Expect to cover approximately 10-15km a day, across varied terrain with regular ascents and descents.
The season for this holiday is:
15 March 2025 - 31 October 2025
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
°C | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 13 |
mm | 182 | 124 | 122 | 114 | 86 | 49 | 29 | 34 | 68 | 176 | 170 | 187 |
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
10 nights: 15 March 2025 - 31 October 2025
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
Starting | Price | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 - 31 Mar 2025 | £1360 | £340 |
1 Apr - 27 May 2025 | £1525 | £345 |
28 May - 23 Sep 2025 | £1655 | £375 |
24 Sep - 21 Oct 2025 | £1525 | £0 |
3rd & 4th person discount | £0 to -£104 | |
Single traveller supplement | £0 to £104 |
Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.
10 nights, staying at Parador de Santiago de Compostela (5 dinners): 15 March 2025 - 31 October 2025
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
Starting | Price | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 - 31 Mar 2025 | £1570 | £260 |
1 - 29 Apr 2025 | £1765 | £265 |
30 Apr - 3 Jun 2025 | £1865 | £275 |
4 Jun - 1 Jul 2025 | £1915 | £275 |
2 - 31 Jul 2025 | £2025 | £315 |
1 - 19 Aug 2025 | £1890 | £330 |
20 Aug - 30 Sep 2025 | £1935 | £295 |
1 - 21 Oct 2025 | £1705 | £265 |
3rd & 4th person discount | -£104 | |
Single traveller supplement | £104 |
Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
Parador de Tui, Tui | ||
---|---|---|
Junior suite double: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £30 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Jul - 30 Sep 2025 | £38 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £30 | |
Superior: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £11 |
Parador de Pontevedra, Pontevedra | ||
---|---|---|
Junior suite double: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £34 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 | £42 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £34 | |
Superior: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £16 | |
Superior: 01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 | £20 | |
Superior: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £16 |
Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño | ||
---|---|---|
Grand room: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £14 | |
Superior double with balcony: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £30 |
A Casa Antiga de Monte, Lestrobe | ||
---|---|---|
Superior: 15 Mar - 30 Apr 2025 | £21 | |
Superior: 01 May - 30 Sep 2025 | £25 | |
Superior: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £21 |
Hotel Virxe da Cerca, Santiago de Compostela | ||
---|---|---|
Superior: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £14 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
Parador de Pontevedra, Pontevedra (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 Mar - 31 Jul 2025 | £116 | £154 |
01 Aug - 30 Sep 2025 | £132 | £180 |
01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £116 | £154 |
Hotel Virxe da Cerca, Santiago de Compostela (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £92 | £153 |
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
Parador de Tui, Tui | ||
---|---|---|
Junior suite double: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £30 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Jul - 30 Sep 2025 | £38 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £30 | |
Superior: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £11 |
Parador de Pontevedra, Pontevedra | ||
---|---|---|
Junior suite double: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £34 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 | £42 | |
Junior suite double: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £34 | |
Superior: 15 Mar - 30 Jun 2025 | £16 | |
Superior: 01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 | £20 | |
Superior: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £16 |
Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño | ||
---|---|---|
Grand room: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £14 | |
Superior double with balcony: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £30 |
A Casa Antiga de Monte, Lestrobe | ||
---|---|---|
Superior: 15 Mar - 30 Apr 2025 | £21 | |
Superior: 01 May - 30 Sep 2025 | £25 | |
Superior: 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £21 |
Parador de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela | ||
---|---|---|
Junior suite double: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £82 | |
Superior: 15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £44 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
Parador de Pontevedra, Pontevedra (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 Mar - 31 Jul 2025 | £116 | £154 |
01 Aug - 30 Sep 2025 | £132 | £180 |
01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 | £116 | £154 |
Parador de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
---|---|---|
15 Mar - 31 Oct 2025 | £220 | £308 |
Travelling from the UK
If you are flying from outside Europe, you may need to fly to an airport not listed here. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Aberdeen - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
Aberdeen - Porto (via Paris CDG) | Air France, KLM |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Birmingham - Porto | Ryanair |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Bristol - Porto | easyJet, Ryanair |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Edinburgh - Porto | Ryanair |
Edinburgh - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
Edinburgh - Porto (via Barcelona) | Vueling |
Edinburgh - Porto (via Geneva) | easyJet |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Glasgow - Porto | easyJet |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Leeds Bradford - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Liverpool - Porto | Ryanair |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Gatwick - Porto | British Airways, easyJet, TAP Air Portugal |
Gatwick - Porto (via Geneva) | easyJet |
Gatwick - Santiago de Compostela | easyJet, Vueling |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Heathrow - Porto | British Airways, TAP Air Portugal |
Heathrow - Porto (via Lisbon) | TAP Air Portugal |
Heathrow - Santiago de Compostela (via Madrid) | Iberia |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Luton - Porto | easyJet, Wizz Air |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Stansted - Porto | Ryanair |
Stansted - Santiago de Compostela | Ryanair |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Manchester - Santiago de Compostela (via Barcelona) | Vueling |
Manchester - Porto | easyJet, Ryanair |
Manchester - Porto (via Brussels) | Brussels Airlines |
Manchester - Porto (via Frankfurt) | Lufthansa |
Manchester - Porto (via Lisbon) | TAP Air Portugal |
Manchester - Santiago de Compostela (via Barcelona) | Ryanair |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Newcastle - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
Newcastle - Porto (via Brussels) | Brussels Airlines |
Newcastle - Porto (via Paris CDG) | KLM |
Outward route | Airline |
---|---|
Norwich - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
If you are flying from outside Europe, you may need to fly to an airport not listed here. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.
This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.
Connecting travel options - flying via Porto
Outward route | Price per person |
Latest flight arrival time |
---|---|---|
coach Porto airport to Valença bus station (2h), taxi Valença bus station to hotel (0h05) | £24-£25 | 1500 |
direct taxi Porto airport to hotel (1h10) | £101-£105 | flexible |
Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest flight departure time |
---|---|---|
coach Santiago de Compostela city centre to Porto airport (4h) | £29-£30 | 1400 |
Connecting travel options - flying via Santiago
Outward route | Price per person |
Latest flight arrival time |
---|---|---|
bus Santiago de Compostela to Vigo (1h30), bus Vigo to Tui (1h15) | pay locally | 1600 |
Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest flight departure time |
---|---|---|
own travel arrangements hotel to Santiago de Compostela airport | pay locally | flexible |
If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?
We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >
This was an exceptional trip. I am glad to have done it although I would prepare more and pack differently if doing it again at the same time of year - more water resistant clothing. The trick is finding gher right balance with this trip and any additional travel one might be adding at either end given luggage restrictions and challenges in having laundry done with such short stops. The food was quite good and accommodation generally clean and comfortable. The first night was challenging arriving later in the day in a rianstorm with everyhting wet - no real opportunity or space to dry things out for the next day.
Although it rained all day on both our non walking days in Tui and Meano, we loved these days, both were very pretty. A highlight would be the cafe stops along the way, meeting other travelers. We passed (or were passed) by people of all ages, some well into their 60s or 70s, and of all nationalities. This in itself was a memorable and rewarding experience.
We had a considerable amount of rain on this trip, as did much of UK and Europe. The hotels were excellent (and some were spectacular) and company of other pilgrims was a pleasure. The meals provided were really good and just what was needed after the walking. (For us, we were able to find parking at each location easily.) The transfer of our luggage was invaluable and most efficient. Local people were friendly and supportive. The Camiño is an extraordinary experience and changes one's perspective.
This was an exceptional trip. I am glad to have done it although I would prepare more and pack differently if doing it again at the same time of year - more water resistant clothing. The trick is finding gher right balance with this trip and any additional travel one might be adding at either end given luggage restrictions and challenges in having laundry done with such short stops. The food was quite good and accommodation generally clean and comfortable. The first night was challenging arriving later in the day in a rianstorm with everyhting wet - no real opportunity or space to dry things out for the next day.
Although it rained all day on both our non walking days in Tui and Meano, we loved these days, both were very pretty. A highlight would be the cafe stops along the way, meeting other travelers. We passed (or were passed) by people of all ages, some well into their 60s or 70s, and of all nationalities. This in itself was a memorable and rewarding experience.
We had a considerable amount of rain on this trip, as did much of UK and Europe. The hotels were excellent (and some were spectacular) and company of other pilgrims was a pleasure. The meals provided were really good and just what was needed after the walking. (For us, we were able to find parking at each location easily.) The transfer of our luggage was invaluable and most efficient. Local people were friendly and supportive. The Camiño is an extraordinary experience and changes one's perspective.
