Deciding to walk a Camino pilgrimage route is a decision many people take for lots of different reasons! Whether it has been a life-long bucket list challenge to walk the 30 plus days it takes to reach Santiago de Compostela from the French borders on the Camino Frances, or you have reached a time in your life where some quiet contemplation is needed. Perhaps it’s the physical challenge you aspire to, or maybe you want to discover a more authentic and traditional part of a country away from the well-trodden tourist routes.

It can be a tough decision to decide which Camino de Santiago, or pilgrimage trail, is the one for you. Here, we try to highlight what we think are the most important reasons to walk each of our options, hopefully making that decision a little bit easier.

Camino Frances

• Easy to follow – you cannot get lost on the most well-known of all the Caminos. Simply follow the scallop shells and yellow arrows and you won’t go wrong!

• Great sense of camaraderie – as it is the most popular, this is the pilgrimage for you if meeting other walkers is all part of the experience. You build incredible friendships and bonds with fellow pilgrims along the way

• Good for solo walkers – for the same reason as above really, there are always lots of people walking this route so you are guaranteed to see people every day and therefore feel safe

Camino Portugues Traditional Route

• Slightly less busy than the Camino Frances, but becoming more popular by the day.

• Travels through authentic Portugal and you get to see a side of this country tourists would never touch on

• History and culture abound on the Camino Portugues – from towns like Ponte de Lima, the oldest town in Portugal, to historic Templar towns such as Tomar with it’s Templar Castle

Camino Portugues Coastal Way

• Discover the beautiful, undeveloped coastline of Portugal

• Less crowded than the Camino Frances but again becoming more and more popular

• Seafood and wine – walking along the coast, you will get to enjoy some wonderful fresh seafood including over 300 varieties of cod dishes, oysters and the mouth-watering Albarino wine.

Camino del Norte

• This route offers a greater challenge to those looking for a slightly more strenuous way to get to Santiago! It covers mountains, rolling hills and steep cliffs in parts so the terrain is a lot more challenging

• Great food! The Basque Country in Spain is renowned for it’s fantastic food. One of the highlights of walking the Camino del Norte will definitely be sampling tasty pintxos (small tapas-like dishes) at the end of the day

• A large part of the route runs close to the coastline and what is known as the “Green Coast” of Spain 

Camino Primitivo

• One for the purists, as this is the original pilgrim route to Santiago, taken by King Alfonso II in the 9^th century

• A much quieter route – if you are looking for time to contemplate and lots of solitude this option is perfect for you!

• Again, a challenge – much of the route runs through the mountains of Asturias so ideal if you are looking for a tougher walk

Camino Ingles

• The Camino Ingles offers a great combination of coastal and rural landscapes

• One of the shortest Camino’s so perfect if you don’t have as much time but would still like to experience a pilgrimage

Camino Invierno

• An off-the-beaten path and tranquil option which follows the route used in medieval times to avoid the O’Cebreiro mountains on the Camino Frances

• This is a route filled with history – Romanesque architecture, ancient villages and historic monuments

• Pass through the Ribeira Sacra region – a fantastic wine-growing region – so you will be sure to be well-watered!

Camino Lebaniego

• One of the only 2 Spanish pilgrimage routes to not finish in Santiago so if you want to do something a bit different, try this! Instead it finishes at the Santo Torbio Monastery in the Picos, which is home to the Lignum Crucis (said to be one of the largest remaining pieces of the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified)

• Combine the coast with the mountains – the route leads from San Vicente de la Barquera on the Green Coast all the way down through Cantabria to the Picos de Europa mountains 

Camino Finisterre

• The perfect way to complete any Camino finishing in Santiago, the Finisterre will continue from Santiago to the coast, giving a real sense of completing a journey and walking to the “end of the world”

We have arranged 1000s of walking tours on the Camino routes, with expert guidance, advice, baggage transfer, comfortable lodgings and back up (should you need it) included. If you need any further advice on any of our Camino routes please don't hesitate to contact our team on hello@macsadventure.com, or you can download our Camino Guide for more information.