Cycling the Camino de Santiago
Experience Overview
Since the 9th century, the French Way has led thousands of pilgrims on an 800km journey across northern Spain, winding from the Pyrenees across the wheat fields of old Castile to pass through to Leon and onwards to Santiago.
Your eight-night self-guided cycling holiday begins in Leon with the route taking in the last 225km of the pilgrimage trail. Leon is the seat of the Spanish Kings and is full of soaring cathedrals and hushed convents. Your cycling route then builds through the Galician countryside to a spectacular finale at Santiago de Compostela's majestic Baroque cathedral, the last resting place of St James the apostle.
Profile
— 8 nights hotel to hotel accommodation in a mix of 3 start and 4 star hotels — Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent — E-bike hire available on request (supplement applies)
At a Glance
— 8 nights hotel to hotel accommodation in a mix of 3 start and 4 star hotels — Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent — E-bike hire available on request (supplement applies)
Trip For You
As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the local representative is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service. Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to cycle independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next. The maps and route notes are provided in a link and can be downloaded to your phone via an app, RidewithGPS. A representative will be there to meet you, make sure the bikes are all set up and will be on call throughout the trip should you need.
Eating Drinking
All breakfasts and 4 dinners are included. Dinners are either taken at the hotel, or left open, where there is a good choice of restaurants.
Transfer Details
The flight inclusive prices for this holiday include our standard transfers. If you are booking a land only package then we can usually arrange transfers for you for an additional charge.
Weather Information
In April and October expect temperatures in the 5-15°C with high chance of rain showers though it could also be simply partly cloudy and more temperate. Temperatures in May, June and September tend to be about 5°C warmer than April and October. Expect a combination of sun, showers and clouds. July and August are typically sunny and warm (15-25°C). Occasionally in summer there can be hot days so it is always important to make sure you have enough water.
Spending Money
— Lunch is not included in the itinerary and some dinners are left open where there are good restaurant choices, please allow some spending money for this. We recommend approximately €5-15 per lunch and €20-30 for dinner.
Highlights
— Cycle along one of the world's most famous UNESCO pilgrimage routes — Stamp your pilgrims passport in the villages, chapels, churches and cathedrals. — Visit the architecturally stunning cathedrals of Leon and Santiago de Compostela. — Follow one of the most ancient pilgrimage routes in the world! — Stay in converted water mills, hilltop monasteries and stylish farmhouses — Soaring cathedrals, Roman bridges, country chapels and thatched Galician villages — Poppy-sprinkled wheat fields, orchid-rich water meadows, pine-scented woodland —
Trip Details
Product Code: 22816
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport:
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Exodus Travel
Supplier Code: C08CS
Starts: Leon, Camino de Santiago
Finishes: Leon, Camino de Santiago
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Average
Includes
— All buffet breakfasts and 4 dinners — GPS route directions and maps — High Quality Bikes — Luggage transfers between hotels — Transfers on day 2 and day 5 as per the standard itinerary — Pilgrims passportAccommodation
HotelsYou'll stay in a diverse range of properties including converted watermills, stylish farmhouses and a restored parish house - all of them packed with period features. Please feel free to ask us for more detail about where you'll stay. Room Upgrades:Room upgrades may be available on request for a supplement on the final night; prices start from an additional £10 per person per night (based on 2 people sharing) – please enquire at the time of booking for further details and prices. Upgrades available at select hotels only (not for the entire duration of the tour). All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration. For a solo traveller there is an additional charge to cover transfer costs.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $3,015 ($335 /day)
Itinerary
Arrive at the Posada Regia hotel, perfectly located in the centre of Leon. Explore the picturesque old quarter, the Barrio Humedo, which boasts narrow alleyways, traditional Spanish tavernas and breath-taking plazas.
After your morning briefing, discover the highlights of Leon, including the Panteon Real, the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo and the 13th-century Catedral de Leon, reputed to be one of the most beautiful in Spain. You can choose to take a guided tour of Leon (available for a supplement.) A late afternoon transfer takes you to to Hotel Via de la Plata in Astorga where the Episcopal Palace was designed by Gaudi.
Cycle into the Maragateria area, a wooded mountainous region where beautiful villages dot the landscape. Climb to the highest point of the tour, passing the stone cross at 1,510m, where traditionally each pilgrim leaves a stone they have brought from their homeland. Later descend into the rich valley of the Bierzo before arriving at the Hotel El Palacio in medieval Molinaseca
Cycle through the Bierzo valley, which produces excellent wines, fruit and vegetables before reaching the historic town of Villafranca del Bierzo. On to the foothills of the O'Cebreiro, a pastoral village between the mountain ranges of O Courel and Os Ancares where you have a traditional tapas dinner at the Hotel Paraiso del Bierzo.
A transfer takes you to the top of the steep O'Cebreiro mountain with breath taking views. Descend into outer lying woods and mountains, cycling through the small town of Samos where you can visit its ancient Middle Age monastery and is still inhabited by monks to this day. Cycle alongside streams and rivers arriving at the restored parsonage Hotel Rectoral de Goian in time for your included dinner.
Today cycle on narrow secondary roads through one of the most beautiful sections of the Camino. Pass through peaceful woodland and green pastures before arriving at Hotel A Parada das Bestas for your included dinner.
Time stands still in many of the pretty villages you cycle through today, each one a hidden gem with stone-built houses and quaint narrow streets. Dinner awaits at Hotel O Muiño de Pena
The final few miles of your epic pilgrimmage takes you into the heart Santiago de Compostela, the capital of northwest Spain's Galicia region. We cycle into this unique city of pilgrims and onto the Plaza de Obradoiro overlooking the Cathedral built in honour of Saint James before arriving at the Virxe da Cerca on the edge of its legendary historic centre.
Enjoy Santiago and the cathedral before taking a taxi to the airport (pay locally approx 15 euro). Alternatively, stay on for extra nights to explore this beautiful historic city. Walking through the old streets of Santiago is a fantastic way to spend your time here, with Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings lining the old town's streets and plazas.
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Tour Operator
Exodus Travel
It’s all about adventure That is what Exodus was founded upon 50 years ago, and what the company is still all about. Discovering countries, cultures, environments, cities, mountain ranges, deserts, coasts and jungles; exploring this amazing planet we all live on. At Exodus, we know what makes you tick when it comes to holidays. It’s a desire shared by so many others. A yearning to visit new places and come home with a real sense of what they’re all about. This means delving into local traditions, cultures, cuisine, lifestyles – anything that contributes to its unique identity. At the same time, we always remember that we are only guests. So we travel courteously and respectfully, in smaller groups to minimise our impact, to ensure that every Exodus holiday is a beneficial experience for everyone involved. This is a philosophy we take with us around the world, helping you reach some incredible destinations on 500 itineraries across over 90 separate countries. We also strive to provide as much flexibility and choice as we possibly can, making it simple for you to experience a very different holiday. Exodus started life on 4 February 1974 when two friends got together to provide an overland truck to travel to the Minaret of Jam, deep in the heart of the Hindu Kush, the most inaccessible of the world’s great monuments. See our history page for more details about how we began and how we have grown over the past 50 years. Never travelled with Exodus before? Visit our New to Exodus page for some useful, first-timer information.
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