Cabo Fisterra

Finisterre, Fisterra in Galician, was taken in antiquity for the western edge of the known world, and although Cabo da Roca in Portugal is some sixteen kilometres further west - and even in Spain Cabo Tourinan lies a little further out - the belief attached here and stuck. The lighthouse stands on Monte Facho, whose top reaches 238 metres. A lighthouse of 1853 stands on the point at the end of a headland reached by a road climbing from the fishing town below, with the Atlantic on three sides. Many pilgrims continue the three days from Santiago to reach it, and a tradition of burning boots or clothes at the cape grew up in the twentieth century, now discouraged for fire risk with a designated place provided. Watching the sun set into the ocean is the point of arriving in the evening. The Costa da Morte north of it takes its name from its wrecks.

What you'll find

• The 1853 lighthouse - a tower on the point above the Atlantic.
• The sunset gathering - walkers and visitors on the rocks at dusk.
• The kilometre zero marker - the end point of the Camino extension.
• The Costa da Morte - a wreck-strewn coast running north from the cape.

When to go

May, June, September and October; the sunset is the draw and needs clear weather, which Galicia does not reliably provide. Summer brings crowds and the pilgrim season peaks from June to September.

Good to know

Cloud on the Atlantic coast is frequent and many evenings produce no sunset at all. Burning clothes is now restricted and enforced. The town below is a working fishing port rather than a resort, with limited accommodation.

Nearby

Muxia and its clifftop sanctuary lie north; Santiago is ninety kilometres east.

Key facts