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Complete Guide

Complete Guide to East Coast Road

The Levante Way connects Valencia with the Via de la Plata in Zamora. A long and demanding route that crosses the Meseta Central, linking the Mediterranean to the heart of Castile.

Last updated: 28/03/2026

Technical Summary of East Coast Road

815 km

Distance

33

days

27

Stages

Alta

Difficulty

232 accommodations available on the route

Introduction to East Coast Road

The Levante Way is one of the major Jacobean routes in the Peninsula. It connects Valencia with the Silver Road in Zamora, allowing for continuation to Astorga to join the French Way. Its route, over 800 km until Zamora, traverses the Central Plateau, passing through Castile-La Mancha and Castile and León.

It is a long and demanding route, especially in summer. It offers a deep immersion into interior Spain, with its vast landscapes and historic cities like Toledo and Ávila. Due to its length and the variability of services in some areas, it requires excellent planning.

All Stages of East Coast Road

Complete route divided into 27 stages

1

Valencia to Algemesí

The Levante Way starts in the vibrant city of Valencia, saying goodbye to the Mediterranean for a foray into the fertile Valencian plain. This first stage is a long but flat journey that serves as an ...

38.70 km 9.68 h Media View Stage
2

Algesiras to Xàtiva

This stage continues across the Valencian plain, on a route that draws the pilgrim closer to the peninsula's interior. The landscape remains dominated by orange groves and other irrigated crops. It is...

31.20 km 7.80 h Media View Stage
3

Xàtiva to Moixent

Leaving behind the monumental Xàtiva, this stage of the Levante Way delves into more mountainous and demanding terrain. The profile becomes wavy, with constant ascents and descents through mountains a...

27.50 km 6.88 h Media View Stage
4

Moixent near The Fountain of the Fig Tree

This is a short and transitional stage, ideal for recovering strength. The route runs across an elevated plain, with a landscape of vineyards and fields of grain that already signal the proximity of L...

17.00 km 4.25 h Baja View Stage
5

The Fountain of the Fig Tree to Almansa

At this stage, the pilgrim crosses the invisible border between the Valencian Community and Castile-La Mancha, entering the province of Albacete. The landscape transforms into characteristic Manchegan...

27.70 km 6.93 h Media View Stage
6

Almansa to Higueruela

This is a long and demanding stage that dives right into the Manchegan plain. The route is almost flat, with long straights that cross a landscape of cereal fields and vineyards. The feeling of vastne...

38.90 km 9.73 h Media View Stage
7

Huerguela to Chincha de Montearagón

This stage continues through the Manchegan high plateau, on a long but gentle route that was less demanding than the previous day's journey. The landscape remains dominated by fields of cultivation an...

29.30 km 7.33 h Media View Stage
8

Chinchilla, Spain to Albacete, Spain

This is a short and descending stage that leads the pilgrim from historic Chinchilla to modern and dynamic Albacete city. The path leaves the Chinchilla hill to enter the surrounding plain which surro...

16.00 km 4.00 h Baja View Stage
10

Wheel of St. Clement (Cuenca)

This long stage connects the provinces of Albacete and Cuenca, deepening into the heart of La Mancha. The route is flat and monotonous, a challenge for the pilgrim's mind as they walk through endless ...

34.50 km 8.63 h Media View Stage
11

San Clemente (Cuenca) to Las Pedroñeras

After the grandeur of San Clemente, this stage enters again into the Manchegan plain. It is a moderate distance walk with no inclines, that passes through a landscape of vineyards and garlic fields. T...

23.60 km 5.90 h Baja View Stage
12

The Pedróguez to El Toboso

This stage is a journey to the heart of literary Mancha. It's a long but flat journey that takes the pilgrim from the garlic capital to the village of Don Quixote's beloved. The path traverses a viney...

31.70 km 7.93 h Media View Stage
13

The To bosso to The Village of Don Fadrique

This is the penultimate stage of the Winter Camino. The profile is a continuous rise and fall through rural Galicia. The path passes by Silleda, an important service center. The most notable milestone...

18.00 km 4.00 h Baja View Stage
14

The House of Don Fadrique at Tembleque

The last and exciting stage of the Winter Camino. The journey involves the last great ascent of the Camino, a demanding climb that takes the pilgrim to the gates of Santiago. Emotion grows with each s...

