The winter alternative from Ponferrada through the Ribeira Sacra
Ponferrada → Santiago de Compostela
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Distance260 km
Walking time10-14 days
Elevation profile · 7,695 m ascent
When snow closed the pass at O Cebreiro, medieval pilgrims left the Camino Francés at Ponferrada and followed the Sil river into Galicia instead. That is the Camino de Invierno: 260 kilometres through the canyon of the Sil, the terraced vineyards of the Ribeira Sacra and the towns of Monforte de Lemos and Chantada, joining the Camino Sanabrés at A Laxe for the last days into Santiago. It is one of the least walked official routes and one of the most scenic.
What the route is like
From Ponferrada the route follows the Sil past the Roman gold mines of Las Médulas, a landscape of red pinnacles that is a World Heritage site, into the deep river valley at O Barco and Quiroga. The Ribeira Sacra stages pass monasteries and vineyards planted on slopes so steep they are harvested by hand. Monforte de Lemos, with its castle and Jesuit college, is the main town before the hills of Chantada and Lalín and the merge with the Sanabrés.
Walk the Camino de Invierno with Camino.Today
Plan your stages on the map, see the elevation profile and the weather for every hour of your walk, find albergues along the way and talk to pilgrims on the same route — free, offline-ready, in English, Spanish and Russian.
Ten to fourteen days from Ponferrada. Services are thin between towns, so stages need planning.
When to walk
Despite the name, the route is walked year round; spring and autumn are best, and it is a genuine alternative to O Cebreiro in winter when snow blocks the high route.
Getting to the start
Ponferrada is on the train line from Madrid and León and is a natural stop for pilgrims already walking the Camino Francés.
Difficulty
Moderate to hard. Steep valley sides and long gaps between services.
Places along the way
Ponferrada
Start, El Bierzo
The Templar castle above the Sil, on the Camino Francés. The Invierno leaves the French route here to follow the river instead of climbing to O Cebreiro.
Las Médulas
Km 25
The largest gold mine of the Roman Empire, worked by collapsing whole mountains with water. What is left is a landscape of red pinnacles and chestnut woods, a World Heritage site the route walks straight through.
The Sil canyon
Km 60–110
The route follows the Sil into Galicia through Valdeorras and Quiroga, where the river cuts a canyon between terraced vineyards and slate villages.
The Ribeira Sacra
Km 110–170
The 'sacred riverbank': a landscape of monasteries and vineyards planted on slopes so steep the grapes are harvested by hand and boat. Monforte de Lemos, with its medieval tower and Jesuit college, is the main town.
Belesar and Chantada
Km 180
The route drops to the Belesar reservoir on the Miño and climbs the other side through terraces to Chantada.
Monte Faro
Km 200
The highest point of the route at 1,100 metres, with a chapel on top and a view over half of Galicia on a clear day.
A Laxe
Km 225
Where the Invierno joins the Camino Sanabrés for the last two stages to Santiago.
Stages
Every pilgrim walks the Camino de Invierno at a different pace, so this page does not prescribe daily stages. In the Camino.Today app you pick any two towns on the route and get the stage between them — distance, walking time, elevation profile and the weather for each hour of the walk. Plan the whole Camino stage by stage before you leave, or decide each morning how far you go today; the plan is yours to change at any time.
Where to sleep on the Camino de Invierno
125 places to sleep in 43 towns along this route, 49 of them pilgrim albergues — with prices, beds, photos, contacts and the map.
Distances from Ponferrada. Every town and village within a kilometre of the path, as shown in the app.
0 kmPonferrada
6.1 kmToral de Merayo
15.2 kmVillavieja
20 kmBorrenes
26.7 kmLas Médulas
35.1 kmPuente de Domingo Flórez
40.1 kmPumares
45.1 kmSobradelo
51.4 kmO Barco de Valdeorras
59.4 kmVilamartín de Valdeorras
65.2 kmA Rúa de Valdeorras
71.9 kmAlvaredos
80.8 kmCapela das Farrapas
93.3 kmEspandariz
102.5 kmA Capela dos Remedios
110.4 kmCastroncelos
115.5 kmCereixa
120.3 kmReigada
124.8 kmMonforte de Lemos
128.8 kmA Vide
132.1 kmRegueiro de Moreda
158.9 kmBoán
173.4 kmSan Xoán de Camba
178.9 kmRodeiro
183.9 kmPenerbosa
189.5 kmLaxas
197.4 kmPalmaz
203.5 kmBergazos
211.4 kmTaboada
226.4 kmDornelas
231.3 kmSan Miguel de Castro
237.8 kmOuteiro
241.4 kmLestedo
244.9 kmA Susana
254.2 kmSantiago de Compostela
Common questions
How long is the Camino de Invierno?
260 km from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela, with about 7,695 m of climbing along the way.
How many days do you need to walk it?
Most pilgrims take 10-14 days, which works out at roughly 20 to 25 kilometres a day. You can walk it in fewer days or split it across several trips — the route is the same.
How difficult is the Camino de Invierno?
Moderate to hard. Steep valley sides and long gaps between services.
Where do you sleep on the Camino de Invierno?
There are 125 places to sleep along the route in 43 towns and villages, 49 of them pilgrim albergues. Each one has its prices, beds, photos and contacts on this site.
When is the best time to walk the Camino de Invierno?
Late April to early June and mid-September to mid-October are the most comfortable windows: mild weather, long days and everything open. July and August are hot inland and busy; from November to March many private albergues close.
What is the Camino de Invierno like?
From Ponferrada the route follows the Sil past the Roman gold mines of Las Médulas, a landscape of red pinnacles that is a World Heritage site, into the deep river valley at O Barco and Quiroga. The Ribeira Sacra stages pass monasteries and vineyards planted on slopes so steep they are harvested by hand. Monforte de Lemos, with its castle and Jesuit college, is the main town before the hills of Chantada and Lalín and the merge with the Sanabrés.
From the blog
Short, honest posts about walking to Santiago — gear, money, routes and the things nobody warns you about.
