: support@casaivar.zendesk.com
What is included:
- An english speaking guide that will walk with you every day of the walk.
- Transportation Santiago to Ourense
- 7 nights of lodging (Ourense – Cea – Castro Dozon- Lalin- Silleda- Ponte Ulla- Santiago). All private room with private bath.
- You travel to Santiago ready to meet up with the group on day 0 (see below).
- Feel free to leave your suitcase/luggage that you are not going to bring on the Camino at our luggage storage room at our office.
- Daily luggage transfer included (optional). If you would like to have a bag transported day by day on the Camino, we can set this up. This is optional.
Interested in this walk? Email us at: support@casaivar.zendesk.com
Day 0 – Travel from Santiago to Ourense
- The group meet up at the Casa Ivar office in Rua Nova 7, in old town of Santiago de Compostela. Feel free to leave your suitcase/luggage that you are not going to bring on the Camino at our luggage storage room at our office (included in the price of the trip).
- From here the group will be taken by car to your first lodging in Ourense, where you will meet Mark (your guide from this trip). The trip is about 1 hour and 15 minutes by car. Mark lives close to Ourense, so he will meet you there.
- You stay the first night in Ourense before you start your walk.
Day 1 – Ourense to Cea (about 22km)
Distance
About 22 km on the main route through Tamallancos. An alternative via Canedo branches off 200 metres after Ourense’s Roman bridge. It is roughly a kilometre shorter, with similar climbing. Expect 6–7 hours of walking.
General character
The stage is defined by one big climb at the start. Leaving the Miño valley, you climb about 350 m over eight kilometres. The main route follows the Camiño Real, a historic stone road with good views back over Ourense, then continues through small villages and natural areas. After the climb, the walking eases onto forest paths, including stretches of old Roman road, all the way into Cea.
The Canedo option is more direct but less appealing. It climbs a steep secondary paved road known locally as the “Costiña de Canedo” and involves more asphalt. For groups, the Tamallancos route is the better choice.
The route is quiet, with few pilgrims and a very rural Galician feel.
Destination: Cea
- Bread town. Cea is famous for Pan de Cea, which has Protected Geographical Indication status and is still baked by hand in traditional stone ovens. Buying a loaf from one of the local bakeries is almost obligatory.
- Heritage. The town’s history is tied to its water mills, some of which survive. The parish church of San Cristóbal, about 1 km from the centre, dates from the 16th century and stands on the site of a much older church.
- Services. Cea has all services, including a public albergue and private lodging.
- Oseira extension. Because the stage is short, you can easily continue to the Monastery of Oseira (about 9 km more) or to Castro Dozón (about 15 km more). Both have pilgrim hostels. Oseira is a major Cistercian monastery, often called “the Escorial of Galicia.” Many people visit it by taxi from Cea instead of walking the extra distance.
Difficulty: Moderate to hard
The distance is manageable, but the climb out of Ourense is sustained and comes early, when legs are still cold. More broadly, the first two days after Ourense are the most demanding part of the Sanabrés into Santiago. Practical advice: start early, carry water and snacks for the climb, and keep in mind that the Camiño Real rises steadily all the way to Sartédigos.
Day 2 – Cea to Castro Dozon (About 20 km, a few km more via Oseira)
Distance
There are two signposted routes, and they meet again in Castro Dozón:
Direct via Piñor: about 14.6 km
Via the Monastery of Oseira: about 19–19.5 km. Oseira is at km 8.7.
Most pilgrims take the Oseira variant. Expect 5–6 hours including a monastery visit, or about 4 hours on the Piñor route.
General character
This is some of the greenest, most rural Galicia on the route: stone-built hamlets, oak woods, and old corredoiras (narrow sunken lanes). The two routes feel quite different:
Via Oseira: From Cea you climb through oak woodland to Silvaboa and Pieles. The toughest climb is here, 1.3 km at an average of 6%. Then you drop to the monastery. After Oseira comes a steep climb on a cement track, which also gives the best view of the monastery. A rough stone path follows, possibly an old Roman or medieval road, with about a kilometre of hard going. The route continues through Vilarello and Outeiro de Coiras and crosses into the province of Pontevedra at A Gouxa. The stretch toward Bidueiros can be very muddy and wet, so good footwear matters, especially after rain.
Via Piñor: There is one real climb, before Piñor. Otherwise the route is mostly asphalt, passing through Arenteiro and Carballeda and repeatedly meeting the N-525. Services are sparse. There’s a bar in Arenteiro and little else.
