Abadín to Vilalba
Vilalba and the tower
- Distance
- 20.8 km
- Climb
- 280 m up, 290 m down
- Ground
- 440 to 560 m
- Time
- 5 to 6 hours
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Underfoot
- forest, dirt, paved
Where this day sits on the Camino del Norte
Above, the highest and lowest ground of each of its 34 stages. Below, the word each day is given.
From open-pilgrimages: each stage's highest and lowest ground and its interior theme.
The day
Vilalba is the first town of the final week. The medieval Torre dos Andrade dominates the town — a square-plan octagonal tower from the 15th century, home of the Andrade family, now a Parador hotel where travellers sleep inside the tower walls. The last 100 km to Santiago begins around here. The albergues fill up with new pilgrims who started in Vilalba or Baamonde for the Compostela-minimum. The energy shifts: you are no longer alone. The Camino feels more like a shared project for the final week.
What pilgrims often meet here
- First sight of the Torre dos Andrade rising above Vilalba
- Meeting new pilgrims who started yesterday — and remembering your first day
- The Parador in the tower — accessible but expensive
- Feeling the arrival of Santiago in the air for the first time
New pilgrims are starting the journey you are ending. What would you tell them if they asked?
The ground
Rolling Galician plateau walking through Goiriz and Ponte Grande to Vilalba. Vilalba is a medium-sized town with an octagonal medieval tower (Torre dos Andrade) that is now a Parador (luxury hotel). This is roughly the 120 km to Santiago mark — many pilgrims start here or nearby for the Compostela minimum.
The light
Sunrise and sunset in Abadín depend on the day you walk.
Walk it with Pilgrim
In Pilgrim's Honor mode you can walk this stage as it is drawn here, and save its maps for days with no signal. The morning opens with this day's word, Vilalba and the tower, and its story. When you arrive, it asks the question above, and you can answer out loud. Your walk stays on your phone.
With Pilgrim on your phone, this opens the stage, ready to begin. Without it, you'll see the stage and where to get the app.