Camino Primitivo (Original Way)

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About the Route

Key Waypoints

1. Oviedo

   0km from start · 232m

   Starting point of the original Camino (9th century). Cathedral's Camara Santa holds relics transported from Jerusalem via Toledo. World Heritage Holy Chamber.

2. Grado

   25km from start · 60m

   A market town at the foot of the Cantabrian Mountains that has served pilgrims since King Alfonso II founded this route in 829 CE. The Collegiate Church of San Juan Evangelista contains Romanesque capitals and a Renaissance altarpiece, and the town's weekly Tuesday market has operated without interruption since the Middle Ages.

3. Tineo

   68km from start · 680m

   Highest town on the Primitivo route. Medieval monastery of San Pedro de Obona in the hills. Known for its chestnut forests.

4. Berducedo

   110km from start · 870m

   Perched at 700m in the Serra do Rañadoiro, Berducedo marks the transition from Asturias into Galicia — the wildest and loneliest passage on the entire Primitivo. The high exposed moorland ahead toward A Fonsagrada has historically been the stretch most dangerous to pilgrims from sudden storms and mountain cold.

5. A Fonsagrada

   157km from start · 952m

   Name means 'sacred fountain.' One of the remotest stops on any Camino. Entering Galicia through wild, mountainous terrain.

6. O Cadavo

   185km from start · 700m

   The first substantial Galician village after the high Asturian passes, where the Primitivo descends into Lugo province. The surrounding valley was densely settled in the Iron Age — the hillfort of Castro de Castillós, visible above the village, testifies to pre-Roman habitation stretching back over 2,500 years.

7. San Romao da Retorta

   243km from start · 440m

   The village church, San Román de Retorta, is among Galicia's earliest pre-Romanesque structures — its austere nave is believed to predate the 10th century. This is traditionally where the Camino Primitivo and Camino Francés converge, uniting the oldest and most-walked Camino routes for the final approach to Santiago.

8. Arzua

   290km from start · 389m

   Famous as the heart of Arzúa-Ulloa cheese country, producing the creamy, mild DOP-certified cheese that graces Galician tables. The 14th-century Augustinian Convent of La Magdalena offers pilgrim accommodation. The town is the last major stop before Santiago, and the energy of pilgrims completing the final 40km fills the cafes and albergues. The eucalyptus-scented forests thin into green meadows as Santiago approaches.

14 waypoints total · Sacred Trails app contains full detail for every waypoint.

Points of Interest

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