---
title: "Redondela → Pontevedra"
description: "Third Camino Portugués stage: 19.8 km through Arcade and its oysters, with the medieval bridge of Pontesampaio and a final stretch short on services."
url: https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/stages-tui-santiago/redondela-pontevedra
locale: en
---

# Redondela → Pontevedra

Stage 3 of 6

19.8 kilometres with two moderate climbs, oysters in Arcade, a bridge that was a Napoleonic battlefield, and a last 11.5 km with almost nothing open.

[By Cesar Rodriguez · local guide](https://santiago.es/en/author)

**Redondela–Pontevedra stage card**

| Distance | Approx. time | Elevation | Difficulty |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 19.8 km | ~5 h | +401 m / −380 m | 2 of 5 |

Gronze.com gives 19.8 km for this stage; the Xunta makes it slightly shorter, 18.2 km. Whatever the exact figure, the profile has two moderate climbs of 120 to 135 metres and a final stretch — the last 11.5 km between Pontesampaio and Pontevedra — with very few services: set out with water and some food on you, the minimum any stage day deserves.

## The route, village by village

From Redondela you soon reach **Cesantes** (2.2 km), with open views over the Vigo estuary and the island of San Simón, and climb to the **Alto da Lomba** (5.9 km, 168 metres). The descent leads to **Arcade** (7 km), with every service and a reputation of its own for its **oysters**: the Festa da Ostra has been held here since 1987 and is one of the best-known food events in the Rías Baixas.

Pontesampaio: a bridge that was a battlefield

At Pontesampaio (8.3 km) you cross the river Verdugo on a **ten-arched medieval bridge**. Here, between 7 and 9 June 1809, the Galician army of the Count of Noroña — some 10,000 men — defeated Marshal Ney's VI Corps, forcing the Napoleonic withdrawal from Galicia. Today there is a bar by the bridge and little else: it is the last service before the long stretch to Pontevedra.

After Pontesampaio the Camino crosses Ganderón (16-17 km), the only service on that final stretch, before entering Pontevedra through the old town.

## Where to sleep in Pontevedra

The **Xunta**hostel, "Virxe Peregrina", is 1.5 km from the old town — sources do not agree on its exact capacity, so we avoid giving a firm number — at the usual 10 € rate. Among the private ones, more central: [**Albergue Aloxa Hostel**](https://www.alberguealoxa.com/) (19-25 € depending on the season; they confirm to us it is unrelated to the Slow City, which is a different place), **Nacama** (20-22 €), **dpaso** (from 22 €) and **Hostel Charino** (25-35 €). Guide prices for 2026.

Stamp in Redondela on the way out and again on arrival in Pontevedra: that covers the minimum of two daily stamps the [Compostela](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/compostela-certificate) requires.

Sigue leyendo

**[O Porriño → Redondela](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/stages-tui-santiago/o-porrino-redondela)** — Stage 2 — Around 16 km to the town of the viaducts, facing the island of San Simón. — Leer la guía

**[Pontevedra → Caldas de Reis](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/stages-tui-santiago/pontevedra-caldas-de-reis)** — Stage 4 — 21.1 km, the most manageable of the stretch, with thermal springs on arrival. — Leer la guía

**[All the Tui–Santiago stages](https://santiago.es/en/camino-de-santiago/stages-tui-santiago)** — Back to the hub — The full summary of the six days of the Camino Portugués. — Leer la guía