The Lebaniego Way is a pilgrimage route that first appeared in the 8th century to worship the Lignum Crucis. According to tradition, the Lignum Crucis is a piece of the cross where Jesus Christ was crucified. The Lignum Crucis is located in the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana.
The Monastery of Santo Toribio is popularly known as Little Jerusalem due to the large influx of pilgrims it has received since the Middle Ages.
The Monastery of Santo Toribio was built in the 6th century. The remains of Bishop Toribio de Astorga and the relic of the Lignum Crucis were brought to the Monastery in the 8th century.
The Lebaniego Way has its own ‘Credencial’ (pilgrim passport) called the La Lebaniega.
The beautiful city of Santander is the starting point of the Lebaniego Way. Santander, the capital of Cantabria, is an elegant and fantastic place to relax for a couple of days. In Santander we can enjoy its incredible beaches, parks, nature, architecture and food.
Overnight: Santander
From Santander we head into the interior of Cantabria, passing through the villages of Santa Cruz de Bezana, Mompía and Boo de Piélagos. Later we will walk by the estuary in Boo de Piélagos, finishing up the stage in the town of Arce.
Length: 16 km
Overnight: Arce
In today’s stage, you will get to see the beautiful mountainous landscape of the northern coast. Along the way we will pass through the town of Miengo. Suances is another small, beautiful town that is worth taking some time to visit.
Your destination for today is the medieval village of Santillana del Mar. Today we will be walking through charming meadows and quiet villages. Santillana de Mar is one of the most popular towns in Cantabria, famous for its Caves of Altamira.
Length: 22 km
Overnight: Santillana del Mar
From Santillana del Mar you will continue to follow Cantabria’s rugged coast. On your way to Comillas you will pass though wonderful villages, such as Cobreces with its Cistercian monastery.
Comillas has fantastic beaches and incredible architecture. We recommend thoroughly visiting Comillas and exploring its different attractions, like the Pontifical University, the Palace of Sobrellano with its pantheon chapel and the El Capricho building by Gaudi.
Length: 22 km
Overnight: Comillas
We will continue along the coast to the Oyambre Natural Park. This park is extremely important due to its wildlife and and marine ecosystem, which is home to many species of birds, mollusks and fish. From here we will head towards San Vicente de la Barquera, walking through fields and green forests.
Length: 13 km
Overnight: San Vicente de la Barquera
We continue heading in the direction of Serdio, leaving behind a blue and green landscape that is to be replaced by predominately green scenery as we pass through La Acesbosa, Hortigal and Estrada with its medieval Gothic-style tower, dating back to the 14th century.
Here the Lebaniego Way follows a beautiful mountain trail that leads to Muñorrodero, where the pilgrims who are going to Santiago de Compostela will separate from those who are travelling to Santo Toribio de Liébana. The first group will follow the yellow arrows while the latter group will use the red arrows.
The Nansa River Trail, 7 km, continues through a shaded riverside forest with a variety of trees and enchanting wooden walkways.
The most interesting part of Cabanzón is its medieval towel, a feudal relic that was part of a defense system for the area of influence belonging to San Vincente de la Barquera. We will finish the stage in Cades. The old foundry in Cades is another site worth seeing.
Length: 28 km
Overnight: Cades
We leave Cades and after passing Sobrelapeña we head to La Fuente where we have one of the crowning jewels of Romanesque art in Cantabria: The Church of Santa Juliana, declared “Heritage of Cultural Interest”.
A few meters to the right we walk uphill to Burió followed by Collado de Hoz, with a panoramic view of the beautiful Lamasón valley.
Length: 15,4 km
Overnight: Cicera
For 9.6 km from Cicera to Lebeña we will be walking through a forest with thousand-year old oak and beech trees. During the right season we can find all kinds of mushrooms, including the mushroom that causes the most deaths, the amanita faloides.
We head down to Santa María de Lebeña, which has one of the pre-Romanesque Spanish architectural jewels: a Mozarabic temple that bears the same name as the town, built in the year 925 by Christians who fled from Arab territory and implemented tools they had learned in the south of the peninsula, such as the horseshoe arch, etc.
We continue walking to Allende on the road, after which we will climb a hill to Cabañes.
Length: 15 km
Overnight: Cabañes
From Cabañes we head to Habario and then to Pendes, where we can taste and even buy some of the typical Liébana cheese (called “quesucos”). After regaining our strength, we will walk down to the hermitage of San Francisco.
This route takes us to Tama, which has a noteworthy church with Romanesque remains.
From Potes we leave for the Monastery of Santo Toribio (4.2 km) where we can finally venerate the Lignum Crucis.
Length: 15 km
Overnight: Santo Toribio
The Monastery of Santo Toribio is from the 8th and 18th century in a classic Gothic and baroque style. It is home to the ‘Door of Forgiveness’, dating back to the 15th century, which is opened by the Vatican every Saint Lebaniego year.
