Camino Francés from León to Ponferrada
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105 km
Distance
6 days / 5 nights
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Half Board or Only Breakfast
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From 604€ per person
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The Camino Francés from León to Ponferrada covers some of the most iconic stages of the Camino de Santiago, passing through mountain landscapes, historic towns and emblematic locations such as Astorga, the Cruz de Ferro and the El Bierzo region.
Along this itinerary, you will discover the cultural and historical richness of the Camino Francés, from the impressive León Cathedral to the Templar city of Ponferrada, whose castle is one of the most remarkable monuments along the entire route.
After leaving Astorga behind, the route climbs into the Montes de León and reaches one of the most symbolic points of the pilgrimage: the Cruz de Ferro. From there, the path descends into the valleys of El Bierzo before arriving in Ponferrada, the end of this section and the gateway to the following stages of the Camino Francés towards Santiago de Compostela.
If you have more time available, you can also walk the complete Camino de Santiago from León, continuing beyond Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela through some of the most spectacular landscapes of the entire pilgrimage route.
At Santiago Ways, we organise the Camino Francés from León to Ponferrada with carefully selected accommodation, luggage transfer and support throughout the route, allowing you to enjoy the experience without worrying about the logistics.
In Leon, we will have the opportunity to visit and walk through its historic quarter. Leon was the capital of the kingdom of Castile in the Middle Ages and is therefore an important historical landmark in modern day Spain.
Leon has been a point of passage for pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago for centuries. We also recommend visiting the Pulchra Leonina, also known as the “Sistine Chapel” of Spanish architecture.
We can also admire Gaudi’s architecture by visiting the Casa de los Botines, built in a neo-Gothic style, as well as the famous Hospital of San Marcos, which is currently a hotel.
Overnight: Leon
The flatness of this route makes it quite simple. We will walk through vast farmlands of grains, corn, potatoes and beautiful apple orchards.
Length: 20 km
Overnight: Mazarife
Today we will go on a beautiful hike along trails and dirt paths to one of the most beautiful villages of the entire Camino Frances, Hospital de Orbigo. In Hospital de Orbigo we can visit the famous photogenic “Puente de Orbigo” bridge. Here we can admire the town’s beautiful landscapes with the Leon mountains in the background.
We will reach the beautiful hilltop town of Astorga where we can pay a visit to the Astorga Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace designed by Gaudi, and the city walls. In Astorga we can also try some of their exquisite chocolates.
Length: 30,5 km
Overnight: Astorga
The route from Mazarife to Astorga is divided into 2 stages of 17 km and 14 km, meaning we can walk at a more relaxed pace. We will spend the night in the beautiful town of Hospital de Orbigo.
Length: 17 km and 14 km
Overnight: Hospital de Orbigo
Today’s section will take place through the beautiful mountains in Leon and El Bierzo. Our walk will be surrounded by lush vegetation such as oaks, heather and broom trees.
Length: 20,4 km
Overnight: Rabanal del Camino
Today’s section will take place through the beautiful mountains of Leon and El Bierzo. Our walk will be surrounded by lush vegetation such as oaks, heather and broom trees.
Length: 35,1 km
Overnight: Ponferrada
We can choose to divide the route from Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada in 2 stages of 16 km each, in order to walk at a more relaxed pace. We will spend the night in a hotel in a charming village located on the Acebo Mountain.
Length: 16 km and 16 km
Overnight: Acebo
Once we reach the city of Ponferrada, we will have the opportunity to visit its beautiful old town and the Templar Castle.
We must also try some of the local cuisine that comes from the surrounding mountains, such as the ‘botillo’(meat-stuffed pork intestine) and some of the best meats in Spain.
End of our services.
All the rooms you book with Santiago Ways to do the Camino de Santiago have a private bathroom and all the necessary services to ensure your best comfort.
Our team checks on site the quality of all the accommodation offered in order for pilgrims to have a comfortable and unforgettable experience on the Camino de Santiago.
When working with quality accommodation with limited capacity, the exact name of the accommodation will be provided 30 days before the start of the Camino.
All accommodation on the Camino de Santiago is subject to availability. In case we can’t offer any of them due to lack of capacity, we’ll accommodate you in one of equal or better quality.
