Chapter 11 of the book
Camino Francés from Ponferrada
Ponferrada adds the Bierzo wine valley and the climb to O Cebreiro to the classic last week of the Francés, with a simple train from Madrid to the start. It is the most varied walk that fits a 14- to 16-day vacation.
128.0 mi206.1 km in total
11 or 13 dayswalking days, Classic or Gentle
14 to 16vacation days, door to door
15.6 milongest Classic day
Fly into: Madrid, round trip. Getting there: Easy: train from Madrid, about 4 hours.
Book first: Ferreiros and Hospital da Condesa, the overnight towns with the fewest beds on this route.
The Classic stage plan
| Day | From | To | Miles | Km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ponferrada | Villafranca del Bierzo | 13.3 | 21.4 |
| 2 | Villafranca del Bierzo | Vega de Valcarce | 10.4 | 16.8 |
| 3 | Vega de Valcarce | O Cebreiro | 7.9 | 12.8 |
| 4 | O Cebreiro | Triacastela | 13.9 | 22.3 |
| 5 | Triacastela | Sarria | 11.1 | 17.9 |
| 6 | Sarria | Portomarín | 13.7 | 22.0 |
| 7 | Portomarín | Palas de Rei | 15.6 | 25.1 |
| 8 | Palas de Rei | Melide | 9.1 | 14.6 |
| 9 | Melide | Arzúa | 9.0 | 14.5 |
| 10 | Arzúa | O Pedrouzo | 11.4 | 18.4 |
| 11 | O Pedrouzo | Santiago | 12.6 | 20.3 |
| Total | 128.0 | 206.1 |
Distances from the Xunta de Galicia and the Spanish Federation of Camino Associations. The book adds a Gentle plan , beds per town and booking advice.
