14 Camino de Santiago tips for planning and walking
Walking the Camino de Santiago is a unique experience that many people start preparing for a long time beforehand. We have walked nice different Camino de Santiago routes and know how overwhelming it can be to plan the Camino. In this post, we've put together our best Camino de Santiago tips and recommendations for planning the pilgrimage.
We have created the Camino de Santiago resource page to make your navigation on our site easier. There you can find all our Camino posts divided into different categories so you can quickly find the information you're looking for.
Stingy Nomads participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. If you click on the link and purchase the item or make a booking, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost. Thank You for supporting us and assisting us to produce quality, free content.
Tip to prepare for the Camino
1. Start planning your Camino in advance
If it’s your first Camino walk you might be overwhelmed by all the information. You’ll need some time to process and organize it. The more time you have the less stressful your planning will be. If it’s not your first Camino then you don’t need that much time. Of course you can decide to do the walk last minute and you’ll be fine but not everyone can cope with spontaneous trips that involve long-distance walking.
You can follow our 10 easy steps to prepare for the Camino de Santiago.
2. Choose the right route for you
There are many Camino de Santiago routes in Spain and Europe. For the first Camino I recommend choosing one of the main routes because they have more infrastructure and are easier to walk. Base your decision on the desirable distance, time of the year, accommodation type, and business of the route. The Camino Frances and Portuguese Camino are the two most popular routes to walk as the first Camino. Our post on the main 7 routes of the Camino de Santiago might be helpful to make a decision.
3. Decide how far you want to walk
Based on how much time you have and your average daily distance decide how many kilometers in total you want to walk. If you don't have enough time to walk the route you like you can walk a part of it. There are no rules on where to start or finish the walk. So you can walk a full length of a long route, one of the shorter routes, or a part of a route.
If you want to get the Compostela certificate for completing the Camino you need to walk at least 100 km on any official Camino route. You can find more information on the Compostela here.
4. Start training for the Camino
Don’t underestimate the walk even if you’re an avid hiker walking the Camino is a different experience. We’re guilty of doing it ourselves when we walked our first Camino. If you don’t exercise regularly and are not used to walking a lot it’s better to start slowly by walking a couple of kilometers a day and build the distance over weeks or even months till you get to 20-25 km. You can follow our Camino training plan.
5. Get a pair of good shoes
The success of your walk depends on them. Do some research, decide which shoes are the best for you and for the chosen Camino route, buy shoes in advance so your feet have time to get used to them. Walking the Camino in new shoes is not a good idea even if it is the best footwear in the world, you're very likely to get blisters after the first couple of days. You can get some ideas about the best footwear in our Camino shoes post.
6. Set up your budget
Decide how much money you can/want to spend on the trip and then divide it by the number of walking days to see how much you can spend a day. Don’t forget to add transport expenses e.g. plane tickets, etc. Knowing that will help you to see what kind of accommodation, food options, etc. you can afford. Once you have your daily budget you can check in our post on the cost of the Camino de Santiago where you can find breakdowns for different budgets.
7. Decide on the luggage
Whether you want to carry your backpack or use a luggage transfer service and walk with a daypack instead. It depends on you if walking with a heavy pack is too difficult then use the luggage transfer. If you are comfortable with your pack then carry it yourself. If you decide the second, make sure you have a good backpack for the Camino.
8. Don’t overpack
It is only applicable if you are planning to walk with your backpack. Imagine, you carry that weight on your shoulders every day for hours the lighter it is the easier the walk. Don’t take any “just in cast” items, don’t bring too much extra clothes, devices, books, etc. You can get some tips in our Camino packing post.
9. Get a local SIM card
If you don’t have a SIM card from one of the European countries then I recommend buying one before starting the walk. It’s important to stay connected in case you need help. You can usually buy cheap SIM cards valid for 30 days at small convenient shops.
10. Get a Credential (pilgrim's passport)
It's a small book with places for stamps. You collect stamps from accommodation places, cafes, churches, etc. along the Camino route. You need the Credential as a prove of pilgrimage to stay in public (municipal) abergues and to the the Compostela certificate at the end of the Camino in Santiago de Compostela. You can buy it at churches, albergues, and information offices on the Camino. It usually costs 2-3 euros.
Tips for walking the Camino
11. Don’t chase others
It doesn’t matter how far or how far you walk. Some people run the Camino in a couple of days, some take a month to walk the same route.
12. Take care of yourself
If you feel tired, unwell, or have blisters rest for a day or two. Don’t stress out about your itinerary. It’s better to be healthy and skip a stage or two than end up in a hospital.
13. Ask for help if needed
If you walk alone and feel unwell or something bothering you ask people around for help. Other pilgrims, locals, people working in albergues everybody is ready to help.
