Walk the Camino de Santiago: An 800km hike in ancient pilgrimage roads of north Spain.

I heard for the first time about the Road to Saint James, or Camino de Santiago, several years ago while being in France for a university exchange. Pablo was an atypical Spanish engineering student. Few months ago he took a break from university and walked around Europe while playing flamenco songs with his guitar in the streets. ¨If you ever lose your faith in humanity, you should walk the Camino de Santiago¨, he told me and I kept his advice in the back of my head for many years.

After the peak of the Covid pandemic and while going through a mid-20s personal crisis, my faith in humanity started dropping dramatically. I had just come back home from a one year trip in South America and soon I felt trapped in an ordinary life. I had no plans, no responsibilities and felt itchy for an adventure.

It seemed like the perfect moment to remember my friend’s Pablo words. That’s how I started organizing an experience that will always have a special part in my heart. I hope that by sharing my Camino story, I can assist in awakening your curiosity and excitement to try this challenge yourself and provide helpful insight of what to expect and how to plan it better.

Brief history and which route to choose.

You always appreciate more of a trip when learning few things about its history. And the Camino de Santiago, has a long history of more than 1000 years. It is believed to lead to the tomb of the apostle Saint James. The discovery of this tomb in 813AD led gradually to the construction of an immense architectural masterpiece, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Soon after the first construction, pilgrims from around the world started arriving in the city of Santiago. In the years to come, Santiago would become the most important Christian religious site after Jerusalem and Rome, with 350.000 people reaching the cathedral only in 2019.

In the early years, walking the Camino was popular between Roman Catholic pilgrims who wanted to demonstrate their faith or had to be punished for a sin. Today, most people are walking the road as a spiritual endeavor to overcome what holds them back or to rediscover themselves.

Starting from any European city and ending in Santiago could be considered as a camino. However, there are 5 well established routes with accommodation and food options especially made for pilgrims. These routes are also marked with shell signs, the main pilgrim symbol. Following those shell signs in cities, villages or nature will show you the correct way to the Cathedral.

The basic routes for Camino de Santiago.

Each one of those routes has interesting aspects and would be a valuable experience. However, the most popular one is the Camino Francais with the starting point the small city of Saint -Jean Pied de Port in the French borders. The total length of the French Way is 764 kilometers and most people do it in 33 stages with an average of 25km per day.

More than half of the total visitors are choosing this route, making it the most social and with the best infrastructure. There is also much more information regarding it online, and the various available options for eating and sleeping can make the total cost of the trip significantly lower. That’s why I chose the French route, and I would still recommend it for every first timer.

What is the best time of the year for the Camino?

It is possible to walk the French route all year round. However, during winter (November- February) the temperatures are getting low and only a few pilgrims select this period for their Camino. As a result, accommodation options are much less and the total trip can cost might be higher. However, less crowds mean more quiet walks and a more secluded experience.

The busiest months of the year are July and August, when most European students and workers have their summer days off. This period has also the highest temperature, making walking hard under the hot mediterranean sun. My recommendation would be doing the Camino during spring months (April, May, June) or autumn (September , Octomber) since temperatures are not too high or too low and the amount of people offers a good balance between privacy and socializing.

What you need to pack for the Camino?

Your backpack is going to be the extension of your body! Like a turtle, you will have to carry your home and belongings everywhere you go. Since I had to keep on traveling after the camino and also had to carry my laptop, my backpackpack ended up too heavy for the long hikes (about 13kgs). I paid for it with discomfort and extra daily effort, and I wouldn’t advise you to do the same. My strong recommendation is carrying in total less than 7kgs. It is a realistic number that allows you to pack all the important stuff, without having to suffer for it on the way.

