Spain: Madrid, Camino Frances Last 100K, Leon, Salamanca & Tolado

Madrid (7 days)

Day 1 – Madrid - Arrival day. Nothing but our passport was needed to enter the country. We had proof of funds and insurance but was asked for neither. We arrived Terminal 4-S (passport control) and took the automated train to Terminal 4 where we collected our bags & hired a taxi (fixed rate € 33 and very organized queue) to our apartment. We arrived around noon and were able to put our bags in the apartment as it was being cleaned.

We took the Metro to the Salamanca district where we had large gelatos and double expressos before entering the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, a private collection that is fabulous. The collection is broad, from impressive ironworks to paintings by Goya, Velesquez and an El Greco. The ceilings are gorgeous. No backpacks are allowed and the lockers available were between entrance doors so that made us uneasy as we had a lot in them, having just arrived. All was good, though.

On our way back to the apt, we stopped at the Monastery of Corpus Christi las Carboneras to buy cookies from the nuns. The cookies were pricey and not the best, but the experience is pretty cool. Attempted ordering at the turnstile in Spanish but the nun responded in English. Pretty bad Spanish attempt on my part.

Day 2 – Madrid - Prado Prado Museum 10:00 am tickets booked months in advance. We had a 3 hour guided tour booked with Dr. Almudena Cros. It was exceptional. She has the ability to weave history and art together in an interesting and understandable way. After the guided tour ended, we grabbed a snack in the Prado Café and spent the rest of the day on our own in the amazing museum. We used the Prado audio guide and the Prado app. The app was great because we could find the paintings and do a screenshot to help remember what we saw. The Prado does not allow phots and it is strictly enforced.

We ordered paella to go from Arrocería Marina Ventura on the way home and it was pretty good even reheated.

Day 3 – Madrid - Food Tour & Thyssen Museum. We took the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine Tour with Devour Tours and loved it. Our guide was engaging. It was a great introduction to Spanish foods.

We enjoyed the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza next. Another immense collection to wander through until closing. Van Gogh, Durer, Monet, Velasquez and so many more. The audio guide was useless and we used the museum’s mobile guide and Google to obtain more info on the paintings we saw. Photos allowed. We booked tickets in advance but do not think that was needed as they are not timed entry tickets.

Stopped a one of the food tour stops, Moega, for an empanada on the way home. Delicious.

Day 4 – Madrid – Museums & Friends Arrive. We had 10:00 am tickets to see Guernica and the Dali pieces in the Reina Sofía. Not being modern art fans, we left after contemplating those pieces. We took the bus to try Horchata from the stand Kiosco Horchata Miguel y José AGUADUCHO and it was worth the detour to try the refreshing drink made with tiger nuts with an accompanying pastry, a farton. The combination makes me smile.

Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN) – A beautifully curated and attractive museum with many thoughtful displays. Our highlights were: The Lady of Elche, Roman and Greek artifacts and the money section. We spent 2 hours here and could have stayed longer. We left to greet our friends at the apt. We did not pre-book our visit and it was free on Sundays so we did not a dime for an amazing museum.

After dinner our friends and us walked to the Temple of Debod. Free but must book a time slot. It was impressive and worth the effort.

Day 5 – Madrid – Prado & Botin tour. We used Devour Tours for the tour today and were disappointed. Quite expensive for what we received. Our friends are not “into” art so the included 90 min guided tour in the Prado was all they needed. The experience and food and in Sobrino de Botín was mediocre. The cheesecake was awesome.

Day 6 – Madrid – Royal Madrid & Flamenco. 10:00 am tickets for the Palacio Real de Madrid, booked in advance. Astounding palace but disappointed that the Royal Armory was closed for renovation. We hoped to see the Royal Collection as a substitute, but it required another ticket.

We skipped the Almudena Catedral and walked 10 min to the Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande which was grand. There is an admission fee and the hours are changeable so we lucked out to arrive when it was open. Well worth the effort to walk in the chambers behind the altar and find the Goya.

