LUGO - Is it worth it for a side trip

[Olivia Covarrubias]

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I loved Lugo, Spain, mostly for the intact city walls. It is really cool to walk around the whole perimeter of them with birds eye views of the city buildings below. Locals stroll through or jog and some have baby carriers. They treat it like a park and socialize. I spent two nights there when I walked the Primitivo, so cannot help with the logistics of getting there from the Frances route.

 

[SabsP]

Do you mean Lugo?

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

Do you mean Lugo?

Yes, LUGO. I corrected it on my post. Thank you

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

I loved Lugos, mostly for the intact city walls. It is really cool to walk around the whole perimeter of them with birds eye views of the city buildings below. Locals stroll through or jog and some have baby carriers. They treat it like a park and socialize. I spent two nights there when I walked the Primitivo, so cannot help with the logistics of getting there from the Frances route.

Thank you. I appreciate your post and I want to make the best of my time on the Camino.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Do you mean Lugo?

Ha, I just made my own edited correction, as something didn't sound quite right to me. I did not mean Lugos, Portugal!

 

[SabsP]

Ha, I just made my own edited correction, as something didn't sound quite right to me. I did not mean Lugos, Portugal!

Cool!We have some cities here too with almost the same writing and pronunciations so I get the confusion...
I remember one time when an English touring car ended in the middle of nowhere here in Belgium when they needed to drive to a wellknown Christmas market in the north of France

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia

You can take a bus from Vega de Valcarce , it will take you about 50 minutes .
You also can check ,www.Rome2rio.com

Wish you well , Peter .

 

[Tia Valeria]

Lugo is well worth a visit. There are buses from Sarria so it would be worth checking times if the other bus does not work out.

 

[peregrina2000]

I think Sarria is a close and easy place to get to Lugo. There are a bunch of buses every day. About a half hour trip. http://www.monbus.es/es/rutas-puntos-de-venta/451/viajar-sarria-lugo And I second all the recommendations, the walls are so amazing. And it is a city with a lot of street life. The cafes in the main square are a lot of fun to spend some time in.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

I would. Much easier from Sarria.

 

[TerryB]

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia

If you are interested in history, especially all things Roman, one day will not be enough! Make it two or three!!!!
Blessings on your planning
Tio Tel

 

[ivar]

I love Lugo

 

[LakeMcD]

A stroll on the walls in the evening to watch the approaching change of light is magical.

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

You can take a bus from Vega de Valcarce , it will take you about 50 minutes .
You also can check ,www.Rome2rio.com

Wish you well , Peter .

Thank you so much. I'll check the site.

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

If you are interested in history, especially all things Roman, one day will not be enough! Make it two or three!!!!
Blessings on your planning
Tio Tel

I think we may end up staying one night there. I love ancient history! Thank you

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

I think Sarria is a close and easy place to get to Lugo. There are a bunch of buses every day. About a half hour trip. http://www.monbus.es/es/rutas-puntos-de-venta/451/viajar-sarria-lugo And I second all the recommendations, the walls are so amazing. And it is a city with a lot of street life. The cafes in the main square are a lot of fun to spend some time in.

Sounds magical and so glad I asked about Lugo.

 

[Dabo]

Lugo is well worth a visit. There are buses from Sarria so it would be worth checking times if the other bus does not work out.

Or you can walk from Leon! I told another pilgrim I was going to take a side trip to Lugo. She asked if I was going to walk there! You are on a walking journal, right? Haha

 

[Kurt5280]

I thought that the Roman Walls in Lugo were wonderful...but I don't recommend going to Lugo...I was followed by beggars asking for money for hours until I finally had enough and left...the only time I was left alone was when I walked on top of the walls...go at your own risk.

 

[Tia Valeria]

I thought that the Roman Walls in Lugo were wonderful...but I don't recommend going to Lugo...I was followed by beggars asking for money for hours until I finally had enough and left...the only time I was left alone was when I walked on top of the walls...go at your own risk.

There can be beggars anywhere. We only had one who asked us for money in Lugo. I had no change but cm eout of the bakers and feeling sorry for the girl gave her a few coins. She went straight into the bakers for some bread.... We would go to Lugo again quite happily.
We had more beggars approach us in Santiago itself.