Single rooms are subject to availability. Reservations must be made in advance and come at an additional cost.
All our accommodation has been selected to ensure tranquillity, rest and enjoyment during your Camino de Santiago:
Accommodation in Hotels and Country Cottages.
Rooms with private bathroom.
Meal plan of your choice.
Baggage transfer between stages.
24 hours Telephone assistance on route.
Travel navigation app made for each traveler.
Complete route itinerary.
Assistance vehicle in case of emergency.
Information pack for the Camino de Santiago.
VAT.
Additional single room
Extra night in Ponferrada
Transfer from Ponferrada to Leon
Travel assistance insurance
Cancellation insurance
In order to resolve pilgrims’ doubts, here we answer the questions that are most frequently asked when we receive your enquiries.
If you have any other questions, you can contact us and we will be happy to help you resolve all your queries.
The Camino de Santiago can be started on any day of the year, always taking into account the weather and the season in which you want to travel, so that your clothes are the right ones.
The best way to get to the starting point of your Camino de Santiago is to arrive at the airport, train station or bus station nearest to the town from where you will start walking.
Once you confirm your Camino, you will send us the arrival information for your flight, train or bus and, from there, we organize a private transfer to the town where you should start your Camino.
Yes, you can. All the routes on the Camino de Santiago are suitable for pilgrims to travel solo.
Also, whether you are travelling alone, or travelling accompanied but want to sleep in a single room, Santiago Ways offer this option to you.
We can book all your nights of accommodation in single rooms at an additional cost. We suggest you book well in advance since they are usually in high demand.
On the Camino de Santiago, you will find hundreds of pilgrims walking on their own. Many of them may have come to the Camino alone; others have probably moved away from their fellow travellers for a few hours because of the difference in speed when walking.
In any case, all the routes on the Camino are very well signposted, so you will have no problem if you go on your own.
Most routes on the Camino de Santiago are done in a self-guided mode. Thus, each traveller has the opportunity to advance on their own and at their own pace along the routes marked on the complete itinerary of the route, which is sent one month before starting the Camino.
The complete route itinerary of the route is a guide that we prepare for you with information about the maps, route profiles and places of interest, kilometre by kilometre on each of the stages that you will go through on the Camino de Santiago.
The travel distances and travel times indicated for each route on both the website and the itinerary we send you are based on reference values. It depends on each pilgrim exactly how they carry out these times and distances, according to the speed at which they progress.
You will receive it by email one month before starting your Camino along with all the documentation for the trip: accommodation reservations, baggage transfers, among others.
In Santiago Ways, we adapt each stage to the needs of our pilgrims, so that they can travel according to their physical capability and the number of days available.
On average, a stage of the Camino de Santiago has 15 to 20 km. On most routes, however, we can organize your Camino so that you walk fewer kilometres, dividing some stages into two parts, depending on what is most comfortable for you.
We want to talk about the Camino Frances from León to Ponferrada, an eminently Leonese route that runs through the region of El Bierzo, one of the most beautiful in our country. We will talk about the reasons that there are to complete it as well as other important aspects, as well as the best time to do it, and all the necessary information related to it.
We want to remind you here that with Santiago Ways it is possible to do your pilgrimage in the best possible conditions, guaranteed.
1. Natural landscapes: One of the most powerful incentives to do the Camino Frances de Santiago from León is, without a doubt, the quality of its landscapes.
Not only we do say it for the region of El Bierzo, one of the most beautiful in our country, but also for the majestic mountains in Leon, which we will tour during our pilgrimage and offer us beautiful landscapes that make us fall in love with it.
2.- Infrastructure: In Santiago Ways, We always emphasize that the Camino Frances de Santiago is well cared for and developed in terms of infrastructure.
This is the result of being the pilgrims’ most travelled route. It has excellent communications, roads, supply points and signage. For this reason, it is also the preferred route of those who complete the adventure of the Camino de Santiago for the first time.
3.- Heritage: Another of the reasons to make this route of the Camino de Santiago from León to Ponferrada is its great patrimony. It is divided between its beautiful villages and in the cities by which we pass, the first of them, León.
Everything is very well kept and most of its remains go back to the Middle Ages and some even to Roman times. You can’t miss the connection this route makes to Europe’s most secluded past.
