Here’s what I tell folks when they ask me how to plan a Camino.
I often receive emails with questions about how to plan a Camino or about the Camino in general.
There is A LOT to know about the Camino.
There are over 200 recognized Camino routes. I have barely scratched the surface of Camino walking! So of course, I can’t possibly cover everything, but I can tell you what I tell folks when they ask. And maybe, if you find yourself planning a Camino, which, by the way, I highly recommend, you might find some of it helpful.
If you ask me how to plan your Camino, first, I’ll start by asking you some questions. The answers to these questions can help you map out the best Camino for you, which is important. There are as many ways to do the Camino as there are people walking it. I believe that the Camino’s accessibility is part of what makes it such a great experience, so please feel the freedom to craft your Camino your way.
And part of how you do that is by asking and answering questions:
Do you want to complete a Camino or just walk on a Camino path somewhere?
How much time do you have to walk?
When do you want to go?
Do you want to walk by yourself or with others?
Do you want to stay in communal hostels or in bed and breakfasts/hotels?
Do you want to carry your stuff or use a luggage service?
So let’s take those questions one by one.
Do you want to complete a Camino or just walk on a Camino path somewhere?
All Camino roads lead to Santiago de Compostela, the official end point of the Camino. Do you want to walk into Santiago de Compostela on your trip or are you looking for a pretty section of the Camino to walk?
If you want to reach Santiago on your Camino, then you take the amount of time you have to walk and work backwards from the town. If you have a chunk of time and you just want to spend it “somewhere” on the Camino, then I might recommend a more scenic stretch of the Camino that does not necessarily get you all the way to Santiago.
How much time do you have to walk?
So if you know you want to reach Santiago and you have a week, consider walking the last 100 km from Sarria to Santiago. If you have 35 days, maybe you want to walk the 800 kilometers from St Jean Pied a Port and walk into Spain from France. If you have two weeks, consider walking from Astorga to Santiago or taking the Portuguese Camino from Porto.
If you have a week to walk and you don’t mind if you reach Santiago this time, you might walk from St Jean Pied a Port to Livorno. That way, you will have walked the “beginning” of the Camino Frances and if you fall in love with Camino walking, you can come back and pick up where you left off. Another fun week would be to walk from Irun to Bilbao on the Camino del Norte or you could walk all the way to Santander if you have two weeks. When choosing a random section of the Camino, if you only have a week or two, it’s best to pay attention to which entry and exit points are easier to get to. You don’t want to end your walk in a tiny town with no bus or train service.
Also in choosing a route, ask yourself if you are most after the “Camino camaraderie” or scenery/beautiful trails. My favorite trail in Portugal is the Rota Vicentina in the south of the country, but I loved walking the Camino Portugues into Santiago for the traditional “Camino” experience.
On the final 100km on the Camino Frances and on the Camino Portugues, there will be lots of other pilgrims.
When do you want to go?
The Camino routes in Spain are open all year long, but if you go between May and September, the weather will be warmer (so you can carry less) and there will be more fellow pilgrims.
I have walked the Camino as late as November, which had its own kind of charm. Fewer pilgrims but strong camaraderie. We didn’t book ahead because we weren’t competing for beds, but also a lot of albergues were closed for the season. But the weather was definitely a challenge most days. (We had rain, snow and sleet on the trail.)
If you have flexibility I recommend April-early June before it gets too hot in Southern Europe or late September-October. The routes are very popular from May to September, so I would book lodging ahead of time, which brings us to the next question.
Private albergues vs public albergues? And b&bs or hotels?
Some pilgrims really like to just go with the flow and walk as far as they can and then find a bed. Most of the time, I am not that pilgrim. I like to map out how far I am going each day. I know myself and about how far I can walk each day. And I also find that I can walk as far as I have planned to walk. I would posit that even if you know where you are ending up each day, you can still go with the flow, stop for breaks when you want, take as long as you want throughout the day, but while still having an exact destination in mind so that you know you have a place to sleep and (if using a transfer service) where to send your luggage each day.
