The pass marks the border between Extremadura and Castilla y Leon — and the landscape changes accordingly. An albergue and a Cepsa gas station with a small shop provide basic services. From here the camino begins its descent toward La Calzada de Bejar, crossing the Puente de la Malena after 4 km.
The Puerto de Bejar has been a strategic passage since pre-Roman times. Augustus's engineers formalized the route in the 1st century BC, and the milestones that survive here date from subsequent improvements under Trajan and Hadrian. The pass marks a geographic and cultural boundary -- the transition from Extremadura's dehesa landscape to the open meseta of Castilla y Leon. This is where the Via de la Plata begins to feel different.
The camino turns left and away from the road at the entrance to Penacaballera -- if you got distracted and ended up at a roundabout you went too far. From the alto the camino begins its winding descent to La Calzada de Bejar, crossing along the way the Puente de la Malena (4 km).
La Calzada takes its name from being situated on the Roman calzada — the paved road that connected Emerita Augusta to the north. Once an important frontier outpost, the town has lost 90% of its population in the last century. What remains is quiet and dignified.
The albergue receives praise from most pilgrims, and several homes have been converted into comfortable rural accommodation. Near the Roman road, remains of a 3rd-century fortified enclosure have been identified — a military control point that monitored trade, troops, and travellers along the Via de la Plata.
La Calzada owes its existence to the Roman road that connected Emerita Augusta (Merida) to Asturica Augusta (Astorga), laid out in the 1st century BC during the reign of Augustus. The name Via de la Plata doesn't refer to silver -- it comes from the Arabic al-balat, meaning paved road, a description of the Roman engineering the Moors found still intact centuries later. A fortified enclosure near the village dates to the late Roman Empire and served as a checkpoint for trade and troop movements.
Mostly straight and mostly flat walking all the way to Valverde de Valdelacasa. The terrain is open and exposed -- on a hot day, you'll feel it.
Accommodation in La Calzada de Béjar.
| Albergue Rural Alba y Soraya 12€ 24 |
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Take a moment to enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains.
Follow the road out of town in the direction of Valdelacasa.
The camino leaves Valdelacasa along a paved road, and in 2km it leaves the road in favor of a dirt track to the left. The signage here is not great and might have you believe that you should stay on the road; it is OK if you do, both ways will get you to Fuenterroble de Salvatierra.
Fuenterroble is best known for its Albergue Parroquial de Santa Maria, one of the defining pilgrim experiences on the Via de la Plata. Father Blas Rodriguez, the parish priest, has been welcoming pilgrims here for decades and is one of the key figures in reviving the route. The albergue operates on a donativo basis, sometimes offers a communal meal and breakfast, and embodies the kind of hospitality that the word albergue was invented for.
The town itself is small — a few houses, a church, and the enormous white cross that marks the albergue. Basic services only.
Fuenterroble's name translates roughly to strong fountain of Salvatierra, a reference to the reliable water source that made this spot a logical rest point along the Roman road. The village grew up as a way station for travelers and drovers moving livestock along the cañadas reales between summer and winter pastures.
Between Fuenterroble and Morille the camino splits into two distinct routes. The split happens 11.7km from Fuenterroble at a place signposted as Dueña de Abajo.LEFT ROUTE - 31.8km (20.1km from split)This route is slightly longer but has the benefit of hosting a pair of albergues in San Pedro de Rozados. However, that is the only village with any services until Morille. The high point along the way is the Pico de la Dueña (14.4km) and beyond that is the private pig farm Calzadilla del Mendigos (6.8km).RIGHT ROUTE (THE ALTERNATE ROUTE) - 29.2km (17.5km from split)Slightly shorter but with two places to stop for a coffee, this is the preferred route if you are going through to Salamanca.
San Pedro sits slightly off the camino — you can continue along the road to Morille without entering town. Two albergues make it a convenient stop if the distance works. The town has a bar and basic supplies.
Morille is the last town before Salamanca, situated at a crossroads of cattle tracks and old drove roads. A small municipal albergue (6 beds, advance booking required) and a bar. From here it's about 18 km to the centre of Salamanca, with the only services available at Miranda de Azan (bar, 300 m off the camino, 10 km out).
10 km from Morille the camino passes near the village of Miranda de Azan (bar), about 300 m off the trail. It's the only stop between here and the suburbs of Salamanca, so take it if you need it.
As you near the city you'll cross under two motorways; the second marks the entrance to the developed suburbs. The camino reaches a roundabout and continues straight through it to enter a park with a pedestrian trail. It follows a small stream and avoids the paved roads until just after passing under a railway bridge. At the road, turn right and continue straight toward the Rio Tormes (18.7 km from Morille) and across it via the Puente Romano. The path then threads through the heart of Salamanca.