14. Watch your valuables
Don’t leave your wallet or documents unattended in places where anybody has access to them. Take your valuables with you or lock them in a locker when staying in albergues.
Questions or Comments?
Got any questions or comments? We would love to help! All questions and comments will be answered by us personally in Buy Me a Coffee. Click below and ask away.
Feel free to support our site by buying us a coffee!
The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.
Hi, I'm thinking of doing the Portuguese Route, from Porto, in June. Is it advisable to bring a sleeping bag, even if I'm thinking of staying in hostels or albergues?
Is it a safe route to do it by myself?
Hello Camila. Thank you for the comment. We usually take a thin summer sleeping bag or a silk sleeping bag liner on the Camino. Most albergues have blankets but sometimes without a cover for hygiene reasons, we prefer to have our own liner.
The Portuguese Camino is a popular route with many pilgrims especially in June I'd say it's safe to walk alone.
Buen Camino
I am learning a lot from your website.
I hope to walk the del Norte and connect onto the primitivo next July.
I will be walking by myself and would like to have my luggage delivered and just carry a day pack. What company do I contact for this? Also I presume I would need to have every accommodation booked previously which is quite a task for around 40 days.
Is it still easy to arrive in a town and find accommodation?
Thank you
Allison
Hello Allison. Thank you for the comment. Correos (Spanish post) does luggage delivery on both Camino routes. They're a reliable company with many pilgrims using their services every year. Here is the link to their website https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/.
As for booking accommodation, I would strongly recommend doing so for the Camino del Norte. July is the peak season for the area the route goes through some of the most popular beach destinations in Northern Spain. There are not many public albergues on the route so your options will be private hostels or hotels. On the Camino Primitivo, it's easier to find places to stay as there are more public albergues and there are not many tourists besides pilgrims in the area. You don't have to book accommodation for the 40 days just for the first half, especially in the Basque Country in the coastal towns (San Sebastian, Getaria, etc.). You can find a list of places to stay on the Camino del Norte https://stingynomads.com/camino-del-norte-stages/ (in the 4th paragraph) and on the Camino Primitivo https://stingynomads.com/camino-primitivo-stages/ (in the 3rd paragraph).
Buen Camino
Do you recommend walking poles too? If so which model?
Hello Mark. We use walking poles only when we hike in the mountains e.g. in Nepal or Peru where there are many ascents and descents. The only Camino we walked with the poles was the Camino Primitivo because it's a mountainous route. I would suggest poles with cork handles and an antishock feature. You can find more information on our gear in this post https://stingynomads.com/camino-de-santiago-packing-list/
Buen Camino
Great article. I have a hard time figuring out how to reserve the albergue/hotel. If you go to the Camino on April, would you need to reserve lodging, hotel, or accommodation? Or you can just walk in on a place where you'd like to stop. Also, which one is the easiest one, for beginers? Thank you!
Hello Irena. Thank you for the comment. April is the beginning of the Camino season usually there aren't many pilgrims on any route. If you want to stay in a private room it's better to book in advance as some places have limited private accommodation options only beds in dormitories.
Many first-time pilgrims walk the last 100 km to Santiago de Compostela from Sarria (Camino Frances) or Tui (Camino Portuguese). If you have never done long-distance walking and want to try the Camino it might be a good option. The last 100 km on both routes has enough places to stay, many bars, and restaurants, and are well-marked. It'll be easy to walk you'll meet other pilgrims even in April. If you want to walk a complete route then the Portuguese Camino from Porto is a good option. It takes 12-14 days to complete. You can combine the Coastal Route and the Central Route. From Porto walk to Caminha (the Coastal Route) and from there walk to Tui and continue on the Central Route. We have detailed posts on both routes https://stingynomads.com/camino-portugues-stages/ and https://stingynomads.com/portuguese-coastal-camino-stages/. At the beginning of each post you can find PDF files with walking stages and places to stay along the routes it'll help you to plan your walk.
Buen Camino
Good morning:
I am doing the french route in october 2022, I expect to be finished first week of november. If I skip the part of flatlands to make up for time needed to enjoy/sightsee some other places will i stell get the compostado at the end? and would the arburgues have a problem with this if they notice a gap at the start? I could Probably do the 30k a day needed to do the whole route in 30 days, but dont want to rush it or forget to stop and smell the flowers every now and then. thank you so much for posting this info and blog. It was very good for taking some of the stress away over making decision to do this. wishing you and your beautifull family all the best. 🙂
Hello Wayne. Thank you for the comment. In order to get the Compostela certificate, you have to complete at least the last 100 km to Santiago (the route from Sarria on the Camino Frances). In that part, you can't skip stages. On the rest of the Camino you can skip parts and still be allowed to stay in albergues and get the Compostela.