For those who don’t want to carry their belongings, there is a daily bag transfer service from one destination to the next, that costs 5 euros. The absolutely important objects that I think every pilgrim will need is:

Passport or ID: You will need a document for identification while traveling or registering in the accommodation . If you are a citizen of a Schengen member country then national ID will be enough.
Pilgrim passport: This is a notebook that you can acquire in any main stop during the Camino. It serves for getting the Compostela Certification, a document written in Latin including your name and the kilometers you have walked. The requirements in order to get it, is having at least one stamp per day in your pilgrim passport from every stop you make on your way. You can get these stamps in churches, cafeterias, bars, hotels and museums all along the way. The passport full of stamps serves as a great memory of all your walk.
Sleeping bag: Most accommodation options, like dorms in monasteries, are humble and don’t offer bed linen or extra blankets. Sleeping bags are a must have among pilgrims.
Waterproof ponzo: No matter which time of the year you hike, rain at some point is going to find you! A basic plastic foldable ponzo to protect you and your bag will do the job.
Comfortable shoes: I met various people who dropped the camino because of a bad choice of shoes choice. Select hiking or sport shoes, but avoid using brand new ones. Pack those that you have already been using for some time before, they are adjusted and feel comfortable on your foot.
Trekking poles: They can assist in distributing part of your luggage weight in your arms rather than your back and knees. I also found it a big help, especially mentally, while going uphills. Instead of trekking poles you can use, as I did, a long stick that you find along the way.
Rechargeable water bottle: In many stops along the way, water will be potable or free to recharge.
Small towel: Try to get one that will dry fast during your rest time.
A basic medic kit: There will be pharmacies available in case you need something in every stop along the way. So get the absolutely necessary, and add some scissors, needle, vaseline, plasters and antiseptic that you will use to soothe the (inevitable) blisters
Earplugs: They will be a savior in the (inevitable) event that someone is snoring in the shared accommodation.
Mini padlock: Use it to lock your belongings during the night or anytime you leave your backpack alone.
Headphones: It is a good idea listening to some music or podcasts that motivate you while covering long distances.

Where to stay & what to eat in the camino?

Accommodation during the camino is an experience by itself. Of course, in many of the stops along the way, you can find the typical hotel rooms but the cost is significantly higher and the experience is not so inclusive.

The most common accommodation choice is the pilgrim hostel, or as it is called in Spanish, albergue. They are dormitory style and can be either public or private. In the municipal ones, you can only get a bed if you have your pilgrim passport and if you arrive before it gets full. Rooms cannot be booked in advance and the cost is between 5-15 euros per night, while the size ranges from just 4 to up to 20 people in one room. Some of those are actual monasteries that provide shelter for the pilgrims and expect only a donation as a return. The private albergues usually offer more amenities and are less overcrowded although the cost per night can be higher.

Albergues have a warm and sharing atmosphere. After a long day of walking, hikers gather together in the common areas to talk about their day’s struggles and (mainly) their blisters. This is a home away from home, where people from every age, race or background exchange ideas and try to find the meaning behind the common challenge of reaching Santiago.

On the other hand, be prepared to spend some sleepless nights because of the noisy neighbors or expect that someone might carelessly leave his dirty socks on your pillow. However, these are just part of the Camino hardening experience and these difficulties play an important role to grasp what this walk is really about.

Some people are also walking the camino with a tent, and use to camp in every stop along the way. Although it is not as comfortable and would demand some prior experience, it is a great way to save some money and enjoy beautiful natural places.

Not surprisingly, eating out will be much more expensive than cooking. Typically it is offered a menu del dia, a set menu for pilgrims that includes soup, main dish and a glass of wine that costs around 10 euros.

Depending on the region you are currently in, there will be special dishes that you have to try like tapas in Burgos, ice cream in Logrono and octopus in Melide.

However, I think that the shared meals cooked by several guests in the albergue, and the long dinners full of laughs, music and stories are a much more important part of the camino than the local cuisine. Groceries are cheap and cooking some healthy food will help you restore your powers between the hikes. It will also break the bocadillo and tortilla routine!

How much the camino costs?