A fabulous and inspiring holiday with an excellent range of different types of walks and accommodation. Some walks were long and challenging in places in terms of ascent and descent but the terrain was varied and scenic. The notes provided information on the local areas and the history which was interesting. Had we not done the walks, we would have missed out on seeing the country first hand. We particularly enjoyed the walks upon the rivers and there were generally places to stop for refreshments. The picnics were very generous and varied for a vegetarian. Our favourite hotel was the Qunita de San Amaro at Meano. The welcome, the quality of the service and the overall ambience reflected a high class hotel. The food was superb and the drinks were reasonably priced. The room exceeded our expectations and the circular walk along the river to see the mills was very enjoyable. We were glad we upgraded to the Parador de Santiago de Compostela with it's stunning rooms and architecture. We were delighted with the bottle of Cava from Inn Travel upon arrival. The food was exceptional especially the breakfast with so much choice and high quality food. The location was perfect for finishing our walk in the square. Hotel Bradomin was clean and comfortable and we had a hearty meal in the evening for £16 - 3 course including bread, water and wine. It was exceptional value and we had a very comfortable bed. Although it was listed as the most basic accommodation (2*), we thoroughly enjoyed it and met fellow walkers there. The staff were so helpful. The room at the Casa Antiga de Monte was fabulous although due to a miscommunication, our luggage was delivered 2.5 hours late and the evening meal was expensive. The walk to As Chivas was one of the highlights of the 10 days due to passing villages and forests. As you come out of the forest near the end of the walk, we found a lovely bar in the woods called Trasnos Bar which was very welcome for two tired and thirsty Pilgrims. Overall, we felt grounded and it was a spiritual experience when we reached the Cathedral which is stunning. We highly recommend this adventure and it was the pinnacle of all the walks we have done. Well done Inn Travel!
Stays at both Paradors and the Quinta. Atmosphere and buildings in Santiago. Friendliness and helpfulness of Galician people everywhere. Pontevedra Museum (and Medieval Festival). Hake on every menu. Albarino.
We had a wonderful time! The entire walk, along rivers, by the coast and through peaceful vineyards was lovely, and we were very happy with the route and hotels arranged for us. All the arrangements were very good. Food and drink everywhere was excellent, including every cafe we stopped at along the way. Personally, we struggled to eat all the contents of the generous picnics provided, which were quite bulky and heavy to carry, and we would prefer to buy our own lunchtime supplies when stopping at cafes along the way, and then have dinner included as well as breakfast at each overnight stop. I appreciate others may have different views on this so perhaps could be offered as an option when booking.
We loved the whole trip. And the quality of the accommodation at Tui, Meaño and the Parador were unexpected and delightful. We also loved the As Chivas, very welcoming staff and great room. The hotel Bradomin was the most disappointing, there was no air conditioning in the room and the service compared to elsewhere was subpar. Partly because we had lovely service everywhere else.
Very well coordinated trip with excellent accommodation and friendly staff
In general we loved the people of Galicia. So generous and welcoming. Even without a lot of Spanish, and speaking with non English speakers, we found people very very willing to help and find solutions for us. The walking was simply delightful. Many treelined paths, often along rivers and one section following a river and its waterfalls. The other pilgrims were friendly and interesting and coming from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds. The parador hotels are just divine. We ate and drank like queens and were very well cared for by very friendly staff. And each building was exquisite. The most special stay was however in the Quinto de Amaro. Every detail was thoroughly thought through and made for a very comfortable and homely stay.
Excellent holiday and enjoyable walking from hotel to hotel most days feeling you are making real progress to Santiago.
Our 10th Inntravel holiday proved to be another great trip. Having always wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago, it was a special experience walking the Portuguese Way, which involved varied and lovely scenery, friendly hotels and amazing food. The highlight must have been our arrival in Santiago de Compostela and sharing the experience with hundreds of other pilgrims. The Parador at Tui was a great hotel to start the trip and the two night stay at Quinta de San Amaro was really special and gave us a nice day's rest before resuming our walk.
The monastery of Armenteira was a particular highlight for us, despite the fact that we arrived there very wet. The walk from there on the Ruta da Pedra e da Agua is wonderful. Generally, the Variante Espiritual was beautiful and it was good to be on a quieter route for a while.
I highly recommend Inntravel for this Camino de Santiago journey on the Portuguese Way. Every detail was carefully thought out, including the locations, the timing, the pacing, the distances and the meals. We did this trip as a family of four, with our two adult daughters (aged 20 and 22). We had an amazing experience and would love to do it again.
Perhaps some recommended reading before the trip would have been useful, particularly around the more spiritual aspect of the Camino. We bought a book on-line but it was not what we wanted, and our local library didn't have anything relevant. Also, we would have liked to know about Room 6 in the Pilgrim Office, we only heard about it at the Pilgrim Mass. We found this a wonderful end to our journey, both physically and emotionally.
As usual for us, the untouted highlight of our holiday was the food! On the day the boat disembarks at Padron, find A Casa dos Martinez, which opens at 2:00 pm. It has a Michelin rating and several Star Wars figurines in the window. Menus are hand-written and hand-drawn. Get back there at 2:00 sharp (they fill fast), have a leisurely late lunch, and plan to just snack for dinner. In Santiago, we also had a late lunch on our last day at "Abastos 2.0", which is adjacent to the Abastos Mercado (supplies market). This place makes simple preparations of the best local seafood at the great covered market. We put ourselves in the waiter's hands, and like Omakase at a sushi bar, they brought dishes, one or two at a time, until we were full. With wine. A heavenly ending to our holiday. Bo camiño!
We enjoyed most of our trip enormously. People we met were almost exclusively friendly and helpful. Bar Lestrobe, the accommodation exceeded expectations and the dinners and picnics, particulary at Tui and Meano, were superb. The walk from Meano was particularly lovely but we enjoyed all walks. Santiago and its cathedral, especially the portal of glory were lovely. Tips: it is worth following Inntravel advice about shortening the final day's walk to Santiago by walking some of the route the previous "easy" day to reduce final day's kms. Tuitrans luggage service was great: we found using packing cubes in our suitcases made the turn-arounds much easier! It is worth doing the winery tour!
Great holiday. Met interesting people along the way.
This is an outstanding walk with some excellent hotels and very good support with luggage transfer. The Galician countryside, through which the Camino Portugese weaves its way, offers an ever changing series of experiences both inland and adjacent to the wonderful Ria coastline. There is also the contrast with urban areas and the delightful heritage centres of the towns and villages though which walkers journey. The route has excellent waymarking and the Ria Ulla boat trip on day 7 is terrific. Thoroughly recommended.
This was a wonderful holiday, in wonderful sunshine and a walking journey which was mostly in the glorious countryside of Galicia. There is no doubt that the organisation of Inntravel with transport hotels etc enabled us to focus on the pleasure and occasional challenges of the walking. The walk to Saramagosa was long but a good introduction to dealing with distances above 20 K and on a very easy and well-recognised Camino path. The walk from Saramagosa to Pontevedra with slightly shorter but some steep descents at the beginning. The hotel in Pontevedra was exactly what we needed with the upgrade and of course we ate that evening at a lovely restaurant just off the main square. The following day we went from Pontevedra to Meano, long walk about 20 km and from Combarra there was about 10 km of fairly steep ascents with a final very tricky descent going to the Armenteira Monastery. Definitely a challenging walk delightful to get to the Monastery in the end. The walk from Meano to Vilanova de Arousa was 24 km long with some steep descents in the beginning but generally a good walk. From Vilanova to Lestobe (close to Padron) the sea journey was terrific and very interesting. Final days walk from Lestrobe to Santiago – we covered nearly 28 km – not a difficult walk although some ascents in the second half. Because we started early, we avoided most of the heat of the day and just the final 4 km into Santiago seem to drag on a bit and through less interesting surroundings. The hotel is fantastic, but cut the price and give us the freedom of finding our own restaurants. Connection back to Santiago airport we arranged ourselves and worked well.
Excellent holiday. Loved the variety of the hotels. The quality of Tui, Quinta de San Amaro and the Parador in Santiago hotels was excellent. Quiet days appreciated but glad we could do further walks as not the right weather to sit by pool. Enjoyed the wine tasting but more like a botanical garden tour with a glass of wine; lovely chap showed us round and rightly proud of his estate. Great to spend a few days in Santiago and thankfully blessed with gorgeous weather at the end of our holiday.
