CaminantesSarria to Santiago: the last 114 km of the Camino, measured
By August Frederik Kramer · Last updated 28 September 2026
Sarria to Santiago is the Camino most people actually walk: of the 241,998 pilgrims who finished the Camino Francés in 2025, 161,922 started in Sarria, 67%. It is 114.4 km in 5 days, and it is not the easy bit. Those five days climb 1,854 m, more than all 9 days of the meseta put together.
How many days from Sarria to Santiago?
Five, on our plan: 114.4 km at 22.9 km a day, a little over a half marathon every day for five days. Here is the whole trip on one strip, drawn to scale, with the ground above it.
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How hard is it?
Harder than people expect. Galicia never stays flat for long: the five days climb 1,854 m and come down 2,035 m. The whole meseta, 9 days from Burgos to León, climbs 1,066 m.
The longest day is Palas de Rei to Arzúa, 28.3 km. The steepest is Portomarín to Palas de Rei, 512 m up in 24.9 km. Start that one early.
Where to sleep
There are 155 places to sleep on these five days, mapped within 300 m of the track, and every stage end has plenty: from 25 on the day into Portomarín to 40 on the day into Palas de Rei. For every stage of every route, see where the beds are.
When is it busiest?
In September. About 1,104 people a day walk out of Sarria then, against about 44 a day from December to February: roughly 25 times as many.
If you want company, walk it from May to October. If you want it quieter, March and November are a fifth as busy or less.
How this is counted: everyone the Pilgrim’s Office recorded as starting in Sarria or earlier on the Francés in 2025, spread across the months the way all Compostelas were. It is a floor, not a census.
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Does Sarria get you the Compostela?
Yes. The Compostela asks for the last 100 km on foot, and Sarria is 114.4 km out on our track. The line falls 14.4 km after Sarria, on day one. Portomarín, the next stage town, is 92.4 km out and does not qualify on its own. See where the last 100 km starts on every route.
The rule asks for two stamps a day on this stretch, so plan on 10 stamps from Sarria. What counts and what does not is in the credencial guide.
The first night, and the town the river drowned: Portomarín.
Where the Primitivo joins the Francés, and the pulpo: Melide.
The day before Sarria, and its two ways: Triacastela, San Xil or Samos.
The five stages
| Day | Stage | km | Up (m) | Down (m) | Places to sleep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarria → Portomarín | 22.0 | 339 | 440 | 25 |
| 2 | Portomarín → Palas de Rei | 24.9 | 512 | 318 | 40 |
| 3 | Palas de Rei → Arzúa | 28.3 | 455 | 609 | 31 |
| 4 | Arzúa → O Pedrouzo | 19.9 | 280 | 379 | 27 |
| 5 | O Pedrouzo → Santiago de Compostela | 19.3 | 268 | 289 | 32 |
Stage ends are from our own plan, generated from the route, so a guidebook may split it differently. The whole Francés, all 36 days, is in the Camino Francés stages, and the route itself on the Camino Francés page.
Common questions
How many days is Sarria to Santiago?
5 days on our plan: 114.4 km at about 22.9 km a day. With 155 places to sleep along the way, a shorter day is always possible.
How far is Sarria from Santiago?
114.4 km along the route, measured on its own track. That is 14.4 km more than the 100 km the Compostela asks for.
Is Sarria to Santiago hard?
It is harder than its reputation: 1,854 m of climbing in 5 days, more than the 1,066 m of the whole meseta. The longest day is Palas de Rei to Arzúa, 28.3 km.
When is the Sarria to Santiago route busiest?
In September, with about 1,104 people a day on the path. From December to February it is about 44 a day.
Do I get the Compostela walking from Sarria?
Yes. Sarria is 114.4 km out, past the 100 km line, which falls 14.4 km after Sarria on day one. Collect two stamps a day, 10 in all.
Keep reading
Camino Portugués coastal route: 23.2 km longer, 246 m less climbing
Coast against central from Porto, measured the same way: 269.6 km against 246.4 km, one more day but flatter. And 47% of Portugués pilgrims took the coast in 2025.
Camino Francés stages: all 36, and 2 in 3 walk only 5
Every stage drawn at one scale, the body-mind-soul saying tested, and the hardest day by an 1892 formula. Day 1 walks like 37.2 km.
Camino albergues: 584 places on the Francés, and where the gaps are
There is no shortage of beds. One Galician stage has 40 places on it and one meseta stage has 3, and the longest gap with nothing mapped falls on day one.
Take it with you
Caminantes is free, works offline, and plans your stages around your own legs rather than a guidebook's.
