Camino de Santiago routes: the last 120 kms
Doing the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago, on foot, will allow you to enjoy the whole pilgrim tradition for 5 or 6 days and the beautiful landscapes that cross the various routes. In addition to the above, you can return home with the much sought-after Compostela (or Compostelana).
If you decide to do the Camino de Santiago by bike, The last 120 kilometers will give you little. Unless you haven’t trained or choose a very difficult route, you can complete the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago by bike in 2 or 3 days without difficulties.
The downside for bikers from the last 120 kms of the Camino de Santiago is that with that distance they will not be able to request the Compostela, on arrival at the Cathedral of Santiago. The Pilgrim’s Office requires them to do at least 200 kilometres.
If you go by bike and do not want to return home without the Compostela, we recommend that you consult the blog post that we dedicate to the last 200 km on the Camino de Santiago. In the event that such a certificate of pilgrimage is not important to you, and that all you are looking for is to enjoy a quiet bike trip on one of the routes along the Camino de Santiago, stay here!
In this article we will tell you from which locations you can start your pilgrimage, on each of the routes of the Camino de Santiago, to complete the last 120 km. You will see that there are many options to enjoy the last 120 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago!
Camino Frances to Santiago: last 120 km
To do the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago Frances you have several options. You can leave directly from Triacastela, in which case the route is 132 kilometres long.
You also have the option to shorten the route down to the last 111 km, following the Camino de Santiago from Sarria. If you want to make a pilgrimage on this path, give us your details and we will contact you to help you organize an unforgettable adventure.
If you want to adjust it to the last 120 kms, you can start your pilgrimage from one of the intermediate towns that you will find in the two variants that join Triacastela and Sarria. These alternatives start from St. Xil or Samos.
If you opt for the San Xil variant you can start from the village of San Pitín. From this town to Santiago de Compostela is 121 km away.
If you opt for the Samos variant, you can start from that same location. In that case, the route has a distance of 129 km.
After a few kilometres, you will reach Sarria. From here the most popular kilometres of the entire Camino de Santiago begin. If you want more details about these last kilometres, you can consult the post that we dedicate to the Camino from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.
Camino Portugues to Santiago: the last 120 kms
The last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago Portugues can be made following the Central Route or the itinerary that runs along the Atlantic coast. Both plots are considered the simplest of the Camino de Santiago. You can learn more about both routes in the monograph we dedicate to the Camino Portugues.
The last 120 km of the Camino Central Portugues
The Camino Central Portugues from Tui to Santiago de Compostela already is 117.4 kilometres long. These kilometres are the most popular on this route. You can find out more about them on the post we dedicate to the Camino Portugues to Santiago from Tui.
If you want to adjust the route exactly to the last 120 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago, you can start your adventure from Valenca do Minho. The advantage of starting from here, in addition to having the opportunity to visit its beautiful fortress, is that you can cross the border that separates Portugal from Spain.
The last 120 km on the Camino Portugues Coastal Route
If after studying the characteristics of both itineraries, you decide to follow the Camino Portugues Coastal Route, you can start your pilgrimage from Baiona. From there the route to Compostela has a distance of 127 kilometres.
Both paths come together in Redondela. The difference is that if you opt for the last 120 kms of the Camino Portugues Coastal Route, you can visit Baiona and Vigo. While on the Central Route, localities such as Tui and O Porriño will cross your path.
Camino Ingles: the last 120 kilometres
To talk about doing the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago Ingles is to talk about completing the whole route. This pilgrim path is the shortest of all.
The full route, from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela, faces a total of 122 km. If you want, you can learn more about this Jacobean itinerary in the post we dedicate to the stages on the Camino Ingles.
The last 120 km on La Vía de la Plata: the Camino Sanabres
La Via de la Plata is the longest pilgrim route. Its route joins the south of Spain with Santiago de Compostela. As we explained in the article that we dedicate to the Vía de la Plata, it’s a complex route structure.
However, if you only want to do the last 120 km of the La Via de la Plata to Santiago, the only data you should keep in mind about its possible routes is that the route forks at Granja de Moreruela, a town in the province of Zamora. From there the Astorga variant and the Camino Sanabres begin.
The last 120 kilometres on the Astorga variant
If you want to complete the last 120 kms of the Via de la Plata, we do not recommend that you take the Astorga variant. Since in that case, you’d be doing the last 120 kilometres of the Camino Frances.
This variant is 351 kilometers in distance from Granja de Moreruela to Santiago de Compostela. Doing the last 120 kilometres of this route would involve starting after Astorga, where the Via de la Plata joins the Camino Frances. However, if you want to learn more about the stages along this part of the route, you can check out this article, where we talk about the Astorga variant.