Remember to bring waterproof clothing and buy a poncho as it rains in NW Spain.
So many highlights!
The memory of walking into Obradoiro Praza at the end of the walk will stay with us. The rain briefly stopped and around us were other pilgrims also celebrating the end of their journey. A sea of selfie-taking ponchos! Then getting our Compostela with others who had just finished, and attending the evening mass was an unforgettable experience, despite it being in Spanish, and us not being Catholic, we found it very moving.
The boat ride up the Arousa was another highlight as the sun came out, and we saw dolphins, stopped to talk to mussel farmers, and got a bit of a history of the crosses along the river.
We found the Variante Espiritual a most beautiful route, with few roads and more track, and few other walkers along it. Stopping as you suggested in Combarro for lunch, we walked up the mountain to the viewpoint over the Pontevedra River, well worth the climb. And the walk out of Armenteira along 14 k of river was very tranquil.
Everyone we met was so friendly, eager to help us find the right route if we had missed a sign, and wishing us Buen Camino.
We have one suggestion that others may wish to consider. Given the late breakfast times of most hotels, and the late sunrise, we decided to walk an extra 10 or so kms to A Picarana on the penultimate day, as we arrived in Casa Antiga de Monte by noon having only walked a few kms. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel (kindly called for by a petrol station) and the next morning took the same taxi back to where we had reached. This meant that rather than 27km on the last day we only had 17km and were able to arrive early afternoon in Santiago with time to look around and get our Compostela.
Overall a fabulous holiday. Really enjoyed most of the walk especially the detour onto the Variante Espiratuel as this gave a varied and interesting terrain away from the busy Camino. All arrangements worked well, but possibly one or two of the hotels used could be reviewed and certainly the food in 3 places (Chivas, Vilanova (breakfast) and Tui) was not good and certainly not up to the standard of other places. Quinta de San Anaro had a very good menu and chef but the 'fixed inclusive menu' was very limited and guests might prefer to have the value of the inclusive meal to offset against the full menu if they so wished.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would recommend it to others. A great sense of achievement when you finished. Arriving in the Square at Santiago de Compostela was quite emotional. All our fellow pilgrims were so friendly and encouraging and meeting up with the same walkers several times along the route gave a real feeling of a shared achievement.
The spiritual section of the Camino was much quieter than the main Portuguese section and we loved the varied countryside along the route.
The wine tasting near Meano was well worth doing as we learned a lot about what we had been walking past and drinking!
The baggage transfer was incredibly efficient.
As our boat from Vilanova was early we decided to shorten our last day by walking part of the last day's route as far as Escravitude and get a taxi back to Lestrobe. On the last day we got a taxi back to Escravitude early which shortened the last day, allowing us ro arrive in Santiago in time to really enjoy the atmosphere .
Lestrobe was our least favourite stop, and we would have preferred to stay futher along the route.
A very memorable holiday with interesting and useful route variations. We liked the boat trip! Some of the days were difficult due to 30C heat! The hotel upgrades were excellent and we enjoyed the extra day in Pontevedra.
Completing the walk and arriving in the square in front of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela was the highlight of this adventure. The friendliness of both the local people and walkers from around the world was wonderful and kept us going along the way. The Inntravel route taking The Variante Espiritual and the boat ride from Vilanova to Puentecesures was an added bonus. We would recommend most walkers to have a go at this route.
The route is an ideal first step into the Camino (or similar walking holidays) with beautiful scenery, offering a mixed terrain of woodland, rivers, hills, coastline, picturesque villages, and historic towns plus you meet some wonderful fellow walkers who cross your path along the way. The route is marked out all the way so minimal checking of the route instructions allowing you to enjoy the scenery and plenty on cafes/bars and coffee stops along the way. The shorter days that are built in give you opportunity to explore a bit more of your surrounding areas and worth doing activities such as visiting the vineyard in Meano. The boat trip was a particular highlight, and the excellent guide made it a journey to remember.
Tips: It can get very hot on some days, we wore HOKA walking cross trainer shoes which were excellent and cooling on both the tarmac and more rural terrain (no blisters). Check out if the meals really are suitable for dietary requirements.
Completing the walk was a personal highlight as I had been apprehensive about the distances. The hotel in Meano was an unexpected highlight. Loved Porto and had lovely day at the beach. Port tasting at Graham's was good and preceded by excellent tapas away from the crowds. Too many highlights to mention them all.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk Camino de Santiago, The Old Way with our Porto City add-on
Highlights: both paradors and particularly the kindness of the staff in Tui. The village of Combarro. The swimming pool at the Quinta. our meal at the Funchero
Tips:
- the directions to As Chivas are not quite correct:( ignore the last 3 bullet points): you do not need to climb all the way up the hill on the tarmac road and down again. there is a path in the wood signposted to the left as you pass the white building.
- if like us you arrive early morning in Pontecesure, consider walking to Escravitude, get a stamp at the cafe and take a taxi back to Lestrobe. The following morning you can take a taxi and start your walk from Escravitude and cut your distance for the last day but still qualify for your accreditation
- do not be tempted to order dinner at Casa Antiga de Monte if you are staying there ( although the rooms and swimming pool are lovely)
Walking the Camino is a unique and special experience and one we shall never forget! You meet so many great people from all over the world and everyone has their story to tell. There were some tears but lots of laughter and good times too. We travelled as a group of six women and felt completely safe the whole time. It was lovely to get off the busier camino route and join the much quieter and more scenic Variante Espiritual, but also great to rejoin the main route again on the last day and meet up with so many other pilgrims in front of the Cathedral. There were many highlights, although we all agreed the boat trip was our favourite day - we were very lucky to have a pod of dolphins swim alongside our boat for a while. We were fortunate with the weather and only had a little rain on our final walk into Santiago. We are all experienced walkers but we found the days long and tiring, especially on the three very hot days. The climb out of Combarro is particularly tough in 30 degrees with very little shade from the sun. Of all the different hotels along the route our favourite was the Parador de Tui - a great place to relax before the Camino begins and the evening meal was excellent. The food and drink in this region of Spain is suberb, especially if you enjoy seafood and Albarino wine as much as we do! Not so great for vegetarians. We enjoyed so many meals out and would highly recommend the following: O Novo Cabalo in Tui, Taperia pe de Cuba in Villanova de Arousa, Bellaco in Santiago (superb) and Petiscos Do Cardeal for the best tapas in Santiago. This was our first trip with InnTravel and it certainly won't be our last because everything went so smoothly and when we had an issue along the way they responded and resolved it. We were also late back to the hotel on the third walking day and they contacted us to ensure we were okay, which we really appreciated.
An excellent holiday and great walking. Good choice of hotels, including some very nice meals. Background notes and extra City / town walks were excellent as always. Very helpful restaurant recommendations as well.
We loved our El Camino walking holiday with Inntravel. The luggage transfers were fantastic - we did not have to worry at all as our luggage showed up all the time. We were very lucky with the weather - most days were dry, warm and sunny. It was delightful walking by rivers and in the wooded areas and we liked the challenge of the ascents (mostly after we had done them) and even dealing with the warm weather. Definitely make sure that you have compeed with you as our party mainly had issues with blisters. Hydration is key and we ensured that we drank regularly. Overall, we liked the picnics, though the vegetarian picnics needed more variety. It was wonderful and exciting getting into Santiago (with very tired feet) and celebrating our achievement. The parador upgrade was really worth it. Beautiful character-filled, historic building. The rooftop tour of the cathedral is highly recommended (you can get great pictures from here and it's nice feeling on top of the world). The Pilgrims Mass was a lovely end to "The Way".
We looked on this trip as a holiday rather than a spiritual journey, but you can't help being affected by meeting the many people along the way and hearing their stories and getting caught up in the atmosphere of it all. It certainly helps at those times when the roads are a little bit steep and the day's walk is long! We loved the Parador in Santiago and the bottle of Cava you arranged in our room for our arrival was a lovely gesture which made our arrival at the end of the pilgrimage even more special! A tip would be to advise customers look ahead at what days you are staying where, and book meals where, for example, many restaurants in the town close that day - in our case the Sunday in Tui.
