Arzúa is a winsome town in Galicia, Spain, and a welcome stop along the Camino de Santiago. With only twenty-two miles remaining before Santiago de Compostela, the town has long offered pilgrims a place to rest, recover, and gather their strength for the final stretch of the journey.
For Jeff Johnson and me, it was an outstanding rest stop.
Our “hovel” for the night was Casa Brandariz, a historic country house and restaurant dating to 1523. Carefully restored, it retains its ancient stone walls, rustic character, and much of its 16th-century charm. After so many miles on the Camino, it felt less like a hovel and more like a palace.
Arzúa’s history is intertwined with the countless pilgrims who have passed through it over the centuries. The 14th-century Chapel of La Magdalena, once part of an Augustinian monastery, served as a pilgrims’ hospital during the 15th century. Its pointed arch and simple belfry remain reminders of the town’s enduring role in caring for travelers.
At the entrance to Arzúa stands the medieval Ribadiso Bridge, alongside a former pilgrims’ hospital dating from the 13th or 14th century. The old hospital now serves as a public pilgrim hostel, continuing—after all these centuries—to offer shelter to those making their way toward Santiago.
The area’s history reaches back even further. About two kilometers from the town center are the remains of an ancient fortified circular settlement, evidence of the region’s pre-medieval Celtic roots. Long before pilgrims followed yellow arrows across Galicia, people were already making their homes among these green hills.
Arzúa gave us a chance to pause before the final push—a place to rest weary feet, enjoy the comforts of Casa Brandariz, and reflect on the generations of travelers who had stopped here before us.
Santiago was only twenty-two miles away.
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