Walking the Last 100 km of the Camino Frances: A Soulful Travel Journal
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from Sarria to Santiago Are you ready to hit the road?
You can find my two previous articles, stories about the Camino de Santiago through the links below. If you have no idea about it, I especially recommend starting with the first one. If you have some idea but still have doubts, the second one might help you clarify things.
In this article, you’ll find:
Day3: Palas De Rei to Arzua
Day4: Arzua to Santiago
Santiago de Compostela — Last stop (or first, if you walk it in reverse)
After Camino: And what happens after you complete the Camino? I promise, nothing will ever feel the same again.
About FRENCH WAY, the Last 100 km of the Camino Frances
Why is the French Way so popular?
Also known as the Camino Francés -the Last 100 km of the Camino Frances- the French Way is the most well-known of all the Camino routes. It's originally 790 km long and the time to complete it depends on your pace and what happens along the way — but ideally, it takes a little over a month (35 nights). It starts in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and ends in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Everyone has a reason, a story for walking this path. Once you find your own motivation, the distance becomes a detail. Be ready for a truly unforgettable spiritual experience. I first completed this route in February 2022 — not a very common time of the year — because I wanted to begin my new age by completing this journey. I'm sure I’ll do it again in the future, and I’m quite curious about other walking routes around the world too.
Why should you choose the French Way?
Especially if this is your first Camino, it’s ideal. It suits your basic needs and offers a chance to meet people from all around the world. It provides incredible natural beauty and preserved historical structures. I'm sure other routes are also beautiful in their own way.
Why is the last 100 km important?
The last 100 km is important not only for the French Way but for all other Camino routes, because if you're walking and want to receive the Compostela certificate, this is the minimum distance you must complete. Ideally, it takes five days to walk — you can do it faster or slower depending on you. If you’re cycling the Camino, the required distance is longer.
What makes the last 100 km of the French Way special is that it’s the most preferred route by tourists and therefore the one with the most available facilities. The Camino isn’t just about food, rest, and shelter but those needs are essential nonetheless.
Even when I walked it in February, I experienced locals offering fruit or a stamp just in exchange for donations — I’m sure it would be even more delightful during the high season.
The Last 5 Stages of The French Way First Day of the French Way: Sarria to Portomarin
First stop, first day: Sarria
If you’ve decided to walk the last hundred kilometers, Sarria will be your starting point.
This lovely town offers everything you need to arrive a day early, enjoy a nice dinner, or have a good breakfast before hitting the road. You’ll have the chance to meet other pilgrims who are just beginning or continuing their journey from here.
While preparing this article, I realized that I have so many photos that I could share! I am offering some of them for free on my Pexels account. If you want to take a look, just click here.
You know that I define myself as rooted in nature and that I lead VAGMAG's Nature Quarter. It was no coincidence that I was fascinated by this view. Galicia may be the place where you will see the wildest green in Spain. On some routes, when you look to your right, left and the ground, you will see green. This may seem normal to you, but on some routes, when you look up, you will see that you are covered in green.
Of course, the source of all this lush green is the heavy rainfall the region receives — especially for about 9 months of the year. I’ve spent more than a year here and experienced all four seasons. I can confidently say that there are only about three months of true summer; the rest is mostly rain. I’ve never seen snow here, and according to the locals, it hasn’t snowed in years. If you want to walk this final stage, one of the most valuable pieces of advice is to try to catch a rain-free week.
Just like the pilgrims who may accompany you along the way, you’ll also encounter adorable animals — this black horse, for example, looked like it wanted to walk alongside me. What do you think?
Here’s a fruit plate and stamp for your Credencial placed in front of a house, offered to pilgrims in exchange for donations. Whether you take the fruit or leave a donation is completely up to you. This is just one of the many small but meaningful gestures the Camino offers along the way.
Here’s a glimpse of the main course from the pilgrim’s menu I had on my first day, in a small restaurant. When I looked at the menu, what I really wanted was an overcooked roast chicken. That may sound simple, but it was meaningful for me — it marked a decision moment. I started this journey to confront the paradox of choice, and that plate of chicken was my first quiet declaration of clarity.
That night, before going to bed satisfied, I took note of a few practical details, menus are usually available as either half or full portions. Depending on where you are, the quality of dessert and wine may vary significantly. But overall, after a long walking day, I can say that these menus are quite filling and offered at a reasonable price.
Due to inflation and ever-changing pricing, I won’t give a fixed number here — especially for anyone who might read this years from now. But to give you a sense: if you choose to stay in an albergue, the cost of a night’s bed is usually more or less the same as the price of a pilgrim’s menu at dinner.
Day2: Portomarin to Palas Del Rei
We have already reached the second day, we are in Portomarin. I am grateful to you for accompanying me on this journey.
When you enter Portomarín, don't forget to ring the Liberty Bell! The Liberty Bell is a symbol of Portomarín and ringing it is a tradition.
