Portomarín → Palas de Rei

From Portomarín's 330 metres you climb steadily — nothing impossible, but no let-up either — to around 725 metres in the Ligonde and Airexe area: the Alto de Ligonde, the highest point on the whole route between Sarria and Santiago. This is where it shows who trained before setting out. Past that top, the second half of the stage goes back to the gentle rolling typical of rural Galicia.

The route, village by village

You leave Portomarín crossing the Miño bridge again and pass Toxibó (3.7 km) before reaching Gonzar (7.7 km), with a bar and a Xunta hostel. Then Castromaior (9.3 km, Albergue Ortiz, 12 €) and Hospital da Cruz (10.8 km, with a public hostel and the Hostal El Labrador). In Ventas de Narón (12.7 km) there are three hostels, several bars and a fountain: it is the usual mid-morning stop.

The climb is felt above all between Ventas de Narón and Ligonde (17.6 km, with the Albergue La Fuente del Peregrino), and Airexe (18.8 km, which also has a Xunta hostel).

Where to sleep in Palas de Rei

The Xunta's public hostel, Os Chacotes, sits a kilometre short of the centre. It costs 10 € per person per night, the rate the Xunta itself publishes for its whole network; guides still quoting 8 € predate the last rise. The town also has more than eight private hostels, with dorms between 10 and 20 €. Guide prices for 2026.

Stamp in Portomarín on the way out and again halfway, in Ventas de Narón or Ligonde: that covers the minimum of two daily stamps the Compostela asks for. If you are travelling in high season, leave Portomarín before 7:30-8:00 so you do not end up without a place in the public hostels, which take no bookings.