Spain Camino de Santiago Bike Tour

Meet us this afternoon in the salon at Hotel Tres Reyes, your lodging for tonight and tomorrow. After introductions, all ’round and an overview of the week, head out for a fun tapas dinner to kick off the journey!

Ride out and back on the Camino from Pamplona today. Get your Pilgrim’s Passport and your first official Camino de Santiago stamps. Ride up into the mountains, through the village near where author Ernest Hemingway fished the streams for trout. Have lunch in Zubiri, next to the river where Martin Sheen drops his backpack into in The Way. Bicycle the paved path next to the river back to our starting point in Pamplona.

Ride out of the ancient city of Pamplona past the Town Hall, the start line for the running of the bulls. A ridgeline of windmills draws closer as we climb to the viewpoint at Alto de Perdo. Enjoy a long downhill all the way to Puente La Reina. Have lunch a bridge built by the Romans that has stood for well over a thousand years. Wind your way into Estella, through small towns and the beginnings of vineyards. Explore the town before savoring a dinner prepared by one of the most passionate chefs in all of Spain.

Ride up, down, and all around, dipping and diving through the vineyards of Rioja. Little pueblos spot the countryside; walkers scatter across wide-open fields. Storks nest on the church in Los Arcos, signaling our picnic spot for lunch. Bicycle the paved trail into Logroño, lined with statues welcoming us and saluting the efforts of the ‘peregrinos’ (pilgrims.) Tonight: Relish the hustle and bustle of wealthy Logroño and the “foodie nirvana” of the Tapas Tour.

Making your way out of the city of Logroño, take the trail past a popular fishing spot. Ride past a vineyard with an unusual scarecrow: a bird-of-prey sound machine to keep the crows away. Explore Navarette’s hilltop church, with a breathtaking surprise inside. Traverse the vineyards of a large regional co-op. Bask in the sun at the lunch stop in Najera, next to the river in the heart of town. Do your best not to overeat (good luck!). Tonight’s dinner in The Parador in Santo Domingo de la Calzada – a former pilgrim’s hospital – is always stunning.

Take an epic route today: Santo Domingo to San Juan de Ortega sees the ecosystem change from grassy farmland to mountains and trees. Pass through Atapuerca, the UNESCO World Heritage site whose caves cradled the remains of the earliest-known human beings in Europe. Be welcomed by the high-plains city of Burgos and its over-the-top Gothic cathedral. Dinner is on your own tonight: The gravel-voiced waiter and his perfect steaks at Meson La Cueva come highly recommended.

Hit the halfway point in the journey just before lunch today. Watch birds of prey hunt over the cornfields as you pedal toward Leon. The high-speed train to Madrid zips by, full of people preparing to start their pilgrimage there. Stay right in the ancient city, just a couple of blocks from the cathedral. Ice cream shops beckon after a long day in the saddle. Feast on Italian fare tonight: the friendly staff at Baccolino will make you want to come back again every day for the rest of your life.

Enjoy a well-earned day off the bike in Leon. Shopping, massage, sightseeing, relaxing – all await today. It’s a fun city with centuries of history to explore. Spend the morning walking from cafe to cafe sampling coffee and pastries. Explore the city while doing a little shopping. Have lunch outside at a sidewalk cafe. Tour the cathedral in the afternoon. There’s lots fit in on this day off.

Back in the saddle, leave the city behind. Roll through Hospital de Orbigo with its well-preserved Roman bridge. Stop for lunch within sight of the cathedral in Astorga. The house next door – designed by famed Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi i Cornet – is one of his most beautiful private residences. Head into new scenery on the exit from town: lavender fields and mountain scrub trees. Spend tonight in the tiny town of Rabanal del Camino, with fewer than 100 year-round residents. Enjoy views of tomorrow’s mountains, beckoning from every window.

Start the morning with a brisk climb up to the Cruz de Ferro, the highest point on the Camino de Santiago. Legend has it that if you add a stone that you’ve brought from home, you may leave your burdens here and prepare for rebirth on the remainder of your journey. Didn’t bring a stone from home? It’s okay to bring one from a little closer. Traverse the ridge line on the way to a stop at the colorful Refugio in Manjarin. Welcomed by a bunch of friendly dogs and cats, stop for a photo, and some refreshments. Enjoy the 20 kilometer downhill to lunch in Molinseca. Visit one of the best-preserved Templar castles in the world in Ponferrada before rolling through cherry orchards into Villafranca de Bierzo.

Ride the most mountainous day of the journey today. Begin with a mellow hour of cruising through a deeply-cut valley leading towards the pass. Settle in for the long steady climb up to Cebriero. What a feeling of accomplishment – and a healthy need for a hearty lunch! The three-course lunch at the top of the mountains will do the job nicely, thank you. Roll through the hills after lunch, past the Albergue in Triacastela, welcoming cyclists with a bicycle hanging on an exterior wall. Continue riding the path as it slices right through farms – with chickens running everywhere – on the way to the transportation hub of Sarria. Feeling brave?  A Fred Flintstone steak can be yours for dinner! Tonight’s restaurant specializes in char-grilling very ample portions to perfection.

Deep in the heart of Galicia, the hills are a mixture of forests and centuries-old family farms separated by stacked rock fences. The scent of eucalyptus fills the air; its bark and leaves blanket the trail. Portomarin, our lunch town, sits on top of a hill next to a former lake that is now a lush valley. Stay tonight in Melide, just a short 52 kilometers from tomorrow’s destination, the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

You’re almost there! The feeling of enthusiasm is palpable. Cross several small stone bridges over tiny streams on today’s journey. Eucalyptus forest thickens, shading the trail as you near the final hill up to the airport. The last few miles seem endless – then suddenly you arrive at the John Paul II Monument at Monte do Gozo. This signals the first glimpse of the city. Get your final stamp here, then coast downhill into Santiago. The square in front of the cathedral is alive with activity. Your fellow pilgrims arriving there congratulate each other and take photos. Set your bike down for a bit. Take time to explore the cathedral – final stop on your journey – while the guides head to the Compostela Office to get your certificate for completing the Camino de Santiago. Our farewell dinner will be filled with toasts and tales of The Way. Buen Camino, Amigos! Tonight’s lodging at Costa Vella is included.