Villafranca del Bierzo

After crossing León's grape-growing region, where the funky, floral Bierzo wines are produced, you'll arrive in this medieval village, dominated by a massive (and still-inhabited) feudal fortress. Visit the Romanesque church of Santiago to see the Puerta del Perdón (Door of Pardon), a sort of spiritual consolation prize for exhausted Camino pilgrims who couldn't make it over the mountains. Stroll the streets and seek out the onetime home of the infamous Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada. If you've made it all the way here, don't leave Bierzo without visiting the area’s most famous archaeological site, Las Médulas, whose bizarre stone formations are the remnants of Roman gold mines.