Camino de Santiago Route I

Sunday and Monday

Following the Jacobean route of the Coastal Way, our pilgrimage in search of the Apostle's tomb begins in Cantabrian territory. Limpias owes its fame to the Cristo de la Agonía, popular for its manifestations of life in the form of tears, sweat and blood, which you will find in the Church of San Pedro. In the surrounding area there are many interesting seaside towns such as Laredo, home to La Salvé, one of the longest and most beautiful beaches in the region, Castro Urdiales and Santoña. The area is ideal for rowing and canoeing. It is also interesting to visit the Cabárceno Nature Park, a 750-hectare park with more than a hundred animal species from the five continents in semi-freedom, or the Ansón Valley. Santander, with its rabas and its Botín Centre, and Bilbao, with its famous pintxos and its Guggenheim Museum, are also attractive places not to be missed. It is essential to try the artisan anchovies in olive oil, which are also a souvenir you are sure to love.

Tuesday

Gijón, historic, commercial, industrial, where the sea, the gentle mountains and the city combine, making it one of the most attractive cities in the north of Spain. Its mild climate invites you to enjoy it all year round. The San Lorenzo beach, the promenade, the marina, its Black Week, its social life and its festive atmosphere invite you to get to know the city. You should walk through the seaside neighbourhood of Cimadevilla and climb the hill of Santa Catalina, where you will see Chillida's sculpture "Elogio del Horizonte", and from where the Cantabrian coast offers a beautiful panoramic view. Among its many attractions, Gijón has a network of museums and a wide range of cultural activities: International Film Festival, Ibero-American Book Fair, Railway Museum, International Bagpipe Museum, Jovellanos' Birthplace, Nicanor Piñole Museum, Revillagigedo Palace, the Laboral City of Culture... And if you haven't yet succumbed to its charms, it's time to try a hearty fabada or other Asturian delicacies such as cachopo or its unbeatable rice pudding. On the way to Galicia, it is well worth a stop in Avilés to visit the Niemeyer Museum and typical fishing villages such as Candás, Luanco and Cudillero, as well as the majestic mansions of the indianos that are dotted all over the region!

Wednesday

Following the coast along the Camino del Note pilgrimage route, we arrive at Ribadeo, a seaside town in Lugo on the border between Galicia and Asturias. At the end of the route, it offers us the necessary rest to discover places of great beauty and several beaches, among them the Playa de las Catedrales, one of the most spectacular in the world for its set of cliffs of more than 32 metres high that, sculpted by the wind and the sea, form arches and vaults, declared a Natural Monument, It has been declared a Natural Monument, and the Ribadeo Estuary, included in the Eo, Oscos and Tierras de Burón River Biosphere Reserve, a natural inlet of great ecological and environmental importance, and also the setting for all kinds of nautical and sporting activities. We also recommend visiting the Fort of San Damián, Puente Do Santos or the nearby town of Castropol. Here you can delight your palate with the great creations and products of the north with typical dishes of traditional Galician cuisine such as seafood, empanada, lacón, rice with lobster from the Bay of Biscay, hake from Puerto Celeiro or the delicious fillet of suckling veal with cheese sauce from Cebreiro.

Thursday and Friday

Without leaving the coast, we reach Ferrol, one of the most unknown corners of Galicia. In the centre of this seafaring, naval and military city, in its emblematic district of La Magdalena, the nerve centre of Ferrol, where you will find the town hall and other important modernist buildings, the Parador awaits you, a stately mansion with a seafaring air. The hotel is a typical Galician mansion with white glazed galleries, surrounded by a beautiful maritime environment. A good plan is to stroll around the old seafaring quarter, next to the marina, and stop for some tapas or take a sightseeing boat trip along the estuary. We recommend a stroll through the streets of the Canido neighbourhood, which has become an international centre for street art thanks to the initiative of painting meninas on the façades of buildings, with a festival that has been held since 2008 on the first weekend in September. Just over twenty minutes away by car, in the municipality of Mugardos, you can visit another beautiful military fortress in the Ferrol estuary, the Castle of San Felipe. Take the opportunity to taste its famous and peculiar octopus. The region is also rich in natural elements, with numerous beaches open to the Atlantic Ocean, spectacular headlands and natural viewpoints, and natural parks such as Fragas do Eume. Other nearby towns worth a visit are Cedeira, Ortigueira and Cariño to the north, and Pontedeume and Betanzos to the south. A visit to the city of A Coruña is also a must.

Saturday

The pilgrimage ends in Santiago, where the tomb of the Apostle is located. A World Heritage City, it offers the traveller countless places to visit. The Plaza del Obradoiro with its beautiful Cathedral, the Plaza de la Universidad (the building dates from the 18th century and its cloister and library look like something out of Harry Potter), its streets where you can experience the life of its inhabitants, palaces and churches, or cultural references such as the Cathedral Museum, the Museum of the Galician People or the Galician Centre of Contemporary Art. A city that seduces both on bright sunny days and on nostalgic and magical rainy days. The Parador, one of the most luxurious and beautiful in the network, known as Hostal dos Reis Católicos, a mixture of history, art and tradition, is located in the Plaza do Obradoiro. To stay here is to stay in a unique and exclusive place. It was founded as the Royal Hospital in 1499 to house pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, and is considered the oldest hotel in the world. If you have time, you can't miss the Galician Rías: the Rías Baixas from Muros to Vigo and Baiona, with its natural park of the Illas Atlánticas; the Rías Altas from A Coruña to Barqueiro; A Costa da Morte, from Carnota to Malpica; and the Mariña Lucense. And you can't leave Santiago without eating a good seafood platter, and whether you have a sweet tooth or not, the tarta de Santiago is one of the must-tries you must try.