Melide sits in the province of A Coruna, in Galicia, on the rolling hill country halfway between Sarria and Santiago. The Camino enters Melide across the medieval bridge at Furelos and runs through the heart of the town along the main street. Melide is significant on the Camino as the point where the Camino Frances is joined by the Camino Primitivo, the older route from Oviedo that was followed by King Alfonso II of Asturias on his first pilgrimage to Santiago in the early 9th century.
The town has a long history as a Camino stop. The Iglesia de Santa Maria de Melide is a 12th-century Romanesque parish church on the western edge of the old town. The Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus, in the heart of the old town, was founded in the 14th century as part of a Franciscan convent. The Capela de San Roque, on the eastern edge, was rebuilt using stones from the medieval Iglesia de San Pedro, which once stood at the same location. Melide is also known across Galicia for its food, particularly for pulpo a feira, boiled octopus served on wooden plates with olive oil, smoked paprika, and salt. The pulperias of Melide, where the dish is prepared in copper pots and served alongside the local Galician ribeiro wine, are a long-standing local tradition.
Melide has the full range of services. There are albergues including the municipal Albergue de Peregrinos and private albergues, hotels, hostales, restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, a pharmacy, ATMs, and bus connections.
