CAMINOLOVERS.COM – BEST CAMINO GUIDES & MORE
Author: Matej
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From Santillana del Mar to Comillas, Camino del Norte Stage no. 12
Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Santillana del Mar. Ending point: The city center of Comillas. Availability of alternative routes: No. It may be tempting to think one can go to the coast and follow a trail along, but in this part the coast is very rough and steep, and in most parts…
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From Santander to Santillana del Mar, Camino del Norte stage no. 11
Basic Details Starting point: Old town of Santander (there isn’t really any old town in Santander to be honest, but let’s make the start from the Cathedral :)) Ending point: Santillana del Mar, town center (it is pretty small and any albergue is within 5 minutes walking distance from the very center of Santillana). Availability…
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From Guemes to Santander, Camino del Norte, stage no. 10
Basic Details Starting point: Albergue de Abuelo Peuto, Guemes (one of the top 3 most famous albergues on all Caminos in Spain, definitely a must stay while you do the northern route). Ending point: Palacio de Embarcacion, Santander (right after the obligatory boat crossing from Somo to Santander). Availability of alternative routes: Yes, there is…
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From Laredo to Santona, over Faro de Caballo and Ancient Forst (Camino del Norte stage no. 9, alternative route)
– Illustrative map for the circuit, pointing out lighthouses, ancient forts, and other spots worth seeing. For an online map click here. Basic Details Starting point: Convento de las Trinitarias, Laredo (convent, the only pilgrim albergue in Laredo and a place where most pilgrims stay in the town). Ending point: The city center of…
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From Laredo to Guemes, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 9
Basic Details Starting point: Convento de las Trinitarias, Laredo (convent, the only pilgrim albergue in Laredo and a place where most pilgrims stay in the town). Ending point: Albergue de Abuelo Peuto, Guemes (one of the top 3 most famous albergues on all Caminos in Spain, definitely a must stay while you do the northern…
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Alternative Camino Route Stage no.8: From Onton to Laredo over Sonabia and Candina Mountain [Top 3 Most Beautiful Parts of Camino del Norte]
– Illustration map of the way, detail on the alternative route, and where it connects back to the official Camino. Basic Details Starting point: Albergue de Peregrinos Onton Ending point: Center of Laredo. Link to online map: here. Availability of alternative routes: This is an alternative route, and in my unbiased opinion, one of the…
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From Onton to Laredo, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 8
Basic Details Starting point: Albergue de Peregrinos Onton (a donativo pilgrim hostel in Onton, run by nice people with a communal dinner, definitely worth staying at). Ending point: Center of Laredo. Availability of alternative routes: Yes, and worth taking. The alternative route goes through a spectacular natural reserve at the edge of the ocean. Pristine…
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From Bilbao to Onton, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 7
Basic Details Starting point: Old town of Bilbao Ending point: Albergue de Peregrinos Onton (a donativo pilgrim hostel in Onton, a really nice one and worth staying at). * Important note: It is unlikely albergue in Onton will open for the 2025 season. Hence you can either end your stage 5km earlier in Pobena…
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From Gerekiz to Bilbao, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 6
Basic Details Starting point: Albergue de Peregrinos Gerekiz, Gerekiz. Ending point: Old city center of Bilbao Availability of alternative routes: No Distance: Official camino route: 24 km (download GPS here) Elevation difference: + 684m, – 803m. Link to online map: here. Difficulty score: 3/5. Beauty score: 2/5. Terrain/asphalt: 10%/90%. Next stage: Camino del Norte, stage…
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From Monasterio de Zenarruza to Gerekiz, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 5