The definite plus of this trip was the variante espiritual which took us away from the hordes of walkers and bikers on the main camino for a few days through green forests and quiet roads. The boat trip was also excellent and a welcome change to daily walking
An excellent holiday, and considering it was a pilgrim route, it was was suprisingly quiet. The boat trip was fabulous, not least because we were accompanied by a pod of dolphins! The Parador upgrade in Santiago was well worth it. It's like staying in a museum. The train journey up the Duoro Valley is exceptional - sit on the right as you head towards Pinhao.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our short break orto & the Douro Valley with our walk Camino de Santiago, The Old Way
We hadn't bothered collecting stamps for our Credentials as we never thought we'd complete the whole route. That we did was very satisfying and the provided champagne at the Parador a lovely way to celebrate - thank you! Afete a long, hot day's walking (31 degrees), a definite highlight was the evening spent in Villanova de Arousa. We can heartily recommend Reiz, where we watched the sun set over the harbour, glass of chilled Albariño in hand, as the fleet raced in with their mussels. Sitting amongst some of the same fishermen, we enjoyed plates of the freshest seafood we've ever tasted, simply prepared.
Really enjoyed the variety of this holiday. A good mix of walking and other activities such as the boat trip, wine tasting, town days. Disappointed with the scenery on some of the days walking - a lot is through suburbs. The food quality in this region is fantastic, and had many great meals. As Chivas is dismal, but other hotels good. We hadn't realised how much it rains in this region (300 days a year) but we were quite lucky most days.
This is a route you do for the walk itself not the walking. There was more pavement and tarmac than we would have liked, but we were still delighted to have completed over 100k of the Camino.
We thought Galicia was beautiful, so lush and green, with citrus trees, huge Magnolias, Hydrangeas and, surprisingly, Eucalyptus trees. We were fortunate to have only half a day of wet walking although that half day showed us clearly why Galicia is so green!
A long wait for a taxi on Day 4 and blustery showers on Day 5 meant we didn't get the opportunity to use the small pool at Meano, but we enjoyed the good sized pools at Tui and Lestrobe.
Highlights of the trip for us, besides arriving in Santiago, were the Route of Stone and Water on Day 6 and the boat trip on Day 7. Walking was easier than expected on easy surfaces, and we were much faster than the Inntravel estimates, although Komoot times were more realistic.
We enjoyed excellent tapas (delicious scallops) in Tui, Pontevedra (Barbol in Rua Real) and Vilanova de Arousa (Pei de Cuba), although we were a bit disappointed by the food at the Quinta in Meano. We ate well in Santiago at O Sendeiro and A Noiesa, both booked in advance.
If you go into Padron on day 7 ignore the instructions to Lestrobe and follow the day 8 instructions from Lestrobe to Padron in reverse, much nicer and quicker.
This was a walk like no other and we enjoyed meeting other pilgrims, the atmosphere in the Pilgrims Mass and the sense of achievement arriving in Santiago.
We flew home from Santiago which was really easy at it was literally a 15 minute taxi ride from the hotel.
Overall an excellent experience!
We absolutely loved it. It was challenging in parts but that was compensated by some parts that were beautiful.
We met some lovely people on the route. The last part into Santiago seemed a bit off piste to where the route to the main square was.
All in all a very enjoyable experience. Most of the walks were lovely, especially the wooded ones, following the river, getting to the Coast and the walk to Santiago on the last day was of course a hightlight - such a stunning sight to see the spires of the Cathedral and such a wonderful place. The Quinta de San Aoro hotel was very lovely and the suggested trail along the river and mills was great. The Parador in Santiago was very special. Not sure there needed to be two rest days - could have walked further since the terrain wasn't really that challenging.
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend it.The walking on some days was quite challenging but the sense of achievement at the end of each day will stay with us for a long while. The quality of the packed lunch varied each day but it was always very welcome. We were very lucky with the weather, cloudy and cool in the mornings but no rain at all. The highlights for us were: the Parador at Tui with its beautiful setting; the walks around Valença and Tui on the first day; Quinta de San Amaro hotel; the long walk through the woods next to streams and rivers from the Monastery to the coast at Villanova; the interesting trip up the river Ulla; spotting the twin towers of Santiago Cathedral in the distance from Milladoiro on the last day; walking into the Prazo do Obradoiro in front of the Cathedral of Santiago which was very emotional. The Parador in Santiago was amazing and it's worth taking the self-guided tour. The restaurant A Casa dos Mártinez had delicious food in Padrón; and the bar restaurant Reiz on the harbour front at Villanova was basic but authentic. Strangely, during the whole trip it was not possible to find Galician mussels on the menu anywhere!
We really enjoyed the camino portuguese and can recommend unreservedly. The walking is within the scope of anyone of average fitness and very easy walking terrain - some days were long but that is the only challenge. Galicia itself is a delight with wonderful scenery, wonderful food and lots of Albarino and is Spain's hidden gem.
We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. There were lots of pilgrims accompanying us on the walk although it was never crowded, especially on the Variente Espiritual. We were lucky with the weather- not a drop of rain- and loved the lush countryside and the variety of accommodation. Whatever your approach to religion, the Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral is not to be missed.
Top walking route, good mixture of accommodation with a bit of luxury occasionally, very welcoming on recovery days. Loved the Camino Spiritual as a quiet alternative to the main trail that was getting very busy by this point.
A very successful innovation! While of course the landscape is not as spectacular as, for instance, the Bernese Oberland or the Pyrenees, this ancient pilgrimage route is highly attractive and enjoyable, and extremely interesting, and the pilgrimage experience was a lot of fun. You definitely don't have to be religious to be enriched by it. Arriving at the square in front of the cathedral in Santiago was a glorious and unforgettable moment. And, especially if you enjoy fish and seafood, Galician food and wine are a revelation. We had some truly excellent and very memorable meals. All in all, a lovely trip, highly recommended. As expected, Inntravel got everything right: well chosen hotels and walking routes, and flawless practical arrangements.
Our highlights for the Camino de Santiago walk include walking along with the many pilgrims from around the world; discovering green Galicia in glorious sunshine; enjoying the lovely scenery and delightful villages and towns along the Variante Espiritual; arriving in the square in front of the magnificent Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela and feeling a real sense of achievement at completing our pilgrimage; joining other pilgrims at the Pilgrims' Mass in the Cathedral and seeing the swinging of the great incense burner known as the "Botafumeiro"; and our stay in the Parador de Santiago de Compostela which was fabulous. The building is a museum in its own right!
Remarkable experience the whole walk, and Inntravel's planning and delivery. Walking into the Cathedral Square in Santiago was of course quite amazing, but the whole walk itself we will not forget. The Peregrino service in the Cathedral in the evening, with the swinging censer, likewise (get there an hour before to be sure of a seat). Weather-wise, May was a good month to walk, with spring flowers and fresh vegetation, but only the Quinta's swimming pool was available for use before June. We didn't think staying the extra night in Pontevedra was worth it, apart from getting a rest - but might have felt differently if the Parador had been open.
The orgainsation from Inntravel was first class - we didn't have to worry about anything - all tickets, information, transfers and guidance were there as we would have wanted it. The walking each day provided a range of different sights and experiences and the variation in difficulty of the walks - some fairly tough at times, some easy, provided us with memories that will stay with us forever. The pilgrim water cruise was something different (although we admittedly also had a bit of English wet weather with us that day!) and diverting onto the Variante Espiritual was a good move as it was a little quieter than the main Portuguese Camino route and provided petrhaps more coastal / river based walking which we enjoyed. Walking into the Praza do Obradoiro and seeing the Cathedral at the end was fantastic - pilgrims everywhere - some doing it for spiritual reasons, but most I suspect doing it just for the walk. But whatever your reason try to soak up the atmosphere - everyone there has had the same goal and it's just great. Also if it is something you are able to do, try and stay at the Paradores de Santiago which is next to the Cathedral - a stunning hotel - they give guided tours of the place - with good reason as it's history ties into the camino itself. All in all no complaints from us - we loved it!! Over to you.....
This is a perfect package. The route, especially the Variante Espiritual, provides a wonderful array of walks along the 'Old Way'. The Inntravel guide is detailed but easy to follow, helped by the well marked walking route. The varied accommodation is well selected and of particular note the Quinta de San Amaro (Nacho) but the highlight is the optional stay at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela. This 5 star hotel is a fitting end to Inntravel's highly commendable walking route to Santiago.
The hike notes, the accommodation, the restaurant and sightseeing suggestions and the very much appreciated bottle of bubbly at the end were all exceptional - well done. In a world of extreme frustration having to deal with ill-equipped call centres, corresponding with you guys was a pleasurable experience. A special mention should be made re Tuitrans - absolutely brilliant.
