The French Way from Madrid
For culture and wine lovers
Combine some tourism in the capital and the best Galician wine region with the Camino experience. While St Jean Pied de Port marks the starting point of the French Way, you can start your Camino from any town or city along the way. In fact, most pilgrims start their Camino journey from the town of Sarria, in Galicia, and walk the last 111kms to Santiago.
Combination of tourism and the Camino experience
Take advantage of the fact that you come to walk the Camino to get to enjoy a bit of Spain.
Get to know the capital
The tour begins in the capital of Spain where you will spend some days exploring the city.
Unique landscapes in the wine region
The last days you will relax at the land of the Ribeiro wine.
The full Camino experience
On the Camino, you will discover local charming villages, the homemade food of the region and the cultural and historic side of the pilgrim road.
Trip Itinerary
The starting point is Madrid, to spend a few nights there and get to know its highlights. Then, for 6 days, walk the 111 km of the Camino to get to the Compostela and, at the end of the tour, relax for the last 3 days in the most beautiful and unique landscape in Galicia, at the wine region of Ribeira Sacra. How does it sound?
Madrid – Sarria – Portomarin – Palas de Rei – Melide – Arzua – Lavacolla – Santiago de Compostela – Ribeira Sacra
Arrival in Madrid and transfer to the hotel in the center of the capital. Later you will make a tour through one of the most traditional neighborhoods to taste the best tapas by the hand of an expert local guide (depending on the time of arrival).
After breakfast, a local guide will introduce you to the Historical Madrid with a walk through the most emblematic places of the center, after which you will have free time to eat and visit any of the museums or the most important sites in the city. At night, you will enjoy a special dinner enlivened with a singular show of the flamenco tablao, with more tradition of Madrid.
After breakfast, you will head to Sarria by train or private transfer (6 hours) from where you will start your Camino. Upon arrival, and after settling in the accommodation, you will have a tour of the historic city center ending with a delicious homemade dinner.
This stage you will pass innumerable towns of Sarria, like Paradela and Portomarín, good examples of Romanesque, asphalted rural roads and corridors, medieval and rustic bridges.
You will leave Portomarín to continue with our particular pilgrimage, where you will find Romanesque churches, hospital of illustrious pilgrims, unique cemeteries and a section (Ligonde-Palas de Rei) protected since 1184 and for centuries, by the Knights of the Order of Santiago.
This will be the longest stage, but also the most beautiful. You will go beyond the limits of Lugo, to enter A Coruña through the village of O Coto. In Melide, you will have the option of tasting the famous Galician octopus, to continue later towards Arzúa, and have dinner in the beautiful Pazo Santa María.
You will start the stage in Arzúa, to continue to Lavacolla, very close to the city of Santiago de Compostela. This night you will have dinner in the beautiful Pazo de Xan Xordo.
Today is a great day: the last stage of your journey that will take you to the magnificent city of Santiago de Compostela, awaits you. From the watchtower of Monte do Gozo you will get the first panoramic view of Santiago de Compostela, and start an urban journey that ends at the foot of the baroque facade of the cathedral. The Obradoiro is the end and the beginning.
After a well-deserved rest and an appetizing breakfast, a local guide will take you on a route to the Cathedral of Santiago to explore its interior and its roofs. You will walk through its impressive Casco Vello, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon, you will have fun participating in a Galician cooking class, and have dinner of what you have cooked with your own hands.
After breakfast, you will head to one of the most beautiful places in Galicia, the wine region of the Ribeira Sacra. Upon arrival, you will make a small trekking route to a beautiful "mirador", to have a first view of the impressive canyons of the Sil River from above. Then you will have a wine tasting and a lunch in one of the best wineries in the area.
After breakfast, you will board a private boat for a tour of the Sil river canyons. You will learn about the difficulty of the harvest due to the slope of the land, and the magnificent red wine that has become very popular in the last five years. You will also have a wine tasting on board and have lunch at a local winery.
After breakfast, transfer to your departure airport for the flight back home.
Related Tours
Check out some more of our top wine, food, and culture tour options for the wonderful Iberian peninsula. We can’t wait to show you around!