Buen Camino
@Stingy Nomads,
Thank you.
Hi - which Camino would you recommend for January 2023?
Hello Casper. To be honest weatherwise I wouldn't recommend any Camino route. If you really want to walk the Camino in January despite bad weather I can suggest the Central route of the Portuguese Camino from Porto. There are no mountain passes to go over so snow won't be a problem like on the Camino Frances. Plus there are many hotels and guesthouses along the route some albergues close for the offseason but you still will be able to find accommodation. If you want to have better weather you can walk the Camino de Gran Canaria, it's a shorter route on the Canary Islands in Spain. It's the only Camino de Santiago route that doesn't end in Santiago de Compostela.
If you want to walk a longer route with beautiful scenery and better weather I can recommend the Fishermen's Trail in the south of Portugal. It has nothing to do with the Camino de Santiago though. Here is more information on the route https://stingynomads.com/fishermens-trail-rota-vicentina-itinerary/
Cheers
Thanks for all the tips and info. I just walked some Camino del Norte and crossed over to Primotivo. Your apps were a godsend.
Do you have suggestions about how to start the Camino Frances near Logrono?
Hello Elen. What kind of suggestions? How to get to Logroño or where to find the Camino route in Logroño? We have a detailed post on the Camino Frances that contain walking stages. You can go to the stage from Logroño and follow the suggested itinerary. Here is the link to the post https://stingynomads.com/camino-frances-walking-itinerary/. It's easy to find the Camino route in Logroño it goes through the city center you can find yellow shells and arrows marking the trail near the Cathedral (Concatedral de Santa Maria de la Redonda).
Buen Camino
Hey guys,
I plan to walk the Camino Frances during late august and am having a few problems deciding on how many buffer days I should expect to use before I book a round trip from US to Barcelona. From St Jean, the trip itself should take between 30-34 days but, when is a realistic time for me to schedule a return flight? I would estimate that a return flight should be booked at least 40 days after I arrive in Barcelona. In your experience, how many extra days did you schedule outside of the route to account for transportation etc..
Jared
Hello, Jared. I'd say 40 days is enough time to complete the Camino Frances and for transportation. It usually takes 1 day to get to the starting point of the Camino and 1 day to get back from Santiago. You can complete the route in 30-32 days. If you have 40 days in total it should be enough to complete the route, spend a couple of days in Santiago, and get to and back.
Buen Camino
Excellent newsletter. My Sister and I are planning to start our Camino de Santiago walk mid August. We plan to fly from US to Madrid.
Thanks for the great information. Just started the walking/training. Will continue researching the valuable information/tips you have generously provided.
Cheers,
Alison
Hello Alison and Ali. Thank you for the comment. Madrid is probably the best place to fly from the US to start the Camino. If you have any Camino-related questions we'll be happy to answer them.
Buen Camino
You are my go to site--thanks so much for all your info. I'm planning to walk one of the long Caminos from June 13-July 12. I was first planning for the Camino Norte but then heard it is maybe 80% on paved road. I'm worried the Frances will be overcrowded. I then considered Lisbon-Santiago but looking for more info on the Lisbon-Porto portion. I'm a very athletic hiker and runner so up for any level of challenge. Thanks so much for your help.
Hello, Rick. We've walked all three routes and I wouldn't say there was more walking on paved surfaces on the Camino del Norte than on the French Camino. There are always parts where you walk on a paved road on any Camino route. The main difference between the two routes is that accommodation on del Norte works out quite a bit more expensive there are less public albergues and overall the Northern Coast of Spain is pricey. The scenery on the Northern Camino is quite impressive beautiful coast, forest, seaside towns. I'd say it's one of our favorite Camino routes.
We have a detailed post on the part of the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Porto here it is https://stingynomads.com/camino-fatima-walk-lisbon-porto/. Scenery wise the Lisbon to Porto part of the Portuguese route was a little bit bland. There are few accommodation options and very few albergues on the route.
If you prefer a route that is more of a hike in the woods and mountains and are in good shape I can suggest doing first the Camino de San Salvador from Leon to Oviedo and from Oviedo continue on the Camino Primitivo. The Leon - Oviedo part we haven't done yet (planning for later this year) but from what I've read it's quite a challenging route with many steep asents though it's quite short (4-5 days). The Camino Primitivo is one of the routes that is more like an actual hike. https://stingynomads.com/camino-primitivo-stages/ We really like that route and June-July is a good time to walk it. If you combine both routes you'll need around 3 weeks to complete them. If you want to walk more from Santiago you can continue to Finisterre an Muxia, 5 more days. That route is mostly on gravel roude and a footpath.We have a detailed post on that route as well https://stingynomads.com/camino-finisterre-muxia-stages/
I hope it helps!