If you enjoy walking in the UK...hills/dales and coastline...then this trek is really quite straightforward. You spend more time on the road than ideal but we really enjoyed the Galician countryside and the very friendly people we met.
We enjoyed the holiday and walking overall. The walks themselves, whilst long, were less challenging than we had perhaps feared and there was definitely a real sense of camaraderie with other walkers on the Camino. After the first day when there seemed a lot of fairly uninteresting walking on busy suburban roads, the subsequent walks were much more scenic and pleasant. The Variante Espiritual is much quieter than the main Camino route. Signposting was excellent and easy to follow and there are plenty of other walkers following the route so it is extremely unlikely that you will take a wrong turn. The quality of food was excellent and cheap compared to UK. One of the pleasures of walking in rural Spain is stopping at a bar or restaurant for a drink which is always accompanied by a tapas or at the very least olives or nuts.
A recommendation given to me on the flight to Porto by a British lady who has lived in Valenca for many years was to try the Fronteira Gastrobar immediately after the footbridge from Tui to Valenca (just beyond the old border post in Valenca) before the first tunnel into the old town. We stopped there for lunch on day 1. The food was excellent and cheap and clearly popular with locals. Another cafe/bar where we enjoyed a nice tapas lunch was O Filoxeira just off the Paseo do Espolon in Padron
The extra time we had on this holiday was a real bonus. The boat trip from Vilanova was lovely and the guide was excellent. Quintas de san Amaro was a real highlight. The gardens are beautiful, rooms lovely and the owners went out of their way to make our stay very special. The vineyard visit from there was top class. The little town of Combarro was another highlight and we enjoyed exploring it. It is hard to pick out the 'best bits'. We had a fabulous time!
I have wanted to go on this trip since I read a review in a Sunday Travel supplement several years ago and it didn't disappoint. The Inntravel organisation was very impressive. The booking process was straightforward. Although we spoke to different representatives each time we had an enquiry, our questions were answered quickly and we received emails in a timely fashion. We appreciated Inntravel booking our flights with EasyJet and the help to find an excellent hotel for an additional night in Porto before we flew home. The hotels on our Camino were well-chosen and we always received a warm welcome. It was great to get a picnic so that we didn't have to worry about finding somewhere to eat on our walking days, and I definitely saw some envious looks from other guests as we collected our little bags each morning. The Mapbook was very informative and easy to navigate and the additional background notes gave a good insight into each walk. The actual Camino route was well marked and really enjoyable and the surprise when we reached our final hotel in Santiago was a great ending to a fabulous trip.
How incredibly thoughtful of you to have a bottle of bubbly waiting for me in my room on arrival into Santiago after my Camino walk. A lovely touch. On getting to the cathedral square after a long hot 27 km from Lestrobe, I’ll admit to being overcome by emotion. I had to sit and gather myself before carrying on to the parador. The emotion perhaps a result of the anticipation and the journeying, certainly a sign of the impact of the adventure. Then, to find the celebration tipple as well was absolutely amazing! I felt valued and congratulated on the achievement of making it. All the arrangements the team made for my itinerary have worked brilliantly. I can’t speak highly enough of your service. Every detail. Taxis waiting at set points. Luggage collected and delivered. Picnics prepared and ready. Impeccably accurate directions and suggestions. Brilliant side trips via the picturesque Variante Espiritual and time at Meano. A good range of accommodation and eating options.
Two illustrations are instructive. I had two Canadians decide to stick with me for a couple of days as they were taken by the detailed guide notes. Their company was welcome, but reinforced how fortunate I was to have expert guidance. A lesson in not to doubt Inntravel planning hit home at Vilanova de Arousa. With a group of others I was waiting for the boat to Pontecesures. One came and everyone boarded except me. The captain claimed not to know anything about Amare Tourismo Náutico and tried to sell me a ticket on his vessel. I was tempted but decided to wait. Alone. Slightly worried. About five minutes after that taxi boat service left, the small Amare craft circled around the breakwater. I turned out to be the only passenger, and got royal treatment and interesting personal commentary on the way. Inntravel delivered again. On the directional notes, my experience was that I was perhaps expecting to see some points long before they came into sight. And wondered occasionally if I had taken the wrong turn. Maybe this might be better explained where appropriate? As time wore on I learnt that it was important to trust the notes and that the next marker would indeed eventually come into view. I didn’t lose my way once. Those Camino waypoint markers also were of immense assistance. And some good feedback from the hotel keepers along the route. When I asked how they liked working with you they were without exception extremely positive. You have obviously cultivated strong relationships. Nacho at Quinta de San Amaro went a bit further. He was impressed by your thorough checks of quality that you conduct on a regular basis. All that means quality experiences for you clients. I’m very glad to have found you from as far afield as Sydney. Thank you for making my journey so special and memorable.
Excellent holiday! The usual seamless Inntravel arrangements with hotels, luggage transfers, and routes. Between the GPX file (in Gaia), walking notes, and the Camino way markers, it was easy to find our way. Best walk was day 6 out of Meano down the waterfalls. Otherwise a mix of roads, paths, towns. A lot more populated than other Inntravel holidays I have been on, because it is the Camino -- lots of other caminantes the week of Easter -- the variante espiritual a little less crowded. Look for an alternate route (the old route) for one section on the last day, less traveled and more beautiful. But the other walkers provide a sense of comraderie and the Camino is a phenomenon itself. We especially liked the Quinta de San Amaro in Meano -- beautiful location and very comfortable and relaxed, with attentive staff that even had first aid on hand (a wrap and ice for a sprained ankle). It's a good place for a rest day, and the light walk that day is good too -- easy and pretty. Also it was the one place to have a swim in their little pool. We strongly recommend staying at the Parador in Santiago -- it is such a lovely and unusual place, and it is right there next to the cathedral, grand and also incredibly comfortable, and also an interesting museum in its own right. We were lucky to have no rain at all and perfect cool walking weather the beginning of April. Not perfect boating weather though! The Day 7 boat leaves at different times according to the tides; we left at 8 am when the temp was about 10 C -- it is an open boat with a stiff breeze and even with many layers of clothes it was really just too cold to enjoy. Beautiful but I'd skip it under those conditions.
Walking the Camino is a wonderful experience but the challenge should not be underestimated. The walking is tough in places, and there are quite a few urban areas to be negotiated, equally there are some scenic rural areas to explore. The people met along the walk are many and varied, but there is great spirit and fellowship, and lots of encouragement to reach the final destination. The feeling of having really accomplished something on arrival in Santiago is quite emotional. We stayed in some lovely hotels, ate some really good food and drank some great local wines. Thanks Inntravel for another memorable holiday!
We had a fabulous holiday walking the Camino. All the arrangements made by Inntravel went to plan and we felt well advised and supported throughout the process, from booking to the holiday itself.
The moment I walked into Santiago, I wanted to do it all again. The trip was amazing. Thank you, Inntravel, for making this trip so accessible for me.
Great Holiday, definitely recommend, really lovely meeting other Inntravel customers en route.
The boat trip, for me, was a real highlight of the trip. If you don't speak Spanish, maybe a translation book would be useful as the rural stays speak very little English.
Lovely having lunches in the little villages along the route. Also I love the fact that even when you just order a coffee at a stop en route, you get several little pastries/nuts/cake to enjoy with it. No chance of going hungry in Spain!
I loved the variety on a daily basis - riverside, vineyards, villages, coastline and beaches. Amazing walking.
We had a wonderful holiday and particularly enjoyed the Variante Espiritual. The walk down the river from the monastery was particularly beautiful, even in the rain! This part if the walk was much less busy as well. We also enjoyed the boat trip, even though it was raining.
I would say if you are vegetarian don't bother with the packed lunches I threw mine away because they were either meat or fish.
The transfers of luggage and us all worked perfectly which meant we didn't have to worry about any of that. The walking notes were excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the comfort of knowing where I was going and what to look for. Most pilgrims had nothing. The little book was also very helpful as it showed possible cafes.
Your notes about Santiago did not mention the Pilgrim's Mass. Although it was all in Spanish, seeing the incense burner swing at the end of the mass was something to see.
It was an amazing trip. The routes to Santiago were lovely, peaceful, beautiful scenery. There were challenging days but these were offset by a day off or the boat ride. So good to get to the great hotels at the end of the day & our luggage was there. Never had to contact Inntravel whilst away as everything ran smoothly.
Overall, it was a great holiday. Yes, it was much nicer walking on the quieter spiritual way but it was also good to experience the camaraderie with other pilgrims on the busy stretches.