Highlight: Monastery of Oseira
Oseira is a 12th-century Cistercian monastery. Monastic life began there in 1137, and it has a long tradition of welcoming pilgrims. It’s the main reason to take the longer route, and a guided visit of the church and cloisters is well worth building into the day.
Destination: O Castro de Dozón
Castro Dozón is a small village and municipal seat in Pontevedra province, with basic services only.
Difficulty: Moderate (Piñor) to moderate-hard (Oseira)
The distance is modest, but the Oseira route has repeated steep ups and downs, including rough stone and cement sections. The Piñor route is easier, with a single climb, but it involves a lot of road walking.
Day 3 – Castro Dozon to Lalín (About 15km)
Distance
Roughly 15–17 km, depending on where you finish. Lalín is not on the official route. You follow the Camino for about 11 km to the Lalín turn-off near Botos (Estación de Lalín). From there, a 3 km detour leads into town. It’s a safe walk, with pavements from about a kilometre off the Camino. Allow about 4–4.5 hours.
General character
After the remote upland of the previous day, this is an easier transition into the greener, more populated Deza region. Leaving Castro Dozón, you climb to the Alto de Santo Domingo, at about 736 m, the high point with wide views. From there it’s a long gradual descent toward the Deza river valley, through pine and oak woods, country lanes, and farming hamlets with stone walls and hórreos.
You walk on or beside the N-525 at the start and again near the end. The middle section runs through woods and fields. There is about twice as much descent as ascent, which is welcome for most walkers but hard on knees for some. Roads and the railway are rarely far away.
Destination: Lalín
- Capital of cocido. Lalín is known throughout Galicia for cocido gallego, the heavy pork-and-greens stew.
- A proper town. After two small villages, Lalín has full services: shops, pharmacies, banks, and plenty of hotels and restaurants. There’s also a private pilgrim albergue, Albergue Lalín Centro (16 beds). It works well as a rest-and-resupply stop and fixes the accommodation problem at Castro Dozón.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
This is one of the gentlest days on the Sanabrés from Ourense. There’s one moderate climb early, up to Santo Domingo, then mostly downhill or rolling terrain. The main drawbacks are the road-shoulder sections along the N-525 and a long descent that can be hard on tired knees.
Day 4 – Lalín to Silleda (about 16km)
Distance
About 16 km from central Lalín. You don’t need to backtrack to the Lalín turn-off. You leave town along the Pontiñas riverside promenade and rejoin the Sanabrés near A Laxe, following the Camino de Invierno. Allow about 4 hours.
General character
This is a relaxed, mostly gentle stage. The way out of Lalín along the Pontiñas promenade is pleasant, followed by a less attractive stretch past Lalín’s industrial estate and alongside the AP-53 motorway. Once past A Laxe, the landscape improves: a long, easy descent through fields and woods brings you down to the Deza river.
The highlight is Ponte Taboada, a single-arch bridge in a quiet green valley. An inscription dates it to 912, which makes it one of the oldest bridges in Galicia, and it’s a natural place for a group break or photo stop.
After the bridge comes the one real effort of the day: a steep climb back up from the river, about 130 m over 2.8 km. It passes through Taboada, whose Romanesque church of Santiago offers a credential stamp, and then Trasfontao, with its manor house, chapel and oak wood. Waymarking around the Trasfontao chapel is poor, so the trick is to keep straight on. A short cobbled descent and climb bring you into Silleda.
From A Laxe on, you share the path with pilgrims from the Camino de Invierno, and there are plenty of bars for stops along the way.
Destination: Silleda
- Practical town. Silleda is a friendly, modern town with good pilgrim services, shops and restaurants. It’s easy to handle for a group.
- Nearby sights, worth it for a rest afternoon or a short transfer:
- Monastery of Carboeiro: Romanesque, in a beautiful setting beside the Deza river.
- Fervenza do Toxa: one of the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in Galicia.
- Neither is on the Camino, so both need transport.
Difficulty: Easy
This is one of the easiest days on the route: a short distance, a long gentle descent, and only one noticeable climb, up from Ponte Taboada. The main things to watch are the motorway-side and road sections leaving Lalín, and the waymarking at Trasfontao.
Day 5 – Silleda to Ponte Ulla (about 21km)
Distance
About 19–22 km; sources vary slightly depending on the exact start and finish point. Allow 5–5.5 hours.
