Stage 26. Villafranca del Bierzo – O Cebreiro (27.8 km)

This is the queen stage of the French Way. An exciting route between Villafranca del Bierzo and O Cebreiro that we will never forget, not only for its extraordinary beauty, but also for the feared ascent to O Cebreiro. It is a long ascent of 12 kilometres in which we will leave Castilla y León to enter, at last, Galicia. But the effort will be worth it when you reach the small village of O Cebreiro, an ethnographic treasure framed by the impressive Sierra de Os Ancares.

Would you like to walk this stage with your accommodation already booked? These organised trips include it: French Way from Astorga to Santiago de Compostela, French Way from O Cebreiro, French Way from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela and French Way from Leon to O Cebreiro.

O Cebreiro is a magical village at 1,300 metres, with cobbled streets and stone-and-thatch pallozas preserved since pre-Roman times. Its church of Santa María la Real, the oldest on the Camino Francés, holds the legend of the Holy Grail. On a clear day, the views over the Galician valleys are unforgettable.