The ways to Santiago
Vía de la Plata
The long, lonely trek from south to north for experienced walkers.
- Distance
- 960 km
- Time
- 38 to 42 days
- Stages
- About 38 stages
- Difficulty
- Hard
Starts in Seville, Spain
The ways to Santiago
The long, lonely trek from south to north for experienced walkers.
Starts in Seville, Spain
The Vía de la Plata runs up through the whole of western Spain, from Seville through Mérida, Cáceres, Salamanca and Zamora, before it bends west to Santiago. It follows an old Roman road, and the ruins along the way are part of the experience.
The stages are long, shade is scarce, and pilgrims are few. That is precisely the charm. If you have a Camino or two behind you and want six weeks with room to think, this is the big one.
We have walked the Vía de la Plata. We have felt the sun burn on the plains of Andalusia, sensed the silence in the Extremadura dehesa and watched the shadows dance over the high plateaus of Castile. It is more than a route. It is a historic road through the whole of western Spain from south to north.
The route is called the Silver Way, but the name is misleading. It probably comes from the Arabic al-balat, which means paved road, that is a surfaced road from the Roman network. The Romans built it as a trade and military road between Mérida and Astorga, and later it became a pilgrim way for those who came from the south. The ruins along the way are part of the experience.
It is the longest Camino you can walk on well-established trails, around 1000 kilometres, and at the same time the one with the fewest pilgrims of the known routes. For us that is exactly what makes it. Fewer people give more quiet, more reflection and more authentic encounters along the way.
A magnificent start town with the world's largest Gothic cathedral, the Giralda tower and the Alcázar palace. A grand beginning towards the north.
One of Europe's best-preserved Roman townscapes with a theatre, amphitheatre and aqueduct. Walking through it is like walking through antiquity.
The endless oak and cork forest plains with big game and open skies. The silence and calm the route is known for.
The golden university city with one of the world's oldest universities and a lavish Plaza Mayor. Lively, young and grand.
Wind-blown expanses through Castilla y León past Zamora and small pilgrim colonies. Mentally and physically demanding, but exceptional.
At Granja de Moreruela the route splits. Carry on north towards the meeting with the Francés, or turn west into Galicia towards Santiago.
The Vía de la Plata is long and hard, mostly because of the climate and the distances. The landscape changes from Andalusia's hot plains and olive trees to Extremadura's dark oak forests and dehesa and on up onto Castile's wind-blown high plateaus. There can be long stretches without shade, so you have to prepare for heat, wind and vast open spaces. You should count on days of up to 25 to 30 kilometres and being more self-sufficient than on the popular routes. The route is marked with scallop shells and yellow arrows in many places, but not everywhere, so a good map or GPS track is an advantage. Make sure you have plenty of water and salt, especially in the south and on the open meseta.
The Vía de la Plata is for the experienced pilgrim with plenty of time and good fitness. It suits you if you are up for a long and hard route that is not overcrowded, and who thrives on long, empty stretches with room to really think. There will be days with few people and perhaps wind and rain, but that is exactly what gives the route its character. If you are fascinated by Roman history and by the wide open spaces of western Spain, this is the big trek.
The start town of Seville has an international airport and good train and bus connections, so it is easy to reach from most of Europe. From Denmark the way typically goes with a stopover or via Madrid and onward on the Spanish high-speed train to Seville. Take a day in the city to collect your pilgrim passport, see the magnificent cathedral and walk out of the city early, while it is still cool. Many people, by the way, choose to start in Mérida instead, to make the logistics work better.
Spring and autumn only, in all seriousness. Summer in Extremadura is dangerous walking weather, and most services shut down at the height of summer for exactly that reason.