Cities to stay more than a day?

[PastorCat]

Hi - wondering where folks would plan on staying more than overnight. I have 38 days reserved for my Camino. Thought I'd stay an extra day in Pamplona, Burgos, and Santiago Compestela (planning to bus-by Leon altogether). Where else would folks plan on staying more than one day?

 

[waveprof]

Pamplona and Leon (IMO).

Cities to not spend the night: Sarria and Sahagun

Burgos is nice, but one night should do it unless you want to tour the altepuerca museum

 

[Jan_89]

Hello there!

Places where you want to stay are great! I also loved Puente la Reina, Ponferrada, Muxia and Finisterre (I didn't stay there more than one night, but I would love to..)!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi - wondering where folks would plan on staying more than overnight. I have 38 days reserved for my Camino. Thought I'd stay an extra day in Pamplona, Burgos, and Santiago Compestela (planning to bus-by Leon altogether). Where else would folks plan on staying more than one day?

Leon and Santiago. My wife and I can't get enough from Santiago. We stayed there already 3 times for several day's. We love it. I wish you a experience of a lifetime and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[Helen1]

Why do you want to skip Leon? I thought it was a lovely place with lots to see and do. I didn't think the walk in/out was all that bad but perhaps I am unusual in that. Agree about not stopping in Sarria and Sahagun but I think that depends on why you are stopping and what you plan on doing during your rest days.

You could always stop at a spa resort rather than a city http://www.spain.info/en/reportajes/termalismo_en_el_camino_de_santiago.html

 

[PastorCat]

Leon and Santiago...

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic. I was planning to take a bus from the city limits on one side of Leon to the city limits on the other. Am I misinformed about the Camino through Leon? If so, I'd probably stay a day there as well.

 

[PastorCat]

...Cities to not spend the night: Sarria and Sahagun

Could ya'll elaborate on Sarria and Sahagun?

 

[waveprof]

Could ya'll elaborate on Sarria and Sahagun?

Sarria might be a nice town in its own right but it is overrun by the people who start the camino there. Not a bad place at all, but its atmosphere is more of a camino stepping off point than its own city. Not where I'd choose to spend an inordinate amount of time.

Sahagun is very industrial, a railroad center in the middle of the meseta. Nothing wrong with it, I wouldn't actively avoid it, but no real reason to spend time there. I enjoyed the small towns on that stretch so much that I wouldn't waste a night in Sahagun. We stopped and ate a more leisurely lunch than usual in the city square. Felt sufficient to me.

 

[PastorCat]

Thanks waveprof! I just noted that Sarria is 100ish km from Santiago. That explains why people are jumping off from there. Thanks for the insight; particularly about Sahagun.

 

[waveprof]

Thanks waveprof! I just noted that Sarria is 100ish km from Santiago. That explains why people are jumping off from there. Thanks for the insight; particularly about Sahagun.

And to clarify, neither town is unseemly, uninteresting, dangerous, or something to avoid (at all). I can't think of any spot on the camino I "wouldn't" want to stop. But given the fact you have to make choices, those are the two larger towns I'd personally skip in lieu of options around them.

 

[Helen1]

Sarria and Sahagun are quite small towns, as waveprof says absolutely nothing wrong with them but not that much to keep you occupied.

The entry and exists of Leon are built up, the same as any other city. I don’t recall there being anything dangerous about the exit from Leon. It’s a bit boring but for me it was simply part of the experience. I just followed the footpath and I had a very long cool off in a massive air conditioned supermarket which I quite enjoyed (I nipped in to use the toilet). I think work has been done on the entry into Leon, it’s not the nicest of walks but I didn’t think it was as dangerous as some of the older posts say. There’s a funny little (and very friendly) pilgrim exhibition near the outskirts of Leon and when you cross over the bridge there were policemen stamping passports, giving out maps and being welcoming when I arrived.

I would have a look at the tourist info for Leon, try http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/otros-destinos/leon.html or http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/9664397/Leon-Spain-a-cultural-city-guide.html. The city centre is lovely and if you are interested in history there are so many interesting places to visit. If spirituality is your thing there are some inspiring and ancient Churches as well as the Cathedral. Leon is also a short train ride away from Ovedio. Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/312 are well worth the walk out of town and up the hill to see.