Salamanca is, without exaggeration, the most spectacular Renaissance city in Spain. The old town is built almost entirely of locally quarried sandstone that glows gold in the Castilian sunlight. Give it at least one extra day.
The two Cathedrals — old and new — are conjoined, the result of a miscalculation when construction of the Catedral Nueva began in the 16th century. Rather than demolish the Romanesque original, they built around it. The Catedral Nueva has some curiously modern carvings on its Puerta de Ramos — look for the astronaut and the imp eating an ice-cream cone, added during a 1992 restoration.
The Plaza Mayor is one of the finest Baroque squares in Spain, built between 1729 and 1755. At night it's lit from every angle and fills with students and locals. The Universidad de Salamanca, founded in 1218, is one of the oldest in the world. Find the frog on the facade of the Escuelas Mayores — tradition says students who spot it without help will pass their exams.
The Casa de las Conchas, covered in over 300 carved scallop shells, is hard to miss. The shells were placed there by Rodrigo Maldonado de Talavera, a knight of the Order of Santiago, in the late 15th century. The Convento de San Esteban, with its immense Plateresque facade, and the Convento de las Duenas, with its cloister of fantastical carvings, are both worth the visit.
Try to see the city at night. The lighting transforms the sandstone into something close to magic. All services available.
Salamanca's university was founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, making it the oldest in the Hispanic world and one of the oldest in Europe. By the 16th century it was one of the four great universities of Christendom, alongside Bologna, Paris, and Oxford. At its peak, 12,000 students studied here — in a city of 25,000.
The city was largely spared during the Reconquista but suffered terribly during the Peninsular War. The Battle of Salamanca in 1812, fought by Wellington against the French on the Arapiles hills south of the city, was a turning point in the war. The city itself changed hands several times, and some of its medieval colleges were demolished to build defensive positions.
Salamanca's university calendar drives much of the city's cultural life. The main fiestas patronales are in September (Virgen de la Vega, around September 8-21) with concerts, bullfights, and fireworks. During the academic year, the student population keeps things lively year-round. Semana Santa brings solemn processions through the old town.
Waymarks in and out of Salamanca are scant. There are some bronze shells embedded in the ground, but they're not easy to spot. Fortunately, the way out is a nearly straight course due north.
From the Plaza Mayor, exit through the center gate of the main facade onto Calle Zamora. Follow this road to the edge of the old town. The round Iglesia de San Marcos should be on your left with a large roundabout directly ahead. Take the road directly opposite the roundabout, keeping the same direction you've been going. Continue through the next roundabout, and at the third, veer left to keep the Plaza de Toros on your right. From here it's straight on, watching for traffic at the numerous roundabouts between here and the motorway.
The camino keeps to the road most of the way, leaving it only as it nears Aldeaseca de la Armuna.
Aldeaseca is a small cluster of houses around a robust church with a square tower, technically a district of the municipality of Villares de la Reina rather than an independent village. The Iglesia de la Santa Cruz is disproportionately large for the settlement -- locals call it the Armuna Cathedral. The Celtiberians settled here first, followed by the Romans, and later by Moriscos and Jews during the medieval repopulations. For centuries the clergy of Salamanca's cathedral used Aldeaseca as their summer retreat.
These days it functions mainly as a dormitory village for commuters to Salamanca. Services are minimal -- don't count on finding a bar open.
The Armuna region north of Salamanca was a breadbasket in medieval times, its fertile plains feeding the growing university city. Aldeaseca's oversized church reflects the wealth that once flowed through these agricultural communities before rural depopulation took its toll.
At the end of this small village, the camino returns to the road and crosses over it. Old arrows might try to keep you on the road, but avoid them in favor of a track that veers right. This track crosses the nearby motorway and then returns you to the road safely on the other side, where you cross back over the N-630 to enter Castellanos de Villiquera.
This calzada, like nearly every other town by that name, derives its identity from the Roman road it sits upon. Two Roman milarios (milestones) stand in front of the municipal albergue, and across the N-630 is La Fuente Buena, a preserved Roman fountain.
A bar and basic services.
The Roman milestones at Calzada de Valdunciel are among the best-preserved examples on the entire Via de la Plata. Each cylindrical granite column stood over two meters high and carried inscriptions identifying the emperor who commissioned the road section, the distances to key destinations, and the names of the engineers who built it. These markers were the Roman equivalent of motorway signs -- practical infrastructure for an empire that moved armies and goods across vast distances. The road here linked Salmantica (Salamanca) to the northern mines of Asturica Augusta (Astorga).
The camino to El Cubo de Tierra del Vino parallels the N-630 and A-66 closely, crossing beneath the motorway on several occasions. It's flat, exposed walking with little shade.
