The Insider's Guide to Walking the Camino de Santiago
Information, routes, difficulty and much more
If you have come to this blog is because you are thinking of doing the Camino de Santiago, nice! It can be a truly beautiful experience, whether you do it for spiritual reasons, religious reasons, out of curiosity or for physical activity.
What is the Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago (also known as, The Way of St. James) is one of the most emblematic pilgrimage routes in the world. It constitutes a network of routes covering almost all of Spain and part of Portugal, and thousands of pilgrims, both national and international, follow it every year.
The way it works is straightforward: get up, have breakfast and walk, day after day. Add to this the coffee or lunch break at some point along the route, finding accommodation or a bed at the end of each stage, washing the few clothes you travel with and getting food for dinner and for the next day. It's all fairly mechanical.
Yet as the days go by, these tasks become automated and more things start to get involved, such as the feeling of your body waking up asking you to walk, meeting people who are doing the Camino at the same time as you, the moments of solitude in the middle of a forest, or the pleasure of getting your feet wet in the sea after hours of walking.
Are you intrigued to find out more? In this blog you will discover useful information such as the different routes you can choose from, their difficulty, how to prepare your backpack for the Camino or where to get La Compostela (a certificate for completing the Camino de Santiago) when you arrive in Santiago.
History of the Camino de Santiago
The history of the Way of St. James dates back to the time of Jesus Christ when, after the death of the Apostle St. James, two disciples decided to take his remains to Galicia, as the apostle himself had wished.
It took 800 years to hear of Santiago again, when it is said that the hermit Pelayo discovered a tomb with his remains in the Galician village of Padrón. Legend has it that it was a field of stars that indicated the place, a Campus Stellae, the possible origin of the word Compostela.
When King Alfonso II of Asturias heard of the discovery of the remains of the Apostle, he made a pilgrimage to the site to see the bones with his own eyes. Leaving from Oviedo, and without knowing it, he walked the first Way of St. James, the Primitive Way. Later, so that other European monarchs and devout pilgrims could come to worship the tomb, he ordered a temple to be built to house the remains. This temple was the beginning of the Cathedral of Santiago.
From then until now, the Camino has attracted many pilgrims, who walk it for spiritual reasons, religious or otherwise, as well as for cultural reasons. It is, for example, common to hear from many pilgrims that their main reason is to find an answer. Walking alone, day after day, with moments of silence, works as a kind of meditation, letting ideas dance freely through the mind, creating new connections and, hopefully, some answers!
Map
In this map you can see the main routes of the Way of St. James.
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The routes of the Camino de Santiago
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Camino Francés -
Camino de Le Puy o Vía Podiensis -
Via de la Plata -
Camino Sanabrés
Difficulty of the Camino de Santiago
Is the Camino de Santiago difficult? It depends. It is not easy to answer, as you have to assess your physical condition, which Camino or which stages you want to do, and how many days in a row you plan to walk.
Below is a summary of the difficulty of the main Caminos. To see more details, click on each of them.
Although this is the most popular section of the Camino, its level of difficulty is medium due to the more or less long stages and a couple of climbs of 400-500 metres.
Moderate I 114 km (70 mi) I 5-6 days I 15-24 km per day (9 - 15 mi)
The Portuguese Way is one of the easiest, but the stretch in Galicia is more undulating and almost all the stages are over 400 m of ascent.
Easy-moderate I 114 km (70 mi) I 5-6 days I 18-25 km per day (11 - 15 mi)
Due to the first two stages, up to 30 km (19 mi), we define the Camino Lebaniego as moderate. With one additional night, you can go down to a maximum of 20 km per day (12 mi), with few ascents.
Easy-moderate I 72 km (44 mi) I 3-4 days I 15-30 km per day (9 - 19 mi)
This is a Camino of medium difficulty. Technically it is easy but there is no stage that goes below 450 m of ascent, sometimes in a short section.
Moderate I 105 km (65 mi) I 4-5 days I 21-35 km per day (13 - 22 mi)
The English Way is easy to follow, with no long official stages and relatively gentle gradients. However, towards the end, there is a stage that is moderately difficult and can be more demanding for some.
Easy - moderate I 119 km (74 mi) I 6 days I 15-24 km per day (9 - 15 mi)
This is the second most popular Camino due to the ease of the routes, which are practically flat. In addition, the sea and the sea breeze are always close by.
Easy I 240 km (150 mi) I 11-12 days I 15-28 km per day (9 - 17 mi)
The first half of the Camino Sanabrés is not very demanding, but as we have already seen, in the second half, which includes the last 100 km, the climbs do not go below 450 m per day.
Moderate I 370 km (230 mi) I 13-14 days I 22-33 km per day (14 - 21 mi)
The Primitive Way is one of the most demanding due to the climb that pilgrims encounter before reaching Galicia, where they have to overcome a couple of mountain passes. Once in Galicia, the stages become more manageable.
