The Camino de Santiago: How to Walk the World's Most Famous Pilgrimage Route

The Camino de Santiago is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes that converge on the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwest Spain, where the remains of the apostle Saint James are said to be interred. People have been walking these routes for over a thousand years. In 2023, more than 446,000 pilgrims received the Compostela certificate in Santiago, arriving from over 160 countries. They came for reasons as varied as the routes themselves: religious devotion, grief, personal crisis, physical challenge, retirement celebration, curiosity, or simply the desire to walk somewhere extraordinary. What most of them were not prepared for was how profoundly the experience would change them. The Camino has a reputation for doing that, and it has earned it.

Which Route? The Main Caminos Explained

Camino Francés (The French Way)

The Camino Francés is the most walked route: 780km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Basque country to Santiago de Compostela, taking 30–35 days at a comfortable pace. Most walkers arrive in Saint-Jean by train from Paris (via Bayonne) and begin the following morning with the dramatic crossing of the Pyrenees via the Napoleón Route (1,450m, closed in severe winter weather) or the valley route through Valcarlos.

The French Way passes through major waypoints including Pamplona (home of the Running of the Bulls and excellent pintxos bars), Logroño (the heart of the Rioja wine region), Burgos (home of one of Spain's great Gothic cathedrals), León (Roman walls and a Gaudí building), and the O Cebreiro mountain pass into Galicia. The final 100km in Galicia, from Sarria to Santiago, qualifies on its own for the Compostela certificate and is noticeably more crowded with less experienced walkers, particularly in summer.

Camino Portugués (The Portuguese Way)

The Camino Portugués from Porto to Santiago is 260km and completable in 12 days, making it the most popular choice for walkers with limited time. It is relatively flat, very well waymarked, and passes through attractive small towns in northern Portugal and Galicia before entering Santiago. The Coastal variant (departing from the coast rather than inland Porto) is slightly longer but considerably more scenic. This is the best route for first-timers who want to complete the Compostela without committing a month of their lives.

Camino del Norte (The Northern Way)

The Camino del Norte follows the Bay of Biscay coast from Irún (on the French border) to Santiago, covering approximately 820km in 35–40 days. It is considerably less crowded than the Francés (roughly 30,000 walkers per year versus 200,000+), passes through dramatically beautiful Basque and Cantabrian coastal scenery, and is harder underfoot due to the coastal terrain. Albergues are less frequent and advance booking is more important. The Norte is generally recommended for walkers who have already completed the Francés and want a more challenging, quieter experience.

Other Routes

The Vía de la Plata runs 1,000km from Seville in southern Spain through Extremadura and Castile to Santiago, making it the longest single Camino route and ideal for those who want to walk through a dramatically different landscape. The Camino Inglés (from the port of Ferrol or Neda) is the shortest qualifying route at 120km and was historically used by British and Irish pilgrims who arrived by sea. The Camino Primitivo, from Oviedo, is the oldest of all the routes and arguably the most scenic, though it requires a high level of fitness.

The Credential and the Compostela

The credencial (pilgrim passport) is a folded card issued by pilgrim offices, churches, and Camino associations in most countries. It is stamped (sellado) at albergues, churches, cafes, and tourist offices along the route, providing a dated record of your journey. To receive the Compostela certificate in Santiago, you must present a credential showing stamps from the last 100km of your route (for walkers and horse riders) or the last 200km (for cyclists). You must also declare that you walked for religious, spiritual, or cultural reasons; tourists walking purely for recreation receive a Certificado de Distancia instead.

The Compostela is presented at the Pilgrim Reception Office (Oficina del Peregrino) on Rúa das Carretas, a few minutes from the cathedral. The queue can be long in summer: arrive early in the morning. A Pilgrim Mass is held at the cathedral at noon daily and is genuinely moving to attend regardless of your religious convictions.

Where to Sleep: Albergues and Alternatives

Albergues are pilgrim hostels that offer dormitory accommodation specifically for Camino walkers. Prices range from €8–15 per night in municipal albergues (run by local authorities) to €15–25 in private albergues, which typically offer smaller dorms, better bathrooms, and sometimes a dinner service. On the Camino Francés between May and September, popular albergues in Pamplona, Burgos, and León fill up by early afternoon. In these sections, booking 24 hours ahead using the BookACamino app or Gronze.com is strongly recommended. Outside these months, walk-in accommodation is almost always available.

Many walkers combine albergue nights with occasional private rooms in pensions or small hotels (€35–60 per night) for a night of proper sleep and privacy partway through the walk. This is a sensible compromise for older walkers or those with back issues from dormitory bunks.

What to Pack

The most common Camino mistake is overpacking. Your pack should weigh no more than 10% of your body weight when full, including water. A 70kg person should carry no more than 7kg. Many walkers arrive in Saint-Jean with 12–15kg packs and spend the first week posting excess items home (Correos, the Spanish postal service, has a luggage forwarding service called Paq Mochila that ships your excess forward for about €7 per box).

The genuine essentials: trail shoes or lightweight hiking boots broken in before you start, two or three pairs of walking socks (Darn Tough or Smartwool are worth the price), a rain jacket (Galicia is genuinely wet), trekking poles (dramatically reduce knee strain on descents), a sleeping bag liner for albergues, blister kit, and a headtorch. Leave behind: a second pair of trousers, books (use an e-reader or download audiobooks), any clothing you would not be devastated to lose.

The Waymarking System

The Camino is waymarked throughout its length by two symbols: yellow arrows painted on rocks, walls, telegraph poles, and road surfaces, and the scallop shell (the traditional symbol of the pilgrimage), often mounted on stone posts. The yellow arrows are frequent enough that getting lost for more than a few minutes is genuinely difficult, even without a phone. Several GPS apps (Camino Ninja, Buen Camino, Camino de Santiago) provide offline maps and albergue listings. Coverage is generally good along the French Way even in rural Galicia, but download offline maps before leaving for the day's walk.

The Final 100km: Sarria to Santiago

The section from Sarria to Santiago (111km, 5–6 days) is the minimum qualifying distance for the Compostela and attracts a different demographic to the rest of the French Way. Walkers who join here have often taken the train from Madrid or Barcelona and are walking for a long weekend rather than a month. The atmosphere is sociable and energetic, but the more meditative quality of the longer route is harder to find. If you walk only this section, you will receive the Compostela and you will have genuinely walked a beautiful part of Galicia. But walkers who have come from Saint-Jean or Porto will tell you something different is happening when you complete the whole thing.

Cost Estimate

A realistic daily budget for the Camino Francés in 2025 is €30–50, covering accommodation in a private or municipal albergue, two restaurant meals (the menú del peregrino, a three-course set menu with wine, costs €10–14 at most stops along the route), and incidental costs such as coffee and groceries. The full 35-day walk therefore costs approximately €1,050–1,750 in on-the-ground expenses, plus flights and transport to Saint-Jean (approximately €100–200 from most UK or European cities via Biarritz or Pamplona).

Best Months to Walk

May and June are widely considered the best months for the Camino Francés: the wildflowers are in bloom in Navarra and La Rioja, temperatures are pleasant (15–25°C), the albergues are active but not completely full, and the light in the late afternoon across the meseta is extraordinary. September and October are excellent alternatives: harvest time in the wine regions, cooler temperatures, and a more contemplative atmosphere as summer crowds thin. July and August are very hot across the central meseta (35°C+ is not unusual), the albergues fill by noon, and the route feels significantly more crowded. Winter (November–March) is possible on the Portuguese and Northern routes but the Napoleón Pass on the French Way can be closed by snow.

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