We had lunch at La Musa Latina (nice set menu) then took a bus to the Museo Naval. Free with a suggested donation of 3 euros and worth every penny to see the amazing pieces in the museum thoughtfully arranged on the history of the Spanish Navy. No backpacks allowed and no lockers, FYI. No need to book ahead of time.

Teatro Tablao Flamenco was our chosen venue to view a Flamenco Show. The included drink was mediocre but we loved the show and all admitted it was very different than what we had envisioned.

Day 7 – Madrid – Segovia Day Trip. We took the bus to Segovia because we wanted to arrive before our 10:00 am tickets to the Alcazar. We purchased the bus tickets online ahead of time. The bus was clean and comfortable and arrived closer to the city center than the train. We walked into the historic center and were greeted by the incredible aqueduct…WOW!

The Alcázar de Segovia was beautiful despite a rainy day. 10:00 am tickets booked in advance. It was easily seen in an hour. We did the tour up the tower and were glad we did. The views must be stunning when it isn’t raining. The Catedral de Segovia was next with a guided tour up it’s bell tower. The tour was in Spanish but we were given an audio guide in English and the climb was worth it. The inside of the cathedral is lovely but dark on a rainy day.

Suckling pig attempt #2 and this was the winner at Restaurante José María. Pricey but this was worth it. Impeccable service, great wine, fine ambiance and the food was delicious. Watching the piglets being cut with plates was amazing. Bought a couple bottles of their wine to take with us. Booked our table well in advance.

We wanted to take a taxi tour around the viewpoints of Segovia, but we had a difficult time connecting with a taxi (or maybe it was the wine) and with the weather being poor, we opted to browse around Segovia and admire the aqueduct some more. The bus to the train station was packed. Enough room for everyone waiting, though. The train back to Chamartín in Madrd was fast, comfortable and full. We had heard horror stories about the construction chaos at Chamartín but found

Camino Frances – Last 100K & Santiago de Compostela (9 days)

Day 8 – Madrid to Sarria. Our train journey from Chamartín to Sarria took around 4 hours. We had an AVE train to Ourense and a regional train to Sarria. We booked Confort seats on the AVE and they were nice indeed but no Wifi. It was fun watching the speed as we flew along on the high speed (up to 300 Kmph / 186 mph). We arrived via a bit late in Ourense and worried about our short connection time. No problem at all as our next train was sitting with open doors on the track right next to us.

Our stay was an 8 min drag-the-bags from the station. Praza Camelias was a lovely place with lovely people and very nice rooms. Breakfast was extra (as with most stays while on the Camino) and absolutely worth it.

We wandered around town and got the first stamp on our Credential at the church, Igresia Parroquial de Santa Mariña. The weather was damp and drizzling so we saw very people out. We expected hoards of pilgrims but the town was very quiet.

Day 9 – Camino Frances: Sarria to Portomarin (13.5 miles). We could not believe how green and beautiful this part of Spain is. After a hot and dry summer, we expected dry and brown. Not the case at all! The Camino was more lovely than imagined with groves of mature oak trees and pastures so green with happy, fat and clean diary cows. And the dogs…friendly dogs laying on or near the path just people watching and wanting pets. It was magical!

For navigation & mileage, I used AllTrails and the Wise Pilgrim app to track the miles and make sure I stayed on the route. The Camino is very well marked with scallop shells and the stone milestones (mojones). There also are enough people walking that there were usually pilgrims ahead to follow. The only time it became a bit confusing was in the larger towns and coming into Santiago de Compostela. I say “I” now because my husband twisted his ankle and could not walk the miles with me. He worked his way along the Camino route by bus and taxi. Our friends walked but our paces were different.

There were bars/cafes along the route that many pilgrims stopped at for breakfast and/or lunch. I opted to snack along the way and eat a substantial lunch with my hubby at my destination.

