CaminantesGuides
Practical answers to the questions I had before my first Camino, and the ones I only thought to ask on my second.
Latest guides
When blisters happen on the Camino: the ten worst descents
Blisters come from descending, not climbing, and the descents are predictable. The worst drop on each of the ten routes, measured. The three our data ranks highest on the Francés are the three pilgrims already complain about.
How to train for the Camino de Santiago, by route
Every training plan online prescribes the same walk and none of them says what you are training for. The hardest day on each of the ten routes, measured, and when it arrives. On the Francés it is day one, and it climbs more than twice what the second-hardest does.
Where does the Camino de Santiago start? All ten routes
The Camino has ten starting points, not one. Two of them are not in Spain, three of the routes never reach Santiago, and one starts at the cathedral and walks away from it. Every start measured, with what day one out of that town costs you.
How long is the Camino de Santiago? All ten routes, measured
The measured length of all ten routes in kilometres and miles, plus how far is left from Roncesvalles, Burgos, Leon, Astorga and Sarria. And why the figures you find elsewhere disagree, which comes down to three things and none of them is carelessness.
Which Camino de Santiago route should you walk? All ten compared
All ten routes side by side on the three numbers that actually make the choice: days, climb per kilometre, and the longest single stage. That last one usually decides more than the other two, and almost nobody publishes it.
The last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago: where it starts on every route
Where a Compostela-qualifying walk starts on all seven routes into Santiago, measured from the tracks. One route sits exactly on the line, one town misses it by two hundred metres, and three routes cannot answer the question at all.
Do you need Spanish on the Camino de Santiago?
Everyone selling you a Camino says you will be fine without it. Here are the specific moments where English runs out: the pharmacy counter, the phone call, the doctor, and the last hundred kilometres where the signs stop being in Spanish at all.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles: split it at Orisson
The hardest stage on the Camino Francés, and most pilgrims walk it on day one. What it measures, why the descent is the problem, and what stopping at Orisson costs.
Spanish for the Camino: the words you actually need
The eighty words that matter on the trail: asking for a bed, the credencial stamp, the pilgrim menu, and saying where it hurts.
Camino de Santiago elevation gain: all 10 routes compared
Elevation gain for all 10 routes, measured from GPS tracks, ranked by ascent per kilometre rather than just the total. The steepest route is not the one with the most climbing.
How to get the Compostela
The last 100 km, two stamps a day, and the A Coruña exception almost nobody explains properly. What the certificate is, what it is not, and the second document you have to ask for.
Xacobeo 2027: the next Camino Holy Year
The Holy Door opens 31 December 2026. What a Holy Year did to pilgrim numbers last time, why you cannot book Galicia’s public albergues, and how to plan around both.
How many kilometers should you walk per day on the Camino de Santiago?
Real average stage length for all 10 routes, computed from the actual stage data, and how to set your own number.
How to plan a Camino de Santiago stage (video walkthrough)
A 50-second video walkthrough of picking a route and planning your first stage in Caminantes, with a full transcript.
The best Camino de Santiago apps in 2026
Six apps compared on planning, offline maps, elevation and beds. I built one of them, and say so.
What the Camino de Santiago costs in 2026
Real 2026 numbers for beds, food and a daily budget, plus the costs first-timers forget.
Camino de Santiago packing list
A weight-first list built around the 10 percent rule, and the things to leave at home.
The best time of year to walk the Camino
Month by month on heat, rain, crowds and daylight, and which routes suit which season.
Choosing a route
Every route has its own page with a full stage table, total ascent, the best season for it, and whether it counts towards the Compostela. Compare all ten side by side.
Beyond the guides, the elevation profiles give the measured climbing for every stage of all ten routes.