Stage

Alija del Infantado - La Bañeza

Benavente - Alija del Infantado La Bañeza - Astorga

20,5 km

You have to go back from the Plaza Mayor of Alija del Infantado to the Calle Real, and this will lead you to the same road you accessed the village from the previous day. Your walk starts there, you have to cross the River Jamuz and go towards the municipality of Quintana del Marco. You can see a bust of Marcus Aurelius near its parish church, located by an archaeological excavation in this ancient Roman enclave.

You continue your walk with views over Castillo del Torreón to Villanueva de Jamuz, with its Castillo de los Quiñones. This site indicates that you have already completed 12 kilometres, more than half of the section.

Parallel to the River Jamuz, you will find a section with poplars and fields, with a possible detour to Santa Elena de Jamuz. Past the photovoltaic power plant, you have to take a right to approach La Bañeza, which you will access through the Calle Santa Elena.

La Bañeza is the capital of this district and its history has been marked by the Camino. For a long time, it welcomed pilgrims to its monastery; of which now only the church of San Salvador remains. The Plaza Mayor also has a beautiful town hall.

In La Bañeza, you can visit the Museo de las Alhajas, located by the Plaza Mayor, a 20th-century Art Nouveau building. It is a jewellery and fashion museum showcasing the attire used in the area throughout the centuries.

You can also visit the Museo de la Alubia, devoted to beans, a renowned local product. The building is by the old railway station and shares the premises with the Offices of the Council for the DO of the Alubia de la Bañeza. The exhibition shows a typical rural home with all the farming tools and a sample of beans from all over Spain.

There are many festivals all year round, with a special mention to its Carnival declared of National Tourist Interest.

Tips from our postmen and women

What to see and do in the stage Alija del Infantado - La Bañeza?

Juan Alfredo Calvo Temprano Correos La Bañeza

“I have been working in this area for a long time and I think that there are a couple of tourist attractions you should not miss. In Villanueva de Jamuz, I recommend the church of San Cipriano, with a beautiful altarpiece by Bartolomé Hernández, 16th-century paintings by Pedro de Bilbao, and a painting of the Virgin and Child by Juan de Juni. In Santa Elena de Jamuz you must see the park of traditional irrigation systems.

There, you can see some of the traditional systems or methods to draw water from the wells. Gear such as pulleys, shafts, water-wheels, hand-pumps, motor pumps, solar panels and windmills show their evolution and development. Besides, the Camino runs through a bird sanctuary. Here you can see Montagu’s harriers, little bustards, larks, bee-eaters...”.