CaminantesThe 10 Camino routes
The Camino de Santiago is not one path but a network of old pilgrim routes, all ending at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. These are the ten Caminantes covers, with the numbers that actually decide which one fits your legs and your calendar. Every distance and ascent figure here is the same one the app uses.
| Route | Distance | Days | Difficulty | Starts in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Francés | 768 km | 36 days | Moderate | Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port |
| Camino Portugués | 606 km | 28 days | Easy to Moderate | Lisbon |
| Camino del Norte | 825 km | 40 days | Hard | Irún |
| Camino Primitivo | 305 km | 14 days | Hard | Oviedo |
| Vía de la Plata | 995 km | 47 days | Hard | Seville |
| Camino Inglés | 110 km | 6 days | Easy | Ferrol |
| Camino Finisterre | 85 km | 5 days | Easy | Santiago de Compostela |
| Camino Invierno | 264 km | 13 days | Moderate | Ponferrada |
| Camino Mozárabe | 400 to 800 km | 18 days | Hard | Granada |
| Camino Lebaniego | 66 km | 3 days | Moderate | San Vicente de la Barquera |
What the Camino de Santiago is
A network of old pilgrim routes through Spain, Portugal and France, all ending at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle James is said to be buried. People have walked them for a thousand years. There is no single route and no official starting line: you begin where you can get to, and you walk west until you arrive.
How long it takes. The ten routes here run from the 66 km Lebaniego, which is three days, to the 995 km Vía de la Plata, which is about six weeks. Most first-timers walk the Francés, 768 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and plenty of people walk one section a year rather than the whole thing at once. For how far a day is reasonable, see how many kilometres a day pilgrims average.
What it costs. A bed in a pilgrim albergue and a pilgrim menu are the two daily costs, and both are cheap by European standards. The what a Camino costs in 2026, including the ones first-timers forget.
When to go. Spring and autumn are mild and busy, July and August are hot on the meseta, and winter closes some mountain stages. Month by month, and what the 2027 Holy Year does to the crowds.
The certificate. Walk the last 100 km, collect two stamps a day on that stretch, and you can claim the Compostela at the pilgrim office in Santiago. What it is and how to get it.
Which one to walk. The table above is the short answer: distance, days and difficulty side by side. Every route below has its own page with a full stage table and an elevation profile measured from its GPS track, so you can see the climbing before you commit to it.
Every route, one by one
Camino Francés
The classic route across northern Spain, and the one nearly half of all pilgrims walk.
Camino Portugués
Lisbon to Santiago through Portugal. Flatter than the Francés, and growing faster than any other route.
Camino del Norte
The coastal route along the Bay of Biscay. Quieter and considerably harder than it looks on a map.
Camino Primitivo
The original route, and the toughest. Mountains from Oviedo to Lugo.
Vía de la Plata
The longest route. Seville to Santiago up an old Roman road, mostly alone.
Camino Inglés
The short Galician route English and Irish pilgrims sailed to. Just over the 100 km minimum.
Camino Finisterre
The only route that starts in Santiago. Walk on to the Atlantic and the old end of the world.
Camino Invierno
The Winter Way: the medieval bad-weather detour around the snow on O Cebreiro.
Camino Mozárabe
The southern approach from Andalusia, joining the Vía de la Plata at Mérida.
Camino Lebaniego
Three days inland from the Cantabrian coast to the monastery holding the Lignum Crucis.
Every route above also has a measured elevation profile, taken from its own GPS track, with the climbing worked out for each stage.