So when you get ready to start making your bookings, decide if you want to stay in hostels or in private rooms. If you’re walking with a friend or two, you can usually get a private room for close to the same price of 2-3 beds in a shared bunk room. (This is one advantage of walking the Camino with others.) If I am walking on my own, I usually do a mix of private rooms and hostels.
Every third night or so, I just want to get a really good night of sleep, be able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without putting on clothes and not listen to other people snoring or their alarms going off.
But I love an albergue that has a shared meal option, so that you are at the dinner table with others and you have a chance to meet and talk to other pilgrims in shared spaces.
A lot of public albergues do not take reservations (although more and more do) and you have to bring your own sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner (summer), so I lean more towards private albergues that have linens and duvets so I don’t have to carry them. Many private albergues also have towels and toiletries. (More things that don’t have to go in my pack.)
If you are walking your Camino in the summer, as a treat, I would look for places with a/c and/or swimming pools for at least a few of the nights.
You can book rooms ahead of time easily with Gronze, which has the best and most updated lodging lists that include hostels. The website is in Spanish but you can use a browser to translate it if you don’t read Spanish. Or if you prefer, you can use booking.com or even a Camino guidebook to find places to stay.
Do you want to carry your stuff or use a luggage service?
For me, figuring out the answer to this question is all about how much stuff you want to bring. My favorite way to Camino is to carry my small 24 liter pack. If I am walking alone, I don’t transfer anything and I don’t store things in Santiago for before/after the trip. You can buy a new outfit in Santiago if you’re sick of your hiking clothes. Honestly you can buy anything you need on most Camino routes.
But usually when I lead a group on the Camino, I have the option of luggage transfer because it’s quite hard to get people to leave home without over-packing. Haha. But I’m training folks. For about half the trips I lead, we just take smaller packs. You’ll be amazed at how you just don’t need that much, especially in the summer months. And it’s so freeing to have less. Because you are moving every night, the small pack keeps you from exploding (as much) all over the room every day, and it’s quick to pack up in the mornings.
However, this is an area where it’s helpful to know yourself. The handy thing about the luggage transfer is that you can take along the extra shoes and then change if something is not working. You can wear tennis shoes on easy days and hiking boots on harder days. You can leave your rain gear in the suitcase on sunny days and only carry your water and your snacks in a day pack.
There are all kinds of reasons that some people just can’t carry a backpack and so it’s great that the luggage transfer service is available. You can book it online at Correos and make adjustments to your schedule right up to before you leave if you need to.
So once you know how long you’re going, when you’re going, what kinds of places you want to stay and what you’re bringing, you have most of your Camino sorted. You just need to buy a plane ticket and book your lodging. You’re on your way.
BUT HERE ARE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE
Can someone else plan my Camino for me?
Yes! Two services I recommend for doing most the planning for you: Ramble Worldwide or MacsAdventure. These services will also book your luggage transfer and for an additional fee will get you from the airport to the start of your walk if you want. I have worked with both of these companies over the years and they are both great. Ramble Worldwide even does a group tour from Sarria if you want to walk with a group. (I lead tours for them a few times a year.)
How do I train for the Camino?
What I love about the Camino is that people from all walks of life make their way to this trail. All ages and all varieties of fitness levels are represented. Many people do it without any preparation, but the more you do ahead of time, the more you are going to enjoy your Camino.
Here is a great 12 week training plan for walking the Camino. If you find it hard to keep the schedule this training plan suggests, incorporate as much of it as you can.
Mostly I tell people to just get walking. Walk to work. Walk to the store. Google how far it is to the places you normally drive. For the places that are less than 5 miles away, start walking. Walk at least 4 days a week. Start slow and build up. Walk in the shoes you are going to wear on the Camino and carry the backpack you are going to take.
What shoes should I wear?
People walk a lot of the traditional Camino routes in every possible kind of footwear. It is such a well established path that you don’t necessarily need hiking boots. I walk the latter sections of the Camino in trail runners, so not a full on hiking boot but a bit more supportive than a tennis shoe. But if I’m hiking for longer than a week, I walk in a full hiking boot. I find I just need the support for longer treks.