We were very fortunate with the weather - if anything it was too hot - but we were glad of our fleeces and waterproof jackets on the boat trip.
The best walks were the one from Pontevedra to the monastery at Meis, the one from the Meis monastery to Vilanova and the last day to Santiago de Compostela. Seeing the spires of the cathedral in the distance was a rewarding sight.
The worst part of the trip was not eating until 8.30pm or later, as is the custom in Spain.
This was a truly wonderful trip with many highlights. The walking was varied and it was great to see so many different places and such a variety of countryside. Whilst the inital day on the camino was perhaps the least exciting in terms of scenery, with much through towns, the rest of the trip was fantastic. We would suggest thinking about walking for longer on Day 7, using walk notes from Day 8, and then getting a taxi from your end point on Day 7 to take you to your hotel - then a taxi again on the morning of Day 8 to take you to where you finished on Day 7; this way you are not walking for so long on your final day and can really enjoy your final walk into Santiago. The accommodation was generally excellent and the 'rest days' provided some welcome opportunities to be tourists and explore new places. As aways, the walk notes were very accurate. This was a trip that we took to mark my early retirement and it surpassed our expectations and has provided us with some fantastic memories! The complimentary bottle of bubbly provided by Inntravel and awaiting us in our hotel at the end of the walk was really appreciated!
The Camino was such an enjoyable holiday. However you need to have put in some miles beforehand before you start the walk. The final and longest day to Santiago was absolutely fine. However the walk up to Meaño was a bit of a slog but doable. It certainly wouldn’t pay to have eaten lunch in Combarro before you started the afternoon walk. I so wanted to stay for the sardines! The range of accommodation was different and each had their own charm. It was a great way to see the real Galicia. The food and wine was excellent. We enjoyed the wine tasting at Quinta de San Amaro and also the boat ride to Villanova de Arousa. It was a friendly and sociable holiday. We did it with friends but you could easily walk alone and still have company If you wanted it. We walked 119 km as we walked the extra day in Tui to O’Porrino which gave us a few km in the bank. You might want to offer this as an option. The extra nights were good after all it is a holiday and nice to have a day to relax. We went to the Pilgrims Mass which was lovely and queued to get our Compostelas. We downloaded the maps to Kamoot. This provided a reassuring back up especially on the complements Rios. All in all thoroughly recommend the holiday.
Our first walking holiday and a fabulous experience. Will definitely book again with Inntravel.
This is a different type of walk to most inntravel walks. Its mainly on tarmac or other hard surfaces. You won't be alone much but you should enjoy the camaraderie. The Variante Espiritual is quieter and lovely. Enjoy this as a pilgrimage, or because its something you have always wanted to do. O Curro de Parra in Santiago was brilliant.We got a booking on the day but to be sure book earlier. Pe De Cuba in Villanova was good too but go early to save a wait. The pilgrim museum in Santiago, Museo de Peregrinations de Santiago de Compostela was very interesting, as was the Cathedral Museum on the square. If you want the main restaurant in the Parador de Santiago ring and book earlier in the week especially if its a weekend stay. This is definitely luxury Camino!
We very much enjoyed this holiday, and the arrangements made by Inntravel worked well, apart from one occasion when our luggage had not been collected from the previous hotel and was therefore late arriving. The hotels were, for the most part, excellent, although As Chivas was a disappointment. The Bradomin, on the other hand, was much better than we expected, with a very good breakfast available early. The packed lunches (apart from the one provided by Quinta de San Amaro) we found to be not worth having, other than for the bottle of water.
The first day of the walk was the least interesting, as it was often along rather dreary suburban paths, but otherwise we enjoyed beautiful scenery and relatively untouched Galicia along the way. Probably the days walking from Pontevedra to Meano, and from Meano to Vilanova were the highlights, although the river trip was a very good addition to the overall experience.
Weather can be very mixed: we had torrential rain on the first day and temperatures into the mid 30's later in the week.
Restaurants we enjoyed were Restaurante Loaira in Pontevedra and, on our last day in Santiago, A Curtidoria - not cheap, but very friendly, helpful staff and excellent food.
The overall experience was fantastic and the planned route very scenic and very enjoyable. This is a must do trip.
We have travelled with Inntravel on a number of occasions and have had some amazing holidays. This trip definitely stands out as one of the very best. The nature of the route means that you can expect some road walking and a few urban stretches which are not very pretty, but the vast majority of the Old Way is through beautiful countryside and unspoilt villages. Galicia is a stunning part of the world! The sense of shared purpose with fellow pilgrims and the camaraderie along the way makes for a truly memorable experience. We had mixed weather on our trip, from torrential rain to 33c, so be prepared! The most useful bit of kit we took with us was a walking cape (highly recommend Frogg Toggs). It kept us and our packs dry and made walking in the torrential rain quite fun! Great food, great walking, a real sense of shared endeavour and a stunning final destination. There is nothing about this holiday not to like and we recommend it highly.
As usual, Inntravel - you delivered.
Excellent notes and directions for each day's walking. Lots of suggestions for the city add-ons.
Accommodation (except As Chivas) were all great. In fact, in particular, the lowly, 2 star walker's hotel Bradomin in Vilanove de Arousa was a wonderful stay. Spotlessly clean and with lovely, welcoming staff. Far surpassed the 'rural idyll' of As Chivas.
The Quinta de San Amaro in Meano (don't have Spanish keyboard for the tilde!) was another particularly lovely stay! All the Paradores were wonderful too.
The last hotel stay in Santiago was a gem - a wee oasis in a busy city but just a stone's throw from the old town and cathedral!
As before, we found your arrangements to be thorough and your communications friendly, helpful and timely. We enjoyed the variety of accommodation and the differences between them; all beds were comfortable, rooms were spotless and staff were uniformly polite and respectful, although with varying degrees of confidence in English which made them more or less outgoing. Any small issues were quickly resolved.
We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of colour in the countryside, mainly from people's gardens but with some remaining wild flowers and herbs. It was interesting to see crops growing and harvesting taking place; aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and sweetcorn, sweet-smelling grapes and smallholders bringing in their hay. We loved winding through tiny streets in villages and hamlets, and coming across a little cafe or bar to sit down for a few minutes with a coffee or beer.
This was an area which was new to us, and we were impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the inhabitants, who seemed genuinely welcoming and happy to accommodate our poor attempts at Spanish.
Pontevedra Museum was well worth a visit; whilst we were there the temporary exhibition reconstructed costumes from an archive collection of photographs.
Our best independent food discovery was Taperia O Albergue in Rua Obispo Lago, Tui which does a great value Menu del Dia for 10E (Three courses, bread, coffee and a drink).
We particularly enjoyed the Variante Espiritual. You left behind the crowds and the noise soon after leaving Pontevedra and for a few days, you were able to enjoy the silence and beauty. We met some lovely people at the Capella de San Pedro in Mouzos whose mission was to care and serve the guests who past through their village - a privilege to meet them.
The whole experience was excellent and pretty seamless but a couple of things stood out for us. The Tortilla at As Chivas was the best of the many we tasted during the holiday, perfection. We also really enjoyed our visit to the vineyard followed by lunch at a recommended local restaurant. Very friendly people prepared to listen to our very poor Spanish. The wine was excellent everywhere we went and very reasonably priced. I'd definitely recommend carrying waterproofs, we bought capes which covered everything and were quick to put on. Our favourite hotel was Quinta de San Amaro with It's beautiful gardens and pool area , very glad to have two nights here a really excellent find by Inntravel.
This was an excellent trip and it ticked all the boxes for a historic long distance trail.
We had been wanting to walk a part of the Camino for a while and 7 of us embarked on it, knowing it would cover a lot of km over the 7 days of walking. The Variante Espiritual part of the walk was a definite highlight as was the boat trip from Vilanova. We would have liked to avoid the road sections but that was part of the deal! We loved the Quinta san Amaro, definitely the nicest hotel on our itinerary also. In terms of tips, BRING RAINGEAR. We completely underestimated how wet and cold the walking would be late June in Galicia and 'bringing our flimsy ponchos just in case' was a definite mistake. That said walking, chatting and exploring the area, tasting the delicious seafood and crisp Albariño wines was also another highlight. We were all very proud at the end to be presented with our certificates in Santiago.
This was our first experience of holidaying with Inntravel. The organisation, route maps, route instructions and information provided for each destination was excellent. Using the GPX files in an app like Komoot is very useful and would recommend taking advantage of these. Generally, the accommodation provided was good, in some cases excellent and in others rudimentary and the same applies to the food/meals. This is probably inevitable given that you are travelling on foot and should not be taken as negative. We didn't anticipate such a variety of weather and would be better prepared another time.