25.00 km 6.00 h Media View Stage
15

Tembleque de Mora (Toledo)

This stage of the Levante Way enters the Toledo Hills, offering a change in landscape after the Manchegan plains. The route becomes more undulating and the surroundings more wooded. It is a considerab...

24.70 km 6.18 h Media View Stage
16

Mora (Toledo), Spain to Toledo, Spain

This is the arrival stage at the majestic and imperial city of Toledo. It's a long and demanding journey with an undulating profile that crosses the Toledo Mountains. The landscape is of great beauty,...

39.20 km 9.80 h Alta View Stage
17

Toledo to Torrijos

Leaving behind the monumental Toledo, this long stage enters into the Torrijos comarca, a flat landscape and agricultural zone. The road is a long traverse through the Toledan plateau, with endless st...

34.70 km 8.68 h Media View Stage
18

Torrijos to Escalón

This moderate-distance stage takes the pilgrim to historic Escalona, on the banks of the Alberche River. The route passes through a landscape of fields and pastures. Arrival in Escalona is special, wi...

25.00 km 6.25 h Media View Stage
19

Escalada to San Martin of Valdeiglesias

At this stage, the pilgrim says goodbye to the province of Toledo to enter the Community of Madrid. The landscape changes notably, entering into the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos. The terrain beco...

30.60 km 7.65 h Alta View Stage
20

San Martin of Valdeiglesias to Cebreros

This stage is a beautiful mountain trail that connects the communities of Madrid and Castile and León, delving into Avila province. The path traverses the Sierra de Gredos, with a landscape of pine fo...

14.00 km 3.50 h Media View Stage
21

Cebreiros to Saint Bartholomew of Pinaries

This stage has as its destination one of the major milestones on the Via de la Plata: the ruins of the Roman city of Cáparra. The route is flat and follows a landscape of meadows. Emotion grows as the...

22.00 km 5.50 h Media View Stage
22

From San Bartolomé of Pinares to Avila

The first stage of the South East Way starts in the city of Alicante, by the Mediterranean Sea. It is a transition phase that takes the pilgrim out of the big city and into the Vinalopó valley. The pr...

22.00 km 5.00 h Media View Stage
23

Avila to Gotarrendura

This stage continues through the Vinalopó valley in a gentle slope terrain. The landscape is dominated by vineyards and agricultural fields. It's a transition day that brings the pilgrim closer to the...

20.00 km 4.50 h Baja View Stage
24

Attack on Arévalo

This stage marks the passage of the Valencian Community to the Region of Murcia. The profile becomes more demanding, with an upward and downward trend through a landscape of vineyards and low hills. I...

28.00 km 6.00 h Media View Stage
25

Ávila to Medina del Campo

This stage enters the province of Albacete, on a terrain of gentle undulations. The landscape is a mix of vineyards and cereal fields, typical of the transition between the east and the plateau. It's ...

22.00 km 5.00 h Baja View Stage
26

Medina del Campo to Seven Churches of Trabancos

Leaving behind historic Medina del Campo, this stage enters the Tierra del Vino region. It is a considerable distance and flat profile that traverses a landscape of vineyards and fields of grain. The ...

24.60 km 12.90 h Baja View Stage
27

Seven Churches of Trabancos to Toro

This is a long stage that joins the provinces of Valladolid and Zamora, culminating in historic city of Toro. The route is flat and runs through a landscape of vineyards, the cradle of the Denominació...

31.30 km 10.43 h Media View Stage
28

Bull for Zamora

This final stage of the Levante Way joins two of the most important cities in Zamora province. The route is flat and largely follows the Duero River valley, a landscape of riverbanks and cultivated fi...

36.50 km 12.17 h Media View Stage

Key Towns of East Coast Road

The most important towns and cities on this route.

Valencia

Valencia

By the Mediterranean coast, Valencia is the starting point of the Levant Route. A city that combines the avant-garde of the City of Arts and Sciences with a historic old town of a thousand years.

Algemesí

Algemesí

15 m

Valencian town famous for its Muixeranga.

Xàtiva

Xàtiva

Monumental city on the Levant Way. Its imposing castle, cradle of the Borgia Popes, offers the pilgrim a stop with history, art, and breathtaking views.

Moixent

Moixent

340 m

Valencian municipality with Iberian site.

La Font de la Figuera

La Font de la Figuera

550 m

Rural locality of Valencia.

Almansa

Almansa

Albacetean city on the Southeast Route, famous for its spectacular rocky castle, one of the most beautiful in Spain. A historic and monumental stop in La Mancha.