Cheers
Hello! I was thinking about doing the route from Lisbon to Santiago in 25 days Starting April 7/ 2022. Is it usually ok to book accommodation 1 day in advance at each stop that I have or does it usually fill up quicker than that. Thanks in advance!
Hello, Cole. The part of the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Porto is not very popular there are not many pilgrims it won't be busy but there are not that many accommodation options. It's fine to book a day or two in advance. April is not a very buy time for the Portuguese route in general even from Porto where the most pilgrims start there won't be that many people I think you will be fine booking your accommodation a day or so in advance.
Buen Caminoo
Hi guys . We are doing the first short stage from st Jean to Pamplona in May. Is bus the best way to transfer back to Biarritz for flight home
Hello, Anne. The bus is probably the best option to get from Pamplona to Biarritz. I'm not sure if there is a direct bus that goes all the way. You might have to take a bus to San Sebastian first and from there another bus to Biarritz. Another option is to take a direct bus from Pamplona to St.Jean (there should be one in May) and from St.Jean take another bus to Bayonne/Biarritz.
Buen Camino
Hi and thank you.
I am in the process of gathering info to walk the Camino Del Norte.
I’m open to walk another route but this is my Preference.
I am bringing Saki, my 5lb. Pomeranian companion. I want to push her in her stroller. Don't laugh she saved my life and I dont go anywhere without her. I have many questions and need help planning a comfortable yet relaxing experience. I have nothing but time to accomplish my goal. This info was great. Thank you
Jackie
Hello, Jackie. Thank you for the comment. The Camino del Norte is quite a challenging route but if you have time to take it easy I'm sure you and Saki will be able to complete it. The main difficulty of walking the Camino with a dog is finding pet-friendly accommodation. Your dog is very small it'll probably be easier maybe some albergues will let you stay with her. Keep in mind that some parts of the Camino del Norte are on footpaths it might be difficult to push a stroller.
Buen Camino
I walked the North Coast Camino and would really like to try the French Way. Your website is great, thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Hello, Alta Marie. Thank you very much for the comment. After walking both the Northern Camino and the French Camino I'd say that scenery wise the Northern Camino was more impressive but the cultural part of the French route makes up for the scenery. If you have any questions we'll be happy to answer them.
Buen Camino
I find your site very informative and helpful. I’m doing my first camino from porto in the first 2 weeks of may 2022. My partner and i will be in our 70s and very much looking forward to the pilgrimage. Is that a busy month? Dry or wet? What’s the weather like?
Thank you
Hello, Digna. Thank you very much for the comment. We walked the Portuguese Camino in May and the weather was great; sunny, warm, not much rain. The mornings can still be a bit chilly but other than that it's a good time for walking the Camino. May is not a very busy month. There are pilgrims but nothing is overbooked or overcrowded.
Buen Camino
Thanks for the information - when you say you walked on asphalt what do you mean? do you mean a rough road? if so it sounds like there are few footpaths on soil? Loved reading about your experiences Diana
Hello, Diana! Thank you for the comment! By asphalt, I mean bitumen that is used to tare roads and sidewalks. On most Camino routes you walk through cities and towns quite a lot which means you walk mostly on sidewalks that are usually asphalt or cobblestones. The Camino is not a typical hiking route with footpaths. Some routes have more footpaths like the Camino Primitivo some less e.g. the Portuguese Camino or del Norte.
Cheers!
Looking forward too your newsletter
I am very excited to have found your site! I am walking my first Camino in 2022 to celebrate my 60th year and your information is very helpful. I am hoping to do the Camino del Norte starting in late June and ending when I am done, probably the end of July/early August. Do you have any favorite spots on that route you would recommend?
Hello, Kathy! Thank you for the comment! We really enjoyed del Norte it's one of our favorite Camino routes. The first part through the Basque Country and Cantabria were very nice. You can find more details on our favorite walking days and places in this post https://stingynomads.com/northern-way-camino-de-santiago/
Buen Camino
Hello I’m loving reading all your blogs so thank you. I had heard that there was a Belgium man doing the Portuguese camino right now in coronavirus times! Assuming that like me, (Australian) many are prohibited from traveling outside of their countries what actually is happy during these times with the routes and also the accommodation . I had heard everything had shut down ?
Many thanks for your dedication and I formation
Hi, Bernardine! Thank you for the comment! In August according to the Pilgrims Reception Office, about 20 000 pilgrims arrived in Santiago in August, most of them, about 90% were Europeans. It's been possible to walk the Camino since July this year. Some albergues are closed, some are open, many limited the number of people they can accommodate. I know of people walking different Camino routes right now but they all live in the EU. For people like us coming from overseas, I don't think it'll be possible to walk the Camino this year. Hopefull 2021 will be a much better year for traveling and we all will be able to get back on the Camino.
Stay safe!