Advice on route, distance, and stopping points please? :)

[EmitaLin]

Hello, all! My husband is arriving in Barcelona (airport) on December 3 around 4 pm and will have 3 full days to hike along the Camí de Sant Jaume. He has been wanting to do this hike for some time (after months of med school studying) before we meet in Europe and I want to plan a nice route for him. He's hoping to get in a little walking on December 3 (maybe 2-3 hours). I have been looking at all different sites trying to find a suitable route, but it's a bit overwhelming and I thought I'd ask here. Any advice on how to leave Barcelona and begin the hike, good stopping points, etc. would be SO appreciated!!! Thank you!

 

[Kitsambler]

Barcelona, like so many European cities, has some extensive suburbs and industrial estates on its periphery, and these don't make for very pleasant walking. See if you can find a light rail line or bus route that will get you to the edge of town, once you have visited the cathedral.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

American Pilgrims on the Camino say this about the Camí de Sant Jaume:

The Camí de Sant Jaume originates at the Benedictine abbey of Santa María de Montserrat northwest of Barcelona leads westward and splits at Tárrega with one branch leading northwest to join the Camino aragonés and a second more westerly route joining the Ruta del Ebro.​

It is easy to get a train from Barcelona and trams at the train station take you to the abbey. I would want to start from there. Now, however, I have no more experience or advice.

 

[oursonpolaire]

Your friend Gronze will give you the first three stages to Tarrega (https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-catalan), from where a bus or train can easily snap him back to Barcelona. Igualada (26km) is a charming Catalan town, perhaps not with much of an historical quarter, but with a nice Mediterranean vibe. La Panadella (22km) is a truck stop, but they give a pilgrim's discount, and a hearty meal-- but that final 4-5km up the incline..... Then to Tarrega, a very pleasant Catalan town with lots of artsie things. Unless he is very fit, he might want to break up the 29km into two stages, staying overnight at Cervera (16km), a hilltop university town. Starting right out from Barcelona involves a dire trek through industrial suburbs-- if his confessor has set it as a penance, fine, but if not... local train goes up from Placa de Espanya to Montserrat.

It's not a busy route and he may well have it to himself, but the Catalans are friendly toward pilgrims--- I recall a two-hour delay trying to escape from a birthday party in a small village.

 

[jmcarp]

The train to Monserrat leaves from the Plaza de España (Plaça d' Espanya in Catalan) Station in Barcelona--not to be confused with the main Sants Estacío station. It takes about an hour to get to the first Monserrat stop (the cable car). The second Montserrat stop (funicular) is the next one up the line, just a few more minutes. If your hubby is uncomfortable with heights, I'd recommend taking the funicular up. Here's a photo of the long first span on the cable car/tram--it goes up to that T-shaped pylon about a km away in the fog up the mountain in one jump, then on to the stop at the top in one more shorter span:

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

All the information you require is on the Catalán Regional Government's website see http://www.camidesantjaume.cat/index_ing.php. As others have responded you can pick up the camino by getting a train to your starting point. You can also start walking from Barcelona. I don't see any big problems walking out of Barcelona. If you walk north you get some amazing views of the city/sea as you climb away towards Sabadell/Terrassa. Although there are some amazingly beautiful stages in the interior.

 

[EmitaLin]

Wow! Thank you all so very much for such helpful replies!!! Super grateful

 

[EmitaLin]

Thanks again to everyone for your very helpful replies! I just had one last question: What are your thoughts on walking from Tàrrega to Balaguer in a day? Does this seem doable? Anyone done it? Graciasss

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks again to everyone for your very helpful replies! I just had one last question: What are your thoughts on walking from Tàrrega to Balaguer in a day? Does this seem doable? Anyone done it? Graciasss

Hi, EmitaLin,
I walked this stretch in different stages, from Jorba to to Cervera (35) and then to Linyola (36). The distance from Tarrega to Balaguer is about the same as these, and they were very do-able. I don't know if you've seen my post with stages, but there is more info on the stages there.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...catalán-from-montserrat-through-huesca.36443/

I also kept a blog for family, which is linked at the bottom of this post with my other camino blogs.

Buen camino, Laurie