At the end of the first day, I spent some time taking selfies in the bathroom, enjoying the joy of doing the Camino in February and waking up alone in a room reserved for pilgrims, because at that time I didn’t have a resource like VAGMAG and no one told me I had to set off early, as always, I learned by doing it myself. I spent some time in the bathroom before going out into the cold and getting dressed in layers, then I set off for my first Camino breakfast.
No one ever promised me a lavish Turkish-style breakfast, with a long table full of olives, fresh bread, and endless little dishes — but I have to admit, maybe I was secretly hoping for it.
In Galicia, the northern region of Spain where this route passes, breakfast is kept light and simple. A typical Galician morning might include a slice of toasted bread — optionally rubbed with garlic — topped with a bit of olive oil or tomato, and accompanied by a good cup of coffee. If you prefer something sweeter, a croissant is also a very common choice.
Looking back, one thing I wish I had done differently was what I packed for the road. I probably didn't use any of the things I took with me, thinking "What if I need this too?" Every item I took with me seemed to get heavier along the way. The only thing you need to keep in mind when you're packing your bag is how your body will carry it. Most of what you took with you in case you need it are things you can take on the road. If you still don't want to listen to me, like me, you can remember the things we unintentionally burden ourselves with while on the road thanks to these heavy things.
I can promise that the moment you see Portomarin, you'll believe it's the small town you’d want to settle in. With its calmness, and even under the fog, it’s a beauty worth seeing.
When I share photos from my journey, I don’t want to spoil the magic of your own walk — I want to spark your appetite to set out.
I am ready to continue with a few things I bought from the supermarket to eat on the way. It is especially important to have fruit and water on hand on the Camino to consume on the way. The Camino usually involves walking around five hours a day. Please come with me, tomorrow we will be at the Palas de Rei!
Day3: Palas De Rei to Arzua
It was time for me to socialise a bit and I had the chance to meet other "pilgrims" on the way and chat a lot. In the albergue where I stayed at the Palas De Rei, a pilgrim gave me her hair dryer to dry my hair and I blamed myself for not thinking of doing this in the winter months.
I am continuing on my journey with another traveler I have met. Yes, it is possible to do this on the Camino that you set out on alone. If you agree and want to walk part of the way together, why not. Honestly, my motivation for setting out on my journey alone was to make my own decisions and improve myself, but I realized on the way that having someone accompany me for part of the way would not prevent this. Finding common ground by expressing our opinions, reaching a compromise together was a part of my journey that I could not have predicted for myself and it did not feel bad at all.
You can view another pilgrim menu on the side. The menus generally offer meat, chicken and fish as main course options. You are free to choose whatever you like according to your taste.
The hórreo is called the Galician barn. It is built of wood or stone and is raised off the ground. If you are in Galicia, it is impossible not to encounter a hórreo.
They are barns that were used in the past to prevent rodents from reaching the grain, and have become the symbol of Galicia today. I have so many photos on my phone to share, I think this is enough for now.
Day4: Arzua to Santiago
Arzua is famous for its cheese, but don't ask your Spanish friends on the way back from the Camino if they want cheese from Arzua, because they will tell you that you can buy it in any supermarket.
Still, don't leave Arzua without having breakfast with cheese and honey.
I will add a tradition that I like on the Camino and end my article with the last stop. I can't remember where I took this image on the French Way, it reflects a tradition of the journey. Before you set off, you can leave a thought, a memory or a person you want to leave at these points determined by an object metaphor.
To explain with an example, for example, I want to give up my procrastination habit. This is a trait that really doesn't work for me and that I believe makes me fall behind. I express this with a small stone that I brought with me and I give up this habit by leaving the stone at these cruz points that I come across during my journey.
Santiago de Compostela — Last stop
The final stop — but if you walk the Camino in reverse, it may even be your first.
It's already over, we're in the last stop, the historical city of Santiago. I must admit that I got a little emotional as we got closer to Santiago on the last leg. I can't tell you how quickly I got used to waking up in a different place every day and having my only job be walking.
There is so much you need to know about Santiago that it will be the subject of next week.
For now, just make sure to stop by the ACC Pilgrims Office upon arrival and pick up your free Compostela and if you want, another document with more documents for a fee.
I also recommend stopping by the cathedral while you are there. Then, as many pilgrims do, you can treat yourself to a well-deserved meal and explore this historic city.
And after completing the Camino?
I promise you, nothing will ever be the same again.
Nothing can truly remain the same after the Camino — because now, you carry a different kind of experience within you.
You've proven your physical and mental resilience. You've turned inward and found moments to truly meet yourself. Who knows what you’ve lived through along the way?
You already had a reason — a powerful story — that brought you to the path in the first place.
Now, with each step etched into your memory, you walk forward as someone who knows what it means to carry both silence and strength in your body. You don’t leave the Camino behind, it walks with you.
In the way you now sit, speak, choose.
And most of all, in how you return to yourself.
Remember, it's your way! Go for it today, go for it tomorrow, just go whenever you feel the right time to do it.
Next time see you in Santiago de Compostela! With love, Nature Quarter Editor Idalia from Vaginismus Magazine | VAGMAG
