The Camino Portugués

Your entrance to the old town center of Pontevedra is punctuated with its most famous church, the Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina, a shrine to the Pilgrim Virgen who guided pilgrims here from Baiona. 

To see the rest of Pontevedra’s notable buildings will required you to stray from the arrows a bit. The old town is not large enough to get lost in, so take your time and enjoy the many plazas and parks. 

The most important landmarks are the Convento de San Francisco, the Basilica de Santa María (often referred to as the Cathedral), the Iglesia de San Bartolomé, and the Convento de Santa Clara. 

There are plenty of plazas to choose from, including the large Plaza de Teucro and the diminutive (and best) Plaza de Leña.

A small church on your right, a playground and recreation area on your left. Hidden in the park is an ancient petroglyph — these Galician rock carvings are common throughout the region and new ones are still being discovered. A bar at the far end of town.

This is the first notable stop on the Variante Espiritual after the fork from the main camino. The route descends through the hamlet of Fragmoreira and emerges at a roundabout on the divided highway.

A hamlet on the descent from Cabaleiro to Poio. No services.

The Mosteiro de San Xoan de Poio, a massive Benedictine monastery, is the first building in town and impossible to miss. The monastery has been a centre of learning since the 7th century, though the current buildings are mostly 17th and 18th century. Several bars along the descent from the monastery.

The route through town requires care — watch for a narrow path turning upward on your left, just before a small B&B called A Marchanta. From the monastery, the camino descends to the waterfront and a large park before climbing to the main road toward Combarro.

Combarro is one of the most photographed villages in Galicia, and for good reason. The horreos — the granite granaries that are a defining feature of Galician rural architecture — line the waterfront here, some of them practically hovering above the sea at high tide. They were used to dry fish as well as grain, and the visual effect of a row of them standing on their stilts against the ria is unique.

The town is small, compact, and genuinely beautiful in the way that only a working fishing village can be. The camino doesn't actually pass through the best parts — it turns uphill to join the road before you reach the waterfront. Keep going straight instead to see the horreos and the cruceiros that dot the lanes. Getting lost in Combarro would be an achievement, but be aware that other arrow variations exist and could lead you astray.

A few bars and restaurants. The Variante Espiritual crosses the road from here and immediately begins ascending the Monte Redondo.

Not well signposted but identifiable by the large dirt parking lot adjacent to it. The mirador platform doesn't inspire much confidence structurally but offers excellent views east over the Ria de Pontevedra. From here the camino levels out and follows a mountain track before joining a paved road briefly and descending toward Armenteira.

The camino delivers you directly to the front door of the Monasterio de Santa Maria de Armenteira, a 12th-century Cistercian foundation set in a quiet valley. The church's Romanesque portal and the cloister are the highlights. Two bars in town — the one directly in front is the more popular. The albergue is a few hundred metres further along, following the arrows.

From Armenteira, the camino joins the Ruta da Pedra e da Auga — a popular local trail following a creek downhill to sea level, passing dozens of abandoned water mills. The right-hand side of the creek keeps you closer to the mills and the water. The walking is beautiful and the descent is gradual.

A large picnic area and recreation space with public bathrooms. A small bar-kiosko operates during the summer months. The riverside walk is interrupted by a highway and roundabouts, but the trail resumes quickly on the far side.

A small seasonal bar on your left at this junction. A larger bar-restaurant is over the river. The camino approaches Puente Arnelas via a steel-and-wood walkway under the bridge — follow the arrows up to road level.

A small village with a chapel, a large pharmacy, and bars at both ends. If both bars are closed, a gas station provides backup. The camino continues along the Rio Umia from here.

A small village on a brief climb. No services. The camino passes through and returns to the road before turning left into Mouzas.

A hamlet. No services. The camino passes through to a crossing of the PO-549, where a pair of bars await — including the eccentrically named Mississippi Bar.

Just beyond Cores, the camino reaches the sea for the final stretch of the Variante Espiritual. The last 3 km follow sandy paths with beaches on your left and beach bars on your right, arriving at Vilanova de Arousa via a large bridge.

A seaside harbour town with bars and restaurants but not much else besides the pleasure of gazing out to sea after days of walking inland. The albergue is the operational hub for arranging the boat to Pontecesures.

The boat recreates the Translatio — the legendary voyage that brought Santiago's body from Palestine to Galicia. Schedule varies with the tide, the number of passengers, and the captain's calculations. You can't reliably plan it days in advance — show up at the albergue and arrange things with the hospitalero.

The alternative to the boat is a roadside walk roughly mirroring the coastline but providing little contact with it. Arrows are lacking in places, and accommodation along this stretch is unreliable outside peak summer months.

Pontecesures occupies a pleasant riverside location that is somewhat spoiled by the factory across the Rio Ulla. The town is where the Variante Espiritual (by boat or by road from Vilanova de Arousa) rejoins the main camino.

The bridge here is where, according to the Translatio legend, the stone boat carrying Santiago's body arrived. The Roman bridge foundations survive beneath the current structure. The camino crosses the river into the approach to Padron.

The Monasterio de San Antonio de Herbon and its albergue could not be better placed for a peaceful penultimate night before Santiago. The albergue is run by the Galician Amigos del Camino and is one of the few places on the route where you can count on eating dinner with everyone staying there.

The monastery's kitchen gardens are where the famous Pimientos de Padron originate — Franciscan monks brought pepper seeds from the Americas in the 16th century and planted them here. The peppers are at their best between May and September.