In Portomarin we stayed at the Hotel Portomarín Star and it was another lovely stay with a very comfortable room and wonderful staff. After walking the miles, it was great to cross the bridge into Portomarin and see the hotel on the other side. We had delicious Galician seafood and tinto de verano when we were together again. More stamps at the architecturally interesting church for stamps.

Day 10 – Camino Frances: Portomarin to Palas de Rei (14 miles). After a nice breakfast buffet, we were off on the Camino. It was a beautiful day and the walk was, again, through pastoral settings, forest and delightful small villages. The path had ancient rock walls alongside it for miles and miles. Who placed these stones? And when?

Pilgrims walking were of many nationalities, some walked fast, some walked slow, some were walking with friends and talked, others walked alone and were quiet except for a “Buen Camino”. Some were athletic and obviously had begun their Camino in France while others, like us, looked fresher having just started. We definitely did this the easy way, starting in Sarria (100 KM to qualify for a Compostela) and having a bag transfer company move our bags each day. If we had been 20, 30, 40 years younger we might have chosen differently.

Our stay this night in Palas de Rei was in the Apartamentos Turísticos Guillermo. It was not easy finding a place to stay here in Palas de Rei. This was the only place we stayed in Spain without A/C. We had a very nice and clean 3 bed/2 bath apartment that was surprisingly quite spacious and very reasonable.

Day 11 – Camino Frances: Palas de Rei to Melide (9.7 miles). Honra Ó Ecce Homo Festival in Palas de Rei last night. It sounds like a bunch of fun but not that much when trying to sleep! Now we know why booking a place to stay here was difficult. The party went on until 4:00 am sharp then all music ceased. A few good hours of sleep were had before we were off to Melide.

Flowers, gardens and forests decorated the Camino today. It was a short walk at less than 10 miles and it went by quickly. Delightful, all the miles.

After arriving in Melide, we found another festival was happening and joined in this time as it was during the day. The Festival of San Caralampio or “Festival of the Drunkards” entertained us for hours as we watched local brass bands play as they marched the narrow streets, people of all ages dance and everyone getting tipsy on wine. We were invited by a local to partake in the Pedron peppers and fresh mussels cooked in a huge open-air kitchen in a square. We followed what others did by tearing off cardboard plates from empty boxes and had a delectable local feast washed down with Estrella Galicia. A lovely experience.

The partying continued late into the night but we were able to sleep well in the Hotel Lux Melide. We had full view windows overlooking the Plaza but the sound-proofed glass worked a miracle blocking noise, except for the occasional cannon firing. Slept great. Great breakfast.

Day 12 – Camino Frances: Melide to Arzua (11 miles). Lite rain to overcast skies today on the walk so we saw fewer pilgrims when we started out around 8:00am. They were probably waiting for the weather to improve or took the bus to their next stay. Hubby could not get on the full bus to Arzua and took a pricey taxi instead.

Our hotel in Arzua, the 1930 Boutique Hotel, was a delightful hotel with a great advantage to stay 2 nights. They would pick us up after our walk to O Pedrouzo and the next day take us back to that point to continue the Camino into Santiago de Compostela the next day. We loved this idea and not having to pack up 1 night was fantastic. Great, kind staff and lovely accommodation and breakfast.

Day 13 – Camino Frances: Arzua to O Pedrouzo (12 miles). Another beautiful day and walk with morning fog in low lying areas and fat happy cows. There were more pilgrims today as Arzua is where the Camino Frances and Camino Norte merge, but still not the crush I expected. We were picked up in O Pedrouzo and transferred back to Arzua with the hotel shuttle and another good night’s rest.

Day 14 - Camino Frances: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela (13 miles). We were returned to our finishing point yesterday to start the walk today. I was surprised how rural the landscape was right up until SDC. The forest has turned from oak to non-native eucalyptus. Trees were being harvested and the aromatic scent of eucalyptus was prevalent.

