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…

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…

  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…

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…

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…

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…

  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). Availability of alternative routes: Yes, you can follow the river in Bilbao and cross to Portugalete by the bridge. Following this way, you’ll spend more time…

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…

– 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…

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…

– 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…

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…

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…

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…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Comillas. Ending point: The city center of Colombres. Availability of alternative routes: Yes and no :). There is an extra circuit you can make before entering Colombres, passing through the amazing village of Pimiango, and many spectacular natural landscapes at the edge of the ocean. On the…

– Map of the alternative circuit, where you can see some of the most beautiful locations on the entire Camino del Norte. Link to online map here.   Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Colombres. Ending point: The city center of Colombres (it is a circuit, but you can alternatively continue to La…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Colombres. Ending point: The city center of Llanes. Availability of alternative routes: Yes, and in this case, the alternative route is actually the route most pilgrims take. The coastal route is only 2 kilometers longer than the typical route, adds little extra elevation, and is infinitely more…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Llanes. Ending point: Iglesia Santa Maria Magdalena, Ribadesella Availability of alternative routes: Yes, you can follow the E9 long distance hiking path, all the way from Llanes to a small village with a pretty similar name, Llames :). This path is marked with red and white stripes,…

Basic Details Starting point: Iglesia Santa Maria Magdalena, Ribadesella. Ending point: Pilgrim albergue in a small village of Priesca. Availability of alternative routes: Not really, but there is a small coastal detour that you can follow from La Isla to Colunga. It passes along two interesting spots, something you won’t see elsewhere on Camino del…

  Basic Details Starting point: Pilgrim albergue in a small village of Priesca. Ending point: The old center of Gijon (with a couple of good hostels). Availability of alternative routes: Not really. As every other big city on the beautiful northern coast of Spain, Gijon has a path on the coast, on both West and…

Basic Details Starting point: The old center of Gijon (with a couple of good hostels). Ending point: Palacio de Valdecarzana, Avilles (city center). Availability of alternative routes: Not really. The only real alternative is the two days alternative, going fro Villaviciosa (the city 28 kilometers ahead of Gijon) to the city of Oviedo (the capital…

Basic Details Starting point: Palacio de Valdecarzana, Avilles (city center). Ending point: Iglesia de Santa Maria de Muros de Nalon (there are two pilgrim albergues in Muros de Nalon) Availability of alternative routes: Yes. There is a coastal route available, and while it isn’t the most beautiful part of the Northern coast of Spain (and…

Basic Details Starting point: Iglesia de Santa Maria de Muros de Nalon (there are two pilgrim albergues in Muros de Nalon) Ending point: Small village of Santa Marina with a pension frequented by pilgrims (pilgrim friendly place with great prices). Availability of alternative routes: No. There isn’t really an option to reach Santa Marina following…

Basic Details Starting point: Small village of Santa Marina with a pension frequented by pilgrims (pilgrim friendly place with great prices, in the zone of small villages with a few pilgrim-friendly places). Ending point: The city center of Luarca (1 pilgrim albergue and other accommodation options, an architecturally specific town of about 4,600 inhabitants with…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Luarca, with all services for pilgrims, and one pilgrim hostel with a relatively bad reputation. Ending point: The city center of La Caridad, a nice town of Asturias with roughly 2,000 inhabitants, all services, and two pilgrim hostels. Availability of alternative routes: Not really, but there is…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of La Caridad, a nice town of Asturias with roughly 2,000 inhabitants, all services, and two pilgrim hostels with decent reputation. Ending point: The city center of Ribadeo, the first town on your Camino in Galicia, with roughly 10,000 inhabitants and all services for pilgrims. Availability of alternative…

Basic Details Starting point: The city center of Ribadeo, the town with 2 pilgrim albergues, and a place where you eventually leave the northern coast of Spain, and head southwest, in the direction of Santiago de Compostela. Ending point: The cathedral of Mondonedo, a beautiful “mountain” town with several excellent pilgrim hostels. Availability of alternative…

Basic Details Starting point: The cathedral of Montonedo, a nice town surrounded by small mountains, offering several good pilgrim hostels and all services a pilgrim may need. Ending point: The city center of Abadin, a small mountain town with all services and two pilgrim hostels. Availability of alternative routes: YES. There is a marked alternative…

Basic Details Starting point: The center of Abadin, a small mountain town with all services and two pilgrim hostels. Ending point: The center of Vilalba, a nice Galicean town of almost 15,000 inhabitants, with three pilgrim hostels and all services for pilgrims. Availability of alternative routes: No. There are no marked trails in the zone,…

Basic Details Starting point: The center of Vilalba, a nice Galicean town of almost 15,000 inhabitants, with three pilgrim hostels and all services for pilgrims. Ending point: Baamonde, a small village with one big pilgrim hostel (close to 100 beds) and one other hostel, frequented mostly by pilgrims. It is a small town but has…

Basic Details Starting point: Baamonde, a small village with one big pilgrim hostel (close to 100 beds) and one other hostel, frequented mostly by pilgrims. You can count with all services in this small town that basically lives from the Camino. It is also a place located 101 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela, which is…

Basic Details Starting point: A small peaceful hamlet of A Cabana, with a pilgrim albergue and nothing else. It is necessary that you bring your own food with you, unless you want to rely on generosity of other pilgrims or on some miracle performed by an apostle (such as turning stones to loafs of bread…

Basic Details Starting point: Boimorto (A Gandara), a small town with all services and two pilgrim hostels. A starting point of an alternative way that you can take towards Santiago de Compostela, avoiding the crowds on the French way for a bit longer. Ending point: O Pedrouzo, a small village of roughly 900 inhabitants that…