4.-Gastronomy: This point becomes important when we are on the route. The walks and the different stages make it more and more important to find quality establishments with quality gastronomy.
We can say that another of the most noteworthy aspects of the region of El Bierzo and the places we are going to spend is precisely the quality of its cuisine. With unbeatable land and specialities in meats and cold cuts, you will end up enjoying everything this route has to offer you.
The route of the Camino de Santiago from León to Ponferrada forms the sixth section of the Camino Frances de Santiago. It starts in the emblematic city of Leon: a beautiful city full of the heritage which you can enjoy from the beginning. It ends in Ponferrada, already in Galicia, a city built by the Templars in the 12th century.
Among the points that we will visit is the city of Astorga, the pilgrimage through the Leon mountains and many wonderful places that we will fall in love with. It has a total length of 105 kilometres divided into 5 stages.
With Santiago Ways, it is possible to book it all year round with just breakfast or breakfast and dinner included in the best hotels and with all the attention that you deserve.
Despite all the appeal of the route of the Camino Frances de Santiago from León , we want to talk about the two most popular and reserved routes within it. Each of them has its own reasons and we want you to discover them so that you can make your own decision.
With a route of 66 kilometres spread over 5 stages and 4 nights, the section from St. Jean Pied de Port is the most popular in the south of France. That is why every year thousands of Frenchmen and other people from all over the world begin here in order to finish their journey in the city of Pamplona. The village in which it begins is a beautiful location in the south of the French countryside.
The reason why the stretch from Sarria is so reserved and so popular is that it is the last one before arriving in Santiago . Indeed, it is chosen by many pilgrims who want to experience the feeling of completing their journey to Santiago de Compostela. It has a total length of 111 kilometres divided into 7 stages with its corresponding 6 nights.
This and all the options we offer from Santiago Ways you can book all year round.
Therefore, we include here all the necessary maps for your pilgrimage. With them, you can get an idea of what places you will go through and what experiences you can encounter in this adventure with Santiago Ways.
Leon – Villar de Mazarife
Stage map from Leon to Villar de Mazarife
Villar de Mazarife – Astorga
Stage map from Villar de Mazarife to Astorga
Astorga – Rabanal del Camino
Stage map from Astorga to Rabanal del Camino
Rabanal del Camino – Ponferrada
Stage map from Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada
We will talk now about the profile of the Camino de Santiago from León to Ponferrada . With this, we intend to give you the information regarding its difficulty, as well as the height at which it passes and the ascents that it contains. For example, between Villafranca del Bierzo and Ponferrada, the road is practically flat.
The most rugged area is before reaching this locality, but thanks to the infrastructure which this section of the road has, there is no difficulty in completing it.
Leon – Villar de Mazarife
Stage profile from Leon to Villar de Mazarife
Villar de Mazarife – Astorga
Stage profile from Villar de Mazarife to Astorga
Astorga – Rabanal del Camino
Stage profile from Astorga to Rabanal del Camino
Rabanal del Camino – Ponferrada
Stage profile from Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada
We also want to give you all the information here about the stages that we will walk on foot during our pilgrimage. With it, you can get an idea of the adventure and experiences that await you.
As we have said, the Camino Frances de Santiago from León has a total length of 105 kilometres. They are distributed in 5 stages which can be made easily in half of that time if we are going to complete the Camino de Santiago by bicycle. In any case, the time taken on every stage depends on each pilgrim.
The reason for being able to cover so much distance in less time than other sections of the road is because in the last stretch until you reach Ponferrada the route becomes practically flat. It is therefore very nice to do and it will surely feel shorter and will make you want to go on more and more.
It can be said that the question of when to complete the Camino de Santiago depends ultimately on the priorities of each person. However, it must also be said that each season has its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, and to help you decide, we want to talk about each of the months and the points in favour and against to help you decide when to make the pilgrimage.
The month of January is a good opportunity to take advantage of the last days of the Christmas break. The disadvantage is that it is very cold in the regions we pass through, for which we can simply go better prepared.
In February the temperatures begin to rise a little. That makes it a more pleasant month that also gives us the advantage of not encountering too many pilgrims along the way.
During March the temperatures begin to rise definitively, noting the proximity of spring. It is a good time because the region of El Bierzo begins to show its characteristic colours.
