Parador Santo Estevo near Ourense (Lori Erickson photo)Here are some travel recommendations for your trip to Santiago de Compostela.
After landing in the international airport in Madrid, travelers can take a short connecting flight to Santiago or rent a car (the journey to Galicia takes about four hours). Driving is on the right, and an international driver’s license is required. Spanish and Galician are both spoken, with English common in tourist areas. No visa is required for less than a three-month stay.
Lodging
Galicia has a wide variety of accommodations ranging from hostels and country houses to five-star hotels. A network of low-cost or free hostels accommodate pilgrims.
Camino de Santiago Sign (Lori Erickson photo)If you want to treat yourself after making a pilgrimage to Santiago, indulge in a night (or several) in the state-run paradores, four- and five-star hotels located in historic buildings or in spectacular locations. Galician paradores include Santo Estevo near Ourense, located in a twelfth-century monastery; Conde de Gondomar, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean at Baiona; and the Parador de Santiago de Compostela, located in a former pilgrims hospital next to the cathedral. See here for more information on the parador system in Spain.
Galicia has a maritime, temperate climate with mild winters and warm summers. During the spring, high temperatures are generally in the 60s, reaching into the 70s and 80s during the summer.
For more information contact the Tourist Office of Spain.
Main page for Santiago de Compostela
Lori Erickson is one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys. She’s the author of the Near the Exit: Travels With the Not-So-Grim Reaper and Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God. Her website Spiritual Travels features holy sites around the world.
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