With many options — there are more than 14 well-known routes — picking the right Camino for you and your group can feel overwhelming. In order to make your decision a bit easier, we present you with the second guide of our three-part “Choosing My Camino” series, where we give our expert insights into which Camino route you should embark on based on your personal interests.

Short and Sweet

Top Choice

When you walk the Camino, you don’t have to cover the entire distance of a route to get the full pilgrim experience. Because 100 km is the minimum walking required to get the coveted Compostela certificate, many travelers pick villages located a little over this distance as their pilgrimage starting point. The most popular of this truncated Camino is the one that runs through inland Galicia from Sarria to Santiago: this section of the French Way is the busiest stretch of any Camino route, with 7 out of 10 pilgrims walking its paths on their way to the tomb of the Apostle. Due to its high popularity, you’ll find many fellow pilgrims on the road and will have access to Camino-centered services and hospitality through its 5 stages.

Plan B

Do you want to complete a full route but you’re short on time or want something on the lighter side? The shortest official Camino, the English Way, may be your best option as it can be completed in just 4 days. While its Ferrol variant runs slightly over the 100 km necessary to get the Compostela certificate, this route also offers an even shorter alternative path that starts from A Coruña, just 75 km away from Santiago. Although the English Way is chosen by only 6% of pilgrims, it’s one of the most ancient and well-established routes: signaling is excellent, the terrain of the paths is well-maintained and there’s a perfect mix of rural and urban areas that offer all the services a pilgrim can need.

A Pilgrim’s Experience

“My career is my life. I love it, but it can be hard to free up enough days and be able to take a vacation for myself. The Camino had been on my mind since my dear friend, Shirley, had walked over 800 km on her Camino. I could have waited until I found the 30-plus days of vacation but instead, I saw my vacation limitations as a sign. A sign to appreciate my shorter vacation and walk a portion of the Camino as a trial run. It was the right decision, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything! Now I am saving up my vacation days for my next Camino!” — Cristina

Bicigrinos

Top Choice

Of the 200,000 plus pilgrims that arrive in Santiago each year, between 10% and 15% travel the route via bicycle. Instead of the 100 km required of walking pilgrims, bicigrinos have to cover at least 200 km to receive their Compostela certificate. Situated approximately 215 km away from Santiago, the historic city of Ponferrada is the perfect departing point for casual cyclists that want to experience the classic pilgrim experience of the French Way. By traveling through a section of the most popular Camino route you’ll enjoy many practical benefits such as great signaling on every stage and a balanced mix of well-maintained forest tracks and paved roads. While you’ll encounter some up and downs, the terrain is mostly forgiving so you can expect to cover more than 40 km a day and complete your pilgrimage in 4 to 5 stages, the perfect amount of time if you don’t have too much time on your hands or if you wish to extend your journey after reaching Santiago and keep pedaling towards Finisterre.

Plan B

If you’re into mountain biking and are looking for a bit more of a thrill, the Primitive Way is a good alternative. We recommend this route for more experienced cyclists with a good fitness level, as during the initial stages you’ll have to be up to the challenge of the Cantabrian mountains and their continuous ups and downs, with steep ascends and descends of more than 1,000 meters. Throughout this journey, you’ll spend most of your day cycling on unpaved backroads and rough footpaths, so we advise you divide its 330 km into no less than 7 short but strenuous stages.

A Pilgrim’s Experience

“Cycling is my passion! I road cycle as much as my body allows me and I enjoy disconnecting from the city for a bit. A few buddies of mine came up with the idea to cycle the French route starting from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port a few years back. I wasn’t sure what I was signing up for but if it involved my bike then I was excited to participate. Sure, there were times when we became frustrated due to equipment issues or body exhaustion, but we persevered. And many years later, I look back at that trip with pure admiration and pride. I learned a lot on that trip and it is an experience I would like to repeat with my son, Diego, soon!” — Tony

Rule-Breakers

Top Choice

Everybody knows that all the Camino routes end in the holy city of Santiago de Compostela…or do they? Give your pilgrimage a twist and experience a Camino without Santiago by embarking on The St James Way of Gran Canaria, the first Camino route located outside the European continent. Running from Maspalomas in the south of the island up to Gáldar in the north, this 70 km trail goes through an incredibly diverse terrain that includes dunes, volcanos, ravines, and even an ancient necropolis. In 1993, the Papal Bull of Pope Jean Paul II certified this route as an official Camino and granted its pilgrims — in perpetuity — the same Jacobean privileges as of those who travel to the Santiago Cathedral: you can even get their version of the Compostela and celebrate the Holy Xacobeo on the island!

Plan B

Is Santiago too common and ending for your journey? Then maybe you’ll want to go all the way to “the end of the world”. The 90-km-long Fisterra Way used to be considered an epilogue to other Camino routes as it was usually walked as an extension by many pilgrims after arriving at Santiago de Compostela. Nowadays, many pilgrims are deciding to walk from the capital of Galicia to this cliffy village of Costa da Morte as a proper alternative to the most common Camino routes. Although you won’t be awarded a Compostela certificate, this route has its official completion certificates: the Fisterrana and the Muxiana — the latter can be issued if you decide to go all the way to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of A Barca in the nearby seaside village of Muxía.

A Pilgrim’s Experience

“After finishing my first Camino this past spring — I did the French Way from O’Cebreiro — my appetite for more pilgrim adventures only grew bigger. I’m a big sea person, so I decided to try out the alternative Fisterra Way. It was really easy to arrive at my starting point — Santiago is very well connected by train — and the shorter walking stages meant the pacing of this trip was more relaxed: my friends and I were able to have enough time and energy to explore the little villages along the way, meet locals, and enjoy the Galician gastronomy. Submerging my feet in the refreshing sea and enjoying a delicious glass of wine was the best way to wrap up this unforgettable escape!” — Natalia

Remember that we at Bukitt Camino are here to make your pilgrim experience easy and comfortable! If you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to contact our Camino Sherpas via email, fill out our website form, or drop us a message on social media. For more tips, recommendations, guides, and all things Camino follow us on our Instagram and share your pilgrim adventures with #AllCaminosLeadToSantiago or #YourCaminoIsOurCamino. We hope to see you on The Way soon but in the meantime…Ultreia et suseia! Buen Camino!