This refers to the years when April 16th falls on a Sunday, the anniversary of the monk Santo Toribio, who is a historical figure known for bringing the Lignum Crucis to Liébana, which is a relic that is considered to be the largest remnant of the cross of Christ.
The monastery offers guided tours every day during summer.
End of our services.
All the rooms you book with Santiago Ways to make the Camino de Santiago have a private bathroom and all the necessary services to ensure the best comfort.
Our team checks on site the quality of all the accommodation offered in order for pilgrims to live a comfortable and unforgettable experience on the Camino de Santiago.
When working with quality accommodations 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 capacity, we'll accommodate you in one of equal or better quality.
Single rooms are available 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.
Luggage transport between stages.
Complete itinerary of the route.
24 hours Telephone assistance on route.
Assistance vehicle in case of emergency.
Informative dossier on the Camino Lebaniego.
VAT.
Additional single room: 150€ per person.
Transfer from Santo Toribio to Santander: 180€.
Travel assistance insurance: 21€ per person.
Cancellation insurance: 14€ per person.
In order to resolve the doubts of all pilgrims, here we answer the questions that are most frequently asked when we receive your inquiries.
If you have any other questions, you can contact us and we will be happy to help you resolve all your doubts.
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.
However, we also offer organized groups with accompanying guide on the stretch from Sarria to Santiago. We have specific dates already established, and we carry them out in groups of up to 15 people, with guaranteed departures. The guides in charge of these routes speak English and Spanish.
We already have all the dates published until 2021, so you are encouraged to reserve your place before the groups are filled.
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.
Both sedentary people and those who regularly exercise should physically prepare for doing the Camino de Santiago.
Sedentary people can start with moderate activity and continue progressively. They should start by taking small 20-minute walks, two or three times a week. It is suggested to increase the time until you reach walk about 4 or 5 kilometres every hour.
People with regular physical activity can start by walking from 45 to 60 minutes a day and increase the amount of time and kilometres they travel in the same span of time.
Generally, it is recommended to start training for about three months before starting the route.
There is no minimum number of days in advance to book, although on certain dates the occupancy of the accommodation is higher, especially in high season, and in dates of religious interest such as the San Fermin Festivals in Pamplona, from 7th to 14th July, or the Feast of Santiago the Apostle, on July 25th.
Therefore, in order to guarantee availability in the best accommodation, we suggest you book as much in advance as possible, so that we can meet all of your needs.
For any of the Caminos, we suggest you to bring the following items: light and fast drying clothing, waterproof jacket and trousers, sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a pair of shoes suitable for hiking, trekking poles, a pair of shoes to rest in, a jacket that doesn't take up much space and a bottle to carry water.
Depending on the time of year in which you make the route, these items may vary.
Remember that with Santiago Ways, you have included a baggage transfer service between stages, so we will take your backpack from one accommodation to another so that you only worry about walking (maximum 1 piece of 20 kg per person).
For this reason, we suggest you prepare a second backpack, much smaller, that you can carry with you every day with water, sunscreen, cap, sunglasses, documents, some food and cash.
Every day, at 8:00 am, you must bring your luggage, properly labelled, to the reception. One of our carriers will pick it up and take it to the place where you are going to stay on your next stage.
Delivery time varies according to the distance between stages and the carrier's delivery route. Usually, delivery is made before 4 p.m.
To complete any of the routes on the Camino de Santiago, it is advisable to have travel insurance with all the necessary coverage, especially emergency evacuation and medical care.
To do this, we suggest you take out the Travel Assistance Insurance and Cancellation Insurance that we offer you in Santiago Ways. If you want more information about it, we will be happy to answer your questions.
Yes, all rooms you book with Santiago Ways to do the Camino de Santiago have a private bathroom.
Yes. We offer accommodation in single rooms and double rooms, according to the requirements of each pilgrim.
Single rooms have a special surcharge and are subject to availability according to the location.
We work with multiple accommodations in all locations which allows us to guarantee the best quality rooms for our pilgrims, provided that they are booked well in advance.
The name and exact location of each hotel is sent about one month before the start of the Camino with all the documentation related to the trip.
No. All the accommodations we book for our pilgrims have private rooms with private bathrooms in order to guarantee all the comfort needed torest properly.
All the accommodations that we book are in the centre of the towns or villages. In any case, depending on availability, if any accommodation is somewhat far from the centre, most of them are accessible on foot.
When necessary, Santiago Ways could offer a round trip transfer so that the pilgrim can reach their accommodation in the most comfortable way possible and return the next day to the point on the route from where he must continue the Camino.
All the accommodation that we book in Santiago Ways offers the necessary comfort to rest after long days of walking.