The best thing about this holiday was the actual journey, and then the arrival in Santiago. Because of Covid and other circumstances we did not get an opportunity to do much walking before we left home, so we found the walking to be tough. However, fitness improved quickly during the walk, and in the end we had no difficulty completing the last stage which is the longest. We enjoyed meeting people and their was an element of cameraderie which has not been present on any other Inntravel holiday. We found walking poles to be very useful on the ascents. Before we departed we feared that we would be walking in sweltering heat but the opposite was the case. Despite being late June the weather was mostly wet and cold. While we had good rain gear we did not bring sufficient warm clothing for the conditions.
This was our first walking holiday with Inntravel and what a fabulous experience it was! We loved the rural hotels, the cammeraderie of our fellow walkers and the paths and backroads that our route took us. The walking guide was very clear, the luggage transfers and hotels worked like clock work, and there were such fascinating places to visit along the way. We especially enjoyed all the coffee stops!
HIGHLIGHTS: Walk to Pontevedra - The Route Complentario was delightful, Combarro definitely worth lunching in, there’s a wonderful restaurant on the sea which does grilled sardines, worth waiting for! O Peirao. Day in MeaÅo - Wine tasting fun, Agro Turismo lunch simple but delicious - all locals - both organised by the hotel Quinta San Amara.
This was our 7th Inntravel holiday and a first for Inntravel to include the Camino de Santiago walking route. It was definitely a different experience with some very long days hiking, quite a bit of which include roadways and traffic which was rather disappointing. The days where we hiked through woods alongside rivers and vineyards were lovely but not as plentiful as we had hoped. As we were warned, the Galician weather can be temperamental and one of our days was VERY wet so waterproofs essential. What made this a more unique experience was the spirit of camaraderie on the road. We went early June so not too busy but all pilgrims you meet, on foot or bike, call out Bon Camino and we all wished each other well. Nice! Getting your credencial stamped enroute was all part of it as well as getting your certiicate at the end. We walked 119 k whihc felt GOOD. Arriving in Santiago (once we found our way, it's pretty confusing) was wonderful, such a beautiful and elegant city. Although not religious, we chose to go to the Pilgrims' Mass in the cathedral on our last night which was so worth it - the swinging of the incense burner on a huge rope across our heads was astonishing to see.
A full day in Santiago and extra night really worth it and the Parador possibly the oldest hotel in the world, amazing privilege to stay there. So a bit of a mixed bag but a real adventure and sense of achievement having completed it.
A challenging but enjoyable walk - much of it on hard surfaces! The first day was rather dull but it improved thereafter! The rest days in between the long walks were welcome! The weather was very hot - 32 as we were walking in to Santiago! The hotel and food at Meano was delightful! We walked 150 km in total and clocked 225,000 steps! We didn't do any of the shortcuts! Once on the Variante Espiritual the paths were much quieter.
I had wanted to walk the camino for many years, but not to stay in dormitory/hostel accomodation so was delighted to be able to do the walk with Inntravel and staying in comfortable hotels. Some days are very long indeed but not difficult walking - the paths are good. The Variente Espirituele was an excellent choice as it was quieter and pretty. Be prepared for rain in Galicia however! 3 of the hotels were excellent, food generally good, but be prepared to wait till 8.30 for dining rooms to open! A picnic is provided on the moving on days, and generally poor quality. Often there was a cafe restaurant one passed in the middle of the day which made a welcome alternative to poor quality sandwiches!
We enjoyed our first Camino Portuguese experience very much. We were glad of the rest days after three days of straight hiking. We added in extra days at the end in Santiago, and were glad that we had, as it enabled us to split the last long day into two hikes. Highlights were the pool at the Parador de Tui, our upgrade room with balcony in Quinta de San Amaro and the lovely pool and views as well as the friendly helpful service there. As Chivas is a very authentic old building which we also enjoyed. Picnics always seem to be a basic bit of jamon in white bread, so it's good not to have high expectations of them. Take your towel for a dip in the waterfalls early on the Route of Stones and Water and in the river later on that day. Our top advice is to take extra socks and change them on the hour, drying them on your pack - this avoids damp feet and blisters! Also toe gel covers can help too and got me through the last couple of days. And final and important tip: make sure to queue and get into the Pilgrims Mass in the Cathedral in Santiago, because when they launch the flying censor of incense, the Botafumeiro, at the end, it is a highly dramatic moment.
We have now travelled with Inntravel on walking holidays in Italy, Greece, France and Portugal - all excellent. But this was wihout question the best! The quality of hotels, the food, the challenge of the walking and the amazing arrival in Santiago - wow!
For anyone who enjoys a walking holiday that is both challenging and uplifting this is trip is an absolute must. We loved it! x
It was a truly excellent holiday and wonderfully organised. Well done Inntravel. The positive spirit and the cameraderie on the Camino was really uplifting.
The stay at the Quinta San Amaro was wonderful and refreshing. The 10 days passed quickly. This was an interesting holiday in an area I did not know at all. In terms of tips, Inntravel customers do need to think about their plans at Padron/Lestrobe because if the Casa Antiga de Monte is not offering food to Inntravel guests then really you need to go to Padron when you come off the boat. We wondered if the other hotel, Monumental Pazo de Lestrove, offered a more customer friendly approach?
INNTRAVEL NOTE: Casa Antiga de Monte can offer evening meals, but we book this stay on a B&B basis to allow customers the option of dining in Padron, which is only 1km from the hotel.
Even if you are not religious arriving in the Prazo do Obradoiro after 103 km is quite a spiritual moment.
Break the bank to stay in the Parador - there is nowhere like it!
Excellent organisation by Inntravel, everything went like clockwork. The walk itself was at times challenging but wonderful. We met many interesting people along the way which I must say just enhanced the whole experience. I would recommend both Inntravel and the Camino.
A picnic is not always necessary. There are plenty of places to stop for lunch if you want. There are also plenty of places, springs, taps etc. to fill your water bottle. You don't need to carry gallons - water is the heaviest thing in a day pack. The highlights for us were the boat ride, unexpectedly ending up on the fast boat, the walk from Armentiere monastery down the river, the winery and the lunch at the finca.
Having previously walked the Camino del Norte independently, it was great to have all the arrangements for the various hotels and luggage transfer taken care of by Inntravel, with everything running seamlessly. The Variante Espiritual was particularly enjoyable, leaving behind the masses of pilgrims on the main Portugués route for peace and tranquility and a more contemplative walking experience. Travelling by boat following the original route was an extra special part of the pilgrimage, enhanced by the commentary describing the many stone crosses along the route and a fascinating explanation of the local method of mussel cultivation which we were able to see close up. Staying at the historic Parador in Santiago was a wonderful way to round off the trip.
The varienta espiritual was great and we were very glad you had chosen this. We heard a lot about the seaside route from A Guarda to Pontevedra. This might be a better option as the Tui to Pontevedra section is very uninteresting with lots of suburban road work.
Really enjoyed the trip and the lovely (although sometimes wet) countryside of NW Spain. Even although, this is by no means the longest route, being part of the Camino was special and we felt an enormous sense of achievement reaching Santiago de Compostela and receiving our accreditation.
Great walking holiday in a very special part of the world, highlight amongst many being walking into the Santiago Cathedral Square after a long hot walk and taking in the incredible atmosphere, as they say it was emotional. Overall well organised and thank you Inntravel we will look to book with you again. Thank you guys!
We very much enjoyed our extended Inntravel holiday, we are looking forward to another in August. We have recommended Inntravel to a number of our friends.
The Galician countryside was a delight to walk through with all the well tended small-holdings and banks of wildflowers everywhere in May. This was very different from other Inn travel walking holidays, but the camaraderie along the route was striking, as was the welcome and generosity that was offered to pilgrims from cafes and bars along the way. Apart from friendships made, a special highlight was the stay at Quinta de San Amaro,and finally the stunning Cathedral at Santiago. Altogether a great experience.
Definite sense of achievment on reaching Santiago. Some lovely areas and woodland / riverside walking. Definitely need to be equipped for all weathers according to those we met. Don't expect everyone to speak any English ! Expect short periods of crowded walking.
