Vía de la Plata: The Complete Route Guide

Quick facts

Start: Seville, Andalusia, Spain
Finish: Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The route runs Seville to Astorga, where most pilgrims turn west onto the Camino Francés for the final stretch, or branch onto the Camino Sanabrés at Granja de Moreruela for a more direct line to Santiago.
Distance: ~1,000 km (about 1,007 km Seville to Santiago via the Sanabrés; slightly longer via Astorga and the Francés)
Typical time: 38-45 walking days
Busiest months: March to May and September to October. Summer is the season to avoid on the southern half (see below).
Compostela requirement: walk at least the last 100 km and collect two stamps per day in that final stretch. On the Sanabrés branch that final 100 km runs roughly from Ourense; via Astorga it is the standard Francés last 100 km from Sarria.

The route: map, elevation, and stages

957.6 km on the track 36 stages +8006 m total climb −7772 m total descent

Walking now? See how far you are, and what is next. Download the GPX track

Route track: Nederlands Genootschap van Sint Jacob (santiago.nl), republished with credit. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Dashed line: shared finish on another route.

Elevation sampled from terrain data (Terrarium DEM, built on SRTM) along the track. Hover the profile to trace the route on the map. Click a stage to zoom to it.

Stages

Stage	Walk	Km	Climb	Descent
1	Seville → Guillena	22.0	+9 m	−7 m
2	Guillena → Castilblanco de los Arroyos	18.0	+307 m	−4 m
3	Castilblanco de los Arroyos → Almadén de la Plata	29.0	+359 m	−176 m
4	Almadén de la Plata → Monesterio	35.0	+450 m	−230 m
5	Monesterio → Fuente de Cantos	21.0	+83 m	−234 m
6	Fuente de Cantos → Zafra	25.0	+51 m	−98 m
7	Zafra → Villafranca de los Barros	20.0	+109 m	−188 m
8	Villafranca de los Barros → Mérida	42.0	+7 m	−225 m
9	Mérida → Alcuéscar	36.0	+318 m	−83 m
10	Alcuéscar → Cáceres	39.0	+128 m	−128 m
11	Cáceres → Embalse de Alcántara	34.0	+56 m	−254 m
12	Embalse de Alcántara → Grimaldo	21.0	+303 m	−90 m
13	Grimaldo → Carcaboso	31.0	+86 m	−284 m
14	Carcaboso → Aldeanueva del Camino	39.0	+259 m	−43 m
15	Aldeanueva del Camino → Baños de Montemayor	20.0	+397 m	−203 m
16	Baños de Montemayor → Fuenterroble de Salvatierra	33.0	+327 m	−101 m
17	Fuenterroble de Salvatierra → San Pedro de Rozados	28.0	+251 m	−221 m
18	San Pedro de Rozados → Salamanca	24.0	+64 m	−200 m
19	Salamanca → El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino	35.0	+111 m	−77 m
20	El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino → Zamora	32.0	+95 m	−260 m
21	Zamora → Montamarta	19.0	+66 m	−42 m
22	Montamarta → Granja de Moreruela	23.0	+73 m	−64 m
23	Granja de Moreruela → Tábara	25.0	+113 m	−91 m
24	Tábara → Santa Marta de Tera	23.0	+100 m	−107 m
25	Santa Marta de Tera → Mombuey	36.0	+172 m	−30 m
26	Mombuey → Puebla de Sanabria	31.0	+205 m	−151 m
27	Puebla de Sanabria → Lubián	29.0	+492 m	−178 m
28	Lubián → A Gudiña	24.0	+421 m	−647 m
29	A Gudiña → Laza	34.0	+396 m	−624 m
30	Laza → Xunqueira de Ambía	33.0	+493 m	−665 m
31	Xunqueira de Ambía → Ourense	22.0	+127 m	−469 m
32	Ourense → Cea	22.0	+366 m	−220 m
33	Cea → Lalín	37.0	+542 m	−490 m
34	Lalín → Silleda	16.0	+184 m	−206 m
35	Silleda → Ponte Ulla	20.0	+106 m	−475 m
36	Ponte Ulla → Santiago de Compostela	21.0	+380 m	−210 m

Why the Plata

The Vía de la Plata follows one of the great Roman roads of Spain, the silver route running north from Seville through Extremadura and Castile. It is the longest established Camino in Spain and the connoisseur's route: big empty dehesa landscapes, Roman milestones still standing beside the path, Mérida's Roman theatre, Cáceres' old town, Salamanca's golden university streets, and long quiet days where you may not see another pilgrim. It suits experienced walkers who want solitude and Roman Spain, and it rewards spring walking like no other route.

The shape of the route

Seville to Mérida (about 8-9 days): leave Seville through Itálica, the Roman city where Trajan and Hadrian were born, then cross the flat, hot agricultural country of northern Andalusia and southern Extremadura through Almadén de la Plata and Monesterio. Services are spaced wide; this is the section where planning matters most.
Mérida to Salamanca (about 12-13 days): the heart of Roman Spain. Cáceres, the Plasencia turn-off, the Arco de Cáparra rising alone in the dehesa, then the climb toward Béjar and the long run into Salamanca, the route's great midway city and natural rest stop.
Salamanca to Zamora and Granja de Moreruela (about 5-6 days): flatter Castilian meseta, shorter pilgrim traffic, then the choice point at Granja de Moreruela.
The Sanabrés branch (Granja to Santiago, about 13-14 days): through Puebla de Sanabria and the Galician mountains at A Gudiña, down to Ourense, then the green final run through Cea and Lalín to Santiago. Most Plata walkers take this branch now; it is quieter and shorter than going via Astorga.
The Astorga option (Granja to Astorga, then the Francés west): adds the Francés from Astorga through Ponferrada, Villafranca, and O Cebreiro. Longer, more social, and the classic completion for walkers who want the full Francés finish.

