From Braga to Santiago de Compostela, 240 KM of amazing landscapes, forests, rivers, crystalline waterfalls, woods, and vineyards, all in a semi-wild state, along the most beautiful sections of Minho and Gilicia.
Passing through the Peneda-Gerês National Park (Xurês Natural Park in Galicia) is one of the path’s attractions, since the scenery is beautiful.
Geira (New Via, or XVIII) is the name given by the Roman Empire under the Flavius dynasty to this mode of communication that connected Braga and Astorga. These routes were extremely important to the Roman empire since they were utilised to transfer their forces at a period when conquests were critical to the empire’s expansion and upkeep.
These well-structured routes did not have severe descents or ascents, and their usage was maintained long after the collapse of the Roman empire, having been absorbed into the Santiago roads and travelled by thousands of pilgrims and utilised until about the beginning of the 20th century. Along the journey, there is a spectacular collection of milestones that not only show the distance in miles to the provincial capital, but also honour the Roman emperors.
The Geira Roman Road in Portugal is particularly well signposted, with finely constructed glass boards describing the history and metal signposts pointing the way every mile of the route.
The well-marked track and infrastructure barely extends to the Spanish border. However, once in Spain, the path from the Portela do Homen border crossing to the town of Lobios is practically a straight line and is easy to follow on a map.
10 day hike starting in Braga ending in Santiago. You should be able to book an overnight stay in any of the villages.
- Day 1 Braga-Caldelas
(18,5 km)
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Day 2 Caldelas-Campo do Gerês
(28,3 km)
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Day 3 Campo do Gerês-Lóbios
(25 km)
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Day 4 Lóbios-Castro Laboreiro
(21,3 km)
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Day 5 Castro Laboreiro-Cortegada
(28 km)
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Day 6 Cortegada-Berán
(24 km)
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Day 7 Berán-Beatriz
(29,5 km)
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Day 8 Beariz-Codeseda
(32 km)
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Day 9 Codeseda-Pontevea
(25,7 km)
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Day 10 Pontevea-Santiago
(18,5 km)
