Walking From Sarria to Santiago de Compostela

The path from Sarria to Santiago is the last 100km of the Camino Frances (The French Route of the Camino de Santiago.) This post is written as a guide for anyone walking the entire Camino Frances and requiring further information on the last part of the Camino, or anyone walking just the 100km from Sarria to Santiago.

If you’d like more information about the different Camino routes, check out our post here.

Why is the last 100km of the Camino Frances significant?

The last 100km is significant, as 100km is the minimum amount of walking that is required for Pilgrims who wish to get a Compostela in Santiago. A Compostela is a certificate issued by the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago.

You don’t have to get a Compostela in Santiago, it’s a personal choice. But in order to do so, if you wish to, you will need to have a Credential (a Pilgrim passport) and get it stamped twice per day for the last 100km. You can get stamps for your credential at albergues, restaurants, cafes, bars and churches on the last 100km.

The last 100km of the Camino Frances is also significant because the Camino Frances is the most popular Camino route. So, if you join this route, you’ll be joining the party all the way to Santiago!

How to get to Sarria?

If you’re starting your Camino adventure in Sarria, you might be wondering how to get there.

From Santiago de Compostela, it will take you around 2 hours 30 minutes to get to Sarria. There is no direct bus from Santiago, but you can change in Lugo and take another bus. If you’re coming from A Coruna, you can also take a bus to Lugo and change from there. Lugo is around 30 minutes drive from Sarria, so if you can’t get a bus, you could get a taxi.

Where to get a credential in Sarria?

If you are starting your Camino journey in Baamonde and want to get a Compostela in Santiago, then you will need to get a Credential before you start.

There are two options, either you can order a credential online through the appropriate pilgrim organisation in your country. Or, you could collect your credential in Sarria.

There are a number of places you can collect a credential in Sarria – either one of the many pilgrim albergues, churches or at Monastery of la Magdaelena.

Is the last 100km of the Camino Frances hard?

If you’ve walked the entire Camino Frances, you will likely find the last 4 or 5 days into Santiago to be quite a breeze! However, if you are walking just the last 100km and you are not a regular multi-day hiker, then you might find some aspects challenging.

There are some ascents and descents on the road from Sarria to Santiago, but nothing significantly steep. The terrain under foot is generally good too. We particularly liked that there were lots of routes through shaded trees, which is very welcome in summer months.

Finally, as the last 100km of the Camino Frances is the most popular route, you will notice that it is quite busy in peak months. This makes for a really congenial and fun atmosphere. It also means that there are extremely regular places to stop for drinks and food in cafes and restaurants. So you should never worry about running out of fuel!

If you’d like more information on preparing for the Camino – you can find our detailed post here.

How many days does it take to walk the last 100km of the Camino Frances?

The total distance from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela is 114km. This is most frequently completed by walkers in five days, but there is an option to do it in four if you are comfortable with walking 30km days. Otherwise, you could take six or seven days if that is more appropriate for your pace and goals.

The last 100km of the Camino Frances: From Sarria to Santiago walking stages

As mentioned above, you can choose to walk the last 100km into Santiago over five or four days. This is most common, but others choose to walk it at a slower pace and enjoy the scenery. We’ve set out the most common options below. But, as there are so many albergues on route, you could choose to carve up the distance in lots of different ways. There are also no significant or big towns on route, so you can be quite flexible about where you choose to stop.

Five Day Option

Stage One: Sarria to Portomarín 22km

Stage Two: Portomarín to Palas de Rei 25 km

Stage Three: Palas de Rei to Arzúa 29 km

Stage Four: Arzúa to O Pedrouzo 20 km

Stage Five: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela 20 km

Four Day Option

Stage One: Sarria to Gonzar 30.5km

Stage Two: Gonzar to O Coto 25km

Stage Three: O Coto to Salceda 31.5km

Stage Four: Salceda to Santiago de Compostela 27km

Where to stay on the last 100km of the Camino Frances?

Where to stay on the last 100km of the Camino Frances (5 day option):

• In Sarria: There are a vast number of albergues to choose from. If you are keen to stay in a municpal one, then check out Xunta de Galicia Sarria (40 beds). The other popular choice is of course the Monastery La Magdalena, which sleeps 110 people and is a beautiful building. Otherwise, Casa Peltre Hostel is a quaint option with 22 beds.
• In Portomarín: There is a municipal option, Xunta de Galicia Portomarin, it’s quite basic but is the largest in the area with 86 beds. You can’t book this in advance, so if you want peace of mind then you could book another alternative on Booking.com.
• In Palas de Rei: In Palas de Rei, you have two municiapl albergues to choose from – Os Chacotes (112 beds) or Palas de Rei Xunta de Galicia (60 beds). Neither can be booked in advance. There are plenty of private options too!
• In Arzúa: Arzua has a municpal albergue (46 beds) as well as a number of private options that you can book in advance. Do be aware that Arzua is where the North Route joins the French route, so Arzua can get busy.
• In O Pedrouzo: O Pedrouzo is another popular stop, so there are multiple places to stay. A municipal albergue (126 beds!) and a few privates. Look out for Albergue Mirador de Pedrouzo if you’re keen for a swimming pool! (You can book on booking.com)

Where to stay on the last 100km of the Camino Frances (4 day option):

• In Gonzar: There are three options in Gonzar – the municipal albergue (28 beds), Gonzar or Casa Garcia Hostel.
• In O Coto: O Coto is not the most popular stop on the last 100km of the Camino Frances (because most people follow the five day walk and don’t stop here.) But there is one good albergue and a pension, however there are no municipal options here so it is a little more expensive.
• In Salceda: Salceda has another great option with a swimming pool, Albergue Turistico Salceda (on booking.com too), otherwise there are a couple of small pensions and albergues.

Is there luggage transfer available?

There is luggage transfer available on the Camino Frances. This means that Correos will transfer your luggage from your accommodation in the morning and it will arrive to your next accommodation by the evening.

If you are interested in this option, contact Correos for further information.

What to do in Santiago?

Hopefully you’ve scheduled in a few days in Santiago to celebrate your achievement. There’s lots to do in Santiago, not least eat and drink!

Here’s our guide to visiting Santiago.

Do you want to continue on to Finisterre?

Are you planning to walk to Finisterre? Excellent choice! We love the route from Santiago to Finisterre. We’ve written a guide to walking this route here.

If you don’t have time to walk to Finisterre, but want the chance to see it, then you can put your feet up and take a day trip there instead. You can find details of this trip here, with Get Your Guide.

Want to read more about the Camino?