Overview
A 13 day, self-guided walking holiday that takes you along the Camino de Invierno (Winter Camino) in Spain, one of the lesser-known caminos. Similar to the Camino Frances it follows an inland route, but one that was recommended for winter pilgrims as an alternative in ancient times. There are wineries (and monasteries) galore en route, so it may have been a good call. Covering 262km in total, with some long day treks of over 30km, the trail starts in the historical pilgrim town of Ponferrada, the capital of El Bierzo region, and then continues through wine regions in both Castilla León and Galicia. Stay in a mix of small, locally-owned hotels and guesthouses, with luggage transfers.
- Ponferrada
- Monforte de Lemos
- Ribera Sacra
- Ponte Taboada
- Monte Faro (1,181m)
- Santiago de Compostela
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Ponferrada
Arrive in Ponferrada. If time permits, we recommend exploring the Old Town and its 12th-century Templar castle, the latter having been built to protect pilgrims on the camino. Make sure to try local specialities, such as botillo (smoked sausage stuffed with marinated pork), empanadas and some of Spain’s most delicious cured meats.
- Accommodation: Hotel Aroi Bierzo Plaza or similar in Ponferrada
Day 2: Ponferrada – Las Médulas | 27.8km
Begin the Camino de Invierno by heading south to Toral de Medayo. Continue to Villavieja for the largest ascent of today, 240m over 3km. Slowly descend to Borrenes before the final short ascent for the day to Las Médulas. The Roman mining area of Las Médulas was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
- Walking for the day: 27.8km, 7h
- Accommodation: Complejo Rural Agoga or similar in Las Médulas
Day 3: Las Médulas – O Barco de Valdeorras | 27.2km
Today is an easy stage that descends from Las Médulas through the Valdebría Valley. Leave Castilla y León behind as you enter Galicia crossing the River Sil via the Puente de Domingo Florez. Follow the river for the rest of the journey to arrive in O Barco de Valdeorras, home to some of the most prestigious wines in Galicia. Take time to stroll along the Malecón and enjoy the local cuisine.
- Walking for the day: 27.2km, 7h
- Accommodation: Hotel Malecon or similar in O Barco de Valdeorras
Day 4: O Barco de Valdeorras – A Rúa | 12km
This is the easiest and shortest stage of the route, which leads past wineries, archaeological sites, and caves of Roman origin. The River Sil continues to guide your journey to A Rúa. Spend the rest of the day exploring A Rúa’s cobbled streets and traditional Galician architecture, where Iglesia de San Esteban de A Rúa is not to be missed.
- Walking for the day: 12km, 3h
- Accommodation: Casa Rural Pazo do Sil or similar in A Rúa
Day 5: A Rúa – Quiroga | 26.5km
Start the day heading into the wine region of Ribeira Sacra. The path maintains a similar altitude to the previous day, offering magnificent views out over the River Sil as it runs through the valley. If time allows, we recommend a visit to Museo Xeolóxico with its paleontological and geological history of Galicia.
- Walking for the day: 26.5km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hotel Casa do Stanco or similar in Quiroga
Day 6: Quiroga – Monforte de Lemos | 35.4km
Start the day by walking to Nocedo, leaving the River Sil behind to continue to Barxa de Lor. The route then leads to Monforte de Lemos, the capital of the Terra de Lemos region and the Ribeira Sacra. The Old Town of Monforte is protected for its cultural heritage and worth exploring, especially Puente Vella, the town’s Roman Bridge that crosses the Cabe River.
- Walking for the day: 35.4km, 7h
- Accommodation: Hotel Ribeira Sacra or similar in Monforte de Lemos
Day 7: Monforte de Lemos – Chantada | 30.4km
Today’s route continues through Ribeira Sacra, passing several monasteries along the way. The trail is mostly uphill and passes vineyards that overhang the Miño River.
- Walking for the day: 30.4km, 7h
- Accommodation: Hotel Mogay or similar in Chantada
Day 8: Chantada – Rodeiro | 25.4km
This stage of the route ascends Monte Faro, with panoramic views over Galicia. On clear days, Os Ancares, Serra do Courel, Cabeza de Manzaneda and Peña Trevinca, the highest point in Galicia (2,124m), are all visible from the summit.
- Walking for the day: 25.4km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hostal & Albergue Carpinteiras or similar in Rodeiro
Day 9: Rodeiro – Lalín | 21.8km
After a few days in wine country, this next stage of the route follows a rural path that runs through central Galicia. The day concludes in the town of Lalín.
- Walking for the day: 21.8km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hotel Pontiñas or similar in Lalín
Day 10: Lalín – Silleda | 15.3km
This short stage of the route is fairly flat and follows paved paths. Cross over Puente Taboada, before continuing alongside the Deza River into Silleda.
- Walking for the day: 15.3km, 3h
- Accommodation: Eco Hotel Nos or similar in Silleda
Day 11: Silleda – Ponte Ulla | 19.7km
Today’s route enters the province of A Coruña. Descend along a path that crosses multiple bridges, before arriving in Ponte Ulla, the final stop on the route to Santiago de Compostela.