Basic Details Starting point: Monastery (with an albergue) Monasterio de Zenarruza. Ending point: Albergue de Peregrinos, Gerekiz Availability of alternative routes: No (in theory you can follow the GR 38 marked trail for a significant part of your day. However, this trail is not nicer than the Camino, it has more asphalt walking and it…
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From Deba to Monasterio de Zenarruza, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 4
Basic Details Starting point: Church of Santa Maria, Deba. Ending point: Monastery (with an albergue) Monasterio de Zenarruza. Availability of alternative routes: YES, there is a small alternative route over the mountains, following the GR 121 marked trail. Following this route you will save about 3 kilometers of walking distance, and the elevation is just…
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From Zarautz to Deba, Camino del Norte, stage no. 3
Basic Details Starting point: Convent of the Franciscanos, Zarautz Ending point: Church of Santa Maria, Deba Availability of alternative routes: You can take an alternative route along the coast after Zumaia. It passes through some beautiful locations, such as Playa de Sakoneta, or Mirador Mendetagaina (a viewpoint), and on this route you can observe…
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From San Sebastian to Zarautz, Camino del Norte, stage no. 2
Basic Details Starting point: Center of San Sebastian Ending point: Convent of the Franciscanos, Zarautz Availability of alternative routes: YES, there is a small alternative detour on the coast close to Zarautz, to visit El cargadero de minerales Malla Harria o Mollarri de Zarautz (mineral loading area , interesting historic building that served to load…
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From Irun to San Sebastian, Camino del Norte, stage no. 1
Basic Details Starting point: Iglesia de Nuestra señora del Juncal (Irun Cathedral, you can get your credential–the pilgrim passport there, more info here: how to get a pilgrim passport in Irun). Ending point: Center of San Sebastian, where you will find many accommodation options for every budget, except of the extreme low cost. Availability of…
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Do you have to pay to do the Camino? Facts & Myths
If you’ve been to different countries of the world, you know for sure that it isn’t always free to walk in a forest, yet alone to hike some trail. Fees range from symbolic $1 (in local currency) to outrageous fees like $25,000 for being able to go to Mount Everest. And while most of these…
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Readers’ questions: Do you have to be Catholic to walk the Camino?
I’ve got an email from one of the readers of CaminoLovers.com a few days ago. They asked me what role Catholicism plays on the Camino, and whether it is fine to do the way, even though you do not believe in any God. Their message helped me to realize that things obvious for us “Camino…
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Do albergues have blankets? My personal experience from Camino de Santiago
Many people are tempted to pack super-light for the Camino. After all you’ll sleep every day inside (or at least you hope to :)), so why carry a towel, or a sleeping bag? These things take a lot of space in the backpack, and perhaps you do not need them, especially if you do the…
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Ticks on Camino de Santiago – Facts vs Myths
I’ve met enough Americans, both on the Camino and outside of it, to know how scared they are of ticks. And perhaps they have a good reason, considering the huge number of ticks infected with Lyme Disease in the forests of US, especially along the famous Appalachian Trail. Then you have the fear-mongering pharma lobby,…
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Are there toilets on the Camino de Santiago? My personal experience
Camino de Santiago is not a walk in a jungle, or in a thick forest where every tree fifty feet away from the trail offers an opportunity to relieve yourself in privacy. On the contrary, you will walk a lot in open spaces, in the fields and on the plains of inland Spain (super beautiful…
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Ultralight Packing List for Camino de Santiago [2026 Edition]
It is not necessarily true that lighter backpack is easier to carry, and that you will enjoy the Camino more if you carry 4 kilos than 8 kilos. Each approach has some pluses and minuses, and more things mean more comfort on your pilgrimage. Having said that, I fully understand that most people who can…
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What to eat to lose weight while walking the Camino?
