Camino de Santiago

I hiked the Camino de Santiago in August/September 2025. I did the Camino Frances starting from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port over 28 days, and for anyone with the time to do it, I highly recommend it.

This page is mostly intended as a set of logistics and pro-tips for anyone actively interested in walking. It's not intended to persuade someone who's uncertain about walking (though if that would be interesting, let me know!).

Picking Routes

I walked the Camino Frances, though there are of course many others. The Camino Portugués is another popular option that's a bit shorter and flatter. There are plenty of great comparisons online too.

I picked the Frances because it seems to be the default pick for most people. I think it's broadly considered the "classic" Camino from the folks I talked to. It's also probably the most common route historically, since what we now call the Camino Frances was one of the only options for crossing the Pyrnees Mountains in ye olden days.

My main suggestion, though, is to do whatever works for you. Historically the "real Camino" was just walking out your door and going until you get to the end -- there was no "official" pathway. Everyone also has their own physical conditions, time off from work, children to take care of, and all the rest of it to juggle. Europeans regularly piecemeal the Camino, walking in one-week chunks and gradually completing it over time. Many walkers I met did sections¹ and then skipped to Sarria for the last 100km. One recurring theme on the Camino is that there is no right or wrong way to do anything; do what you can, where you are, with what you've got.

Resources

My primary resource that I highly recommend is the Wise Pilgrim, which has a great mobile app that's well worth the $5. What's nice is that at a glance, it tells you what amenities each town has, and for all the albergues in that town, it tells you whether they provide dinner, whether they have laundry, how many bunks they have, and so on. There's also reviews, which often give a good signal on the best hosts/dinner/etc.

Vibes

I knew the Camino was a social experience before I went, but I didn't realize exactly how social it would be. It's incredibly common to strike up conversation with other folks on the trail, and if you're staying in albergues, everyone generally has a few hours of downtime in the afternoons, during which everyone is usually hanging around chatting and getting dinner together. This is especially true in the areas with the highest concentrations of pilgrims, such as the very beginning and after major cities.

If you keep a consistent pace or stick to most of the guidebook stopping points, you'll most likely encounter the same people repeatedly. New people will come into and out of your Camino family regularly as people inevitably get injured, take rest days, or trudge ahead of you, and all of this is part of the journey. Some of the more rural middle sections might have some days with less people around, but generally another pilgrim is never too far behind you.

If you do want alone time, fear not. It is widely acknowledged among pilgrims that everyone walks their own way, and there's absolutely no problem with greeting someone and then going on your own way. I walked the Camino significantly faster than most and did much of the middle section almost entirely on my own, and it was always easy to slot back into groups whenever I wanted to.

Packing

Pack light, and then pack lighter. Remember: this will be on your back for most of the day, every day, for a month. Every ounce counts.

The pack I took is more-or-less the same set of clothes I use during normal travel. This clocked in around 12lbs² at the time, and at that weight I had no problem with my back or shoulders.

My pack was significantly lighter than most, so much so that people regularly commented on it on the trail. Most people use full-size, 50+L backpacks like you might use for the Appalachian Trail. This is way too big. If you have a full-sized pack like that, by all means use it, but do not feel the need to pack it full. As the saying goes, "the Camino will provide" -- there are so many places to buy food and do laundry on the trail that there's little need to generally pack much more than a few pairs of clothes and some minimal first-aid supplies.

I'll say more about that under "Logistics", but suffice it to say that you walk through several majors cities along the way, and every day or two, you'll pass through at least one town with a pharmacy, all of which have gear specifically for pilgrims like ibuprofen, ankle braces, blister treatments, and so on. Don't feel the need to pack everything under the sun.

All you really need: walking shoes, a few sets of shirts/pants/underwear/socks, a rain coat, toiletries, a towel, a sleeping bag or liner, and probably some sandals or flip-flops. That's it.

A note on luggage forwarding

There are many services along the Camino that will transfer your luggage from hotel-to-hotel for you. You are more than welcome to use this, and especially if you have a physical condition that means you are unable to carry a pack, then by all means do what is necessary for you to make your trip.

However, I will say that the vast majority of pilgrims carry their packs. I didn't see hardly anyone doing luggage forawrding until I got to Sarria, and personally, I think carrying a pack is part of the experience anyways.

Logistics

As I mentioned earlier, a common saying is that "The Camino Provides." There is an entire cottage industry along the Camino specifically oriented around providing goods and services for peregrinos, including hotels/hostels, restaurants, pharmacies, doctors, taxis, churches, sporting goods stores, and souvenirs.

Accomodations

The most common form of accomodations on the Camino are called albergues. Albergues are hostels specifically for pilgrims; some are privately owned and operated, and most towns also have one that's run by the city (usually called the albergue municipal). The private ones, also sometimes referred to as hostals, usually have additional services like dinner/breakfast, whereas the municipals are often quite bare-bones. The going rate for these as of 2025 was anywhere from 7-15 euros, though you can certainly pay slightly more than that for a "poshtel."

There are also hotels in many towns, especially in the bigger "guidebook"³ towns. You may see them called hotels, pensiones, or in some of the more remote areas, casa rurales. If you're not down for the hostel vibe, there are plenty of these around (though I would suggest you stay at least some nights in an albergue).

A note on booking ahead: many albergues allow you to book online, though most of the municipal ones are first-come-first-served. Some people get anxious about not having their hotels booked ahead of time, but personally, I preferred the flexibility of booking day-of or just showing up without a reservation. I was there during a pretty popular time of year and still never had a problem finding a room. Even for folks who like to book ahead, I'd say to book only the first handful of stops and then go from there -- you never know when you'll need to take a rest day or change your pace.

Laundry

Many albergues have a laundry machine or a sink for doing laundry, as well as clothes lines for drying. Some nicer albergues and hotels may also have a dryer. In larger cities (Pamplona/Leon/Burgos/etc.), there are also laundromats.

Food

Practically every town will have at least one bar⁴ that is open throughout the day. For the bars in smaller towns, you can expect basically the same options everywhere: in the morning, coffee, tortillas⁵, and some simple sandwiches (often just chorizo or jamon/cheese on a baguette); in the afternoon/evening, bar food and often a three-course menu del dia or menu del peregrino for pilgrims, which is generally a salad, a grilled protein and potatoes/veggies, and a dessert (often prepackaged, like pudding or flan).

The best option for dinner is usually to see if your accomodations serve dinner. Most often this is a cooked by the hospitalero/a, many of whom are solid cooks. Expect some paella, huevos y patatas, and plenty of red wine.

Many places provide breakfast, but it's usually quite simple: coffee/tea, bread with butter/jam, and maybe some fruit. In my opinion, it was often not worth the extra euros to buy breakfast at the accomodation, and instead I would stop at the first town with a bar and get a sandwich and coffee there.

Personally, I struggled to get enough protein on the Camino. Spanish food is pretty carb-heavy, and I often bought jamon/cheese and protein drinks at markets whenever I saw them, and as time went on, I felt the need to eat more meals throughout the day to get enough calories in. (I'm pretty sure I lost 8-10lbs on the walk, even with something like 5 meals a day.) There's plenty of food, but the kinds of food are fairly narrow -- something to keep in mind if you have dietary restrictions or specific needs.

That covers just about everything I can think of off the top of my head. Most of all, my advice is to remember that it's a long walk. Take your time, talk to people, have some quiet moments, and pack light.

Buen Camino!