Follow the red arrows marked Herbon — this is a deviation from the main camino, adding 3 km total (2.7 km from Pontecesures, plus 3 km the next morning to reach Padron). The detour is worth it for the hospitality alone.

A hamlet between Pontecesures and Padron on the main camino. No services.

Padron may be the most important small town on any Camino. This is where, according to the Translatio legend, the stone boat carrying Santiago's body came to rest — the pedron (mooring stone) from which the town takes its name sits beneath the altar of the Iglesia de Santiago on the riverfront. Ask the sacristan to show you; it's in the crypt.

Santiago is said to have preached here during his lifetime, making his posthumous return a homecoming of sorts. The Convento del Carmen, on the hill above town, offers views over the valley.

Padron is also the birthplace of Rosalia de Castro, the 19th-century poet who is to Galicia what Pessoa is to Portugal — the voice of a people and a language. Her house on the edge of town is now a museum. Camilo Jose Cela, the 1989 Nobel laureate, was also born here.

And then there are the peppers. The Pimientos de Padron — small green peppers fried in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt — originate from the monastery gardens at nearby Herbon. The famous saying holds: uns pican e outros non (some are hot and some are not). Between May and September they're at their peak. Out of season, you'll still find them, but the Russian roulette is less thrilling.

All services available.

Iria Flavia is one of the most historically important sites on any Camino, though you wouldn't know it from the modern settlement. This was the original bishopric — the episcopal seat before it was transferred to Santiago de Compostela after the discovery of the Apostle's tomb in the 9th century.

The Colegiata de Santa Maria de Iria Flavia is the site of the original cathedral. The Adro (the cemetery and churchyard) is worth visiting — Rosalia de Castro was originally buried here before her remains were moved to the Panteon de Galegos Ilustres in Santiago.

A hamlet between Iria Flavia and the approach to Santiago. No services.

A hamlet. No services.

A hamlet. No services.

A hamlet with an albergue but no other services.

Although more than 17 km still separate you from the Cathedral, from here onward you're essentially walking through an expanding string of Santiago suburbs. Most remain small, but the sprawl is building.

A hamlet on the approach to Santiago. No services.

A hamlet between Angueira de Suso and Picarana. No services.

Watch for faded arrows before the gas station directing you left and off the road — this newer route through countryside is much better than the road. The trail can have tall grass in places but is obvious and well-marked. It brings you to the road at the entrance to O Faramello.

Two bars — one at the entrance just after leaving the N550, another at the private albergue.

From Rua de Francos, the camino passes through the hamlets of Osebe and A Grela on its way into the Santiago suburb of O Milladoiro.

The camino passes between Osebe (to your left, train station) and Casalonga (to your right, on the main road, with shops and an ATM). Pedreira, not far ahead, has an albergue and food truck. The three settlements blend together — it's not clear when you're passing from one to the next.

A hamlet on the edge of Santiago's suburban sprawl. No services on the camino.

Santiago's largest suburb, and soon you'll have your first glimpse of the Cathedral. The camino passes through the back side of town, avoiding the busy main road with its apartment blocks. The growing network of highways around Santiago creates a series of crossings and zigzags — occasionally new and old camino stones point in different directions. At the choice between 'Santa Marta' and 'Conxo', take Santa Marta (left) for the most direct route.

Santiago. You made it.

Start in the Plaza del Obradoiro — kilometre zero, marked by a scallop shell and plaque in the centre of the square. The Obradoiro facade of the Cathedral, completed in the 18th century, is the Baroque frame for Maestro Mateo's 12th-century Portico de la Gloria behind it.

If you want your Compostela — the certificate of completion — visit the Pilgrim's Office. From the Plaza, face the Parador (the grand building on your left if you're facing the Cathedral), look for the road going downhill to the left, pass the public restrooms, turn right at the next street, and follow it to the end.

The Cathedral demands at least two visits. Walk it plaza by plaza: the Puerta de la Azabacheria faces the Monasterio de San Martin Pinario to the north; the Obradoiro opens west; the Puerta de las Platerias faces south, named for the silver workshops still operating below; the Plaza de Quintana and the Puerta del Perdon (the Holy Door, opened only in Holy Years) face east. Go early, before the crowds.

The crypt and the embrace of Santiago's bust are best experienced in the morning quiet. The botafumeiro — arguably the world's largest thurible — swings across the transept on ropes pulled by eight tiraboleiros.

The Monasterio de San Martin Pinario is so large you'll find yourself next to it from almost every direction north of the Cathedral. Its facade descends rather than ascends to its doors — the architects dug downward rather than compromise on height after the Archbishop decreed that no building should exceed the Cathedral in elevation.

San Fiz de Solovio, near the Mercado de Abastos, is the oldest building site in Santiago. The hermit San Pelayo was praying here when the lights in the sky called him to the field where Santiago's tomb was found. Excavations have revealed foundations and a necropolis dating to the 6th century.

The Mercado de Abastos is Galicia at its most practical — utilitarian architecture, no-nonsense vendors, many of them second, third, or fifth-generation operators. The produce is excellent and the atmosphere is unadorned. The buildings date from the 1940s but replace ones that stood for 300 years.

Alameda Park, south of the old town, overlooks the Cathedral. In the Plaza de Quintana, after dark, look for the hidden pilgrim — a shadow cast by the Cathedral stonework, visible only at night.

Stay at least one extra day. The web of stone streets will bring you back to the Cathedral every time you think you've escaped it.