Losing weight on the Camino is a goal of many pilgrims, though few would admit it. The tricky part is that you do not necessarily lose weight just because you cover a decent mileage day after day, as you progress towards Santiago de Compostela. Some people lose weight, others gain weight, and some end up…
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Best Maps for Camino de Santiago – Top 3 Alternatives
With the constant growth of popularity of the Spanish caminos, people always come with new products and business ideas. Sometimes they try to help the pilgrims, and sometimes they simply hope to enjoy their fraction of this juicy pie, making some money from selling something to pilgrims. And since a modern man of 21st century…
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Where to Get a Pilgrim Passport in St. Jean Pied de Port in 2026
Numbers do not lie. In 2019 (the last year before the pandemics) over 30,000 pilgrims started their long walk to Santiago from Saint Jean in France, and the number actually includes only pilgrims who reached Santiago, and visited the pilgrims office to get their “Compostela”, the certificate of completing the pilgrimage. Which means that in…
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Best T-Shirt for Camino de Santiago – My personal experience
Every detail matters, as long as you want to enjoy your pilgrimage to the fullest, and avoid any unnecessary injuries. Just as you will always carry your shoes and backpack (and no doubt you did your research, and didn’t buy the first model with colors you liked), you will also wear a t-shirt most of…
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What is a Parochial (Parroquial) Albergue? Everything you need to know about this type of pilgrim hostel
Following any of the pilgrimage routes in Spain, you will come across albergues with different labels. “Publico”, “Privado”, “Municipal”, “Donativo”, or “Parroquial” are the five main common words you will find next to the name of a pilgrim hostel. And while each place is unique, and you cannot judge some hostel for pilgrims just because…
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How to plan to walk the Camino de Santiago with Success
In a certain way walking the Camino is no different to pursuing any other big goal in life. As Benjamin Franklin famously said: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Sure enough, if you’ve walked five long distance hiking trails before in life, and run fifty miles a week on trails in your…
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How to volunteer on Camino de Santiago – All you need to know
Many of us received priceless gifts while walking the Camino. The pilgrimage has changed our lives. It brought new joys, or new questions, it took us out of our comfort zone and taught us the most important lessons about ourselves. And of course the connections with other pilgrims and people on the way we will…
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Finding Love on Camino de Santiago – My personal experience
We all have our reason for walking the Camino. The real reason, not the one that we necessarily share with fellow pilgrims, or with people back home. While many people hope to lose weight on the Camino, without ever admitting it, many also dream of finding love of their life, or at least a summer…
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Gluten Free Diet on Camino de Santiago – My personal experience
If you’ve never been to Spain, you may have heard a couple of myths about Spanish food. For example that it is healthy (far from truth), or that they eat mostly fish and vegetables (even further from the truth). Regardless of what you’ve heard, however, you should realize two things: Spanish is a vast country,…
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Walking the Camino over 60 – Pluses, Minuses, Options
Age is just a number as the saying goes. And though many people around the world (athletes, artists, 80 years old billionaires who marry 20 years old gold-diggers) serve as a living proof of the saying, the question is whether it is true for us, mortals, for a common Joe and Marry with normal life,…
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Can you walk Camino de Santiago with a dog? My personal experience
Every true dog lover knows how hard it is to leave your beloved companion home for a month, while you embark on what can become the most memorable trip of your life–the Camino de Santiago. But can you walk the Camino with your dog? Will it be possible, and what obstacles will you face? Do…
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Can you walk Camino de Santiago in January? My personal experience
When you say pilgrimage in Spain, most people imagine summer time. Hot Spanish sun and cold drinks, endless skies and never-ending evenings (they called Spain the “land of setting sun” for a reason), and of course miles of walking day after day, until you reach the shrine of St. James in Santiago. It is a…
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Where to get a pilgrim passport in Pamplona in 2026?
Pamplona does not belong to the most common starting points of Camino de Santiago. Majority of pilgrims who want to follow the French way start either from Saint Jean Pied de Port, or from Leon, or from Sarria, depending on whether they want to walk 800 or 500 or just the last 100 kilometers to…
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Where to get a pilgrim passport in Porto? 2026 Guide
Camino Portuguese has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Neither too short nor too long, neither too difficult nor to easy (for a true pilgrim experience), it is steadily climbing up the ranks of most popular pilgrimages. In 2019 for example (the last year before the pandemics), Porto was the 3rd most popular…
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Where to get a pilgrim passport (credential) in Lisbon?
Camino Portuguese has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. And though the way from Lisbon to Porto isn’t exactly a picturesque one, or a dream of a pilgrim, considering that you will walk almost entirely on asphalt roads (unless you follow alternative routes), many people like to start in Lisbon, for two reason.…