It was a wonderful holiday and a particular pleasure after the enforced break from overseas travel. The whole experience was varied, interesting and rewarding. The long walks were quite tough but they were interspersed with easier days. Staying in some wonderful hotels and eating and drinking well (it's Albarinho country), this is very much glam-pilgriming, but on the camino we felt part of something bigger - a rag-bag group of all ages, sizes and nationalities, heading in the same direction. This made the arrival in Santiago de Compostela a moving and fulfilling experience.
Santiago was amazing and I'm pleased we did it. We were fortunate with the weather but I would advise to prepare for all eventualities.
We saw several large Iberian Emerald Lizards on our walk from Combarro to Armenteira. They were far too quick for my camera. The scenery, the horreos and the number of ornate churches and chapels made this a very different walking experience.
A fantastic holiday taking you through unspoilt Galicia with its green rolling countryside, ancient towns, excellent seafood and very drinkable albarino wines. We recommend spending a few days exploring and enjoying Oporto before transferring to Tui to commence the Camino as well as staying two nights in Pontevedra to be able to properly explore that ancient town.
Parador De Santiago was not only an exceptional hotel but the history of the building was also fascinating. It was definitely worth the upgrade and we would thorougly recommend it. Stunning!
A fantastic walking holiday and great route. Leaving the main Camino 'motorway' and following the 'Variante Espiritual' (VE) was very welcome and the 2 middle walking 'VE' days from Pontevedra to Vilanova de Arousa, including the climb up from Combarro, followed by the boat trip, were the highlights. The option of staying at the Parador de Santigo was well worth it - a truly memorable experience. We attended the Pilgrim's Mass at the Santiago de Compostela (Sunday was our day to explore) but standing room only despite being 45 minutes early so get there even earlier if you want a seat ! Wear warm and waterproof top clothing for the boat trip even if the weather is fine particularly if you are on an early morning departure. The 'A Noiesa' restaurant in Santiago was excellent but you need to make a reservation as popular (you can do this online). Inntravel's choice and variety of hotels, taxi and boat transfers, and the luggage transfer arrangements were all up to the extremely high standards that we have now come to expect.
Our Camino Old Way holiday lived up to every expectation and more. The excellent organisation meant we completely relaxed and simply enjoyed the walking. The scenery was spectacular, the food delicious and the river cruise was the 'icing on the cake'. We'd highly recommend both Inntravel and the Old Way.
We loved the experience that Inntravel provided for walking the picturesque Camino Portugues, from the Spanish border right into Santiago. While some of the route inevitably follows a few main roads, a lot of the walking was along country roads, forest paths or through picturesque villages. We added a day in Pontevedra to explore its medieval streets and sites. The daily distances were manageable for the most part, though the last stage into Santiago is longer and a bit more challenging. We love the flexibility Inntravel builds into its trip notes, allowing people to shorten the day's distance. And the accommodations were excellent for each locality.
What a lovely way to see Galicia, Spain! There were so many highlights... walking through all the fragrant eucalyptus forests, petting the many goats, cats, kittens, and horses along the way. Walking through the amazing green forest with all the sawmills and houses built in the Middle Ages, on the Ruta de la Piedra Y del Agua, between Vilanova de Arousa and Lestrobe. I loved how one day while walking next to vineyards along a forest path we heard a cuckoo bird calling (something we never hear in North America)!
Walking in mid May was wonderful as the days were sunny, the temperatures were very pleasant and the entire route was covered in endless varieties and colors of flowers. The Paradors are really special hotels, I wish we could have had guided tours of each one, as they held so much history and art. We met so many lovely pilgrims from all over the world, both on the trail and in the hotels, and it was so fun to bump into them again along the way. I would recommend wearing the most cushiony trail runners you can find. Good ventilation is a must. There is a lot of walking on pavement and cobbles so leather hiking boots are not the best option. As soon as you feel the tiniest blister coming on take care of it, there were many pilgrims with terrible blisters. It's not a technical walk so poles are not essential.
Be sure to stop at least once for an Estrella del Camino beer! The alcohol free ones are quite delicious too. The new restaurant, Emma Tapas in Tui was hands down the best tapas we had on our trip. The owner Isaac has paid great attention to every detail in the presentation and flavor of his food. The days went quickly and even the longest ones were not too difficult because of the distraction of all there was to see along the Way. Buen Camino!
There was a significant amount of pilgrim traffic on the first two days we walked the Camino. The route took us through town and subdivisions, walking mainly on tarmac and sometimes waiting at crosswalks for traffic lights to change. When we began the Variante Espiritual leaving Pontevedra, we encountered few other walkers and the route took us through woods and along streams--much more the experience we had anticipated. I was grateful to have brought a hiking pole and to have worn hiking boots for the additional ankle support they provide. There was no need for the water bottle I brought since all picnic lunches included water. We carried rain gear almost every day but were fortunate to only need it twice for short squalls.
With Inntravel arranging our accommodations and luggage transfers and providing walking instructions and notes, we had no concerns about logistics and were able to be present in walking the Camino.
We had a great holiday and discovered a region that we knew nothing about. From beginning to end everything ran like clockwork and was stress free. It was definitely worth using GPS to confirm any slight doubts in the route. Our favourite day was day 6, Meano to Vilanova details Arousa. Personally if you could arrange to have the piper in the square in Santiago removed as he played the same tune for 12 hours a day!! We will definitely recommend Inntravel and hope to holiday with you again. Thank you.
This was our 4th Inntravel Trip and what a fabulous return after a gap of over 2 years. We were a little anxious that the distances would be too much for us but we managed – there were some pretty long days – and have our Compostelas to prove it. Having walking poles with rubber tips were very useful for the tarmac paths, although the road walking wasn’t nearly as bad or as much as we feared. The route was quite different to other trips as it is so well waymarked with lots of other ‘pilgrims’ following the same route albeit with full backpacks and staying in less comfortable accommodation. We loved the atmosphere and particularly walking through Galicia. New for us this trip were the GPX tracks provided by Inntravel for each of the walking routes. We loaded them into the Wikiloc App and they were invaluable when we weren’t quite sure about the route notes or to gauge where we were.
The first two paradors were interesting, if a little quirky. It took us a while to realise that they all have a good Bar/Cafeteria menu of light snacks and meals that you can order to eat in the lounges or on the terraces. All the information about the hotel facilities is online with little printed information available unless you ask. The extra night in Pontevedra is recommended to recuperate and enjoy the area, even if it did pour with rain for the first couple of days. Once we got walking we soon realised that several of the cafes mentioned in the notes were not open or not until later in the day. So if you need coffee, loos or a stamp in your Pilgrim Passport, stop at the first one you see. Coffee is invariably served with cake and cold drinks with something savoury. At one café we were served mini-croissants, toast and jam plus a dish of Russian salad when we’d only ordered two Cortados and a Lemon Fanta. And everyone has a stamp including the man playing bagpipes in the woods, another selling drinks and even the Guardia Civil who were advising pilgrims on safety were happy to oblige.
The hotel Quinta de San Amaro at Meano is in a fabulous setting amongst vineyards. It’s well worth requesting the upgrade with balcony. The Parador de Santiago de Compostela was very special. If you stay there, do request the leaflet on its history. It’s actually a self-guided walking tour of the building covering nearly 80 information boards dotted about the hotel - fascinating.
What a beautiful break! The walk was sufficient to provide a challenge but was not too difficult. Highlights were the beautiful Galician countryside, the camaraderie of fellow peregrino, the lovely hotels and the boat trip from Vilanouva de Arouas. Would recommend this break to anyone with reasonable fitness.
A very enjoyable walk through a lovely region of Galicia. Everything came off without a hitch. The Route of Stone and Water is stunningly beautiful! Be sure to eat at A Casa dos Martinez in Padron and O Sendeiro in Santiago de Compostela.
Great walking and very enjoyable. Picnics pretty unimaginative.
The Casona de la Paca Cudillero was exceptional.
Well worth downloading the walks on i phone.
Hotel Hoyuela was a let down really. Hotel Victoria which was Brittany Ferries choice is better.
For us the Centro Botin is the jewell in the crown in Santander.
Typo on P79 second para Set in the heart of ( heat of)
The walk from Camberrow up to the monastery was exhausting - well worth taking the option to walk up and get some amazing views and a lovely woodland walk down into the monastery - which is beautiful.
Arriving in Santiago Cathedral Square - words cannot describe what you feel as all walkers come together to sing, dance, throw off their backpacks, or just sit quietly looking at the cathedral.
Arriving in the Parador - and drinking the cava so thoughtfully provided!
Tips would include a note emphasising importance of well fitting footwear. Our highlights were mainly the friendliness of pilgrims on the walk as well as the local public.
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