The Top Pilgrim Trails in Castile and Leon: go your own path

The 10 most beautiful pilgrim walks in Castile and Leon

Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 11 Belorado - San Juan de Ortega: Across the Gansberg Mountains to the Monastery of San Juan de Ortega

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 11

23.8 km

7:00 h

446 m

217 m

On a scenic route through the last green oasis before the barren meseta, we cross the Montes de Oca, the Gansberg mountains.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 24 Foncebadón - Ponferrada: Iron Cross and Iron Bridge

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 24

26.9 km

7:15 h

251 m

1,140 m

On this stage, we cross the highest point of the Camino francés and can lay down a soul burden at the Cruz de Ferro, symbolised by a stone. Then we descend to the Templar town of Ponferrada.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 26 Villafranca del Bierzo - La Faba: The Hard Way

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 26

25.2 km

8:45 h

789 m

367 m

On the hard way – the Camino duro – we climb today towards O Cebreiro. The pass crossing, however, is not before us until the next day.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 23 Astorga - Foncebadón: Through the Maragatería into the Montes de León

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 23

25 km

7:30 h

575 m

25 m

We now cross the land of the Marargatos, a people rich in tradition, and begin the ascent to the Montes de León, the last large mountain range before Santiago de Compostela.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 19 Sahagún - Reliegos: On the royal road to Reliegos

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 19

30.4 km

8:00 h

98 m

101 m

The royal road, the Camino Real, takes us via El Burgo Ranero to Reliegos. There are more than 70 bodegas in this small village.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 16 Frómista - Carrión de los Condes: Through the campos to the city of the counts

Premium content Difficulty moderate Stage 16

19.5 km

5:15 h

91 m

22 m

In between are small villages with a lot of history and culture, such as Villalcázar de Sirga or Carrión de los Condes.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 21 León - Villar de Mazarife: From the city of the lion to the village of the storks

Premium content Difficulty moderate Stage 21

21.6 km

5:45 h

129 m

96 m

We hike through the heath landscape of the Páramo to Villar de Mazarife, where storks have taken over the church tower with their nests.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 25 Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo: From the Templar city to "Little Compostela".

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 25

23.3 km

6:30 h

219 m

270 m

The route leads through vineyards to Villafranca del Bierzo. Here, pilgrims who could no longer make it over the Cebreiro were given early absolution, which is why the place is also called „Little Compostela“.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 22 Villar de Mazarife - Astorga: Through the Páramo to Roman Asturica Augusta

Premium content Difficulty difficult Stage 22

30.6 km

8:00 h

176 m

199 m

Via the legendary bridge at Hospital de Órbigo, through the heath landscape of the Páramo and past the stone Cruzero de San Toribio we hike to Astorga.

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Pilgrim Walk · Spain

CF 20 Reliegos - León: The End of the Meseta

Premium content Difficulty moderate Stage 20

25.2 km

5:30 h

149 m

124 m

Today we leave the barren Meseta plateau behind us. This stage ends in León, one of the most beautiful and culturally rich towns on the Way of St. James.

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