Vía de la Plata

The longest route. Seville to Santiago up an old Roman road, mostly alone.

Last updated August 11, 2026

Distance

995 km

Typical time

47 days

Difficulty

Hard

Total ascent

11,724 m

Starts

Seville

Ends

Santiago de Compostela

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The Vía de la Plata runs a thousand kilometres north from Seville, following the line of a Roman road through Extremadura and Castile before crossing into Galicia. It is the longest of the established Caminos and the emptiest.

You will walk long days between villages, with Roman bridges, aqueducts and milestones for company. Mérida, Cáceres and Salamanca are among the finest cities on any Camino.

At Granja de Moreruela the route splits. Most pilgrims take the Camino Sanabrés west into Galicia; the alternative continues north to join the Francés at Astorga.

Who it suits

Best for: Solitude, Roman history, and pilgrims with six weeks.

When to go: March to May, or October. Extremadura in summer regularly passes 40°C and is not worth the risk.

Watch out for: Water and shade. Some stages have neither for 30 km, and you must carry more than feels necessary.

Suggested stages on the Vía de la Plata

47 stages averaging 21.2 km a day, generated from the route itself rather than copied from a guidebook. Treat it as a starting point: the whole idea of planning your own Camino is that a 27 km day someone else picked might be the wrong day for you.

Stage stops and distances are derived from the route geometry and from OpenStreetMap place data (ODbL). Distances are measured along the route line, so they will differ slightly from a guidebook.

Ascent for each stage is measured from the route's own GPS track, sampled every 100 m against the SRTM 30 m elevation dataset and smoothed to filter sensor noise, so short, sharp rises can read lower than they feel underfoot.

Walking the Vía de la Plata offline

There is no reliable mobile signal on large parts of this route, and the stretches without it are exactly the stretches where you want a map. Caminantes caches the route, the stages and the elevation profiles before you leave, and tracks your distance, pace and ascent while you walk. The Caminantes app is free, with no paywall on any of the planning or tracking tools.

Common questions about the Vía de la Plata

How long does the Vía de la Plata take?

47 days at a typical walking pace. Our suggested plan splits the 995 km into 47 stages averaging 21.2 km a day, and you can split or join any of them.

How hard is the Vía de la Plata?

Hard. It covers 995 km with 11,724 m of total ascent, and the longest stage in our plan is 31.4 km. Water and shade. Some stages have neither for 30 km, and you must carry more than feels necessary.

When is the best time to walk the Vía de la Plata?

March to May, or October. Extremadura in summer regularly passes 40°C and is not worth the risk.

Where does the Vía de la Plata start and finish?

It runs from Seville to Santiago de Compostela, a total of 995 km.

Does the Vía de la Plata count towards the Compostela certificate?

Yes. You need the last 100 km on foot, so starting at Ourense, which leaves 110 km to Santiago, or anywhere earlier on the route, qualifies. Collect two stamps a day over that final stretch.

Before you go

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See the measured elevation profile for the Vía de la Plata : 11,724 m of ascent, worked out for every stage.