Astorga’s an interesting place to visit - I wouldn’t have minded stopping there for a day or two.

 

[Anamya]

Burgos - for sure. So much to see there! I spent a day and half and could have stayed more.

Leon - go there, the Cathedral is out of this world. (if you can afford, a night in the Parador is also quite an experience);

Ponferrada - does not need more than a day, but visit the Templar castle and try the tapas on the square behind the Virgen the la Encina church! If you order drinks, you get mini-tapas for free!

I had nothing agains stopping in Sarria (bit definitely not more than a day) . We actually had lots of fun observing all those people in what looked like a Marathon Start Line in the morning! I was playing a game of guessing where people were from according to their gear...

 

[RobertS26]

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic.

The walk into Leon is way more pleasant than the walk into Burgos or Logronio for that matter. Furthermore, it has been over 10 years since the Camino crossed a busy four lane highway on the outskirts of Leon. A beautiful and sleek bridge safely takes you over the traffic. This is an excellent example of how misinformation takes a long time to die a much deserved death.

 

[jeffnd]

The Leon cathedral is a must-see. And the audio guide is actually interesting there!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Leon is a lovely little city, and yes, the audio guide to the Cathedral is really well made. Leon reminds me of a mini Paris. And it's barrio humedo is a great place to go have a drink, have a meal. This being said, I don't think that Burgos or Leon require more than an afternoon.

Santiago yes, because you'll also be napping in the afternoon to rest after walking for a month.

Sahagun and Sarria are small towns of little interest other than for a couple of buildings, but not places to avoid. You may be better off having short days here and there and arrive at an albergue relatively early and spend a day or peace and quiet is some special albergues along the way.

 

[Bajaracer]

There are no sketchy road crossings to get into Burgos and Leon, the same for getting into Astorga. I took the other route into Burgos instead of the "industrial area" and walked along the river into town, seemed like all of Burgos was walking along the river that day.

 

[Kimberly Helen]

IMO, Leon is worth visiting; it's one of my favorite small cities in Spain. The parador is breathtaking and they are famous for the free tapas they give with each beer you order (hope you like ham! )

 

[waveprof]

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic. I was planning to take a bus from the city limits on one side of Leon to the city limits on the other. Am I misinformed about the Camino through Leon? If so, I'd probably stay a day there as well.

Leon is one of Spain's great cities. The walk in has been greatly improved, and even if it wasn't it wouldn't effect how great the downtown is.

The walk IN to Burgos is very industrial IMO, but still a nice downtown.

Pamplona/Iruna is my favorite "city" on the Camino.

 

[jeffnd]

Leon is a lovely little city, and yes, the audio guide to the Cathedral is really well made.

I sort of had a love/hate relationship with those guides. But the one in Leon is very good. (Or maybe it was because I got it for free for some reason!) When they talk about having to lift up the whole roof to add supports and then setting it down again... I literally had goosebumps!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I sort of had a love/hate relationship with those guides. But the one in Leon is very good. (Or maybe it was because I got it for free for some reason!) When they talk about having to lift up the whole roof to add supports and then setting it down again... I literally had goosebumps!

It's a real course in engineering isn't?! Learned so much.

 

[jeffnd]

It's a real course in engineering isn't?! Learned so much.

Indeed!

Back to the OP's point, I don't think Leon is a city to pass by. In fact, I'd say if you're going to spend time anywhere on the Camino, Leon should be on your list.

If you really want to shave some time off, I'd suggest busing from Leon to Astorga. That's at least a 1 or 2 days shaved off and you really aren't missing much. (Aside from the bridge in Hospital Orbigo)

 

[Mark Lee]

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic. I was planning to take a bus from the city limits on one side of Leon to the city limits on the other. Am I misinformed about the Camino through Leon? If so, I'd probably stay a day there as well.

Yeah, that stretch coming out of Leon sucks, not as bad as the stretch into Burgos, but the old city section of Leon is beautiful. The cathedral and the plaza. Cafes, etc.

 

[PastorCat]

Thank you all for such good information! Awesome thread. Will plan to stay in Leon two days.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Thank you all for such good information! Awesome thread. Will plan to stay in Leon two days.