Standard stages (Seville to Granja de Moreruela, then Sanabrés)

Day	Stage	Distance
1	Seville to Guillena	~22 km
2	Guillena to Castilblanco de los Arroyos	~18 km
3	Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almadén de la Plata	~29 km
4	Almadén de la Plata to Monesterio	~35 km (commonly split)
5	Monesterio to Fuente de Cantos	~21 km
6	Fuente de Cantos to Zafra	~25 km
7	Zafra to Villafranca de los Barros	~20 km
8	Villafranca de los Barros to Mérida	~42 km (almost always split at Torremejía or Almendralejo)
9	Mérida to Alcuéscar	~36 km (often split)
10	Alcuéscar to Cáceres	~39 km (often split at Valdesalor)
11	Cáceres to Embalse de Alcántara	~34 km
12	Embalse de Alcántara to Grimaldo	~21 km
13	Grimaldo to Carcaboso	~31 km
14	Carcaboso to Aldeanueva del Camino	~39 km (often split at Oliva de Plasencia)
15	Aldeanueva del Camino to Baños de Montemayor	~20 km
16	Baños de Montemayor to Fuenterroble de Salvatierra	~33 km
17	Fuenterroble de Salvatierra to San Pedro de Rozados	~28 km
18	San Pedro de Rozados to Salamanca	~24 km
19	Salamanca to El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino	~35 km
20	El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino to Zamora	~32 km
21	Zamora to Montamarta	~19 km
22	Montamarta to Granja de Moreruela	~23 km
23	Granja de Moreruela to Tábara	~25 km
24	Tábara to Santa Marta de Tera	~23 km
25	Santa Marta de Tera to Mombuey	~36 km
26	Mombuey to Puebla de Sanabria	~31 km
27	Puebla de Sanabria to Lubián	~29 km
28	Lubián to A Gudiña	~24 km
29	A Gudiña to Laza	~34 km
30	Laza to Xunqueira de Ambía	~33 km
31	Xunqueira de Ambía to Ourense	~22 km
32	Ourense to Cea	~22 km
33	Cea to Lalín (A Laxe)	~37 km (often split at Castro Dozón)
34	Lalín to Silleda	~16 km
35	Silleda to Ponte Ulla	~20 km
36	Ponte Ulla to Santiago de Compostela	~21 km

Fit walkers walking the full route usually take around 36-42 days including rest days; the table above is walking days only and many of the long Plata stages get split in practice.

Key decision points

Sanabrés vs Astorga at Granja de Moreruela: the Sanabrés is shorter, quieter, and reaches Santiago in about two weeks from Granja. Astorga plus the Francés is longer and busier but gives you the classic Francés finish. Most first-time Plata walkers now choose the Sanabrés.
Season is the biggest decision on this route. The southern half (Seville to Salamanca) is brutally hot from June into September, with shade-poor stages over 30 km. Walk it in spring (March-May) or autumn (late September-October). A summer Plata south of Salamanca is a genuine heat-safety problem, not just discomfort.
Long stages and thin services: several stages exceed 30 km with nothing between the endpoints. Carry more water than feels necessary, carry real food, and check albergue opening before relying on the next town. This route punishes Francés-style improvising more than any other major Camino.

When to walk

March-May: the prime window. Wildflowers in the dehesa, water in the streams, long days building, albergues open. Holy Week in Seville is a spectacular start if you can get a bed.
June: possible in the north, already risky in the south. Dawn starts and short days only below Salamanca.
July-August: not recommended Seville to Salamanca. Temperatures regularly pass 40°C in Extremadura with long exposed stages. The Sanabrés section alone is walkable in summer.
September-October: the second good window, cooling from the north down. Grape harvest in the Toro and Ribeira Sacra fringe country.
November-February: cold meseta, short days, some closures, but walkable for experienced pilgrims; Seville's winter is mild.

Practical notes

Difficulty: hard by Camino standards, not for mountains (there are few big climbs) but for distance, stage length, heat, and self-reliance. Best as a second or third Camino.
Credencial: available in Seville (cathedral / Amigos del Camino offices). Two stamps per day in the last 100 km; on the quiet southern stages, stamps come from bars, town halls, and churches, so ask as you go.
Beds: a growing but still thin albergue network, plus hostales in the bigger towns. Some stages have exactly one bed option; seasonal closures matter. Budget between a Francés albergue plan and a hotel-based plan.
Food: Extremaduran ham and dehesa produce, migas, Salamanca's hornazo, Zamoran cheese and Toro wines. Menú del día in the working towns is excellent value; on split stages, carry lunch.
Waymarking: yellow arrows plus granite Roman-style markers (cubos) in Extremadura. Generally good; a GPX track is a sensible backup on the long dehesa stretches where arrows space out.
Getting there: Seville has an airport and fast trains from Madrid (about 2.5 hours). Return from Santiago needs no special planning. Zamora and Salamanca make good bail-out or start points for a shorter Plata.

Holy Year 2027 note

2027 is a Holy Year (Xacobeo). Expect the Plata's spring season to fill earlier than usual as experienced pilgrims choose it over a crowded Francés, and expect the Sanabrés final 100 km from Ourense to get noticeably busier. The single-bed stages in Extremadura are the pinch point: book the long-stage endpoints ahead in spring 2027, and keep the split-stage options in mind when a town is full.