Camino de Santiago, 2026



In 2026, I had the idea that I wanted to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago. I decided on walking the last 100 km from Vigo to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. According to legend, the body of St James, the Apostle, is buried at this cathedral. Since I had never been to Madrid, I thought it would be a good idea to fly to Madrid, spend a couple of days there, take the train to Vigo, then take the train back to Madrid after the Camino and fly back.

In order to decide my Camino Itinerary, I downloaded the Buen Camino App and used it to decide what my stops would be, based on how many maximum miles I wanted to walk each day. I found booking.com was better than hotels.com, to book hotels with private rooms and private bathrooms, in the towns I picked as my stops. I was going to have the bulk of my luggage transferred from hotel to hotel, using Pilbeo Luggage Service, and only carry a small day pack while walking. Pilbeo charges 7 Euros per suitcase, per day. I downloaded the Pilbeo app, and picked hotels that were listed on Pilbeo, as places they would pick up and drop luggage from. You have to leave your luggage at the reception by 8:00 AM each day. They send you a message when they pick up the luggage and when they drop it off.

My itinerary was

Day 1, Vigo to Redondela, 10.18 miles, 1208 ft elevation gain, 1264 ft elevation loss.

Day 2, Redondela to Pontevedra, 12.54 miles, 1540 ft elevation gain, 1551 ft elevation loss.

Day 3, Ponetvedra to Caldas de Reis, 13.08 miles, 952 ft elevation gain, 949 ft elevation loss.

Day 4, Caldas de Reis to Padron, 11.66 miles, 1119 ft elevation gain, 1216 ft elevation loss.

Day 5, Padron to O Milladoira, 10.83 miles, 1213 ft elevation gain, 435 ft elevation loss.

Day 6, O Milladoira to Santiago de Compostela, 4.78 miles, 467 ft elevation gain, 462 ft elevation loss.

The Camino trail from Vigo is very hilly. There are a lot of hills each day, you go up one, go down, then go up another and so on. Each hill is not very steep, but the total elevation gain and loss adds up.

I took the train from Madrid Charmartin, to Vigo Urzaiz, on September 17. I walked from the train station, to my hotel and checked in. I then walked to the old town area to explore Vigo. The distance from Vigo to Santiago is just over 100 km, and qualifies for the Compostela, or Camino Certificate. You have to buy a Pilgrim Passport, and get at least 2 stamps per day. At the end, the Pilgrim Office in Santiago, will look at the stamps, and issue the certificate, if you have walked at least 100 km. I bought the Pilgrim Passport from the Jamaica Gift Shop on the corner of Praza da Pedra in Old Town. I planned to start my Camino on September 18, so they stamped my Pilgrim Passport, and dated it for September 18, so it would count as the first stamp for the first day of my Camino. The scalloped sea shell is the official symbol of the Camino. This shell, along with a yellow arrow can be found throughout the Camino, on markers, posts, walls and on the ground, to mark the way. I also bought a sea shell and attached it to my back pack, to identify me as a Peregrino or Pilgrim. There is a tradition, where people leave a stone, ribbon or something personal in makeshift memorials, along the Camino, to indicate they are leaving their burdens behind on the Camino.

I started my Camino on September 18. To leave Vigo, you have to walk along Rua Urzaiz, turn left on Rua Toledo, then follow Rua Toledo until you reach Igrexa Parroquial do Immaculada Concepcion, then follow the yellow arrows. The signage is not very good inside Vigo, so you have to pay attention. It gets better once you leave Vigo. There are usually 2 types of signage. The official route marker that consists of a yellow sea shell on a blue background, with a yellow arrow and the remaining distance. There is also a yellow sea shell with a yellow arrow on a blue background, painted on a post, wall, or ground. There was a gradual ascent leaving Vigo, which wasn’t too bad. There was a steep long descent coming into Redondela, which was on asphalt. There was a painted section of the trail called Senda da Auga.

Day 2, September 19. I walked from Redondela to Pontevedra. This was the hardest stage. Part of the trail was very rocky and had both ascents and descents. There was a fork, where there were two options, a shorter, steeper option, and a longer less steep option. I took the steeper option. There was another diversion, where you had two options, to continue along the road to Pontevedra, or take a slightly longer 0.3 km river path to Pontevedra. I took the river path, but there were sections where it was not well marked. Pontevedra is a very pretty town.

Day 3, September 20, I walked from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis. This day saw me cross the 50 km mark, the half way point of my Camino. Caldas de Reis is known for its thermal hot springs and spas. There was a thermal hot spring fountain in the town center. I stuck my hand in the water and it was very hot.

Day 4, September 21, I walked from Caldas de Reis to Padron. According to legend, after St James was killed, his disciples brought his body to Padron by boat, took it overland to Santiago, where he was buried. After his grave was found and identified, the cathedral was built. The Camino Spiritual route includes a walking trail, a boat to Padron, and then they join the main trail to Santiago. The main church in Padron has a large stone in the altar. This is believed to be the stone that the boat containing the body of St James was anchored to.

Day 5, September 22, I walked from Padron to O Milladoira. A lot of people continue on to Santiago, but I felt that would be too much distance. I also wanted to make the last day a short day, so I would have time to collect my Certificate.

Day 6, September 23, I arrived at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela around noon. Along the way, there is a fork in the road, with two options, the right is slightly longer, but takes you past the monastery and church of Santa Maria de Conzo. After resting in the square in front of the cathedral for a short time, and soaking in the atmosphere and elation of completing the walk, I went to the Pilgrim Office. To get to the Pilgrim's Office, face the Parador, the hotel on your left when facing the cathedral and look for the road that goes downhill to the left. Turn right at the next street. The office is at the end of the road. Office hours are 9:00-19:00. The previous evening, I had registered at the Pilgrim Office website listed on the Buen Camino app. They e-mailed me a QR code. I showed the QR code at the Pilgrim Office, and they issued me a ticket with a number. My number got called in about 5 minutes. I went to the counter, showed my QR code and my Pilgrim Passport, and they issued me the Certificate. I paid extra to also get the Distance Certificate, and a cardboard tube to carry my certificates. I then visited the interior of the Cathedral, and the tomb of St James. I believe there is a roof top tour, but I was too tired to do that.

I spent the night at Santiago. The next day, September 24, I took the train back to Madrid, where I spent the night. I flew back home on September 25. The walk was harder than I had expected. I knew the distances I would be walking every day, but I was not expecting the hills. I thought this was fairly flat. I pushed through each day, and I am proud of myself. I have no regrets about doing this.