Villafranca del Bierzo on the Camino: the Door of Forgiveness and the two ways out

Villafranca del Bierzo is the last town before the climb to O Cebreiro, 181.3 km from Santiago. Just past it the Camino splits in two for Trabadelo. The valley road along the river Valcarce is 8.9 km with 85 m of climbing. The Pradela way over the ridge is 11.7 km with 458 m: 2.8 km longer and 5.4 times the climbing.

The Puerta del Perdón

On the way into town, 0.4 km before the centre, stands the Iglesia de Santiago, a Romanesque church of the 12th century. One of its doors is the Puerta del Perdón, the Door of Forgiveness. By tradition, a papal privilege let pilgrims too ill to reach Santiago gain the jubilee here instead. The door opens only in Holy Years; the next is 2027.

The other door that opens in a Holy Year, at the end of the walk: the Cathedral of Santiago.

The town

Villafranca sits where the rivers Burbia and Valcarce meet, at about 508 m, 587.3 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Its name comes from the French pilgrims who settled here: villa francorum, the town of the Franks. On our plan it is not a stage end: it comes 13.4 km into day 28, the 23.0 km from Camponaraya to Trabadelo, which makes it a natural place for a long break or a short day.

Two ways to Trabadelo

The ways part 0.6 km past the centre. The valley road, which our plan follows, runs along the floor of the Valcarce valley beside the old N-VI road, behind a low concrete wall and under the viaducts of the A-6: 8.9 km and 85 m of climbing, never above 566 m. The Pradela way climbs straight out of town through chestnut woods to the ridge, reaches 931 m near the hamlet of Pradela, 365 m above the valley road’s highest point, and drops steeply to Trabadelo: 11.7 km, 458 m up and 390 m down.

Which one to take

Take the valley road if your legs are tired, the weather is bad, or you are on a bike: Gronze tells cyclists never to take the Pradela way, for its steep descent. Take the hill if you are fit and would rather have quiet paths and views over the valley than traffic. The day from Camponaraya is 23.0 km by the valley, 25.8 km over the hill.

Tomorrow: O Cebreiro

Both ways end in Trabadelo, and from there the climb to O Cebreiro is 18.4 km and 756 m, up to 1,293 m. Pradela’s 931 m is a warm-up. If you want fresh legs for O Cebreiro, the valley road saves you 373 m of climbing the day before.

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The climb itself, kilometre by kilometre: O Cebreiro.

The whole walk from Ponferrada, where this is day 2: the Camino from Ponferrada.

Every stage of the Francés, one by one: the stages guide. What the mountains do month by month: Camino weather.

Heights and distances are from our elevation profiles of the Camino Francés and of the Pradela way, both sampled every 100 m, measured from where the ways part to Trabadelo. Guides measured another way differ: Gronze gives the Pradela way 440 m of climbing and 1.5 km more than the valley. The church, the door and the town’s history are from the Spanish Wikipedia; the two ways are described as Gronze describes them.

Common questions

How far is Villafranca del Bierzo from Santiago?

181.3 km on foot by the Camino Francés, over O Cebreiro and through Sarria.

What is the Puerta del Perdón in Villafranca del Bierzo?

A door of the Iglesia de Santiago. By tradition, pilgrims too ill to reach Santiago could gain the jubilee there. It opens only in Holy Years; the next is 2027.

Should I take the Pradela way or the valley road?

The Pradela way is 2.8 km longer and climbs 458 m against 85 m on the valley road, with woods and views instead of traffic. Take it if you are fit and the weather is clear; take the valley before a hard day or on a bike.

How far is it from Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro?

28.0 km by the valley road. The last 18.4 km, from Trabadelo, climb 756 m.

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