Moderate - high I 313 km (194 mi) I 14-16 days I 16-25 km per day (10 - 16 mi)
The Portuguese Way is the easiest if we talk about elevation gain and length of the routes. The difficulty of this Camino is its length if you want to do it in its entirety, and walk from Lisbon to Santiago, almost a month without counting rest days.
Easy I 620 km (385 mi) I 24-26 days I 18-30 km per day (11 - 19 mi)
If we take an average, we could say that the difficulty of the Via Podiensis is moderate. But in a couple of sections, towards the middle between Cahors and Lectoure, and the end, arriving at the border with France, you start to accumulate ascents and descents that are noticeable at the end of the day.
Moderate-high I 740 km (460 mi) I 30-34 days I 20-30 km per day (12 - 19 mi)
If you plan to do the complete Camino, the difficulty is high as we are talking about more than a month of walking every day, but in general, the stages are not difficult. We can classify the French Way as easy except for the first and last sections, which are steeper.
Easy-moderate I 770 km (478 mi) I 30-35 days I 20-26 km a day (12 - 16 mi)
Known as one of the most demanding, along with the Primitive Way, because of some stages with significant gradients. The first stages of the Camino del Norte relentlessly test the legs of the most trained pilgrim, but the forests and coastal landscapes are well worth the effort.
Moderate-high I 825 km (513 mi) I 34-37 days I 18-30 km per day (11 - 19 mi)
The most difficult part of this Camino is to do it all at once, and it can take up to 40 days of walking if we do not have any setbacks. But in general, the stages are quite flat, with the exception of a couple of stages that are moderate.
Easy-moderate I 964 km (600 mi) I 36-39 days I 20-25 km per day (12 - 16 mi)
Preparing the backpack for the Camino
Preparing your backpack for the Camino de Santiago is one of the most complicated points for budding pilgrims. A positive thing is that the content will be practically the same regardless of the route you choose, and you only have to take into account the time of year in which you travel, if you are going to need more warm clothes or not. Make your list of what to pack fro the Camino de Santiago with our suggestions.
The best time to do the Camino
Generally, the best time to do the Camino de Santiago is in spring and autumn. But keep in mind that you are not the only person who thinks this, and if you are looking for a little more solitude, you will have to look for alternatives.
The summer months are also popular, especially August because of the holidays. If you decide to do a Camino in August you will have to assess the temperature of the area and bear in mind that some routes are so crowded that finding a bed or accommodation also becomes difficult, unless you rely on a travel agency to organise it for you.
Alone, with friends or as a couple or in a group.
Doing the Camino de Santiago is for many a unique experience, whatever the reason that moves you to do it, and that allows each pilgrim to choose how to live it. Many prefer to connect with themselves or with nature alone, others enjoy sharing the experience with friends or partner, and others choose to join a group of strangers who soon become companions on the route.
Each option is valid, and will depend on the character, expectations and needs of each person. In this other article we have collected comments from pilgrims so you can learn about their reasons and experiences first hand.
The Camino in hostels or in hotels with private rooms
There is no one option that is better than the other. Many people will argue that the Camino sleeping in hotels is not doing the Camino, that you have to experience the hostels. And there is a part of reason if you are looking for that experience, but each person has their own needs, and reasons to choose between hotels or hostels.
Many people need a quiet space of their own to fall asleep, or cannot take risks with certain mattresses because of back problems. Other people have the facility to sleep in communal dormitories. One thing to bear in mind is that if you stay in hotels or guesthouses, you save the weight of a sleeping bag and mat. Whichever option you choose, bear in mind that in busy periods you will have to ‘race’ to find a place in a pilgrim hostel or book a hotel or guesthouse in advance.
The Compostela
The Camino de Santiago is one of the oldest and most famous pilgrimage routes in the world, culminating in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Here, in the cathedral where the remains of the apostle St. James are said to lie, pilgrims receive a very special reward at the end of the Camino: the Compostela.
Know more about the origin of the Compostela and how to get it.
S-Cape's advice and tips for doing the Camino de Santiago
- We will never tire of repeating it: do not carry more than you need in your backpack! If you choose to walk with your backpack every day, read these tips to help with your planning. If you book an organised trip, luggage transport will most likely be included so you will not have to worry about weight.
- The shell symbols that you will find along the Camino can face in opposite directions. This was done to deter 'false' pilgrims. Nowadays, the shells are usually accompanied by an arrow, to avoid confusion.
- For those who prefer easy terrain, you can start with the Portuguese Way, the least difficult in terms of physical demands, and with several public transport services. On the contrary, the Camino Primitivo is what you are looking for, passing through mountain passes and with daily gradients.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)