Camino At Your PaceSanabrés Way Classic Self-Guided

Make your way to Ourense by train, bus or private transfer from Santiago de Compostela, or by direct high-speed train from Madrid. Settle into your hotel in the historic centre and begin discovering a city shaped by water, stone and more than two thousand years of history. Known as Galicia’s thermal capital, Ourense grew around the naturally heated springs of As Burgas, whose waters emerge at around 67°C. Visit these ancient fountains in the old town or unwind in one of the thermal bathing areas beside the River Miño before beginning your Camino.

Your Camino begins beside the River Miño. Leave Ourense across the historic Ponte Vella and gradually climb away from the city, following quiet lanes and country paths into rural Galicia. The ascent is steady in places, but the expanding views over Ourense and the surrounding hills make a rewarding introduction to the Sanabrés Way. Continue through small hamlets, woodland and peaceful countryside until you reach Tamallancos. From here, a private transfer will take you to your welcoming rural guesthouse for the night.

After breakfast, return by private transfer to Tamallancos and continue through the quiet interior of Galicia. Along the way, cross the medieval Ponte Sobreira over the Barbantiño River and pass through the rural hamlet of Faramontaos. The final section follows a stony and uneven path, so take your time underfoot. Your walk ends in Pazos, where you will spend the night in a charming traditional guesthouse just before the historic town of Cea.

Shortly after leaving Pazos, enter Cea, a town celebrated throughout Galicia for its traditional wood-fired bread. Its baking heritage stretches back for centuries, and you may still see some of its historic communal ovens as you pass through the old streets. From Cea, follow the shorter Camino towards Dozón through peaceful woodland and open countryside. A longer alternative leads via the magnificent Monastery of Santa María de Oseira, founded in the 12th century and often described as the “Galician Escorial.” This option adds considerable distance and must be arranged in advance. At the end of today’s walk, transfer to your accommodation for the night.

Return to Dozón after breakfast and begin a varied stage through the oak woods, farmland and scattered hamlets of inland Galicia. The route occasionally approaches the N-525 but soon returns to quieter country lanes and paths, with a succession of gentle climbs and descents. Your walk ends near Lalín Train Station, where a private transfer will take you into Lalín. Here, the Sanabrés route meets the Winter Way, bringing together pilgrims who have followed two very different paths towards Santiago.

Return to Lalín Train Station and continue through a landscape of woodland, farms and small rural communities. At A Laxe, the Winter Way joins the Vía de la Plata, and the combined routes continue towards Santiago. Pass through Prado and A Borralla before crossing the graceful medieval bridge of Taboada over the River Deza. The path then climbs through the parish of Taboada and continues towards Trasfontao, where an elegant manor house and chapel stand among the surrounding countryside. Your day ends in the small town of Silleda.

Leave Silleda along quiet lanes and woodland paths, walking through a deeply rural landscape of farms, traditional houses and tiny villages. This gentle stage allows you to settle into the peaceful rhythm of the Camino as it approaches the broad valley of the River Ulla. Your walk ends in Dornelas, still within the province of Pontevedra. From here, a private transfer will take you to your hotel overlooking the Ulla, the river associated with the legendary journey that carried the remains of Saint James into Galicia.

Return to Dornelas and descend through woodland and quiet villages toward the River Ulla. Cross into the province of A Coruña at Ponte Ulla, where you can visit the Church of Santa María Magdalena before beginning the steady climb away from the valley. As the path rises, the distinctive silhouette of Pico Sacro increasingly dominates the landscape. Closely connected to the legend of Saint James, the mountain has guided travelers across the region for centuries. In Lestedo, settle into an atmospheric 18th-century country house surrounded by gardens and waterfalls.

Only 13 km now separate you from Santiago. Leave Lestedo beneath the unmistakable outline of Pico Sacro and continue through villages, woodland and increasingly urban surroundings as you approach the Galician capital. Enter the historic center through Porta de Mazarelos, the only surviving gateway of Santiago’s medieval walls, and follow its old streets to Praza do Obradoiro. The Cathedral marks the end of your Winter Way. Take time to celebrate your arrival, collect your Compostela and enjoy the atmosphere shared by pilgrims completing routes from across Europe.

Your Camino journey ends after breakfast. You may choose to extend your stay in Santiago, spend more time exploring the Cathedral and old town, enjoy a guided visit, or continue onward to Finisterre and the Atlantic coast. A wise pilgrim once told us, “The real Camino starts where the Camino de Santiago finishes, but I will not be afraid because the Camino will always be there for me.” We hope the Camino has brought you whatever you were looking for, and we hope to see you again soon.