Get right when choosing your Camino de Santiago and the route you must travel with the keys that we give you based on our more than twenty years of experience.

Which route of the Camino de Santiago to choose is one of the most common doubts among pilgrims, especially among those who are going to do the Camino for the first time. As we are not only pilgrims but also Galicians, we can only answer you in one way: it depends.

There are many routes on the Camino de Santiago that reach the city of the Apostle from very different origins. In fact, it is said that the Camino de Santiago begins at the door of your house, so this can be a good clue. Our agency organizes it to your measure and to your liking so, if this is your option, stop reading this post and contact us right now.

Ok, life is never that easy.

But the important thing is that you must choose the Camino de Santiago that best suits your expectations and needs. Because beyond the different routes of the Camino de Santiago that you can choose, the important thing is that you know that the Camino is YOUR Camino.

The last hundred kilometers of the Camino de Santiago

There are two important factors when doing the Camino de Santiago. One of them is that, to get the Compostela, the document that certifies that you are a full-fledged pilgrim, you must walk at least one hundred kilometers. If you are going to come by bike, you will have to travel two hundred.

The second fundamental factor is time. Unfortunately, few people have free disposal of their time and must accommodate travel to vacation days. At this point, it is important to point out that, if you have little time, you can do the route in short sections. You don’t have to do the last hundred kilometers of the Camino de Santiago all at once.

Routes of the Camino de Santiago by number of pilgrims

If you are one of those who wants to meet other pilgrims and share the experience to the fullest, the most popular Camino de Santiago, is the Camino Francés from Sarria. More than fifty percent of the pilgrims who arrive to Santiago de Compostela do so by this route. It is a route with tremendously reinforced infrastructures, with towns focused on pilgrims and in which you can enjoy a festive atmosphere in each of the stages. Currently, the second Camino de Santiago with the most pilgrims is the Camino Portugues, traveled by twenty percent of them.

If what you are looking for is solitude, any of the other Caminos is a good option. The least crowded of them all is the Camino de Invierno. In 2019, just over a thousand pilgrims opted for this option.

Beach or Mountain? The Camino according to the landscape and the climate

Depending on the landscape or the climate you want to find, the options are also varied.

Lately, the Caminos that run near the sea are booming. They still don´t reach the number of pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago from Sarria, but more and more people are interested in them. If what you want is to walk during several stages by the sea, here we have the Portuguese Way, specifically the variant of the Portuguese Way along the Coast. In addition, this option offers us the mildest climate of all variants, with pleasant walking temperatures and less rainfall than the northern options.

The English Way, departing from Ferrol or Coruña, also begins walking along the waters of the Ártabro Gulf. In this northern area, temperatures are already dropping a few degrees and rain is a more frequent companion.

If you are intrepid and have enough time, another good option with a coastal landscape is the Camino del Norte that runs parallel to the Cantabrian coast. Here you have to take into account a more rugged geography that, in winter, it can be a bit risky due to the abundant rainfall.

The interior options have the attraction of the wonderful forests of Galicia. Several difficulties must be considered, such as the climb to O Cebreiro, on the Camino Francés, which, in winter, is also usually done with snow.  Be also careful with the high temperatures of the Castilian Plateau in summer where, in addition, we will hardly find any shadows.

Since pilgrims had already feared the ascent to O Cebreiro and winter since the Middle Ages, the variant of the Camino de Invierno, which enters Galicia through the Ribeira Sacra, emerged many centuries ago. And, if what we are looking for is landscape, few more breathtaking than the canyons of the river Sil.

Truth is that the Camino de Santiago is a journey full of richness and variety, and it can fit in with all tastes. So, actually, the only correct answer is that the Camino is within you.  The right Camino is always your own way.