The last 120 kilómetros on the Camino Sanabres to Santiago
Ideally, if you want to do the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago de la Plata, you should take the variant known as the Camino Sanabres. As we tell you in the post we dedicate to the Camino Sanabres, from Granja de Moreruela to Santiago de Compostela there are 366 kilometres.
However, if you start your pilgrimage from the town of Xunqueira de Ambía, you will face only the last 120 kms of the Camino de Santiago Sanabrés. Or, to be more precise, the last 129 km.
Camino del Norte to Santiago: last 120 km
The Camino del Norte is the second longest route and also the second most difficult route. To complete the last 120 km of the Camino del Norte, you can start from the town of Villalba.
From Villalba to Arzúa, the route is carried out following the path of the Camino del Norte. Then this route joins the Camino Frances.
Camino Primitivo to Santiago: last 120 kms
The Camino Primitivo is the most difficult pilgrim route, but it also has less asphalt. To do the last 120 kms of the Camino Primitivo to Santiago, you can start from Cádavo Baleira.
The first kilometres are made on the stages of the Camino Primitivo. In this part of the tour you can visit the city of Lugo. Arriving in Melide, the Camino Primitivo joins the Camino Frances.
The last 120 km on the Camino de Invierno to Santiago
The Camino de Invierno is another route by which you can complete the last 120 km on the Camino de Santiago. This path, although it has a Camino entity, is a variant of the Camino Frances, which pilgrims from the Middle Ages used to avoid mountain passes during the winter.
The Camino de Invierno departs from Ponferrada. Following this route, from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela there are 180 kms, as we detail in the article that we dedicate to the Camino de Invierno, on our blog.
However, if you want to do only the last 120 km of the Camino de Invierno to Santiago, you have several options to shorten the route. The first is to start from Quiroga, in which case you will face 139 kilometres in total.
The other two options involve starting from intermediate locations of the stage that joins Quiroga with Monforte de Lemos. The shortest option is to start from A Pobra do Brollón (116 km).
The other alternative is to start from Salcedo. The Camino de Santiago does not cross this town, but from it you will find it easy to link with the Camino de Invierno, in Castroncelos.
Camino de Finisterre: the last 120 kilometres
Most pilgrims do the Camino de Santiago Finisterre after completing their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. However, if you do the Camino de Finisterre in reverse, that is, from Muxía to Santiago de Compostela, it is considered a true pilgrimage route.
The only drawback is that this route has only 114.6 km. Adjusting the route to the last 120 kms of the Camino de Santiago by this route is complicated.
One option would be to complement the route with the last stage of the Camino de los Faros. The one that joins Nemiña with Muxía.
In that case, the route would be 143 km long. If you want more information about the combination of the Camino de los Faros with the Camino de Finisterre, you can consult the article we dedicate to the Camino de Santiago in reverse.
Other routes with pilgrim tradition
If your main objective is not to take home the Compostela, but to enjoy the landscape and the surroundings of the Camino de Santiago, you should know that there are other itineraries related to Santiago the Apostle, but that do not end in the Cathedral of Santiago. Below we tell you about the last 120 kms of these routes.
The Camino del Salvador
The Camino del Salvador is the route that unites the city of León with Oviedo. In fact, it is a detour from the Camino Frances that pilgrims from the Middle Ages used to worship San Salvador, the patron saint of the Cathedral of Oviedo.
As we explained in the post we dedicate to the Camino del San Salvador, the full route is 128.5 kilometres. Therefore, it is an excellent option to complete 120 kms of the Camino de Santiago and you will also have the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of León.
Camino Uclés
The Camino Uclés is the route that unites Madrid with the Monastery of Santiago, in the province of Cuenca. This temple is the second largest, after the Cathedral of Compostela, dedicated to the Apostle.
The route from Madrid is 144 km. If you want to do only the last 120 km of the Camino Uclés to Santiago you can shorten the route starting from Rivas Vaciamadrid.
From Vaciamadrid to the Monastery of Uclés, it is 116 km away. At the end of your pilgrimage you will be able to request the Uclessiana which, as we explained in the blog we dedicate to the Camino Uclés, is the certificate given to pilgrims who complete this route.
As you have seen in this article there are many options to enjoy the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago. In most of them you can request the Compostela, if you complete pilgrimage on foot.
Now it’s up to you to decide which route you like best. We all love them all, so we wouldn’t know which one is the prettiest.
What we can advise you is that you take into account your physical condition and the difficulty of the route when choosing one route or another. This will make the experience of doing the last 120 kms of the Camino de Santiago more pleasant and not an additional physical effort.
If you have any questions or want us to help you organize your trip to do the last 120 km of the Camino de Santiago (transport, accommodation, meal plans, luggage, etc.), do not hesitate to contact our team. You can do it via the form on our web, leave us a comment at the end in this article or by chat on our Facebook. Our team will be happy to answer all your questions!
Buen Camino!