Now, don't ger carried away, one is plenty

 

[Bohemiana]

We stayed 2 days in Logrono (have a friend there), 2 in Burgos (LOVED it!), 2 in Leon (really enjoyed it) and 2 in Fisterra (WONDERFUL). If you have the time, why not stay extra longer in interesting places? 38 days is be plenty to take your time and have several extra days in places.

Rather than skip Leon, walk to Villarente and catch a city bus 6k into the center of the city. Stay an extra day in Leon and then take a city bus 7k out of the city to Virgen del Camino. That way you skip the boring industrial parts.

There are plenty of places where you have to be careful with traffic and it's not necessarily going into and out of big cities. Be careful of traffic everywhere.

 

[christy wharton]

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic. I was planning to take a bus from the city limits on one side of Leon to the city limits on the other. Am I misinformed about the Camino through Leon? If so, I'd probably stay a day there as well.

yes , do a bus in from Mansilla avoiding noisy, main, straight"roads"etc. Walk across the River from the bus station and stay in the old town if possible. leon is a lovely walkable place to spend a rest day ,--- sights, nightlife, markets, buskers, tapas, a magnificent cathedral. The walk out is better than in but again I was on a bus once with lots of walkers going out of the city.

 

[Diane Kinney]

Leon huh?

Hmmmm....

Peter (and Helen), I've read multiple reports which describe Leon as highly industrialized...and that the Camino route through Leon is adjacent a highway and somewhat dangerous due to hi-speed traffic. I was planning to take a bus from the city limits on one side of Leon to the city limits on the other. Am I misinformed about the Camino through Leon? If so, I'd probably stay a day there as well.

We started our Camino in Leon last year so I cannot comment on walking in. However it is a beautiful small city. The Cathedral is well worth the visit as is the Paradore de Leon. In truth we took the bus out to Virgin de Camino and it was somewhat industrial but no more so than other places. Next time I pass through I will walk.
Astorga is worth a visit but maybe plan to arrive early in the day spend the rest of the day there. Ponferrada also worth spending time. Sarria was fine. We did stay an extra day as we made it our rest day.

 

[Bill from Canada]

Hi - wondering where folks would plan on staying more than overnight. I have 38 days reserved for my Camino. Thought I'd stay an extra day in Pamplona, Burgos, and Santiago Compestela (planning to bus-by Leon altogether). Where else would folks plan on staying more than one day?

We planned rest days in Estella, Burgos and Leon (took a taxi in and out of Leon. Actually, we stopped at an albergue/bar for a late morning coffee about 10-12 km out of Leon and asked the owner to call us a taxi and he ended up driving us to our pension in Leon (for a fair price)).And we had extra days when my wife had heat stroke and when I hurt my back. We were in Villafranca del Bierzo when I had back spasms and it turned out to be a wonderful city to spend some time in. We stayed at an albergue called De la Piedra which is run by a young couple. They were amazing hosts and couldn't do enough for us.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I would say Burgos, Leon and Santiago.
Burgos has the Cathedral and it also has the Museum of Evolution with a shuttle that will take you out to the dig site at Atapuerca.
Leon also has a spectacular Cathedral and museum, as well as other churches and museums worth seeing.
Santiago - Cathedral, museums, food, open market, shopping

I wouldn't skip Leon, myself - I love it!

 

[rappahannock_rev]

The Holy Grail is at the museum at San Isidoro, in Leon, or so I'm told!

 

[ladybuglady]

It's great to make plans for extended stays, but sometimes the most wonderful places are unexpected and a surprise. Is it the place, or the people we are with, or the frame of mind we are in while we are there? Perhaps it's the combination of these things. These wonderful experiences can't be planned, but we have to be ready for them when there present themselves. My suggestion is to stay longer when you feel the time it right, wherever you are. You can also spend extra time in a place by arriving early after a shorter walk. Some of my favorite days were in Ponferada and Samos. We walked 2 or 3 hours and arrived late morning. Spent the day resting, getting caught up on laundry, did a bit of sightseeing and had a nice meal. Felt rested and restored, ready for more walking the next day. These were not planned, they just happened.