2026 Camino Itinerary

Similar to our standard full-service Camino de Santiago, our Kinder (Gentler) Camino means shorter days with all the full features of a Fresco Tour! As we will cover the last 112 km, A Kinder Camino also allows you to request the Compostela certificate in the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago.

After breakfast, we hop in the van and set our eyes on the Iron Cross or Cruz de Ferro, where pilgrims ask for protection while on their journey. In keeping with the long-standing tradition, make sure to bring a stone to leave at the foot of the cross. After lunch, we continue our journey to the mountaintop village of O Cebreiro to learn about the famous miracle that took place here in the 15th century. Finally, we unwind at our accommodations for the evening.

As we leave the market town of Sarria, make sure to keep an eye out for the ruins of Celtic castros hiding in the vegetation along the Camino. Our destination today is the 100 km marker, a milestone (or kmstone!) for the millions of pilgrims who have traversed this same spot during the last millennium. We return to our hotel for a rest before heading to the Benedictine Monastery of Samos and a wonderful dinner of local fare.

Continuing from where we left off the day before, we walk along the Camino de Santiago to Portomarín, where the 12th-century Church of San Juan, a fortified church, once stood guard over the banks of the River Miño before it was moved, stone by stone, to the new center of town – your Fresco Tour guide will tell you more about that! After lunch, the Camino takes us through farmland and woods and brings us to the agricultural hamlet of Gonzar.

Walking from Gonzar to Palas de Rei is a walk back into time! The Way takes us through many small hamlets and villages of historical importance. Some sights that we should not miss are: the 17th century Cross of Lameiros, the 16th century hospice where Carlos V stayed on his journey to Santiago, and the 13th century Romanesque Church of Santiago in Eirexe. In Palas de Rei, we regroup and return to our hotel in Portomarín for a well-deserved rest.

Following the now very familiar yellow arrows, we ramble up and down gentle rolling hills along quiet footpaths. Little has changed in this serene corner of Spain. The peaceful rural environment of local farmers tending to their lazy cattle, which graze near old stone houses creates, a scene from another time. We quickly arrive back to the present in the bustling market town of Melide, where tender octopus, or pulpo, is still boiled in large copper kettles by the street.

We leave Melide early morning and wind our way across the Galician countryside. Our journey is filled with tiny churches dating back to the 12th and 14th-century dedicated to Santiago and Santa Maria. Arzúa is the ideal opportunity to set out in search of their famous local cow cheese or perhaps a bit of empanada, a light crusty pastry filled with either beef or tuna.

Today we continue to enjoy expansive and verdant landscapes, occasionally embellished by the charming atmosphere of tiny three-house villages. Get a feel for the people by greeting a local villager with a Buenos días or Hola. You'll see how these quiet and reserved people will quickly wish you well on your journey to Santiago. On this trek, you are no longer a tourist, but a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago!

Our day starts with a morning excursion to the 13th century Santa Maria Monastery of Sobrado, whose Benedictine monks welcome those pilgrims coming from the Northern Route. Afterwards, we return to the Camino and walk our way into Lavacolla. In the Middle Ages, weary pilgrims would wash themselves here before entering the Holy City of Santiago, our destination tomorrow!

9 days, 112 kilometers, and we have arrived to Santiago de Compostela. Congratulations! You are going to love this magical city filled with fantastic monuments and a lively buzz from the international pilgrims and university students that fill its medieval streets. After requesting our Compostela certificates at the Pilgrims’ Office, we head to our hotel and get ready for our evening celebratory dinner!

After breakfast, our local historian gives us a closer look at the amazing Cathedral that has seen so many transformations since the original chapel, built in the 9th-century. After the tour, we sadly say our last Buen Camino as we leave you at the Cathedral in time for the pilgrims' mass at noon.

* Please note:This itinerary is subject to slight modifications due to hotel availability, weather, festivals, and other occurences.