El Cubo is the first town in the province of Zamora that pilgrims on the Via de la Plata reach, and it marks the entrance to the Tierra del Vino -- the Land of Wine. The name is a bit of a tease these days: the phylloxera plague of the late 19th century wiped out most of the vineyards, and very few vines remain. But you'll still see old bodegas around town, reminders of a time when winemaking was the economic backbone of this entire region.
The town sits on what was once a Roman mansio (way station) known as Sabaria. There's a shop, a pharmacy, a couple of cafes on the main road, and private albergue accommodation. It's not a place that will keep you long, but it's a practical stop.
The Tierra del Vino de Zamora is a designated wine region that extends over nearly 1,800 square km across 46 municipalities in Zamora province and 10 in Salamanca. Wine cultivation was the principal support of the rural economy here until well into the 20th century. The region received its Denominacion de Origen in 2007, and a handful of wineries have revived production -- primarily Tempranillo reds that are worth seeking out if you find a bottle.
The camino continues straight through El Cubo on the main road, crosses a short bridge, and turns left onto a secondary road. The walking ahead is through open agricultural land toward Villanueva de Campean.
On the southern edge of town, visible on your right as you enter, stand the ruins of the Convento Franciscano de Nuestra Senora del Soto. Founded in 1406 on an earlier hermitage, the convent was extensively rebuilt in the 18th century before being abandoned and falling into decay. It's now on Spain's Red List of Heritage in Danger — a declared cultural asset that you can't enter but whose exterior retains a certain ruined grandeur.
The village is small and services are limited — the bar has reportedly been closed since early 2024, so plan accordingly.
Bar has been reported closed -- plan accordingly and carry food and water from El Cubo de Tierra del Vino.
Villanueva de Campean essentially owes its existence to the Franciscan convent. The village grew up around it after its founding in 1406, drawing settlers who worked the surrounding agricultural lands. The convent was reformed in the 18th century but suffered the same fate as most religious houses during the ecclesiastical confiscations of the 1830s.
The camino from Villanueva de Campean is almost entirely through the countryside along well-marked paths. The entrance to Zamora is short, and your first real glimpse of the riverside city comes from the banks of the Rio Duero.
Located 1km off of the camino, about 4km after leaving Villanueva de Campeán.
Zamora is one of the great Romanesque cities of Europe. Fourteen Romanesque churches stand in the old town alone, with more in the surrounding area — a concentration unmatched anywhere in Spain. If the quantity overwhelms you, focus on two: the Catedral de San Salvador and the Iglesia de Santiago del Burgo.
The Cathedral, built in just 23 years in the 12th century (the blink of an eye for medieval construction), is crowned by a Byzantine-influenced dome covered in fish-scale stone tiles — unique in Spain. The adjacent Castillo de Zamora is older, dating to the 11th century. Together they overlook the Río Duero from the western edge of the old town.
Three museums merit a visit. The Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y Leon is the most ambitious — a modern building housing a comprehensive collection of rural Castilian life. The Museo Catedralicio de Zamora has the cathedral's treasury. The Museo de Semana Santa is the best substitute for not experiencing the real thing — Zamora's Holy Week processions are among the most dramatic in Spain.
In the evening, cross the Puente de Piedra to the south bank of the Duero and walk to the Playa de los Pelambres for sunset views of the cathedral. When ready to return, cross via the Puente de los Poetas. On the far side, the Iglesia de Santiago del Burgo — the oldest and smallest of the Romanesque churches — is illuminated at night and makes for a peaceful final stop.
The old town is entered through several medieval gates. The Portillo de la Traicion (now diplomatically renamed Portillo de la Lealtad) is where King Sancho II was murdered during the siege of 1072 — an event celebrated in the Romancero and tied to the legend of El Cid. All services available.
There's a separate set of arrows directing the way along the Camino Portugues de la Plata, a route that turns westward into Portugal. At the same time, the Camino de Levante from Valencia enters Zamora from the east. Pay attention to which arrows you're following when leaving the city.
Zamora's most dramatic moment came in 1072, when King Sancho II of Castile besieged the city, then held by his sister Urraca. During the siege, a nobleman named Bellido Dolfos slipped out of the city and killed Sancho — stabbing him, according to legend, while the king was relieving himself. The act was either treachery or patriotic defense depending on who tells the story. El Cid, then serving Sancho, famously pursued Dolfos back to the city gates but arrived too late. Sancho's brother Alfonso VI inherited both kingdoms and went on to lose Toledo to the Almoravids.
The Irmandiña-style revolts of the 15th century didn't spare Zamora either — the Comuneros movement of 1520-21 found strong support here among citizens resisting the centralizing ambitions of Charles V.
Zamora's Semana Santa is the city's defining event -- declared of Interes Turistico Internacional in 1986 and Bien de Interes Cultural in 2015, the first Holy Week celebration in Spain to receive that designation. The earliest documented references to the Passion processions here date to 1179. Today, 17 cofradias and more than 40 processions fill the medieval streets over 10 days. The atmosphere is solemn and deeply felt -- nothing like the more festive celebrations in Andalucia. If your timing is right, this alone is worth reshaping your itinerary for.
