The Camino de Santiago (or the Way of St. James in English) is one of the most popular pilgrimages that you can attend. With over 180 000 people doing the Camino annually, not all do the entire walk, but you do need to walk at least 62 miles to St. James burial city Santiago de Compostela. Which is the best for you?
Camino Inglés (or the English Way): 68 miles
This route is used mainly by Northern European Pilgrims (4,5% of the total) that arrive by boat and is suitable for all beginners, Taking between 4-6 days to complete.
Camino Finisterre-Muxía: 73 miles
The number of pilgrims that use this route is unknown because most complete this route after finishing one of the longer routes, but it estimated that around 25 000 walks that route every year. This route is the only route that passes through the Galician part of Spain and is recommended for those who prefer forestry scenery. It’ll take between 3-5 days to complete and is suitable for beginners.
Camino Portugués From Porto: 152 miles
This is one of the more spiritual routes and has three lengths to it. If you start in the coastal city of Porto, you have two options; the central route of 162 miles that 27% of pilgrims choose or the coastal route of 174 miles that 20,5% of pilgrims select this route. It takes between 11-14 days to do either route and there’ll be the scenery of historical places and villages. The third option starts from Lisbon, which is one of the longer routes (383 miles) but will take you between 25-27 days with the scenery of beautiful fields.
Camino Primitivo (“The Original Way”): 200 miles
This route was the first route and considered to be one of the most challenging, with 4,5% of pilgrims selecting the mountainous route. It’ll take between 12-15 days to complete and can be combined with the Camino Finisterre-Muxía.
Camino Francés: 490 miles
This route is the most popular route with 54,5% of pilgrims select this route starts in a mountainous area and goes through fields and historical cities. This route takes up to 28-35 days to complete as it starts at the Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. It is recommended that if you decide on this route, do it in the off seasons since it is the busiest route.
Camino del Norte (“The Northern Way”): 512 miles.
Being one of the oldest routes, it is popular for its diverse views of beaches, mountains, and cultural attractions (5,5% of the total) but is more challenging than the Camino Francés. Starting in Irún, this scenic route takes between 30-35 days to complete.
Vía de la Plata (“The Silver Way”): 621 miles
This is the longest Camino route that goes through beautiful fields and starts in Seville which takes up to 50 days to walk, which is why only 2,6% of pilgrims choose this path.