The French route typically is done in 33 stages, with an average of 25 kilometers beteen destinations. As a result, walking the camino with no rest days means spending 33 days on the road. The total expenses can tremendously vary depending on how much comfort you are willing to sacrifice.

Budgeting is an important step for every trip (you can learn more how to calculate the cost of your trip here). It is possible to walk the Camino even for a fraction of the cost I indicate, but using my example, I will try to cover the needs of the average pilgrim.;

Air Tickets to the destination: Flight and bus tickets cost me about 80 euros from Athens to Pamplona.
Accommodation: The average cost in municipal dormitories is 8 euros, while an average private room is 20 euros. It means that having about 25 days in shared rooms and about 7 days in a guesthouse leads to a total cost of 340 euros.
Food: For me it worked best to have some breakfast and lunch out while walking the camino and prepare my own food for the dinners. Sometimes I would prepare by the previous night food for the next day, and had some nights out eating with friends at restaurants. This way of handling food would cost you about 350 euros.
Activities and amusement: North Spain is famous for the rich vineyards, so get ready to spend some money tasting local wines. Also, museum entrances and other activities for amusement along the way will need part of your budget. About 100 euros is a good amount for this category.
Souvenirs and shopping: At some part of the trip you will need some extra clothing, replace something broken or purchase something to remember the camino. 50 euros would be ok to cover these expenses.

Total Cost: 920 euros

The stops on the way & Camino highlights

As I said before, the most common starting point for the French way is the town of Saint-Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees. When I did it, it was complicated for me to enter France, so I had to start the walk from the Spanish ground, just 50 kilometers away.

I arrived in Pamplona on a sunny Saturday afternoon. People were hanging out on the local street bars, drinking draught beer and enjoying the warm weather. Everything seemed perfect in the Basque country.

Soon I arrived at the public albergue, and was disappointed to find out that it was completely full. I walked around the city for a few hours, asking in hostels and guesthouses, but apparently the celebrations that were taking place.this weekend have attracted many visitors. Tired from the trip, I had to settle for a quite expensive option, and promise myself that from now on I will always be early.

Next morning I woke up at 06:00 and started my first day of walking while the sun was still hidden. The city seemed bombed from the previous night of celebrations. In the darkness of the night, I found it hard to spot all the shells that indicate the correct direction of the way. After getting lost a few times,I got out of the confusing city borders and finally got into the Spanish countryside.

After walking about 13kms and passing by a rave party with drunk people still dancing, I arrived at the hill of forgiveness. On the top, I came across the iconic metal sculpture of the 12 pilgrims: ‘Where the path of the wind meets the stars”, says one phrase on the sculpture and even if it was the first day of my Camino it touched me in a strange way.

After a few more hours of walking, I arrived to the first village – destination and headed to the public albergue. In Puente de la Reina, the public albergue seems like a little oasis. A garden with pilgrims gathering together, talking, drinking and planning the next day.

On this first day I met a friend that we ended up walking together all the way to Santiago. On the way we met other valuable friends and companions that we shared precious moments with. During the endless hours of walking we discussed our thoughts about life, we constructed new worlds and we solved, at least in theory, all humanity’s problems. Sharing a common struggle, like this physical challenge, opens up people and connects them faster than under normal circumstances.

Day by day, I kept on waking up at 6 and walking until I completed the next stage. Few kilometers out of Estella I came across another famous part of the camino, the wine fountain. A monastery along the way has 2 taps where pilgrims can cure their thirst, one with water and one with wine. Well, I wasn’t particularly thirsty for wine at 07:00 in the morning, but I tried it and it was not actually that bad.

Soon I arrived in the Rioja region, which produces some of the best wine in Europe. The scenery along this part changes completely, with vineyards covering the land as far as your eye can see. Small traditional villages pop up in the middle of the vineyards and provide shelter for the pilgrims during the night.