- Walking for the day: 19.7km, 4h
- Accommodation: Eira Gundián or similar in Ponte Ulla
Day 12: Ponte Ulla – Santiago de Compostela | 20.9km
The final stage of the route leads to the iconic Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. Stop to visit Santa Maria La Mayor, before entering the Old Town via Plaza de Mazarelos, the only entrance of the old medieval wall that is still standing. Enter Plaza del Obradoiro, before bringing you day and pilgrimage to a close at Catedral de Santiago de Compostela and collecting your Compostela Certificate.
- Walking for the day: 20.9km, 5h
- Accommodation: Hotel Lux Santiago or similar in Santiago de Compostela
Day 13: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their proximity to the camino, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Please note: We aim to book you into each town listed on the itinerary, however, in case of low availability, we may book two nights in the same town and provide transfers. On some occasions, your accommodation can be located a few kilometres away from the trail, in these instances, we will organise transportation to and from your accommodation.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel Aroi Bierzo Plaza (Ponferrada)
- Complejo Rural Agoga (Las Médulas)
- Hotel Malecon (O Barco de Valdeorras)
- Casa Rural Pazo do Sil (A Rúa)
- Hotel Casa do Stanco (Quiroga)
- Hotel Ribeira Sacra (Monforte de Lemos)
- Hotel Mogay (Chantada)
- Hostal & Albergue Carpinteiras (Rodeiro)
- Hotel Pontiñas (Lalín)
- Eco Hotel Nos (Silleda)
- Eira Gundián (Ponte Ulla)
- Hotel Lux Santiago (Santiago de Compostela)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on all days. When no restaurant location is available en route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Dinners are available either from your accommodation or from local restaurants in the areas you stay. Please, note that as this is a more remote Camino, facilities for lunch and dinner are very limited and may be closed with short or no notice.
Difficulty and terrain
This walk is graded moderate, with some strenuous sections, which include walks of up to 35km (7h) a day. The route follows a mixture of farm and dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths and is clearly marked with yellow painted arrows (read more about difficulty grades).
We strongly advise you to only follow marked trails and never try to shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with maps and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime.
When to go
This trip is available from April until October.
The best months for walking are from April–June and September–October, as the summer months can be very hot.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date during the season. For more information, see our blog the Best time to walk the Camino de Santiago.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ) or A Coruña Airport (LCG).
By train or bus
Arrival in Ponferrada
- If you are able to travel to Spain without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Ponferrada and Santiago de Compostela. For more details, see the national rail operator Renfe or use the Omio planner above
- From Santiago de Compostela railway station, you can take a train to Ourense and change here for Ponferrada. For more information and timetables, please visit Renfe or use the Omio planner above
- From Santiago de Compostela, there are a few direct bus services a day to Ponferrada. For more information and tickets, please visit Alsa or use the Omio planner above
Departure from Santiago de Compostela
- Bus line 6A runs regularly between Santiago de Compostela and Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport. For timetables and further information, please visit TUSSA. Alternatively, you can book a private transfer with us.
- From Santiago, there are regular train services to many destinations in Spain. For more information and tickets, visit Renfe or use the Omio planner above.
- You can also book private transfers with us
Inclusions
Included
- 12 nights accommodation
- 12 breakfasts
- Luggage transfers on all walking days (one piece up to 20kg per person)
- Guided tour in Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
- Galician cheese tasting in Santiago de Compostela (unavailable on Sundays)
- Pilgrim’s Passport and scallop
- Maps for all stages
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches and dinners, drinks and snacks
- Additional luggage
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on the spot)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers
- Additional tours in Santiago de Compostela
- Extra nights
- Airport transfers
- A shorter version of this trip from Morforte de Lemos to Santiago de Compostela is available on request
Spain’s legal requirement for personal information
Please note: in December 2024, the Spanish government introduced a new law making it a legal obligation for all visitors to Spain to share personal details with their accommodations and car rental companies. Consequently, as we book your accommodation for you, we are obliged to pass these on to our local partners on the ground. After booking your holiday, we will send you a form to complete requesting all the legally-required information, including: name, nationality, gender, passport number, DOB, address, phone numbers and email address. This applies to all travellers aged 14 and over. If you are travelling with people under 14 years old, you need to declare your relationship to them. We apologise for any inconvenience. For more information, see here.
Compostela/Pilgrim’s Passport
You need to get your passports stamped in churches, restaurants or hotels along the way. At the end of the walk, in Santiago de Compostela, you can obtain your Compostela Certificate. A minimum of two stamps per day is required to obtain the certificate. For avid stamp hunters, visit Los sellos del Camino.
Important: Due to the large influx of pilgrims during summer, and to avoid long waiting times, the Pilgrim Office in Santiago has installed a numbered ticket system for issuing pilgrim certificates. This new system allows pilgrims to collect their tickets and, using a QR Code, to check the status of the queue and estimated waiting time to obtain the Compostela. However, the number of tickets per day is limited so on days with high numbers of pilgrims arriving, there is a possibility that not all pilgrims will be able to collect their certificate on the day of arrival and will have to return for it on the following morning.
Therefore, if obtaining a pilgrim certificate is important to you, and if you plan to undertake the camino between 15 April and 15 October, we recommend that you arrange the return travel in such a way that you will be in Santiago de Compostela during the morning after your arrival. Better still, we encourage you to book a second night in Santiago so that you can collect the certificate without rushing and enjoy the charms of the city!
