Vega de Valcarce

Vega de Valcarce sits in the province of Leon in the upper Valcarce valley, the main settlement of the valley before the steep climb to O Cebreiro begins in earnest. The Camino runs through the heart of the village along the riverside road. The setting is the floor of a steep wooded valley with the mountains rising on either side.

The village name combines Vega, meaning floodplain or river meadow, with the river name Valcarce. On the hillside east of the village stand the ruins of the Castillo de Sarracin, a medieval castle held through the Middle Ages by various Bierzo noble families including the Counts of Lemos. The castle controlled the valley road and the Camino itself for centuries. The parish church of Vega de Valcarce dates from the medieval period.

Vega de Valcarce has reasonable services for a Valcarce village. There are albergues including the municipal albergue and private albergues, hotels, restaurants, a small shop, and a pharmacy. The village has the broadest range of services in the Valcarce valley and is a common overnight before the climb begins.