During April, and taking advantage of Easter, many pilgrims make their journey. In these days, it is possible to cover the complete route between Leon and Ponferrada.
During May and, in general, throughout the spring, the risk of precipitation increases. The temperatures are milder, yes, and the environments that we travel through, such as the Leon mountains show all their beauty.
In June, those people who can take their summer holidays before others should take advantage to complete the Camino. They will have clear and pleasant weather and also the route won’t have many pilgrims as yet.
In July, the festivities in the city of Santiago de Compostela take place. Also those of another important city on the Camino Frances : Pamplona. Between the 15th and 31st, in Santiago, and on July 6th, the San Fermin festivities begin. Two good reasons to do our pilgrimage in July.
The month of August is the most popular among pilgrims due to the good weather (much cooler in the north of Spain) and the amount of time they have available. It is a good opportunity to complete the Camino organized with Santiago Ways, taking into account that we will avoid overcrowding.
One of the distinctive notes of September and the months that follow is that the region of El Bierzo is full of beautiful colours. Just to contemplate this scene is worth a pilgrimage this month.
Although the risk of precipitation increases and temperatures fall, with planning, it is possible to enjoy the really spectacular autumn that we have been talking about.
November may bring the risk of precipitation and low temperatures. However, to complete the Camino in winter gives the pilgrims their chance to walk without crowds.
It is a month chosen more and more by those pilgrims who want to spend Christmas in a beautiful place and live an unforgettable experience.
We have compiled a selection of places that you cannot miss on the route of the Camino de Santiago from León to Ponferrada. Some of them are historical and touristic places of interest. Others are the best hotels, those in which you will stay with Santiago Ways.
Finally, there are the recommendations of some restaurants along the route, a very important aspect when it comes to recharging your batteries.
The starting point, the city of Leon, is a real gem among all the wonders that exist in our country. From it, you cannot miss its spectacular heritage where we have the cathedral, the Basilica of San Isadora, the Convent of San Marcos or Casa Bovines, designed by the famous architect Gaudi. We’ll talk to you about where you can eat later.
Without a doubt one of the most beautiful places along the route. The villa of Astorga surprises all those who visit it for its cathedral, its Episcopal Palace or its Roman museum. It is one of the most interesting stops along the way and an incentive to make you feel that you want to do it over and over again.
Ponferrada is another of the magnificent towns that we can visit during this route. Its imposing castle is one of the monuments that leaves a most vivid impression in our memory. You can’t miss finishing here to cap off this great route.
One of the distinctive notes we offer in Santiago Ways is that we offer you the best hotels. With that, we want to make sure that you get the treatment and care that you deserve. We remind you that there is the option to book just breakfast or breakfast and dinner to replace the energy that you need.
Casa Mando: In the city of Leon is this prestigious inn, which can offer us the best specialities of Leonese cuisine at an affordable price and in a cosy atmosphere. The best from the lands, as well as the best of its cold cuts and meats, will be at our disposal with unbeatable service.
Restaurant Serrano: In Astorga, we must highlight the Serrano Restaurant. Its philosophy is based on offering only seasonal products, which results in a taste and a character which is very well connected to the land. All this in rustic rooms that accompany this unmistakable elegance in the whole town of Astorga.
Doce Torres: In Ponferrada is famous this restaurant dedicated to home cooking. This says a lot considering that when entering Galicia, we can taste specialities that will make us recognize the quality of its cuisine. Be sure to visit this restaurant to finish off your experience on the Camino Frances de Santiago from León.
The origin of this section is naturally linked to that of the Camino Frances itself. It began to take importance as the reconquest progressed. Although previously there was only the so-called Camino Primitivo or the Camino del Norte , when the reconquest was taking place, new routes were free, much more practical than the previous one.
Despite this, it must be thought that the Camino de Santiago was not just a path for pilgrims with religious motives, it was also an important trade route for the north of Spain that made it prosper in fact. Join this historic legacy.
We also leave you the opinions of other people who have already completed the Camino Frances de Santiago from Leon with us. It will help you to finish deciding to have an unforgettable experience.
We leave you here some pictures and videos of the way so you see everything you can live with us.
Here you can see all the stages of the Camino de Santiago.
In Santiago Ways, we will advise you on which route of the Camino de Santiago is the best fit for you.