We work with hotels, traditional Galician homes, country cottages, and charming hostels, always a room with a private bathroom.
We want to talk to you now about following the Camino de Santiago Lebaniego or Camino de Liébana, one of the most interesting routes among all possible itineraries on the Camino de Santiago.
This particular route has some special characteristics regarding the others, which are precisely what we want to detail below.
Therefore, we advise you to be very attentive because you will surely be interested in knowing one of the most beautiful routes that can be completed today in Europe. Even more, if it is completed with the help of Santiago Ways.
1.- An unbeatable monumental environment: The Camino de Liébana passes through unsurpassable architectural, historical and artistic environments.
In fact, along its route, we can find wonderful and imposing monuments, rural areas and villages that will delight any pilgrims, including the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, the final point on the route.
2.- The natural environment: also the natural landscapes that the Camino Lebaniego has are unbeatable. One of the highlights the pilgrims who make the Camino Lebaniego point out is the beauty of the places that are crossed. Among them, as we will indicate later, we cross river sections like the one that is close to the River Nansa.
3.-There is no overcrowding: one of the most noteworthy qualities of the Camino Lebaniego is that it is not crowded. This is because it is one of the least well known, although the government of Cantabria is doing a great job in promoting it.
The absence of overcrowding is a characteristic that benefits us very much as pilgrims, especially during the summer.
4.-An adapted infrastructure: this route is especially suitable for cycling. This is because most of the road is paved. Another advantage is that it passes through routes that cross natural areas. Thus, the advantage that much of the stretch is asphalted also makes it ideal for those who want to take on the challenge of the Camino de Santiago.
5.-Great historical endowment: one of the reasons why the Camino Lebaniego is more popular is for its purpose: to venerate the Lignum Crucis. It is a piece of the Cross in which Jesus Christ was crucified. It is a route that appeared in the 8th century and was very popular for having such a valuable relic since its inception.
Therefore, the Camino Liébana allows us to relive the deep religious sentiment of the inhabitants of the Middle Ages.
The geography of the whole area: the Cantabrian Mountains and the Picos de Europa boundary the Liébana Valley and its monastery. For this reason, the access to Santo Toribio is done from Asturias and Castilla y León. There are four ways that serve as access to the Monastery of Santo Toribio.
It crosses such beautiful towns as San Vicente de la Barquera, Potes or Lamasón: some of the architectural jewels and the urban layout of Cantabria. This route can also be joined with several routes of the Camino de Santiago: for example, the Camino del Norte (from the coast) and the Camino Frances</a from the routes of León and Palencia.
It has the accreditation called “Lebaniega” due to the name of the monastery where the path ends. It has a total length of 155 kilometres.
The route of the Camino Lebaniego has a unique option although it can join with several routes of the Camino de Santiago. Thus, the specific section of which we speak, and which ends at the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana , has a route that is distributed in a total of 10 days and 9 nights.
With Santiago Ways, it is possible to book throughout the year and do so with the option to include only breakfast or also include breakfast or dinner. The stages covered, both by means of walking and by means of the Camino Lebaniego by bike will be detailed later.
We enclose here the map of the Lebaniega route so that you can have all the necessary information for planning before you start it and during the route. It is very important to avoid any mishaps. Remember that Santiago Ways is here to help you.
We will now talk about the profile of the Camino de Liébana. To do this, we will focus on several aspects that have to do with the average altitude of the terrain, the type of ground and the difficulty of the Camino Lebaniego route.
It is very important to have this information in mind when starting one or the other way of Santiago, being advisable to choose an alternative adapted to our own circumstances.
In this sense, we must say that the Camino Liébana is mainly at a low level and, except, in some mountainous sections does not entail much difficulty. So we could say that it is actually a recommended route for those who already have some experience with the Camino de Santiago on any of the other routes.
Stage from Santander to Arce
Stage from Arce to Santillana del Mar
Stage from Santillana del Mar to Comillas
Stage from Comillas to San Vicente de la Barquera
Stage from San Vicente de la Barquera to Cades
Stage from Cades to Cicera
Stage from Cicera to Cabañes
Stage from Cabañes to Santo Toribio
The Camino de Santiago Lebaniego takes about 10 days and 9 nights. This amount of time is the estimate for the plans organized by Santiago Ways.
However, as we always remind you, these dates can be altered by various issues such as each person’s own rhythm, climatology or just the desire to enjoy a particular landscape.
We want to remind you that, after all, the most important thing is to enjoy the Camino Lebaniego from Santander, its magnificent landscapes, as well as all the experiences that it has reserved for us.
Every season of the year has its charm when it comes to completing the Camino de Santiago. However, there is a very important component when choosing a particular date: the tastes of each pilgrim.
However, so that you can get an idea of what is special about each season, we will talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each one. With it, you can get a better idea of what is the best time for you.