The Camino scallop shell markers were more difficult to see as I walked into SDC. My Wise Pilgrim app was handy here to verify I was going the correct way on the sidewalks. Then…the Cathedral appeared and my goal was just ahead! Walking into the Plaza del Obradoiro was incredible as the square was filled with excitement as pilgrims completed their journey. Many were videoing as they walked down Praza da Immaculata and turned the corner to face the magnificent cathedral. It was certainly a festive atmosphere

Our friends finished and we congratulated them, being in their 70’s it was quite the accomplishment! We eagerly went to the Oficina de Acollida ó Peregrino (Pilgrim’s Recption Office) and in no time we had our Compostela’s.

My husband and I went to the 7:30 pm Pilgrim’s Mass at the cathedral. The line to attend was long and by the time we entered, the church was packed with every seat takenand many people standing.. We decided to go to the north transept and sit on the floor. It was the PERFECT place! Towards the end of the service we realized the Botafumeiro was being readied to swing by the "tiraboleiros." And swing it did. An incredible experience to have the sizeable censor being swung over our heads with the ropes creaking and smoke trailing. Photos are not allowed during the service but every phone in the cathedral came out to record this momentous event!

Our hotel for 3 nights was the Hotel Rua Villar and we loved staying here. Very central, being a 2 min walk from the cathedral and with an abundance of tapas bars and restaurants 2 min the other direction. The staff were fabulous and our room (Superior double) was comfy and very quiet despite overlooking Rua Villar.

Day 15 – Santiago de Compostela. We booked the Complete Visit tickets for the Cathedral far in advance. It included the Roofs & Ratchet Tower Tour which was fabulous but not for the unstable or people with fear of heights. The tour was in Spanish but we were provided short English descriptions via our phones. Our ticket also included timed entry to the Portico of Glory and the Museo da Catedral de Santiago. Both were well worth the visit.

For laundry, the hotel reception staff pointed us to the Pilgrim House where, as a service to pilgrims, they will wash & dry your laundry for 6 euros. Extremely nice service & lovely people there.

We used Free Tour Santiago de Compostela for a late afternoon tour. It was good, not great. We probably should have found a well rated local guide for a more in-depth tour.

Day 16 – SDC - Day Trip to Finisterre. We used Santiago Excursiones for the all day trip to the coast of Spain. It was a long day of bus rides and sites: Ponte Maceira, Muxia, Cape Finisterre, Ezro Waterfall and more. A couple of stops were skippable. For 49 euros pp it was a bargain.

Travel by car back to MAD (6 days)

Day 17 – SDC to León. We woke to pouring rain, the wettest day of our trip. Took a taxi to the SDC train station where we picked up our rental car. Sixt did not have the class of vehicle we rented and gave us a choice of a sedan or a 7-seater van. We took the sedan and crammed in with a bag between our friends in the back seat. It was about 4 hours to Leon with a couple of stops.

We parked at the Parador (free) checked in & dropped our bags then walked to the Basílica de San Isidoro where we had a 5:00 pm English tour (1 hour) of the Museo de San Isidoro. The guide was easy to understand and the tour was well worth the small price. The frescoes and books in the library are amazing. Photos are, unfortunately, not allowed.

Our stay in Leon was the Parador de León, one of the most beautiful in Spain and worth the splurge to celebrate our completed Caminos. It is an amazingly beautiful Parador, a 5* hotel. The unfortunate part of the hotel is that the windows are not soundproofed at all facing the Plaza de San Marcos and we had a miserable night of loud music in our room till 4:00 am.

Day 18 – León. We visited 3 sites today: Catedral de León, Casa Botines and the Museo de León. We did not book any of these sites in advance. The cathedral is stunning inside and out. Casa Botines, at 9 euros pp, was expensive and our least favorite of the 3. There was a room with Goya’s Los caprichos prints which were intriguing. The Museo de León is free and well curated. Placards in Spanish & English. A very organized history of the Leon area.

The Parador moved us to a room in the back and we slept very well. The breakfast here is outstanding.