 

[Felice]

I spent one night in Lugo when I walked the Primitivo last May, and want to come back for a longer visit. I only arrived about 5pm, hot and very tired after the 30km day's walk, so I did not walk the walls, but instead just visited the cathedral and enjoyed the ambience from the comfort of a seat in a cafe! Then I had one of the best ever meals in a restaurant in the square - I had to sit inside as I was so early but the food was so worth it. There was a Roman reenactment taking place that weekend - it was a Saturday - and a troop of Romans marched past, looking really impressive.
In the early morning, before daybreak, I walked around about a third of the walls on my way out. That was a very different view of the walls to that which most people have!

 

[peregrina2000]

I have been in Lugo at least four times and haven't had the problem Kurt describes, but it could happen anywhere.

One additional note is that if you are really a fan of "all things Roman", you should find a way to get out to Santa Eulalia, about 12 km from Lugo, where there is a beautiful painted Roman crypt (?) from about the 4th century. People walking the Primitivo have an easy way to visit it on their way from Lugo to Ponte Ferreira, but as a tourist in Lugo, I assume you could easily get there as well. It is well worth a visit! Some pictures and a description here: https://www.alberguesdeferreira.com/2015/02/primitive-way-santa-eulalia-de-boveda/?lang=en

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[jungleboy]

If you are interested in history, especially all things Roman, one day will not be enough! Make it two or three!!!!

I’m a former Roman tour guide and like the OP, I also considered a side trip to Lugo from the Camino Francés last year. In the end we decided not to, and to just walk the Camino Primitivo this year instead! Really looking forward to Lugo and might take a rest day there.

 

[caminka]

apart from the amazing roman remains (don't miss the two original windows on the walls) there is also museo provincial de lugo in the old franciscan monastery. apart from the beautiful cobbled floors and the roman mosaics, there are an art collection and a lapidary collection including an inscription from a pilgrim hospice from portomarín and an interesting collection of weather wanes. the expo in the pilgrim tourist office on pilgrimages/pilgrims through/passing lugo is also worth a look.

 

[Jinchul Kim]

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia[/QUOT


Hi, I did side trip to Lugo from Portomarin. As soon as I arrived at Portomarin I took texi went to Lugo, stayed one night. Texi back next day afternoon. It only take 20 minutes and 30 euros. Highly recommend to do this side trip.

 

[Pelegrin]

The old town has many bars and restaurants.
" Y para comer Lugo" (and for eating Lugo) is an old saying.

 

[Theatregal]

Absolutely! Yes to Lugo!! Most especially - walk the wall.

 

[Mackie]

in

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia

I took the bus from Ponferrada to Lugo in 2011, spent the night in Lugo then took the bus from Lugo to Triacastela the following day to resume my walk on the Camino Frances.

 

[Pelegrin]

I thought that the Roman Walls in Lugo were wonderful...but I don't recommend going to Lugo...I was followed by beggars asking for money for hours until I finally had enough and left...the only time I was left alone was when I walked on top of the walls...go at your own risk.

I've been thinking about the possibility of a permanent "army of beggars" in Lugo that made the visit no recommended and I don´t see it anyway.
First of all, seeing a Galician (or Spanish) beggar is not usual and much less a chaser beggar. I don´t remember a Spanish chaser beggar since de times of heroin yonquies (20 years ago?).
So the group of beggars where foreigners , but What business could have those people in Lugo?
The population of Lugo, most of them from rural Galicia could be by far the less willing of Spain to give money to foreign beggars and the foreign tourists (including 15 pilgrims per day) are not relevant.
So my conclusion is that you visited Lugo during an important event like San Froilán in October.

 

[Paul J W]

Hi Pilgrims,
Has anyone been to Lugo from the Camino Frances? I was thinking about visiting for the day from Vega de Valcarce with a passenger service, but not sure if that's the best place to go from? Otherwise, I would do it from Sarria.

Any recommendations?

Thank you,
Olivia

Leave the Camino Frances at Leon. Take the beautiful and Camino de San Salvador to Oviedo. Then the excellent Camino Primitivo via Lugo to pick up with the Camino Frances. Quite a detour, yes, but if you have the time it will be an exceptional experience for you - following a route reminiscent of the character of the Camino Frances some twenty years ago. Super refuge in Lugo too!

 

[Ribeirasacra]

IMHO Lugo is far better that SdC. But do not tell everyone that it is.
The cathedral is still used for prayer and that is not interrupted by hordes of tourists.
The Museum is free to enter. Just show your passport.
The old kitchen.

Celtic gold jewellery:

The cloister

Mosaics

Círculo de las Artes is well worth a visit if you can get to see inside.

