Arrive at the Obradoiro on foot, and end the day among the legends of the Quintana.

This day is for entering Santiago as the pilgrims do, even if you have not come from far. In the morning a Galicia Experience guide takes you a few kilometres back and you walk down from Monte do Gozo to the Praza do Obradoiro. In the afternoon, lunch, the cathedral and a short tasting. At night, the legends of the city with an official guide. It only runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from March to October.

From morning to night

9:00 · Arrival. From A Coruña or Pontevedra, an hour on the AP-9 or half an hour by train from A Coruña. You need to be in Santiago before ten.

10:00 · Pilgrim for a day. Galicia Experience takes you about nine kilometres outside the city and the guide meets you at Monte do Gozo, from where you can see the cathedral towers. From there you walk down to the Obradoiro. It is about three and a half hours in total, with walking poles and a cap included. It costs €40, €25 for ages 6 to 15. Bear in mind that this stretch does not entitle you to the Compostela.

14:00 · Lunch at O Dezaseis. The eatery on Rúa de San Pedro, the street by which the Camino Francés enters the old town. Galician cooking at a middling price; book ahead.

16:00 · The cathedral. Go back to the centre and enter the basilica by Praterías, now without hurry and without a rucksack. It is free; the Portico of Glory needs a timed ticket.

18:00 · Wine and cheese tasting. Three Galician wines and three artisan cheeses with a Galicia Travels guide, in a venue in the old town, for €28. The exact spot arrives with the voucher.

20:00 · Night route. Juan Segade, of Compos Tours, leaves from the arcades of the Casa da Conga, in the Quintana, and in two hours tells legends, symbols and the medieval Jewish quarter. It ends at Praterías. It costs €15.

22:00 · Head home. In A Coruña or Pontevedra around eleven at night. If you can, stay the night: the return at night is long after a day on foot.

If the day or the weather changes

Outside the season, or on a Monday, Wednesday or weekend, there is no guided departure: you can do the Monte do Gozo stretch on your own, or the whole stage from O Pedrouzo if you leave very early. In heavy rain, swap the walk for the Museo do Pobo Galego, which Galicia Experience visits with a guide at 11:00. If you prefer a guided dinner, the evening version of the Santiago Experience tour includes dinner and queimada and replaces the tasting and the route.