My favorite hiking boots are Scarpas and my favorite trailrunners are Altras. But I have a wide toe box with a narrow heel so those are the brands that have worked consistently for me. So try on lots of different shoes to see what works best for you. Buy several pairs and walk around for a day in your house to figure out which ones feel the best over time and then return the rest. Or buy from REI because they will let you return them even after you hike in them!
How do I get to/from the airport in Santiago/Madrid/Barcelona?
Follow up/similar questions to this one include:
Should I fly into Madrid and then make my way to Santiago?
If I find a cheap ticket to London, then can I just book a separate flight to Santiago?
If you are short on time (like you don’t have time to visit London/Madrid/city you are flying into), then book a flight all the way to where you are going. If possible, I book a multi-city flight to fly into where I’m starting and out of where I am finishing.
If you’re walking from Sarria to Santiago, fly in/out of Santiago, get a bus to Sarria and then walk to Santiago. If you’re walking from St Jean to Livorno, fly in/out of Pamplona. Or you can fly into Pamplona, get a bus to St Jean and then fly out of Livorno. If walking from Porto to Santiago, I’d fly into Porto and out of Santiago.
Flying in/out of different airports or into smaller towns tends to be more expensive on the front end, but whenever I try to fly into a bigger city to get a cheaper flight, I usually spend whatever I saved on airport hotels because I end up needing to stay in that town in order to fly out the next day. That is in addition to the cost of buses/trains from the city. Also I lose a day on either end, which I don’t mind if I have plenty of time. There is a new fast train from Madrid to Santiago that I would totally take if I was trying to spend some time in Madrid.
Also if you fly into a big town and then book a budget airline (Ryanair or Easyjet) separately, you have to give yourself a lot of time between your arrival flight and the departing one. As they are not linked, if you miss your flight, you will have to buy another one at the last minute. Also, the budget airlines charge extra for any bags you carry on so the “cheap flight” isn’t always as inexpensive as it seems.
To figure out the best way to get from one place to the other I use the app Rome2Rio. To buy train tickets in Spain I use Spanish train app/website Renfe and for buses I use the local bus apps, often it’s an Alsa bus I need but it’s good to check all the options. For checking flight prices, I use Kayak and Skyscanner to set alerts for flights I’m watching.
How do I navigate the Camino? Do I need a guidebook?
I use Alltrails for all hiking navigation these days. I pay for the subscription so I can download maps and have them offline. They still work with my phone on airplane mode.
You can also use a guidebook if you want, but I don’t think they are super necessary. I usually read one from the library before I go and make notes of anything I want to remember because I don’t want to carry it.
For the Camino Frances and Camino Portugues, all you need to do is follow the arrows. Really! They are so well-marked. For lesser marked routes, I sometimes download a guidebook ahead of time, but I usually find that just the map in Alltrails is enough.
I also use the Buen Camino app to see all the info for each town.
Should I read anything else before I go on the Camino?
Isn’t the Camino Frances really crowded? Especially the part from Sarria to Santiago?
There are so many different opinions about this but I actually think it is one of the benefits of the trail. It is amazing to get to experience the feeling of walking with people from all over the world to the same place. It’s beautiful to me. And if you lean into it, you’ll have your world widened by meeting so many people. But also, you might have to wait in line for a bathroom or a coffee. Even this can be an opportunity to just enjoy the slow pace of walking and meet someone new.
I find that if the path feels a bit full in the morning, over the day you get spread out on the trail and it’s not that bad. And because so many are walking, you will find that there is water/drinks/food/bathrooms wherever you need them, which makes the walking really easy to me. You just follow the other folks on the trail and stop whenever you need a rest.
One way you can avoid a little of the congestion is to book places to stay that aren’t in the main towns. I usually do a little bit of this but it’s tricky because you have to make sure they serve an evening meal since you’re not close to the restaurants in town. One thing I have found is that after we finish for the day, sometimes folks don’t want to walk a long way to dinner because they are tired. So it can be a relief to stay in places where they serve dinner and breakfast in addition to having rooms so that when you arrive for the day, you don’t have to move again unless you want to.