The weekly market is on Wednesdays.
The camino through the old town crosses the Plaza Mayor onto Calle de las Costanillas, which it follows downhill to the first roundabout. Cross directly over and keep to this road as it passes through the next large intersection (passing the Iglesia de San Lazaro). Shortly after, the road splits and the camino veers left. The way is well marked with signs on posts. Along this stretch you may see conflicting arrows from the Camino Portugues de la Plata and the Camino de Levante -- follow the Via de la Plata markings north.
A village in the Tierra del Pan comarca. The municipal albergue is closed. A cafe, a small grocery, and a bakery are along the road. An area de descanso de peregrinos (pilgrim rest area) appears just before the centre of town.
Montamarta sits above the Embalse de Ricobayo, where the Esla river was dammed in the 1930s. Overlooking the village from the far side of the reservoir is the Ermita de la Virgen del Castillo. The municipal albergue is along the N-630 before the camino reaches the village, and the Hostal Asturiano is just south of it.
When reservoir levels are high, the camino's crossing may be impassable — in that case, take the N-630 over the water.
Montamarta's first written mention dates to the reign of Ferdinand I of Leon in 1038, during the medieval repopulation campaigns that pushed the Christian frontier southward. The village sits in the Tierra del Pan, the bread country between Zamora and Benavente that has supplied grain to the region for centuries. The construction of the Ricobayo dam in the early 20th century transformed the landscape and economy -- most of the fertile bottomland is now underwater.
The way from Montamarta crosses part of the reservoir, which may be impassable when water levels are high. When that's the case, take the N-630 to cross the water instead.
In 4.5 km the camino crosses over the A-66. It then crosses a few small rivers and returns to cross back over the A-66 once again. From here it follows a straight path directly to Fontanillas de Castro. Along the way, a signed detour leads to the ruins of the Castillo de Castrotorafe, a former stronghold of the Order of Santiago -- worth the side trip if you have the energy.
A hamlet between Montamarta and Granja de Moreruela. No services. Nearby are the ruins of the Castillo de Castrotorafe, a former stronghold of the Order of Santiago — a signed detour off the camino.
The camino keeps to the countryside and enters Granja de Moreruela along a back street. Immediately you are presented with the choice between continuing the Vía de la Plata to Astorga or following the Camino Sanabrés to Santiago via Ourense.
Granja de Moreruela is where the road forks and where you make a decision that will shape the rest of your Camino. You can continue north along the Via de la Plata to Astorga (93.8 km) and pick up the Camino Frances from there, or you can turn west onto the Camino Sanabres toward Santiago via Ourense (366 km). Most pilgrims on the Via de la Plata choose the Sanabres option, and with good reason -- it's a direct line to Santiago through some of the least populated, most quietly beautiful country in Spain.
Before you leave Granja, walk out to the ruins of the Monasterio de Santa Maria de Moreruela, about 2 km west of the village. What's left -- the apse, with its ambulatory and ring of seven chapels -- is enough to give you a sense of the scale this place once commanded. Founded in the 12th century, Moreruela was one of the earliest Cistercian monasteries on the Iberian Peninsula, a daughter house of Clairvaux itself. The church alone was 63 metres long. Most of it is gone now, but the apse still stands tall against the sky, and in the early morning light it's a fine place to start a journey.
The village itself has a small shop, a bar, and an albergue. Services are basic. Stock up on what you need -- the first 18 km to Faramontanos de Tabara have nothing.
The Monasterio de Santa Maria de Moreruela was founded around 1131-1133, making it a strong candidate for the oldest Cistercian foundation in Spain. Under the patronage of Alfonso VII, the monastery became a daughter house of Clairvaux and in turn mothered Nogales Abbey (1164) and Aguiar Abbey in Portugal (1165). The Romanesque church, begun around 1170 and finished in the second quarter of the 13th century, was built in the shape of a Latin cross stretching 63 metres in length. Its ambulatory apse with seven radiating chapels followed the plan of Clairvaux itself. Like so many monastic houses in Spain, Moreruela was emptied by the ecclesiastical confiscations of 1835 and slowly crumbled. What remains of the apse is considered one of the finest examples of Cistercian architecture in the country.
The Camino Sanabres turns left and due west from Granja. It follows farm tracks to reach the Puente Quintos (6.7 km) over the Rio Esla. Once over the bridge, the route splits into two options to reach Faramontanos de Tabara. The right route follows the road and is preferred when rains have been heavy. Follow the road to the first paved left turn to descend and rejoin the left route. The left route turns left at the end of the bridge to follow a more scenic trail along the river.
There are no services for the first 18 km. Carry food and water from Granja.
