Ribadiso

How long to stay?

A long break, or one evening. Ribadiso is a small hamlet with a bridge, a river, albergues and one bar. Most pilgrims rest here and walk the 3.1 kilometres on to Arzúa. If you would rather sleep by the river than in the small town, stay: the evening in Ribadiso is quieter, and next morning Arzúa is quickly reached.

Ribadiso in Ninja numbers

• 41.5 kilometres are still left from here to Santiago.
• 305 metres above sea level, here by the Iso, is the lowest point of the stage between Melide and Arzúa.
• 11.1 kilometres lie behind you since Melide.
• 1993 was the year the old hospital became a pilgrim albergue again.

Arriving: down to the Iso

From Melide you walk up and down via Boente and A Castañeda. Then the path leads down into the valley of the Iso. Ahead of you lies the small stone bridge, and right behind it the long stone house of the old hospital on the bank. Here the Camino Francés and the Camino Primitivo walk together, having already joined in Melide.

In brief: the hospital by the river

The hospital of Ribadiso dates from the 13th or 14th century and was named after Saint Anthony. Over time it was run by various communities, among them the goldsmiths' guild of Santiago. After centuries of decay, the Xunta de Galicia restored the building in the early 1990s, and in 1993 it reopened as a pilgrim albergue. Today Ribadiso belongs to the municipality of Arzúa, and only a few dozen people live in the hamlet.

Bridge and hospital: what to see

Everything is a few steps from the river.

• The bridge over the Iso: A small stone bridge that pilgrims have crossed since the Middle Ages. Some sources trace its origins back to Roman times; that is not documented.
• The old hospital: The long stone house on the bank is today the Xunta albergue. Even if you are not sleeping here, take a look: few albergues on the Camino stand so unchanged where pilgrims slept seven hundred years ago.
• The meadow by the Iso: Next to the albergue a meadow runs right down to the water. Many pilgrims take off their shoes here and cool their feet.

Food and drink

Ribadiso has one bar with a restaurant, nothing more. Try the area's Arzúa-Ulloa cheese with protected designation of origin; in Arzúa you will find it everywhere.

Honestly

• No supplies. No cash machine, no pharmacy, no supermarket. If you sleep here, shop beforehand in Melide.
• The Xunta kitchen is small. In the public albergue there is only a microwave and a fridge; you cannot really cook there.
• From here it gets crowded. Ribadiso lies within the last hundred kilometres, and in season the Way is busy.

Where pilgrims sleep

The Xunta's Albergue de peregrinos de Ribadiso in the old hospital is open all year; a bed costs €10 (as of October 2026). You cannot book; check-in starts at 13:00. Next to it there are three private albergues: Los Caminantes, Milpés and Miraiso, plus a guesthouse.

Ninja tips

• Take your break here, not in Arzúa. Bridge, river and meadow by the hospital are the loveliest spot of the stage.
• Sleep by the river. If you don't fancy a small town in Arzúa, you will find the quieter evening here and reach Arzúa in under an hour in the morning.
• Bring cash. The next cash machine is in Arzúa.

Onward: up to Arzúa

Beyond the bridge the path climbs and leads 3.1 kilometres to Arzúa, where the Camino del Norte joins as well. From Ribadiso it is 22.2 kilometres to O Pedrouzo.

What awaits you tomorrow

Arzúa, the town of cheese, is the last larger place before O Pedrouzo. There the Camino Francés, the Primitivo and the Norte finally run together.

Deep dive: A hospital that stayed

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Ribadiso. About two minutes' reading.

A house by the water

In the Middle Ages pilgrim hospitals often stood by rivers and bridges. Anyone who had to cross a river was exhausted, wet or ill, and the hospital took them in. Ribadiso is one of the few you can still see like this: a long stone house on the bank of the Iso, right next to the bridge, from the thirteenth or fourteenth century.

Goldsmiths for the pilgrims

The hospital was run by changing communities, among them the goldsmiths' guild of Santiago. It is a lovely thought: the craftsmen who made the treasures of the cathedral in Santiago looked after the pilgrims' bread and beds here, two days' walk before the city.

Back to life

After centuries the house stood empty and fell into decay. In the early nineties the Xunta de Galicia had it restored, and in 1993, a Holy Year, it reopened as an albergue. Since then pilgrims have slept here again, where their predecessors once slept.

What Ribadiso gives you

Close to the goal, the Way grows fuller and faster. Ribadiso is an invitation to stop once more, put your feet in the water and notice that you have almost arrived.