Also known as Monxoi or “Mount Joy”, and Chapel of San Marcos. Celebrated as the first point from which the towers of the Cathedral were visible and so a place of great joy and celebration for pilgrims down the centuries. It is now hard to see the towers of the Cathedral from here, because of the trees which have grown in the middle distance. Until it was developed by the Xunta de Galicia for Holy Year 1993 it was a tranquil green hill.

To get to the albergue here follow the signs and arrows to the top of the hill, then continue down for c. 500 m. It is on the left, well signposted.

Monte de Gozo means mount of joy and refers to the joy that most pilgrims feel at reaching the top of this last hill before Santiago. The atmosphere is really buzzing by this point. Tradition holds that even those who have made the pilgrimage on horseback dismount and walk the last 4 or 5 km in by foot. It is not a tradition that has yet been adopted by the bicigrinos but I think it would make a nice tradition if all pilgrims could walk in together as one.

If you want to enjoy the traditional view that medieval pilgrims enjoyed of Santiago, it is about a 10-minute detour to the mirador with the two huge pilgrim statues. As the route from the mirador back on to the Camino is not marked I would suggest after visiting the mirador to head back to the main (JP II/Saint Francis) monument and re-join the Camino there.

From here on in its downhill pretty much all the way and after many days of uphill and downhill that is a joy in itself. From here also you are on the outskirts of the city and as any seasoned walker will tell you city walking is the most draining as it is literally hard on your feet. As you get closer there are progressively more bars and cafés where you can give your poor feet 5 minutes rest and enjoy a soft drink before the final push into the centre of Praza do Obradoiro where your pilgrimage officially ends.

Please note that for security reasons you will not be allowed into the cathedral with a full backpack although you may be allowed in with a small daypack which will be searched. However, if you have a backpack there is no problem as next to the entrance to the cathedral on the corner is a facility where for a small fee they will store your backpack for several hours giving you time to visit the cathedral, go to the Pilgrim's Office to get your Compostela and have some lunch before you head off to find your accommodation.