Palas de Rei →– Arzúa

Camino Frances Stage Route: Palas de Rei – Arzúa (28.5 km)

This stage of the Camino de Santiago Frances links Palas de Rei with Arzúa over 28.5 kilometres through river valleys, with two legendary stops along the way: Melide, capital of octopus and the meeting point with the Camino Primitivo, and the idyllic bridge-and-hostel setting of Ribadiso.

Palas de Rei – Arzúa: Complete Guide

Stage Profile: Distance, Elevation and Difficulty

Distance: 28.5 km. Walking time: 6h 30min – 7h 30min. Elevation: around +550 m and –600 m. Difficulty: moderate to high. There are no mountain passes, but the stage crosses several river valleys — Pambre, Furelos, Boente, Iso — each meaning a descent followed by another climb; the accumulated elevation gain and the distance both take their toll. Services are continuous. You can split the stage at Melide (14.5 km) or at Ribadiso. Ridable by bike, with some short steep sections.

Melide and the Pulpo á Feira

In Melide the Camino Frances meets the Camino Primitivo, the oldest of all the Camino routes, coming down from Oviedo. Above all, though, Melide is the capital of pulpo á feira: in the local pulperías it is boiled in copper cauldrons, cut with scissors onto a wooden plate, and seasoned with coarse salt, sweet and hot paprika and olive oil — eaten with a toothpick, alongside cachelos (boiled potatoes), bread and a cunca (bowl) of Ribeiro wine. Stopping here for octopus is already part of the Camino experience. Nearby, in A Castañeda, stood the lime kilns that once received the stones pilgrims carried all the way from Triacastela.

What to See: Monuments and Heritage

The Romanesque church of Santa María de O Leboreiro and its stretch of medieval causeway; the medieval bridge at Furelos with its crucifix; in Melide, the cruceiro — one of the oldest in Galicia —, the church of Sancti Spiritus, the church of Santa María with its frescoes, and the Museo da Terra de Melide; and the bridge-and-hostel complex at Ribadiso.

A Bit of History

A Castañeda was once home to the lime kilns that received the limestone pilgrims carried from Triacastela to build Santiago Cathedral. Ribadiso preserves one of the few medieval pilgrim hospitals still serving its original purpose, today as a public hostel. Melide was once a walled town and the crossroads of two Camino de Santiago routes.

Local Food

The essential stop is pulpo á feira at a pulpería in Melide, with cachelos, bread and Ribeiro wine. At the end of the day, queixo Arzúa-Ulloa (a protected-origin cheese), creamy and mild, sold in every shop in Arzúa. And, as always, tarta de Santiago, caldo and empanada.

Services and Accommodation by Village

Listings published in our guide for the villages on this stage. San Xiao do Camiño, O Leboreiro, Furelos and Boente do not yet have accommodation or heritage listings in the guide.

Palas de Rei

Hostels

• Hostel de la Xunta de Galicia de Palas de Rei
• Hostel Freixo
• Hostel San Marcos

Accommodation

• Hotel Trina 20
• Guesthouse KM66 Palas de Rei
• Guesthouse Plaza Palas de Rei

Churches

• Church of Saint Thyrsus Palas de Rei

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Casanova

Hostels

• Hostel de la Xunta de Galicia de Casanova

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Melide

Hostels

• Hostel de la Xunta de Galicia de Melide
• Hostel Melide
• Hostel O Candil
• Hostel Pereiro Melide
• Hostel Saint Anthony Abbot Melide

Accommodation

• Hotel Lux Melide
• Hotel Restaurant Xaneiro
• Guesthouse Esquina Melide

Churches

• Church of Saint Peter Melide

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Ribadiso

Hostels

• Hostel de la Xunta de Galicia de Ribadiso da Baixo
• Guesthouse Hostel Los Caminantes

Accommodation

• Guesthouse Ribadiso

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Arzúa

Hostels

• Hostel de la Xunta de Galicia de Arzúa
• Hostel Don Quijote Arzúa
• Hostel Los Caminantes II Arzúa
• Hostel Ultreia

Accommodation

• Hotel Arzúa
• Hotel Suiza
• Guesthouse Carballeira Arzúa
• Guesthouse Rúa Arzúa

Churches

• Church of Saint Mary of Arzúa
• Church of Saint James the Greater Arzúa