Tapia de Casariego

Right now in Tapia de Casariego (as of October 2026)

• Albergue: The municipal albergue underwent an energy refurbishment from July 2025, with reopening planned for early 2026. An albergue portal still listed it as "temporarily closed" in August 2026. Ask at the tourist office before you go, phone +34 985 471 099.

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. After almost 25 kilometres from Navia you arrive in the afternoon, and Tapia is small enough for one evening. Walk down to the harbour, to the lighthouse on the harbour island and to one of the beaches. If you like, watch the surfers at Anguileiro. Tomorrow's stage is short, so you can sleep in.

Tapia de Casariego in Ninja numbers

• 207.4 kilometres are still left from here to Santiago on the Camino del Norte.
• 24.9 kilometres it is from Navia, with 518 metres of ascent.
• 13.9 kilometres are left to Ribadeo, the first town in Galicia.
• 1863 is the year Tapia became a municipality of its own. Before that it belonged to Castropol.
• €7 was the price of a bed in the municipal albergue before the refurbishment (as of August 2026).

Arriving: back by the sea

After La Caridad and Valdepares the route leads via El Franco and San Antonio back to the sea. Just before town, at the beach of Represas, stands the pilgrim albergue. Beyond it lies Tapia, with its small harbour and the Plaza de la Constitución at its heart. Some guides continue the main route inland after La Caridad and call Tapia a variant; the Camino Ninja map takes you along the coast here.

In brief: a harbour gets its name

Until the mid-19th century Tapia belonged to the municipality of Castropol. In 1863 it became independent, and it owes the second part of its name to the man who pushed for it: Fernando Fernández-Casariego. The area is much older. Nine castros, fortified villages from pre-Roman times, lie within the municipality. For a long time the town lived from fishing, and the small harbour is still its heart.

Harbour and beaches: what to see

Everything is a few minutes' walk from the harbour.

• The harbour and the Isla de Tapia: The fishing harbour with its pier and promenade is the finest spot in town. A lighthouse stands on the little harbour island. In the evening, when the boats are in, this is your place for the last hour of the day.
• Playa de Anguileiro: The town's most popular beach, especially with surfers. Every year in Holy Week a surfing competition takes place here.
• Playa de Represas: The beach right by the albergue. From the albergue garden you look out over the cliffs.
• Mansions on the square: Around the Plaza de la Constitución stand several old houses of wealthy families, among them the Palacio de Campos and the Palacio de Cancio Donlebún. You see them from outside.

Honestly

• The albergue is a gamble. Whether the municipal albergue has reopened after the refurbishment is not reliably confirmed. Have a backup plan.
• A basic albergue. Even when open it has just one dormitory, no proper kitchen, no washing machine and no warden on site; keys and stamps are handed out at the tourist office.
• Busy in August. With the Festival Intercéltico and the summer visitors you should look for a room early then.

Where pilgrims sleep

The Albergue de peregrinos de Tapia belongs to the municipality and stands at the edge of town above the beach of Represas. Before the refurbishment it had 16 places in one dormitory and cost €7 (as of August 2026); in future there are to be 20 places. You cannot book; you register at the tourist office in the Casa de la Cultura on the Plaza del Mercado, daily 10:30 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 19:00. If it is closed, you are left with the hotels and apartments in town or the campsite on the way out, which offers pilgrims a special price. The next albergue towards Galicia is 11.0 kilometres further on in Figueras.

Ninja tips

• Call ahead. The tourist office knows whether the albergue is open and also gives you the key.
• Bring your food. The albergue only has a microwave. Shop in town before you head to the albergue.

Practical tips for pilgrims

• Tourist office: Casa de la Cultura, Plaza del Mercado 1, phone +34 985 471 099. This is where you get the albergue key and the stamp.
• Festivals: The surfing competition in Holy Week, the Festival Intercéltico d'Occidente in August.

Onward: to the border of Galicia

The stage to Ribadeo is short and almost flat: 13.9 kilometres with 228 metres of ascent. You walk along the coast, past the Playa de Penarronda, and via Villadún to Figueras on the Ría del Eo. Then you cross the ría on the footway of the Puente de los Santos and stand in Galicia. From Ribadeo it is then another 193.5 kilometres to Santiago.

Deep dive: A town that named itself

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

Nine castros and a harbour

The coast around Tapia was inhabited long before there were pilgrims to Santiago. Within today's municipality lie nine castros, villages from pre-Roman times that huddled on hills and rocky headlands above the sea. Later people lived from fishing, and around the small harbour a town grew up that for centuries belonged to Castropol, the larger municipality further west on the ría.

Independent since 1863

In the nineteenth century Tapia wanted to stand on its own. A man from the town championed the cause, Fernando Fernández-Casariego, and in 1863 the government recognised the new municipality. Since then it has carried his name. If you sleep here, you spend one of your last evenings in Asturias. Tomorrow you walk over the bridge, and on the other side Galicia begins, the land of the Apostle.