Spring has in its favour the magnificent moments that will make us give thanks to everything that beautifies the landscape. In fact, it is a time especially suitable for those who want to enjoy nature to its maximum splendour.
The downside of this season can be weather instability as well as allergies. However, you can go prepared for both eventualities and this should not be a problem to enjoy the Camino de Santiago Lebaniego.</a Don’t think any more about it and start to enjoy it.
Summer is the favourite time of the majority of pilgrims to do the Camino de Santiago in general and those who decide to do the Liébana route. This is because the difficulty of the Camino de Santiago Lebaniego decreases. Also, the weather is usually very nice due to the proximity of the mountains.
It is, therefore, also a good time to escape the excess of heat that exists in other areas of Spain. It is also necessary to point out that it is the time of year in which there is more daylight, important for any pilgrim to take into account because it will allow you to have more freedom when you can adjust to your own rhythm.
Also, it must be said that summer is the most chosen time among pilgrims because it is when they usually have enough free time to do so. Finally, we must say that the biggest inconvenience of completing any route of the Camino de Santiago in summer is overcrowding.
This is not a problem, however, for the case of the Camino de Santiago Lebaniego. Much less if you do it in our company, as we take care of everything so you can enjoy the most.
During the autumn, the Camino Lebaniego from Santander is tinted with precious colours. The greens, yellows and browns adorn all of the landscape giving the whole environment a symphony of beautiful colours. This is, without a doubt, the biggest advantage of making the Camino de Liébana in the autumn period.
We can have a unique experience for our senses. On the other hand, the bad thing is that, as in spring, there may be weather instability. As they are mountainous areas it is very possible that the rain and the cold increase. However, for both, we can go well prepared, so it should not be a problem.
Practising this route in winter is, without a doubt, for very daring people. It is a time of year where the proximity of the mountains can ensure that the place becomes really cold. However, the landscapes that we contemplate will make everything worthwhile: one of the advantages is that the snow will have made everything very clean and a very nice white.
So, as for your tastes, these are the colours we encourage you to choose which time of the year is the one you want to make the Camino Lebaniego from Santander according to your preferences.
We also offer some information about the most important places of interest in this Camino de Liébana so that you do not miss them on your tour.
To begin with, you can’t miss the city of Santander. In it we recommend you to take a good walk along the seafront promenade or the Pereda Promenade to get your motor warming up. Another interesting attraction is the anti-aircraft shelter.
In the city of Castro Urdiales, you will find this emblematic monument in the middle of a small island surrounded by small fishing boats and castle.
Las casas del Águila y la Parra are a great example of medieval constructions in Santillana del Mar. Also in Santillana we must highlight the Don Borja Tower, which served as a defense in this period and as a centre of power in the region.
From Santiago Ways, we are concerned that the accommodation for those who travel with us is always the best possible. In this way, we ensure that you are perfectly cared for throughout the tour and stay in the best hotels and rural houses with an incomparable atmosphere.
Restaurante Martín: A very cosy and quiet place in Potes to give an exquisite touch to our route. You can’t miss it if you want to taste the best of the local cuisine.
Restaurante Gran Duque: Located in Santillana del Mar, it delights its diners with a cuisine based on the use of natural ingredients and prepared in its kitchens by professionals who perfect dishes such as oven-baked sea bream, roast lamb or beef chop.
Restaurante Palacio Mijares: From the kitchens of this restaurant, on the outskirts of Santillana del Mar, there are cod dishes with Biscay sauce and ratatouille, hake with pea cream, squid noodles, among others. You will enjoy a traditional, exquisite meal in the midst of nature.
We could say that the origin of the Liébana route is in the very cross of Christ. Indeed, this pilgrimage began with the purpose of worshipping the relic of a piece of wood of that cross. This sacred object is still the object of worship by Christians all over the world.
Since the jubilee year of 1512, Liébana has celebrated the fact that, moreover, this piece of the Cross of Christ is the largest known. In fact, only similar relics are preserved in the main religious centres such as Santiago de Compostela, Jerusalem and Rome. It is, therefore, a path of obligatory fulfilment for the more religious.
With more than 500 years of history behind it, the Camino Lebaniego de Santiago is a great way to learn more about one of the most beautiful regions of our country. For those who do not share religious motives it is always a good opportunity to enjoy the nature that surrounds us.
It is necessary to remember that, in general, the word pilgrim means “foreigner”. That means it is someone who comes from afar, but also someone who is making a trip.
This trip, in the case of the Camino de Santiago, in general, does not mean just walking. It also means a spiritual journey</b that will lead us to know more about ourselves and to better understand the meaning of our own life.
As always, it is better to know the opinion of others who have done the same as us before, here we also enclose the opinion of some pilgrims who have made the Camino de Liébana with us. We hope that it will help you to know all the experiences that are waiting for you.
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.