Why Sarria Is the Usual Starting Point
The Pilgrim's Office in Santiago de Compostela awards the Compostela certificate to pilgrims who walk at least the last 100 continuous kilometres of a recognised route, finishing at the cathedral. On the Camino Francés, the most-walked route, Sarria in the province of Lugo sits just over that line: roughly 115 km from the cathedral. That makes it the natural start for anyone with about a week to spare.
The result is that the final stretch is far busier than the rest of the Francés. Expect company on the path, queues at popular cafés and fuller beds, especially from May to September and around Easter. The trade-off is that services are dense: villages, bars and accommodation appear every few kilometres.
A Seven-Day Plan: One Travel Day and Six Walking Stages
Distances below are approximate and vary slightly between guidebooks and detours.
- Day 1: Arrive in Sarria. Sarria has train connections on the line through Lugo and Monforte de Lemos, and buses run from Lugo and Santiago. Pick up a credential if you do not have one and get your first stamp.
- Day 2: Sarria to Portomarín, about 22 km, through farmland, oak woods and small hamlets. The 100 km marker stone comes on this stage. Portomarín's Romanesque church of San Nicolás was moved stone by stone to the new town when the old one was flooded by the Belesar reservoir.
- Day 3: Portomarín to Palas de Rei, about 25 km, with a long climb out of the river valley at the start.
- Day 4: Palas de Rei to Melide, about 15 km. A short day; Melide is known for boiled octopus (pulpo á feira).
- Day 5: Melide to Arzúa, about 14 km, with a few steep stream crossings. Arzúa is where the Camino del Norte joins, so the trail gets busier again.
- Day 6: Arzúa to O Pedrouzo (Arca, in the municipality of O Pino), about 19 km of mostly eucalyptus and pine woodland.
- Day 7: O Pedrouzo to Santiago, about 20 km, past the airport perimeter and Monte do Gozo, entering the old town to finish at the Praza do Obradoiro.
Walkers who want shorter days can split the long Portomarín and Palas de Rei stages and drop the short Melide day; the total stays the same.
The Credential and the Stamp Rules
The credencial is the pilgrim passport that gets you into pilgrim hostels and serves as proof of your walk. The Pilgrim's Office says credentials are available from its own office and from authorised parishes, hostels and pilgrim associations, and there is also a digital version through an app. Stamps (sellos) are usually collected where you sleep, but churches, cafés, town halls and hotels also stamp.
For the final 100 km, the long-standing guidance has been to collect at least two stamps a day, with dates, so that your route is documented. The office's current English pages do not spell out a daily number, and enforcement depends on the staff member, so treat two a day from Sarria as the safe minimum. If you walk in separate trips, the office asks for stamps with dates at the start and end of each stage.
Collecting the Compostela
The Pilgrim's Reception Office is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00. On arrival you register and receive a ticket with a QR code that lets you check your place in the queue in real time, so you can leave and come back. On busy days the office says same-day collection cannot be guaranteed, which matters if you plan to leave Santiago the same afternoon.
Where to Sleep: Albergues and Alternatives
Galicia's regional government (the Xunta) runs public albergues along the route. These are dormitories with bunks, shared bathrooms and a basic kitchen, charged at a low fixed rate, and they generally take pilgrims with a credential on a first-come basis without reservations. Arriving by early afternoon gives you the best chance of a bed in peak months.
Private albergues sit alongside them and usually accept bookings. Above that come pensiones, rural houses and hotels in every stage town. Many walkers on a one-week schedule book the whole route in advance in summer, either directly or through a luggage-transfer and accommodation package, so the nightly search for a bed does not dominate the trip.
Practical Preparation
- Training: The stages are moderate, but back-to-back days of 20-plus km on hard tracks are what cause blisters. Walk several long days in your actual boots beforehand.
- Weather: Galicia is the wettest part of mainland Spain. Pack a waterproof layer in any season; summer middays can still be hot.
- Luggage: Bag-transfer services move a rucksack between stage towns each day. You still need a credential and stamps to qualify for the Compostela.
- Money: Cards are widely accepted, but carry some cash for small bars and donation-based stamps.
- Getting home: Santiago has an airport (Rosalía de Castro, at Lavacolla) and train and bus links to the rest of Spain.
When to Go
May, June and September offer the best balance of daylight, weather and crowds. July and August are the busiest months, with Spanish holidaymakers joining international walkers. October is quieter and greener but wetter, and from November to March some private albergues and cafés close, so check opening before you rely on a particular stop.