Day 19 – León to Salamanca. The drive was around 2 hours on a gorgeous sunny day. We arrived in Salamanca, dropped our bags and had lunch overlooking the Plaza Mayor. We had a private 3 hour tour booked with a local guide, Carmen Ingelmo Pérez, and she was excellent. She guided us through the highlights of Salamanca and into the University of Salamanca. We wished we had booked her for a tour of the cathedral the following day.

Following the tour, we climbed up the Ieronimus Tower. Wow! Incredible views outside and inside the cathedrals. Even if you do not climb the bell tower, it is so worth hoofing up to the roof. We booked the time slotted tickets ahead of time.

Our stay for 2 nights in Salamanca was at the Hotel Hospes Palacio de San Esteban Salamanca. A splurge but worth it. 5 min walk to the cathedral. A lovely historic building with an excellent & kind staff. Parking 14 euro per night and a top-notch breakfast.

Day 20 – Salamanca. Salamanca is a stunning city. We loved it here. We had superb weather and the sandstone buildings of the city shone against the dark blue sky. Today we walked across the Roman bridge, toured the majestic Cathedrals and the Convento de San Esteban. We loved it all. Just wish had more time in this vibrant, historical and alluring city. We did not pre-book anything for today. Can recommend Bar La Fragua for tapas and Restaurante Bar Las Caballerizas a great place for a drink alongside professors and students.

Thank you for your rich and informative trip report! Congratulations on the Camino!

Happy travels

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Day 21 – Salamanca to Toledo. A 4-hour drive including a stop at Avila to gaze at the city walls. Traveled on N-403 and it was a pretty drive but very curvy. Thank goodness our crammed in friends do not have motion sickness.

We arrived in Toledo and dropped our bags at our hotel on Plaza de Zocodover.where we had a 10 min window to park to unload. We made a wrong turn after dropping the bags ending up further into the city. Oh my were we confused on these extremely narrow one-way streets packed with tourists. Eventually we did get out without a scratch on the rental.

After eating Bomba Trebol, prawn croquettes and Carcamusas at El Trebol we visited the Museo del Ejército (Army Museum) in the Alcazar which is free on Wednesdays. The museum has attractive and new exhibits with English translations but seemed poorly laid out and hard to follow.

At 5:30 pm we had an 1-1/2 free tour with Follow Me Toledo. Our guide was young, but knowledgeable and packed a lot of information into the time. Worth the time and tip.

Our hotel for the last nights of the trip was the Hotel Boutique Adolfo where we had a junior suite overlooking the Plaza de Zocodover. A spacious room with a glassed-in balcony. We enjoyed our stay here and had no noise issues despite being on the square. The staff were helpful and kind. We were free to use the terrace on the roof for great evening views of the Alcazar and the breakfast was served and very good.

Day 22 – Holy Toledo. We were amazed by the crowds of people yesterday and promptly purchased tickets online for the Catehdral and Santo Tome for today. A very good decision as we did not have to wait in the queues to buy tickets. The Catedral Primada de Toledo is not attractive on the outside and the scale of the church is not discernable. Going through the doors we were astounded at the magnificence of the vaulted ceilings and the magnificence of the cathedral. The altar and choir are stunning. We followed the RS guide and it was an excellent resource and quite in-depth.

We had a delectable lunch at Lo Nuestro Taperia & Restaurante and can highly recommend it. Next was Santo Tome to gaze upon EL Greco’s greatest work: The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. There was a crowd of people, but we eventually rotated to the front to gaze at the painting in all it’s glory.

To see more El Greco’s, we went to the Museo de Santa Cruz. It is a free small museum with a delightful cloister. Then our last site of the trip, the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. The audio guided included via phone was good albeit brief. The monastery is a handsome place with a beautiful cloister.

Day 23 – The long day home. We brought our car into the square to load the final time and went the correct way out. We left Toledo at 5:30 am and encountered heavier traffic than we anticipated but arrived at the airport with time to spare after turning the car in at Terminal 4. Our flight MAD-ORD was operated by Iberia and flew out of terminal 4-S. In Economy, we had more legroom and better food but worst seat cushions than AA. Our flight home from ORD was on time.