What do I pack for the Camino?
I have two Camino packing lists, one for if I am carrying only my 24 liter backpack and another packing list for if you are transferring a carry on suitcase every day while only carrying a small day pack on the Camino.
Like I said earlier, when I take folks, sometimes we carry our packs and sometimes I have everyone bring a small day pack and a carry-on suitcase, and then I have the suitcases moved every day. It really depends on the group I am taking, but if possible, I prefer to make the decision ahead of time because if you pack in a large backpack and then decide on the trail that you want to start shipping it, then you need to purchase something else to carry while you walk because you still need something for your water, rain jacket, etc.
I have a (very rambly, unpolished) video showing what to pack in a small backpack for a week or two of hiking that you can watch if you want. It’s a video I made for folks who are coming hiking with me so it won’t all apply to your Camino. I’ve also done a video for if you are traveling with a day pack and moving bags. This second video was made as we were coming out of the pandemic, so there are some dated bits. Also, I mention buying SIM cards ahead of time but now you can get an inexpensive eSim on Airalo or a similar service, if you have an unlocked phone.
Do I need trekking poles?
I don’t use trekking poles on most of the Camino Frances or the Camino Portugués. It’s mostly level paths so I don’t find that I need them. If you change your mind you can buy them there. I do use trekking poles for hiking harder trails and for sections of the Camino that have more elevation.
Do you have specific recommendations for where to eat or stay?
I stay and eat at different places every time I go, and there are always new albergues and cafes opening, so it’s impossible to keep track of everything. However, I do have a few favorites that I try to not miss when I head to the Camino, so I’ll list them below for each Camino.
Camino Frances
I recommend staying at La Casona de Sarria if you start in Sarria.
In Portomarin, we always hit up D’Gusta Cafe for breakfast before we hit the trail. Yummy coffee, bacon and egg option (unusual on the Camino), tostadas and other pastries.
Casa Roan Casa Rural This family-run rural stay is off the trail a bit (near Ligonde), but they will come pick you up from the Camino, feed you dinner, give you a beautiful room, feed you breakfast and drive you back to the trail. I don’t generally like to leave the Camino, but one year I was trying to shorten the stage from Portomarin to Palas de Rei, so I ended up staying here and now I always go back. Their outdoor spaces are like a little retreat on a sunny afternoon.
Casa Domingo has my favorite cookies and pastries on the trail.
For a splurge experience, 1930 Boutique Hotel in Arzua is maybe the most beautiful hotel on the whole Camino Frances with an exquisite dinner (and breakfast) experience. You’ll never want to leave. If you want to stay in a hostel in town but just want a special dinner spurge, they have a sister restaurant in town that might be your best meal of the whole Camino: Casa Nené.
If you miss everything else on this list, don’t miss the little farm shop right on the Camino called A Granxa de Tato. If you are staying in Arzua and you didn’t get breakfast, wait until you get here and have breakfast here, in the garden if it’s a pretty day. If it’s cold, there is a fireplace inside. Cozy inside and out, I have found I can spend hours in this tiny spot looking at the artwork and reading the messages on the communal board left by other pilgrims. I have a gorgeous painting hanging on my wall that my Camino group bought here for me one year.
Camino Portugues
Do not miss staying at Casa Fernanda.
What about the spiritual experience of the Camino? Do I have to be religious? Or Catholic?
The Camino has a long beautiful tradition of being a spiritual pilgrimage, but there are plenty of folks doing the Camino as “just a walk.”
However, sometimes folks who are looking for a deep spiritual journey don’t find it to be as meaningful as they had hoped and sometimes folks who are “just doing a walk” end up finding the experience to be wildly meaningful.
Wherever you find yourself, go with an open heart.
I like to go to a few pilgrim masses along the way, even though I am not Catholic. And I always appreciate the Pilgrims’ Mass in Santiago.
