We start from León following the Camino, which runs along the road and does not have great difficulties. Some of the towns that we will find are San Martín del Camino and Puente and Órbigo Hospital. These are two very close towns, which are on opposite banks of the river, and in practice belong to the same municipality. Its name is due to the old pilgrim hospital founded by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and the most remarkable thing we can see is the medieval bridge.

After Hospital de Órbigo we can choose between two alternatives: the historical route, which follows the road, or a rural variant that crosses the towns of Santibáñez de Valdeiglesias and San Justo de la Vega. The terrain begins to become slightly more mountainous, although without excessive difficulty.

Astorga, our goal today, is a beautiful city of Roman origin, famous for its sweets and chocolates. We can also visit the Episcopal Palace, the work of Antonio Gaudí.

In today's stage we finally abandon the Castilian plain to enter the mountains of León, in a gentle but constant climb. The region that we cross is the place of origin of the maragatos, a people with their own clothes and customs that maintained their own identity until the beginning of the 20th century.

We cross Rabanal del Camino, a small town of stone houses, and begin to climb the Cruz de Ferro, the highest point of the Camino, and place where pilgrims traditionally leave a stone at the foot of the cross.

After the cross, we left behind the mountains of León and entered the region of El Bierzo, whose first town is El Acebo, whose neighbors were exempt from taxes in exchange for maintaining the passable road and signaling it in the winter months. Ponferrada, the former base of the Templars, was protected in this region during the Middle Ages. The Templar castle is still preserved today, a must see. We can also visit the Fábrica de la Luz, a museum installed in an old power station.

After leaving Ponferrada, we enter fully into the El Bierzo region, between mountains and forests. Be careful in summer, as the temperature rises easily. We cross the towns of Columbrianos, Fuentes Nuevas, Camponayara and Cacabelos, where a climb begins until Pieros. Here, we can choose to follow the official road, which runs along the N-VI road, or take a variant along an agricultural road.

Villafranca del Bierzo, our destination, is known for the church of Santiago and its "Puerta del Perdón", which only opens in the Jacobean years. Pope Calixto III granted the sick or disabled pilgrims the privilege of gaining the same indulgences by arriving at this door as if they had arrived in Santiago.

We are approaching Galicia, but before arriving, we will pass through this stage through the valley of the Valcarce River. The Camino continues for several stretches the same route as that of the old N-VI road.

After passing through Las Herrerías we started the famous climb to O Cebreiro, an ascent of almost 700 m. in 12 km., and one of the most complicated climbs of the Camino. At the end our gateway to Galicia awaits us, O Cebreiro, a town where Father Elías Valiña is buried, a great promoter of the Camino in the 20th century. This town is also known for a miracle that happened, it is said, in the fourteenth century.

After O Cebreiro we enter Galicia, and the route between meadows, forest tracks and small villages: Liñares, Padornelo, Fonfría ... Starting from O Biduedo there is a steep descent until you reach Triacastela, one of the many towns whose History is united from its birth to the Way.

When leaving, we must choose between two routes: through the San Xil valley or through the Samos monastery. The first option takes us through beautiful forests and small villages, while the second one has 5 km. more, but it allows us to visit the monastery of Samos, founded in the 6th century.

In both cases, the Way will take us to Sarria, a town known for being chosen by most pilgrims to start their journey, and full of all kinds of hostels and services for the traveler.

Our destination, Portomarín, is not located in the same place where the original town was built. This was flooded by the reservoir in 1963, and the town we arrived to was then built to rehouse the neighbors, with the most important historical buildings (such as the church of San Nicolás) dismantled and transported stone by stone.

We continue our journey through rural Galicia. Today's stage starts with a gentle climb until reaching the Hospital da Cruz, about 12 km. After that, we continue through the Ligonde mountain range until we reach Palas de Rei, a town with a great history (it appears in the Codex Calixtinus), nowadays converted into a modern town with all kinds of services for pilgrims.

After Palas the route gets complicated, since we will find several ascents and descents, and we will have to cross several times the N-547 road, which runs close to the Camino. The difficulty is compensated by the beauty of the Galician forests and the rivers that we will cross on the way.

Mélide, in the middle of the route, is known for the excellent Galician octopus. If our interests are more artistic, we can visit the chapel of San Roque, where there is the oldest cruceiro (stone cross on a pillar) of Galicia.

We are already near Santiago, and the Camino gives us a break with a relatively easy stage, with the only difficulty of caution when crossing the N-547 road. Apart from that, the stage goes through forest tracks and eucalyptus forests.

The most exciting moment, without a doubt, will be the arrival to the Monte de Gozo, from which we will be able to see Santiago for the first time.

The city of Santiago has so many attractions that it is a good idea to stay one more day to visit them all. For now, if we arrive before 12 noon, we can attend the pilgrim's mass in the cathedral. After that, we can rest in the Plaza del Obradoiro and fraternize with pilgrims of all nationalities who have arrived during the day.