A Heartfelt Welcome: Pilgrims Enjoy the Palencia Region

by Karin Kiser | San Diego, CA 

From May 26 to June 2, 2026, 33 American Pilgrims participated in a weeklong cultural experience in the province of Palencia, located in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. A 70-kilometer meseta stretch of the Camino Francés crosses Palencia from Itero de la Vega to San Nicolás del Real Camino.

During the weeklong trip, we discovered that Palencia has much more to offer beyond its relatively short stretch of the Camino Francés. It is replete with rich history, culture, architecture, and gastronomy. Palencia is also home to Spain’s oldest Visigothic church and the country’s first university. Our gracious hosts, the Asociación de Amigos del Camino de Santiago en Palencia, offered a diverse program that included visits to historic churches and monasteries, receptions with local officials, a choir concert, a tour of a fourth-century Roman villa, a boat ride along the Canal de Castilla, a medieval gala, and visits to a local winery and chocolate shop.

Yet, like all-things-Camino, the people were the most memorable part of the journey. Along with the  Palencia association that led the trip, leaders from the Asociación los Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Estella traveled 250 kilometers to join the group for a day in Carrión de los Condes. Later, more than 20 members of the Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Burgos joined the group over two days. These opportunities to connect with representatives from all three associations made the group’s time in Spain not just a cultural experience, but a true cultural exchange—and a way to see firsthand the friendships and goodwill that American Pilgrims is fostering with Camino associations across Spain. It is precisely this kind of heartfelt welcome and camaraderie that draws American Pilgrims members back to the Camino again and again.

American Pilgrims on the Camino will offer its fifth annual cultural experience trip from May 22-29, 2027, just prior to the Gathering of Pilgrims to be held June 1-4 in Estella, Spain. American Pilgrims is planning its 2027 cultural experience program in cooperation with Camino associations in León, Astorga, and del Bierzo. Members can read more about it in the September 2026 monthly email newsletter. Registration for this cultural experience trip will open in January 2027.