Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon arrival in Porto, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area. Continue to the arrival hall where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Make your way to the bus, where your group will transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, we will visit São Francisco Church, which has a beautiful Gothic interior. Following Mass, we visit the Clerigos Church with its iconic bell tower, enjoy a panoramic view of the Dom Luís Bridge, Church of Saint Ildefonso, a baroque style church with tile façade, and the Maria Pia Bridge. Return to your hotel for dinner and a restful overnight in Porto before your walking tour begins!

This morning, you will enjoy breakfast, followed by a transfer to Braga. Braga is a lively city, one of the oldest in the country. Visit the Shrine of Bom Jesus do Monte (“Good Jesus of the Mountain “) to celebrate Mass. In 1722, the Archbishop of Braga authorized the construction of a Sacred Way for the faithful to walk the Stations of the Cross for penance and contemplation. In the afternoon, walk a brief 3-4 miles. Continue to the town of Tui in Galicia. Tui is separated from Portugal by the River Minho. Check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, your walking Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela officially begins! Following breakfast, your group will set out walking across the beautiful countryside. With the guidance of Our Lord, and following in the footsteps of St. James the Apostle, you will become a true pilgrim by journeying along the physical road, as well as the spiritual one. Your first official day of walking will culminate in O Porrino. Enjoy dinner followed by an overnight.

This morning, you will enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Begin today’s journey from O Porrino, through the woods to Rendoncela. This town is known for its famous railway viaducts built in the nineteenth century. Due to these infrastructures, Redondela earned the nickname “Village of the Viaducts.” Enjoy dinner and a restful overnight in Rendoncela.

Breakfast will be served at your hotel. Your Pilgrimage continues as you travel from Redondela to Pontevedra. Pontevedra has a well-preserved medieval town center along with many small and popular squares. View the “Capela da Virxe Peregrina”, a unique, distinctive building situated in the square. It was built in 1778 and is positioned on the main pilgrim’s route that leads to Santiago de Compostela from Portugal. As you explore Pontevedra, you will notice joy etched in the faces of the pilgrims. Although they have traveled a long distance, they are filled with excitement and anticipation as they near Santiago. Enjoy dinner and an overnight.

After breakfast, we will continue our journey to Caldas de Reis. Today we will pass through the villages of Alba, A Portela, and Briallos. In Alba, you will see the beautiful Church of Santa Maria de Alba. In A Portela, you will find the Church of San Mamede. Briallos is a small village of 400 people and has a pilgrim hostel. Arrive in Caldas de Reis, which is a town well known for its hot springs. It is located at the confluence of the Bermaña and the Umia rivers. Dinner and overnight.

This morning, you will enjoy breakfast. Today’s route passes through San Miguel de Valga, Cimadevila, Fontelo, and the Ulla River. The Church of Santiago de Padron is a very important stop for pilgrims. Inside the church, under the altar, we can find the Padrón, a granite block that was tied to the boat that carried the Apostle, St. James. Tonight we will stay at Padron, which is significant as this is where St. James first preached the word of the Lord. Enjoy dinner followed by a good night’s rest.

Today, you will reach the culmination of the walking portion of your journey! The walk continues in the same direction as the previous day. Leave Padrón and go past the Church of Santiago towards the Colegiata of Iria Flavia, where Nobel Literature Prize winner, Camilo José Cela, is buried. The day continues through Osebe, along paths and main roads, through villages and woodlands, until you reach O Milladoiro. You will know you are approaching Santiago when you see the spires of the Cathedral in the distance. Following lunch, you will complete your walking journey and arrive at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Upon arrival, feel free to say a small prayer in thanksgiving to Our Lord for keeping you safe throughout the walking Pilgrimage. At this time, you will check in to your hotel and enjoy free time to explore Galicia’s capital: Santiago de Compostela. This evening you will enjoy a marvelous dinner, followed by a very restful overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

This morning, you will awaken in the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela! Formed by Galician granite, this Cathedral is one of the finest architectural examples in Europe as it encompasses Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque styles. Additionally, the Cathedral contains numerous valuable pieces of art that truly captivate the eye. Upon entering the Cathedral, pilgrims traditionally hug a statue of St. James. You will then descend into the crypt where the Patron Saint of Pilgrims’ relics are kept. Following your visit, enjoy free time for lunch on your own before you begin a sightseeing tour of the city. See Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gelmirez Palace, Franco Street, and much more. Your evening will be free to spend at your leisure until a final dinner with your group. You will spend a final overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Your last day in Spain will begin with breakfast at your hotel, followed by a transfer to Santiago, A Coruna, or Porto Airport for your return flight(s) home. You will say hasta luego (see you later) to your new friends made on this journey.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.

While you will be removed from the routine of your everyday life, rest assured you will be taken care of with outstanding accommodations, meals and transportation with van / bus driving parallel to the path you walk each day. Should at any point you feel tired, need water, or any medical assistance, it will be readily available to you at check points that are set up along the way on your path. Tourists pass through places, places pass through Pilgrims.

This itinerary involves an average of 10 – 15 miles daily of walking/hiking. It is essential that participants be in fit condition in order to complete the journey. We will have assistance vehicles (motor coach) available to assist pilgrims who are unable to complete a particular leg of the journey.

What to Know Before You Go on the El Camino Pilgrimage