Sarrià

Sarria sits in the province of Lugo, in Galicia, on the hillside above the river Sarria. It is the largest town on the eastern Galician section of the Camino Frances and the single largest pilgrim entry point on the entire route. The Camino enters Sarria from the east, climbs to the old town along the Escaleira da Maior, the medieval stone staircase that leads up into the historic centre, and continues west through the heart of the town.

Sarria was founded in 1230 by King Alfonso IX of Galicia, who granted the town its first charter and ordered the building of the Castillo de los Marqueses de Sarria, the castle whose ruins still stand at the top of the old town. The town quickly became a major Camino centre, with multiple pilgrim hospitals operating along the medieval road. The Romanesque-Gothic Iglesia de Santa Marina anchors the old town, alongside the Mercedarian Monasterio de la Magdalena which once held the pilgrim hospital and remains a religious community today. The Iglesia de El Salvador, also Romanesque-Gothic, sits at the top of the Escaleira da Maior.

Sarria's modern significance lies in geography. The town sits just over 100 kilometres from Santiago de Compostela, the minimum walking distance required to earn the Compostela, the official certificate of pilgrimage. As a result, Sarria is the busiest pilgrim entry point on the entire Camino Frances. The town's albergues, restaurants, and shops are scaled for this volume, and the path from Sarria to Santiago carries three or four times the pilgrim flow seen further east. For Camino purists this can feel like an intrusion; for the local economy it is the lifeblood of the town.

Sarria has the full range of services. There are many albergues, hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, pharmacies, ATMs, medical care, and a railway and bus station with connections across Galicia. Beds book up earliest in the more popular albergues during peak season, and pilgrims arriving in Sarria should book ahead in summer.