Higueruela

Higueruela

900 m

Rural locality of Albacete.

Chinchilla de Montearagón

Chinchilla de Montearagón

Medieval villa on a hill, watchtower of La Mancha on the Southeastern Route. Its castle, wall and cave houses offer a historic stop with spectacular views.

Albacete

Albacete

Capital of Spain and cultural hub. Albacete is an important service center on the South East Route, with a lively urban life and rich Manchegan cuisine.

La Roda

La Roda

Known for its "Miguelitos", La Roda is the sweetest stop on the Southeastern Way. A Manchegan village that offers pilgrims a delicious break in the province of Albacete.

San Clemente

San Clemente

Renaissance villa of Cuenca and stop on the Southeastern Way. Its Main Square and its monumental heritage make it a jewel of Conquest of La Mancha for pilgrims.

Las Pedroñeras

Las Pedroñeras

Known as the "World Garlic Capital", this village in La Mancha is a delicious stop on the Southeastern Way, offering the pilgrim an unique gastronomic experience.

History of East Coast Road

The Levante Way is one of the major historical Jacobean routes, an immense diagonal tracing a journey over 800 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast of Valencia to the heart of the Via Plata in Zamora. It's a long-distance route that traverses the spine of the Iberian Peninsula, offering the pilgrim a deep immersion into the diversity of landscapes, cultures and history of interior Spain. Its history is that of ancient trade routes connecting prosperous Kingdom of Valencia with the interior of Castile, paths also taken by pilgrims driven by faith.

The origins of the Levante Way are rooted in the powerful communication network that underpinned the peninsula from Roman times. The city of Valencia, "Valentia Edetanorum" Roman and later capital of its own kingdom and one of the most active ports of the Mediterranean, was a natural starting point. Jacobean devotion in Valencia is documented since the Middle Ages, with the founding of pilgrim hospitals and brotherhoods under the patronage of St James, which served locals and mariners arriving by sea.

From Valencia, the route heads inland, leaving fertile huerta to begin an ascending progression towards the Meseta. The first major historical milestone is Xàtiva, birthplace of the Borja popes and a city of great strategic importance. The route enters Castile-La Mancha via Almansa, famous for its castle and for a decisive battle in the War of Succession. It traverses vast plains of La Mancha, passing through Albacete, La Roda and El Toboso, the literary homeland of Dulcinea.

The route continues on to the northwest, facing some of Spain's most monumental cities. It passes through Toledo, imperial city, ancient Visigoth capital and melting pot of three cultures, a spiritual center of first order. It proceeds towards the Central Range, arriving at Ávila, St Teresa's city, protected by the best-preserved medieval walls in the world. After crossing the mountain range, it descends to the Meseta North, passing through Medina del Campo, whose castle of la Mota was a key player in Castile's history, and Tordesillas, on the Duero River banks. The route reaches Toro, with its magnificent Romanesque collegiate church, before reaching its intermediate destination: Zamora.

In Zamora, "the capital of Romanesque", the Levante Way fulfills its primary historical objective: linking up with the Via Plata. Pilgrims who have crossed half Spain from the Mediterranean join those ascending from the south. From Zamora, the unified route continues northwards. The total distance to Santiago exceeds 1,200 kilometers, making it one of the longest and most demanding routes.

Due to its length and the harsh climate of the Meseta, the Levante Way has always been a challenge reserved for the most persevering pilgrims. Today, its recovery and signage offer an exceptional Jacobean experience. It's a journey through often-forgotten Spain, a path of solitude, infinite horizons and monumental heritage, uniting the Mediterranean sun with the heart of old Castile on the long journey to Compostela.

Accommodations on the Route

The East Coast Road has 232 verified accommodations along the entire route.

View Stages & Accommodations

Practical Tips for East Coast Road

Best Season

Spring (April-June) and autumn (September-October) are the best seasons. Pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds than summer.

Physical Preparation

Train by walking progressively in the months before. Start with short distances and increase. Your body will adapt to the rhythm of the Camino.

What to Pack

Light backpack (max 10% of your weight), worn trekking shoes, breathable technical clothing, raincoat, sunscreen and basic first aid kit.

General Tips

Carry the pilgrim credential, stay hydrated, respect your pace, book accommodation in high season and enjoy the journey without rushing.

FAQ about East Coast Road

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