Religious Studies: Spain

Along the way, visit and learn about important pilgrimage sites while experiencing the route on foot. Today’s walk covers approximately 9 miles.

Continue the pilgrimage on foot, stopping to explore important pilgrimage sites en route to Pontedeume. Today’s walk is approximately 9 miles.

This section of the journey includes visits to important pilgrimage sites as participants continue on foot. Today’s walk covers approximately 7 miles.

The pilgrimage continues with visits to important sites along a walk of approximately 7 miles.

This stage of the pilgrimage includes visits to important sites along a walk of approximately 15 miles.

The pilgrimage continues with visits to important sites along a walk of approximately 15 miles.

This final stretch of the pilgrimage leads into Santiago de Compostela, with visits to important pilgrimage sites along a walk of approximately 6 miles.

Visit Cape Finisterre, the final destination for many pilgrims completing the Way of St. James to the shrine of Saint James the Great in Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. A modern tradition marks the journey’s end as some pilgrims burn their clothes or boots here. While the origins of pilgrimage to Finisterre are uncertain, it is believed to date back to pre-Christian times, when the site was considered the “edge of the world.”

A guided sightseeing tour introduces Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important pilgrimage cities in the Christian world and a long-standing university town. For centuries, pilgrims from across Europe have traveled here to the tomb of the Apostle St. James, giving the city a deep spiritual legacy. The tour includes a visit to San Martiño Pinario, a monastery with medieval roots whose current church dates to the 17th century. Stop at the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos, originally built as a hospital for pilgrims and now used as a hotel. Visit Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, a landmark of Spanish Romanesque architecture, along with the Cathedral Museum and the 12th-century Palacio de Gelmírez. The tour also includes the Praza do Obradoiro and concludes at the Museo do Pobo Galego, which highlights Galician culture and traditions.

Life in Madrid revolves around talking, toasting, and tapas-eating. During a walk through this crowded and social city, your Tour Director will help you familiarize yourself with the lay of the land. Then, stroll over to the Puerta del Sol, the bustling city center. Next, relax at the Plaza Mayor, a grand square where every sort of human drama has unfolded—trials of faith, public burnings of heretics, royal marriages, the canonization of saints, and countless balls and bullfights. Conclude at the Plaza de España with a visit to an outdoor café.