Day 1:  USA - SEVILLE.  Tour members meet at the airport two hours prior to departure. Dinner and breakfast are served in flight.  In the Europe of the Middle Ages, the Way of St. James turned into the most important pilgrimage route after the discovery of his Tomb in Compostela in the Ninth Century. The path of countless pilgrims who, encouraged by their faith, headed to Compostela and the starting point of a huge artistic, social and economic development that left unforgettable memories along the Way. The silver route, became the Southern Way of St. James. Nowadays, it is the chosen itinerary year after year by more than 4.000 pilgrims to reach Santiago de Compostela.

Day 2:  SEVILLE - MERIDA - CACERES.  The pilgrimage to Santiago through the western area of Spain - more than one thousand kilometers - starts in the city of Seville.  Upon arrival, we set a course for Merida on the banks of Guadiana River and the capital city of the Roman Province of Lusitania.  Still today, it preserves the greatest Roman legacy in Spain.  Our next stop is Caceres which hides within its ancient walls with priceless treasures, little squares, palaces, churches and noble houses.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 3:  CACERES - TRUJILLO - GUADALUPE - SALAMANCA.  After breakfast, we depart for Trujillo, located on a hill and boasts one of the most peculiar sights of all Spanish geography.  The Conquistadors built magnificent residences constructed of the finest granite stone on their return to their native soil.  These residences not only reflected their adventures abroad, but also portrayed the colonization of South America.  After our stop in Trujillo, the trip continues to Guadalupe which was a privileged eyewitness of the first expeditions to America and the first Indians coming from there were baptized here.  The Royal Monastery of St. Mary of Guadalupe was added in 1993 to the World Heritage Sites list.  We then continue to Salamanca for dinner and overnight.

Day 4:  SALAMANCA - ASTORGA - LEON.  Breakfast and then a visit of Salamanca, also known as the University City or Golden City.  It is World Heritage Site thanks to the beauty of its monuments, built with the local sandstone of the village of Villamayor de Armuña.  We continue to the mythical land of “La Maragateria” and its capital city: Astorga that, in the Middle Ages, counted on more than 25 hospitals on its perimeter. Time at leisure to visit its main monuments such as the Cathedral of St. Mary, the Bishop’s Palace (which hosts the Museum of the Way) designed by architect Gaudi who created a very peculiar building modifying any of the traditional canons.  We then drive to Leon for dinner and overnight.

Day 5:  LEON - PONFERRADA - LUGO.  After breakfast, we visit the city of Leon - one of the main cities that we find on “The Way”. This city had its origin as a Roman camp and the valuable architectural sites are countless including the Cathedral and the Royal Basilica of San Isidro, one of the most important treasures of the Spanish Romanesque.  We continue to Ponferrada which is one of the main stages in the Way of St. James throughout the province of Leon.  The historic center stretches away at the foot of an impressive castle founded by the templar knights.  Then on to Lugo and our city-tour.  The city preserves important signs from its Roman past.  Among them, its thousand-year-old wall declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 6:  LUGO - SARRIA - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA.  Breakfast and then depart to Sarria to visit the Monastery of Mary Magdalene.  Continue to Santiago de Compostela and enter the city by foot from the path of Juan XXIII up to the cathedral, the finishing point of “The Way”.  Visit the Cathedral and we may embrace the Saint once inside, following the tradition.  Free time at leisure before dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 7:  SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA - BENAVENTE.  After breakfast this morning, we visit the city of Santiago de Compostela.  We start with a walking tour on the Cathedral roofs to enjoy a unique view of the city from this different perspective. Afterwards, we will go to the Pilgrim’s Mass. This afternoon, we depart for Benavente, one of the most important villages from the Zamora Province.  Benavente has a very interesting heritage: The Church of St. John of the Market in the purest Romanesque style; Saint Mary of the Azogue and the Passion Hospital created during the sixteenth century in order to provide accommodation for the pilgrims going to Santiago.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 8:  BENAVENTE - PLASENCIA - SEVILLE.  Breakfast and then depart for Plasencia.  This city has a beautiful historical center since it is a strategic enclave on the Silver Route.  It was inhabited by Romans and Arabs up to the twelfth century when Alphonse VIII regained the city and renamed it Plasencia “that it may be pleasing to God and Man”.  He built a city wall with 68 towers.  Visit the two Cathedrals, the churches of San Nicolás and San Ildefonso.  Continue to Seville for dinner and overnight.

Day 9:  SEVILLE - USA.  Early morning, we depart to the airport for our return flight to North America and home - the end of our memorable pilgrimage.