Itinerary
▌Day 1. Arrival in Tui
To do this Camino de Santiago in group from Tui, the first thing is to get to this old border town. You can do it on your own, or in the private transfer that we will have prepared for the group.
The first day is spent touring this small town that was once one of the capitals of the Kingdom of Galicia. Tui has a lot to offer. We can visit the cathedral of Santa María, a building that imposes with its militarised western façade and that immediately reveals traces of the past of a bishopric that extended for centuries beyond the river Miño, in what is now part of Portugal and was once a county within the Kingdom of Galicia. And why not go to Portugal?
We can also cross the border over the bridge that connects the city with Valença do Minho, where we can visit its fortress full of life and local commerce.
▌Day 2. Stage Tui - O Porriño | 16,1 km
We will begin this group adventure in Tui, on the banks of the river, perhaps joining the pilgrims who have already been walking for days from Oporto, Braga or even Lisbon. Even if we walk in a group, nothing prevents us from meeting other pilgrims to Santiago.
After crossing the historic street we start a gentle ascent towards Ribadelouro, passing the sanctuary of San Bartolomeu, one of the oldest in Galicia.
From there we descend to O Porriño, capital of the municipality of the same name, which is in the metropolitan area of Vigo, the largest city in Galicia.
To reach O Porriño, we will follow the route that runs through the natural area of As Gándaras de Budiño and Río Louro, avoiding the traditional section that crosses the long and uninteresting industrial estate of As Gándaras.
▌Day 3. Stage O Porriño - Redondela | 15,6 km
On leaving O Porriño we will quickly pass the town hall of Mos.
The route crosses the small village that serves as the capital, passing by the church of Santa Eulalia and the manor house of the Marquises of Mos, and then begins the climb to the top of Enxertade. There we will find the Roman milestone of Vilar de Infesta and we will follow the old Roman road XIX that linked Braga and Astorga.
From there you reach the town of Redondela, another of the towns in the Vigo metropolitan area, known for the enormous railway viaducts that cross the town between its houses, and a perfect place to spend the night.
▌Day 4. Stage Redondela - Pontevedra | 19,1 km
After leaving Redondela, a new effort will take us to the top of O Viso, which offers one of the best views over the famous Vigo estuary - the one portrayed by Jules Verne in his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
and on whose seabed lie Spanish galleons laden with gold from America.
After a gentle descent, we will reach Arcade, a town famous for the oysters produced on its banks. Further on, we will cross the historic Roman bridge over the river Verdugo and begin the descent towards Pontevedra, a city with an impressive historic quarter that is well worth a visit, taking advantage of the shorter-than-usual stage design.
In addition, you can't miss the church of the Pilgrim Virgin and discover its history. Take a look at the ground plan of the building and you will see that it stands on an unusual but very appropriate scallop shape.
▌Day 5. Stage Pontevedra - Caldas de Reis | 21 km
On the fifth day of this Camino de Santiago in group we will leave Pontevedra by the historic bridge of O Burgo, where the river Lérez turns into an estuary. This stage of the Portuguese Way of Saint James is for nature lovers. We will be accompanied by wonderful landscapes dotted with small villages that will allow us to enjoy the charms of the Rías Baixas. We will be able to have lunch in the Nature Park of the Barosa River, enjoy the thermal waters of Caldas de Reis or do a wine tasting of D.O. Rías Baixas as part of this section.
The end of the day will be in Caldas de Reis, a thermal village on the banks of the Umia river, perfect for recharging your batteries.
▌Day 6. Stage Caldas de Reis - Padrón | 18,5 km
After leaving Caldas, the Portuguese Way continues through rural areas, with small towns and villages. Almost reaching the end of the stage, we will cross the Ulla River, one of the most important rivers in Galicia and one of the main channels of the largest and most productive estuary in Galicia: the Ría de Arousa.
On the other side of the bridge, we will find Padrón, the point where, according to tradition, the boat carrying the body of the apostle St. James docked when his disciples Theodore and Athanasius brought him back to Gallaecia.
In Padrón we can also discover that the "national poet" of Galician literature is a woman: Rosalía de Castro.
▌Day 7. Stage Padrón - Santiago de Compostela | 22.0 km
We are approaching the goal of this programme of the Pilgrims' Route to Santiago de Compostela. Passing through small villages, always climbing moderately, we will reach Santiago passing through Iria Flavia, where the bishopric of Teodomiro was located at the time of the discovery of the tomb of the apostle.
We will also pass through O Milladoiro, which today functions as a dormitory town of the capital of Galicia, but whose name probably comes from Latin humiliatorium - a clear reference to the pilgrimage and to the fact that from its top it was possible to see, at last, the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago. A little further along the Camino and we will enter the city from the south, through the Porta Faxeira of the old city wall and the Rúa do Franco, a name related to the pilgrims, who were indistinctly called francos, even if they came from Portugal or from the south of Galicia.
Congratulations, pilgrim! You have reached your goal.
The journey continues.
▌Day 8. Santiago de Compostela and more
After a well-deserved rest, you finally have time to visit the city that you have reached on foot after more than a hundred kilometres. Its historic centre, its university, its market and its countless parks, its surroundings...
And, if you have time, the End of the World awaits you. We bring it to you on a full day trip to Muxía, Fisterra and the Costa da Morte.