I love reading the traditional pilgrim blessing out loud in the mornings before we walk.
There are lots of simple ways to create space for meaning on the Camino.
I’ve walked with a fellow pilgrim who chose to be silent in the mornings, to let the trail be her companion and to give herself the gift of meeting each day without having to talk. Another pilgrim who is Catholic wanted to find a mass every evening before dinner if possible, marking the end of her day with the routine of communion. Once on Sunday, when it was snowing on the Camino and we were freezing, a group of us decided to stop for mass mid-morning, as much in the hope of waiting out the weather as out of a desire to go to Mass. The tiny service ended up being one of the best gifts of that Camino.
I love these words that were written by a fellow pilgrim about how our bodies become prayers while we are walking. These were written by Margaret Hebblethwaite on walking St Cuthbert’s Way:
I see a pilgrimage as a way of turning my body into a prayer. Most of us do not pray well enough or often enough, but on pilgrimage I do not have to do anything clever with my mind: I just reach towards God with my body in a way that is both difficult and simple. It is difficult because I get blisters and sunburn and aching limbs, but the spiritual uplift comes because of the physical effort, not despite it. It is simple because all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other and go on doing that all day. That action is a prayer because it is a striving towards God, a movement towards a place made holy by the influence of others – the saint who is the inspiration of the pilgrimage, and the many good people who have gone there before me, seeking God.
I love to remember that so many good people have gone before me on these paths and to think of my own body as striving towards God as I take each step. There’s nothing else I have to do today but walk.
Do you have any other important Camino advice?
For all Camino planning, the best advice I can give you is to do your best to ‘know thyself’ ahead of time and then to make the best of what you end up planning.
A couple of examples:
Luggage Transfer vs Carrying Everything: You probably know if you’re going to find carrying a full backpack for 10+ miles in the sun to be an exciting challenge or a total bummer. If it’s the latter, book the luggage transfer. But if you want to carry everything and then you arrive and are discouraged that you’ve chosen that for yourself, there is always the option to ship your pack forward tomorrow.
Communal Hostels vs B&Bs/Hotels: Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you want to talk to people all day on the trail and then be by yourself in the evenings or vice versa? Are you ok to eat by yourself or would you rather have other folks around? Book what you think you will enjoy and then make the best of what you’ve booked. If you need to cancel something because you find yourself wanting more private rooms and or more community, that’s ok!
Mainly, just get your plane tickets ASAP and everything else will fall into place. You’re going to have a great time no matter what! Enjoy the journey!!!
Once you decide to go on a Camino,
You have already begun your ancient pilgrimage.
By committing to this walk,
You have started your journey.
In fact, every step you take to prepare to walk the Camino is actually part of your Way.
I hope that excites you as much as it does me.
The first step on any epic journey is the one you take out your front door.
In Norway, they call it the “doorstep mile.”
And every time you walk out your front door to go for a walk, you are taking the hardest step there is.
The beginning.
Once you’ve begun a journey, everything else is just an obstacle to be faced along the way.
But since you’re already on The Way, you have everything you need with you in order to face whatever comes.
Whatever is waiting for you around the next bend in the path is just something to walk through.
So consider that all the other things you need to figure out are just the next steps on your path!
Buen Camino!!
XO
Alison
PS. The Camino is one of my favorite topics of conversation, so please do ask any questions you have in the comments and I will do my very best to answer them. I have written loads about the Camino on this blog. Lots of stories, but also maybe some helpful details there.
PPS. Also, this online Camino Forum is a wealth of information. You can search old threads (most of the questions you have thought of have been asked), but also folks are super generous to answer questions for new pilgrims who are starting out. The Buen Camino app has lots of info, both for on the go and for planning ahead of time.
PPPS. I am taking a very small group of 4-6 gals on a 2 week Camino in the North of Spain from May 15-29, 2025. We are walking from San Sebastian to Santander, which is the beginning sections of the Camino del Norte. If you are interested in joining us, reach out for more info via email. (alison AT alison chino DOT com)
