Coastal route to Santiago Compostela: Stage 2

Hotel 4 *: Parador Baiona Hotel

The path departs from Baiona towards Vigo. This walk feels as a densely urbanized area, with the ever present constructions and landscape alteration visible along the way. A big portion of the walk is made along side an asphalted road, inside a protective shoulder, which is used by both cyclists and pedestrians. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: Senda dos Lagares near Vigo, beautiful place near the river where the path passes by, the monument to Elduayen, the monument to Jules Verne, the hill fort of Vigo, the Stone Market and the Co-Cathedral of Santa María.

Hotel 4*: Ac Hotel Palacio Universal

The flat days are now left behind and the path starts to deviate from the coastal side. This walk is quite more hilly than any of the other ones so far. The first few kilometers are still made inside the busy and always shifting Vigo area. A constant degree of elevation is noticeable throughout the majority of the first half of this walk while climbing Penide hill, until the highest point of this walk is reached, at 430 meters. After that a quick downhill follows. The final quarter of this walk is inside a valley. A good portion of this walk is paved, although there are plenty natural areas at the higher elevations. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: The oyster nursery areas near Vigo at the ocean entrance, the zoo of Vigo called Vigozoo and Mámoa do rei, a neolithic tumulus in the Penide hill.

Hotel: Pazo de Agrelo

The hills are here to stay and as such this walk is not an exception. With a cumulative total of 670m of uphill and downhill, a lot of the walk is through dirt or secondary paths. Encountering the main road is still expected, since the different paths divert from the main road and go through low to no traffic areas. There are two main hills between 160 and 140m to cover during this walk. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: Ponte de San Paio, romantic bridge from the XIII century, church of Santa María de Ponte Sampaio. While in Pontevedra there is a whole repertoire of places to visit, serves as an example the monument to the heroes of the Sampaio bridge in Pontevedra, the convent of Saint Francis of Pontevedra, the chapel of the pilgrim virgin and the Spain plaza.

Hotel 4 *: Parador Pontevedra

From this day forward it is noticeable a clear change on the type of back roads that are taken to get to Santiago. There is a feeling of being cared for and having roads practically for pilgrims use. There is plentiful amount of dirt paths, mixed with paved secondary streets and the occasional visit to the main road. There are two main uphill areas, being the biggest right at the end of this walk in order to get to the hotel. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: The church of San Cristobal De Briallos, the thermal fountain of las Burgas in Caldas de Rei, the church of San Tomé Becket, the carballeira of Caldas de Reis, a small garden in the town, and the paths that follow along the river, those of which you will cross while getting to the hotel.

Rural hotel: Torre do Rio

With a total cumulative height of 530m, this walk has only one major hill to cross and a big downhill at the start, while getting down from the previous hotel. The walk feels much like the previous one in the type of roads and paths that are crossed, although leaning a bit more to the paved ones. The tendency of meeting the main road from time to time is still verifiable, since the path follows mostly around it. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: The church of San Miguel de Valga, the church of San Xulián de Requeixo at the entrance of the town of Padrón and the church of Santiago de Padrón where you can find the stone that gives name to the town.

Hotel 4*: Pazo de Lestrove

The last day is finally here. The walk towards Santiago might be one of the most challenging so far. This walk has a cumulative height of 620m, being most of it uphill. The first half is relatively flat and only after do the roads start going up. The added motivation of having the final goal at reach certainly vitalizes the walker in order to help getting to Santiago. Some of the areas that might spark your interest during the day are: You certainly might want to pay a visit to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and to the pilgrims reception office in case you want to get a probate of your arrival to Santiago.

Hotel 4*: Hotel Compostela