Whilst at the Praza Maior take a bight to eat or a coffee at the Café del Centro

The location for bars and more eating is Praza do Campo and the roads that spur off.

Also visit the Casa de los Mosaicos, Rúa Doutor Castro.

I could go on about the art exhibitions, or staying at the thermal bath hotel which uses the same springs as the Romans etc.
We have had problems with beggars in Lugo, but not for many years now. Responded once in English and they found one of the band who could speak English. Learnt that lesson so the following time my wife used a Dutch word which means Chop chop. It sounds like a very bad word and the beggar must have thought she had put a course on him as he marched up and down glancing at us. But never did he come near us again.

 

[peregrina2000]

Those are really beautiful pictures. Thanks so much. I have been in Lugo several times, and my least favorite time was during the Arde-Lucus (?) festival. It seemed to be an excuse for every grown person in Lugo to dress up as either a "Roman" or a "Barbarian" and drink till they were all in a pretty barbaric state. I know there are lots of other worthwhile things going on, like plays and concerts, but I was pretty overwhelmed by the crowds, which had morphed beyond lively to raucous.

 

[Oravasaari]

The Lugo tourist office museum is also good. Has audio-visuals about Roman history of town (in English too). Great city walls, old town and the municipal albergue is good. Big cheap Carrefore hypermarket close to city centre. Nice small city.

 

[Finisterre]

Visiting Lugo brought me to the Camino.

Double win.

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

IMHO Lugo is far better that SdC. But do not tell everyone that it is.
The cathedral is still used for prayer and that is not interrupted by hordes of tourists.
The Museum is free to enter. Just show your passport.
The old kitchen.

Celtic gold jewellery:

The cloister

Mosaics

Círculo de las Artes is well worth a visit if you can get to see inside.

Whilst at the Praza Maior take a bight to eat or a coffee at the Café del Centro

The location for bars and more eating is Praza do Campo and the roads that spur off.

Also visit the Casa de los Mosaicos, Rúa Doutor Castro.

I could go on about the art exhibitions, or staying at the thermal bath hotel which uses the same springs as the Romans etc.
We have had problems with beggars in Lugo, but not for many years now. Responded once in English and they found one of the band who could speak English. Learnt that lesson so the following time my wife used a Dutch word which means Chop chop. It sounds like a very bad word and the beggar must have thought she had put a course on him as he marched up and down glancing at us. But never did he come near us again.

Wow, thank you so much for the pics and the info. We are definitely going there. We're staying in Portomarin and getting transportation to Lugo for the day. Not staying the night in Lugo, only in Portomarin.

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

I have been in Lugo at least four times and haven't had the problem Kurt describes, but it could happen anywhere.

One additional note is that if you are really a fan of "all things Roman", you should find a way to get out to Santa Eulalia, about 12 km from Lugo, where there is a beautiful painted Roman crypt (?) from about the 4th century. People walking the Primitivo have an easy way to visit it on their way from Lugo to Ponte Ferreira, but as a tourist in Lugo, I assume you could easily get there as well. It is well worth a visit! Some pictures and a description here: https://www.alberguesdeferreira.com/2015/02/primitive-way-santa-eulalia-de-boveda/?lang=en

Buen camino, Laurie

Hi Laurie, and thanks for sharing. I will try to see this, but we have so much packed in a day already.

 

[Olivia Covarrubias]

Thank you everyone for your input! I'll keep you posted on what we see and do.
There are five of us from California and we will be in Lugo on June 12.
BUEN CAMINO

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Thank you everyone for your input! I'll keep you posted on what we see and do.
There are five of us from California and we will be in Lugo on June 12.
BUEN CAMINO

Buen Camino to you Olivia

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Not staying the night in Lugo, only in Portomarin.

What a shame. You will unfortunately miss a huge amount. Firstly there is too much to see and you will not give it justice. Secondlay, museums and the like will be closed midday. Go Monday and you will find a lot of restaurants and bars closed too. This is traditional Galicia not some huge tourist spot.
Bus time table

 

[ebrandt]

Lugo is one of my favorite Camino cities. We stayed an extra day so I could rest my blistered feet. We didn’t have any problems. The Roman wall is incredible, the Plaza Mayor is a delightful place to hang out. We loved people watching there and talked to some delightful folks. The Cathedral was the highlight for us. It was one of the most “alive” churches we visited. We sat in front of a local parishioner during Mass. At the end of the service, she approached and asked if we would like her to show us around the church. We had a wonderful intimate tour. I attached some of our pics.
.