Esta entrada también está disponible en:
Español
The Camino de Santiago is a set of itineraries that start from different points and have in common a single goal, to reach Santiago de Compostela.
Here you will find detailed information on the characteristics of the most popular routes and the distance to follow, the total number of stages and a lot of interesting information, read on to find out more!
According to data from the Pilgrim’s Welcome Office, every year more than 300,000 people of all nationalities from all over the world walk the Camino de Santiago.
While it is true that to obtain the Compostela (the certificate that certifies having done the Camino de Santiago) it is necessary to make a pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons, the truth is that it is not a prerequisite to be able to live the experience.
It can be a different kind of vacation in contact with nature where you can enjoy the scenery, immerse yourself in the culture of the places you pass through and enjoy the pilgrim atmosphere.
But there is something that all pilgrims agree on once they arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
It is an experience that marks you for life.
It is a path in search of the intimate that all pilgrims claim to experience as they advance along the roads.
Now yes, these are the most common and most chosen paths.
French Way of Saint James
The route of the Camino de Santiago essential among the most fans and walkers, being one of the most popular to do is the French Camino de Santiago from Sarria.
It is the most common because it covers the minimum distance necessary to obtain the title of pilgrim, which is 100 km.
Therefore, it is the best option if it is your first time doing the Camino de Santiago.
The complete French Way consists of 33 stages for a total of 768 km. Each of the stages is divided into about 20 km, depending on the starting point.
It is the most internationally recognized itinerary and with the best historical tradition, where most of the medieval pilgrimage routes converge.
It is the route of the Camino de Santiago par excellence.
A road that is characterized not only by its contrasts and variety of landscapes, but also by its impressive wealth of monuments.
If you decide to follow the French route, you will enjoy the green mountains of Navarre, the vineyards of La Rioja, the immense oceans of cereal fields of the Castilian steppe and the green valley of El Bierzo to end up immersing yourself in the most authentic and rural Galicia until you reach Santiago de Compostela.
A route that will also give you the chance to visit impressive monuments, castles and bridges.
Camino de Santiago del Norte
The Camino del Norte is the second longest route of the Camino de Santiago, only behind the Vía de la Plata.
It starts in the Basque city of Irún and crosses the autonomous communities of Euskadi, Cantabria and Asturias to enter the province of Lugo through the town of Ribadeo.
This route has a duration of 34 stages divided into 820 km.
A fantastic route that will reveal some of the most beautiful beaches in the north, spectacular cliffs, impressive rural areas and cities where you can taste the best gastronomy of the country.
One of the main attractions of this route are its landscapes.
The beaches of the Cantabrian Sea, the cliffs and the mountains are beautiful.
More and more people are joining this route, so it has become the alternative to the French Way(which is more crowded).
Because of this recent popularization, the network of hostels and accommodation on this route has been reinforced, and today there is more than enough for those who do it both on foot and by bike.
Some of the tourist attractions you can see if you follow this route are the Guggenheim Museum, Begoña Basilica, Miramar Palace, Castro Urdiales, Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, Modernist Palaces of Comillas, Santoña Lighthouse, Santillana del Mar, Gulpiyuri Beach, Old wall and tower of Llanes, Old Town of Aviles, As Catedrais Beach, Ribadeo Village, Monastery of Santa Maria and the Cathedral of Mondoñedo in Lugo.
Like the previous one, you can start from different points.
In this case you can start in Irun, Bilbao, Santander, Ribadesella, Ribadeo and Vilalba.
Primitive Way of St. James
It is said that the Primitive Way has the best landscapes.
It is a solitary route where you can breathe the spirit of the first pilgrimages.
The perfect way to disconnect from the world by a silent route through the deepest rural areas.
It starts from the city of Oviedo (although you can also leave from Lugo) and goes through the interior of Asturias, one of the least known areas of the community.
You will enter Galicia through the Alto do Acevo, at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, reaching the walled city of Lugo and continuing your journey to Melide, where the Primitivo joins the French Way, sharing three stages to Santiago de Compostela.
But be careful, if you are planning to do the Camino de Santiago in its primitive route, you should know that it is not a walk.
It has extremely demanding stages and steep slopes, with hardly any services to stock up on supplies.
For this reason it is not recommended for beginners or people who are not in good physical shape.
Its difficulty intensifies especially in the colder months, when the abundant rainfall turns some sections of the road into real muddy areas, so it is not too advisable to travel by bicycle.
The Primitive Way is divided into 11 stages and about 268 km, being so far the shortest.
Here are the main points of tourist interest that you can find along the way: Historical monuments of Oviedo, historical monuments of Salas, Paseo de los Frailes, Puerto del Palo, Puerto del Acebo, Historical monuments of Lugo and the Church of Santa Eulalia de Bóveda.
Portuguese Way of St. James
Starting from Lisbon, the Portuguese Way goes from south to north passing through important Portuguese cities such as Santarém, Coímbra, Oporto, Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and Valença do Miño, until crossing the international bridge over the Miño River and entering Galicia through the town of Tui.
Once in Galicia, the route runs through the entire province of Pontevedra until it reaches the city of the Apostle.
This is one of the most historic and busy routes.
A perfect itinerary for any pilgrim, as it has one of the smoothest routes of all routes.
A Camino designed to enjoy, learn about the different Portuguese and Galician cultures, and immerse yourself in exciting natural and rural landscapes.
You can also do the Portuguese Way along the coast.
It is divided into 27 stages of the road making a total of 620 km.
On this route you can see a variety of interesting places such as the city of Lisbon, the Templar Castle and Convent of Christ, the Monumental Complex of Buçaco, the City of Porto, the Cathedral of Tui, the city of Pontevedra, Ponte Sampaio, the Church of Santiago Apostle and the Collegiate Church of Iria Flavia in Padrón.
You can start your adventure from Lisbon, Porto or Tui.
Camino de Santiago from León
Preparing the Camino de Santiago from León requires some prior research on the stages in which we will divide our journey, starting with stage 1 from León and ending with the arrival at the Cathedral and, of course, having a list of places to see and hostels to stay at each stop.
León is the perfect city to start the French Way if you have 15 days, in which you will cover 308 kilometers.
A fascinating journey in which you will cross beautiful landscapes such as the Montes de León and the green valley of Bierzo.
With each step you will discover small medieval villages, Templar castles, imposing monuments and cathedrals, until you enter the most authentic rural Galicia. 
With this route you will travel approximately half of the French Way, so you will not miss any of the adventure.
You will start at stage 21 of the French Way itinerary to continue and complete the 33 stages, being Villadangos del Páramo your first stop and Santiago de Compostela the last one.
Starting in León, you will be able to see many beautiful places, as we have mentioned in the section of the French Way: Cathedral of León, Episcopal Palace of Astorga, Templar Castle of Ponferrada, Ethnographic complex of O Cebreiro, Benedictine Monastery of Samos, Ruins of the ancient village of Portomarín, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
We hope that with this post you have been able to understand what are all the most interesting options of the Camino de Santiago to organize your adventure along these special routes, passing through a lot of places, villages, hostels and natural places difficult to forget.
We recommend you this experience 100%, for sure you will not regret it and you will come back with a lot of stories and anecdotes to tell.
Have a good Camino!
