Camino de Santiago by bike from Ponferrada

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is on-the-road telephone assistance?

  In your travel documents, you'll find an emergency telephone number where we're accessible while you're on the road. This ensures you'll journey with peace of mind, knowin our team members will assist you with any problems, incidents, or questions you encounter along your Camino de Santiago.

• What is travel insurance?

  It is the guarantee that you can enjoy your Camino in a safe way. In our trips you already have an insurance included with your trip to be protected during the Camino de Santiago. We will send you the insurance policy along with all the documentation of your trip, so you will have everything you need to enjoy the Camino with peace of mind. Walk without worries!

• What services are included in the Camino de Santiago by bike?

  The Camino de Santiago by bike includes the following services:

  • Accommodation
  • Dossier with information about the stages
  • Pilgrim's credential
  • On-the-road helpline
  • Travel insurance

  In addition, you can customize your trip by adding the following optional services:

  • Luggage transport between stages
  • Breakfast or half board
  • Extra night at the beginning or end of the stage
  • Bicycle rental

  Unlike the group trips, no guide or support vehicle is included between stages. However, you will have a 24-hour hotline where you can contact us in case of any problem or unforeseen event, which we will solve quickly.

• Do all accommodations have a lockable place to store my bike?

  Yes, we make sure that all assigned accommodations have a place where you can leave your bike safe and sound.

• What is luggage transport and how does it work?

  Luggage transport is included in group trips, trips with a dog and VIP trips; on all other trips it is an optional service you can add when booking. With it you can enjoy the Camino de Santiago without the burden of carrying your luggage on your back, knowing that your suitcase will be waiting for you at your next accommodation upon your arrival.   Along with your credential, you'll also receive stickers. Cover these stickers with the requested information and stick them in a visible place on your suitcase.   Upon arrival at your accommodation, we suggest asking at the reception where you can leave your luggage. You'll need to leave your luggage at the designated spot early in the morning for our carrier to pick it up. This ensures that when you arrive at your next accommodation, your luggage will already be waiting for you.

• How do you get to Ponferrada to start the Camino?

  Ponferrada, in El Bierzo (León), has a train and bus station with connections from León, Madrid and Galicia, plus good access via the A-6 motorway.

• Does the Camino Francés from Ponferrada by bike qualify you for the Compostela?

  Yes. From Ponferrada to Santiago it is 209 km by bike, above the minimum of 200 km by bike that the Pilgrim's Office requires to obtain the Compostela (by bike the minimum is higher than on foot). As the margin is small, ride every stage in full to the Obradoiro and stamp your credential every day.

• How do you climb to O Cebreiro by bike from Ponferrada?

  It is the first stage and brings the toughest climb of the trip. You cross the Bierzo valley on the Camino, which is perfectly rideable, or by road to Villafranca del Bierzo and then on to Las Herrerías.

  From Las Herrerías, unless you are very experienced, we recommend the tarmac: road up to Laguna de Castilla and the last 900 metres on a paved track to O Cebreiro. Watch the signs, as there are different arrows for cyclists and for walkers.

• Which way from Triacastela to Sarria: via San Xil or via Samos?

  It depends on what you are after. Past the Alto de San Roque and the Alto do Poio, you ride down to Triacastela, where the Camino splits. Via San Xil you follow the original route, much more mountainous. Via Samos you take a highly recommended variant if you want to see its monastery.

  The two routes meet near Sarria, a good place for lunch, and from there about 20 km of hills and woodland remain to Portomarín.

• What should I see in Ponferrada before starting the Camino by bike?

  The Templar castle, one of the best preserved of the order and almost entirely open to visitors. If you like museums, Ponferrada has the Energy Museum, the Railway Museum, the Radio Museum and the Bierzo Museum, and right by the castle, the Basilica de la Encina and an old town with good terraces.

  For dinner, local Bierzo produce: cecina (cured beef), botillo, peppers and Mencía wine. And rest well, because the next day you climb to O Cebreiro.

• Where should I stop on the Portomarín to Arzúa bike stage?

  Make your first stop in Palas de Rei, which has all services, after a stiff climb out of Portomarín and the descent from Ventas de Narón. Have lunch in Melide: there is no better place on the Camino Francés for pulpo á feira (Galician-style octopus).

  After that, about 15 km remain through woods and old country lanes (corredoiras), with some leg-breaking climbs. At Ribadiso de Abaixo the trail steepens into a tough ramp, the last one before Arzúa.

• Can I carry on by bike to Finisterre after reaching Santiago?

  Yes. If you still feel like riding, there is also the Camino to Finisterre by bike from Santiago: 88 km in two stages via Ponte Maceira, Negreira and Cee to the Fisterra lighthouse, with one of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.

  You can link it to your Camino from Ponferrada and extend your trip all the way to the Atlantic.