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Wise Pilgrim APPPalas de Rei is a small but functional town that serves as the municipal center for the surrounding area. It has a good range of services: several albergues and hotels, bars and restaurants, a supermarket, a pharmacy, and ATMs.
The Iglesia de San Tirso has a Romanesque doorway. The town sits on a hilltop, and the camino passes through the center along the main street.
The name may derive from Palatium Regis (Royal Palace), suggesting a medieval royal residence. Today it's a practical stopping point rather than a destination, but the food is good and the facilities are solid.
From Palas de Rei, the camino enters its final stretch. Santiago is about 65 km ahead.
The origin of the name Palas de Rei, ‘Palace of the King’, is owed to the last Visigothic king to rule Spain. Witiza had a brief reign, from 700-709, and he was only 14 when he was anointed. The family ruled all of the Iberian peninsula from Toledo and it wasn’t until 701 that Witiza came to Galicia, likely to Tui; his migration was prompted by both a Byzantine invasion and the spread of the plague from Constantinople. His reign was short lived but his namesake village here on the camino remains. For the record, he was, in fact, a co-ruler alongside his father, but ‘Palace of the Half King’ lacked a certain flair.
You have now entered eucalyptus territory, and although there are patches of old oak forests to be found this non-indigenous species has taken over the landscape and has become a symbol of Galicia.