General character
This stage marks the transition from the Deza highlands down to the Ulla valley. The first section to Bandeira is the weakest part: the route keeps switching between tracks and the N-525 as far as the Nudesa feed factory. After that it improves, with a wooded path down to the Toxa river and a crossing of the AP-53 into Bandeira. Bandeira has all services and is the natural coffee stop, and the town is famous for its empanadas. There are probably no bars open before Bandeira, so walkers should eat breakfast before leaving Silleda.
After Bandeira the Camino leaves the road and becomes more rural. There’s a steep descent to a stream and a short climb back up to Vilariño. From there you cross farmland to Dornelas, which has a fine Romanesque church, San Martiño, and the small Albergue-café Casa Leiras, a friendly place for a snack. Next comes a stretch of eucalyptus woodland to San Miguel de Castro, with its hermitage of Santiago. The final section is a steep descent on an asphalt track into the Ulla valley.
The ground is mostly good tracks and quiet lanes. Apart from the drops into the stream valleys and down to the Ulla, the gradients are gentle.
Destination: Ponte Ulla
- River town on a border. Ponte Ulla sits on the Ulla river, which marks the boundary between Pontevedra and A Coruña provinces. You enter over its old bridge, and the town’s green riverside setting has earned it the nickname “Garden of Compostela.”
- Sights. The Romanesque church of Santa María Magdalena is worth a visit. The large old railway viaduct over the valley dominates the view, and there’s a park by the river for relaxing after the walk.
- Services. There are bars, shops and private lodging, but no public albergue in town. The nearest is at Outeiro, about 4 km further on, which has a public albergue but no services, so pilgrims need to buy supplies in Ponte Ulla first.
- Accessibility note. On the marked route, you reach the N-525 in Ponte Ulla by a staircase. Anyone with reduced mobility needs an alternative at that point.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
The profile is mostly downhill. The effort comes from the short steep drop and climb after Bandeira and the long, steep descent into Ponte Ulla at the end, which is hard on the knees. The road sections before Bandeira are more tedious than difficult.
Day 6 – Ponte Ulla to Santiago de Compostela (about 21km)
Distance
About 20–22 km to the Praza do Obradoiro. Allow 5–5.5 hours, plus 1.5–2 hours if you include the Pico Sacro detour.
General character
Don’t let the modest distance and the lack of big peaks fool you. The route has constant short ups and downs and is a real leg-breaker, especially at the start. You leave Ponte Ulla along the N-525, then take a path through a tunnel, followed by a hard climb out of the Ulla valley. After an unshaded forest track you reach the Chapel of Santiaguiño, built in 1676, and Outeiro, about 4 km in. Outeiro has the last public albergue before Santiago, and it’s worth getting a credential stamp there because there are few other places to get one on this final day.
From Outeiro the route continues on forest tracks, which can be muddy after rain, and quiet rural lanes through Ardarís and Lestedo. Lestedo has a bar and a supermarket. The Pico Sacro rises beside the Camino here. It’s a sacred hill of roughly 500 m, tied to the legend of the Translatio. Tradition says the Apostle’s body was brought this way, and the hill is associated with Queen Lupa’s oxen. From the summit you can see the cathedral towers. The signposted detour from Lestedo is about 1.8 km each way, and it’s highly recommended for anyone with the legs for it.
After A Susana you enter the municipality of Santiago. The route passes the chapel of Santa Lucía de Vixoi and follows an old paved road down to the medieval Ponte do Sar. The entry into the city is one of the most attractive on any Camino: up Rúa do Sar and Castrón Douro, through the Arco de Mazarelos into the old town, around the cathedral via Praza das Praterías, and finally into the Obradoiro.
For most of the day, the route avoids the N-525 and follows the railway line through woods and hamlets. The route itself has few services, but the main road is never far away. Carry water and snacks.
Destination: Santiago de Compostela
- The finish. Arrival at the Obradoiro, in front of the cathedral’s west façade.
- Compostela. Pilgrims collect it at the Pilgrim’s Office. The route from Ourense is just over 100 km, enough to qualify.
- Pilgrim mass. Many pilgrims aim to arrive for the noon mass, so an early start is worthwhile, especially from Ponte Ulla rather than Outeiro. For a group, it’s often better to plan the Pico Sacro detour and attend an evening or next-day mass instead.
- In the city. Besides the cathedral, the obvious visits are San Martín Pinario, San Domingos de Bonaval, and the Mercado de Abastos.
Difficulty: Moderate
There are no major climbs, but the stiff climb out of Ponte Ulla, the constant rolling terrain, and the final urban stretch on tired legs make this more tiring than the numbers suggest. With Pico Sacro added, it becomes moderate to hard.
