Camino de Santiago

Overview

The Camino de Santiago or the way of St James is a glorious 900 km path across the north of Spain, following an ancient pilgrimage route west to the magnificent cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. Tenth-century pilgrims braved bandits and wolves in their quest to revere the bones of St James. The ancient star-gazing Celts went this way too, following the Milky way west towards the setting sun and the solar temple of Ara Solis at Finis Terrae, the end of the earth.

Today, pilgrims walk to Santiago and Finisterre for many different reasons. For some, making a pilgrimage to the Holy City is a lifelong dream borne out of religious faith. Others seek a break from daily routes, practice sport or want to get back to a simpler way of living, and some want to immerse themselves in Spanish history and culture, and meet people with similar interests. People from all around the world can be met along the way.

We’ll do it our way

We will be following the Camino Francés, which began in the 11th century as a religious pilgrimage across the North of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. In recent years, this trek has gained fame as a travel, recreational, and social adventure; the pilgrims usually traverse the peninsula on foot along with thousands of others from all over the world. The IES Barcelona trek along the historical path, declared UNESCO World Heritage Site, will take approximately seven days and will average 11 miles a day. With your ‘credencial’ - a sort of special pilgrim passport - you will visit small towns along the way. As we go along the road, we will stamp it in the different phases of the itinerary as to be awarded the historic Camino de Santiago certificate in Santiago de Compostela. To finish, we will stay one more day in that gorgeous, magnificent city.

Even though there is no minimum language level requirement, all students on the trek will pledge to speak only Spanish along the hike. Last year’s IES pilgrims really enjoyed this unique experience.

The cost of the trip is approximately 600 Euros. The price includes:

• Round-trip flight from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela
• Bus trip to starting point
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner during the hike
• Lodging
• Transportation for the luggage (for those who prefer not to carry everything with them) or for those who get hurt along the way.

IES will send all Barcelona summer participants more information about the trip and how to sign up for it. Note that the number of spots available is limited to 20.