Stage Alcalá de Guadaíra - Sevilla

The last stage of the Vía Augusta covers eighteen kilometres between Alcalá de Guadaíra and Seville, following the valley of the Guadaíra to near its confluence with the Guadalquivir. It is a short, flat day with almost no change in elevation, designed for reaching the finish unhurried and with time in hand to enjoy the city.

Leaving Alcalá, the path drops from the area around the castle and takes the river corridor. The first kilometres are the most agreeable of the day: riverside vegetation, tree cover and stretches of made-up greenway that allow comfortable walking out of the sun.

As the stage goes on, the landscape becomes urban. The path crosses the Seville metropolitan belt, with industrial estates, road infrastructure and neighbourhoods that announce the nearness of the capital. It is not the finest stretch of the route, but it is well waymarked and presents no difficulty.

The entry into Seville comes through the eastern districts and works its way gradually into the historic centre. The final kilometres are wholly urban and the pilgrim walks them amid the bustle of the city, with the tower of the Giralda appearing and disappearing between the streets until the arrival.

Seville is an ending worthy of the road. Its monumental ensemble — the Cathedral with the Giralda, the Real Alcázar and the Archivo de Indias, all declared World Heritage — is completed by the Torre del Oro, the Santa Cruz quarter and Triana, across the river. For many pilgrims, moreover, it is not an ending but a beginning: the Vía de la Plata sets out from here on its way to Santiago.