Stage

La Bañeza - Astorga

Alija del Infantado - La Bañeza Astorga - Foncebadón Conexion Camino Francés (The French Way)

24 km

This is the last section of the Vía de la Plata before you choose which route will take you to Santiago de Compostela. The most frequent option is to go to Astorga and then continue on the French Way. Some pilgrims prefer to go to Puebla de Sanabria* with four stages that would take you to the starting point of the Sanabria Way.

You leave La Bañeza through the road of Villalis, crossing the River Duerna through the old railway iron bridge, which has not been used since 1985. Close to the A-6, you come to Palacios de Valduena, where you can see the tower and the wall of the Castillo de los Bazán.

After crossing the village, you get onto a gravel road that you must follow straight ahead until you reach a local road, and then back to the gravel road. You cross the River Turienzo over the Roman bridge of Valimbre to reach Celada. You take a right and reach the main road, where you may find different services. If you take a left, the Vía reaches the upper part of the village.

From Celada to Astorga there are 4 kilometres ending up on the N-VI and accessing the town through the Plaza San Roque, close to Plaza España.

* Those who wish to go on the Camino Sanabrés or Sanabria Way, have to go from Granja de Moreruela to Tábara, and then to Santa Marta de Tera, and from there to Mombuey and finally to Puebla de Sanabria.

Tips from our postmen and women

What to see and do in the stage La Bañeza - Astorga

María Isabel Alija Correos La Bañeza

“I live in Palacios de Valduerna, and there are some interesting things here. For example, the Casa Palacio de los Bazán or the Roman bridge. This is the only surviving remnant of the original Roman Road that crossed the River Peces or Turienzo, now part of the Camino. You can also see the church of the Virgen del Rosario, where there are Romanesque paintings".