More days of walking passed by and I reached Burgos, with the scenery along the way changing into an ocean of sunflower fields.

The next part is considered one of the toughest and most monotonous, the meseta. It’s actually a long stretch of plains that keeps on repeating for the next two weeks.

Around this time, my left food started giving me severe pain every time I stepped on the ground. A nurse doing the camino told me that the problem most likely was shin splints and that I had to spend some days resting.

When I started the camino I promised myself that I would finish it without any rest days on the way. I also didn’t want to separate from friends walking at the same pace, so I decided to just keep on going.

The next day I woke up earlier than usual, since I had to walk at a slower pace because of my leg. Surprisingly, I was feeling much better so I advanced quickly some kilometers of the stage. In the middle of the way though, my leg started hurting intensively, making it impossible to walk one more step. Since I was in the middle of nowhere and there was no other option, I had to take small painful steps and keep on going. Few hours later, I came across Alessandro, an Italian pilgrim who saw me struggling and rushed to come near and find out what was going on.. He gave me an anti-inflammatory paste and tied my leg. Then another pilgrim gave me one of her walking poles and helped me finish the rest of the way.

On the albergue, I rested and tried not to move all day hoping to recover as quickly as possible. Next morning, I packed my bag and was again on the way.

Days passed by, more memorable moments, more struggles until reaching the area of Leon. In a small village nearby, I was spending the night with my friends staying at a monastery, which every evening offers the traditional pilgrim mass. Having nothing else to do, we decided to listen to the priest. His whole speech ended up bringing tears to many of the pilgrims. What I kept most out of it, was that “when you are walking the camino, it doesn’t matter who you were before. Does not make a difference if you were a doctor, a teacher, rich, poor, happy, sad. The only thing that matters is whether you can get your head down and walk the next kilometer. Everyone is equal when they are pilgrims. You can choose to learn from the experience and help those who are walking with you or you can choose to complain and find problems on the way. It is a small concentrated life, inside life”.

Crossing forward the French way, ended up in another special stop of the Camino. This is the ancient town of Rabanal de Camino, where the knight templars used to assist pilgrims cross the mountain. On the top stands the famous Cruz de Fero, the iron cross.

For centuries, pilgrims have been bringing from their home a rock that would leave under this cross. This rock symbolizes leaving behind their sins and the problems moving on into a new life. I left my rock, but mainly felt lighter because now I was finally close to Santiago.

And the big day came. Just 20 kms from Santiago, an October morning, after 31 days and 750kms I saw the city of Santiago spreading across the horizon. With a group of 6 good friends, we entered the paved roads and started looking for the last shell signs leading to the church of Santiago de Compostela.

We were just a breath from the central plaza, and while going under the last bridge I heard a street performer playing his ghaida. The melody reminded me of a difficult walking day that tiredness kicked in and I felt incapable of completing the last 5 kilometers. Then in my headphones started playing the song “Tigris” sung by the greek singer Giannis Charoulis. The lyrics and the music helped me find the strength inside me to go on that day.The same sound came to my ears when I saw the 3 domes of the cathedral.

Everyone started hugging each other and taking pictures. After the first moments of excitement to be there and share this moment, I got out of my bubble and noticed around me the hundreds of people arriving every hour, crying from happiness when reaching the Cathedral’s stairs.

I thought that this is a special place in the world. But it becomes special because of all the effort to get there. Nothing that comes easy completes you. Sometimes you are going through hardships and you don’t know why, but one day everything comes together and you realize that each of these difficulties was a lesson. And you only got wiser because you put yourself under this challenge and you weren’t scared to start a new journey. Was it all about the journey and not the destination? With that thought I went to receive my precious compostela certificate, and in the night I had a long party until the morning with the friends from the way. It was the perfect ending chapter for this long story.

At Santia go de Compostella with my pilgrim passport.

Is it the way or the destination?

One freezing morning, around the middle of the Camino, I started the new day of walking along with 3 special friends. About 06.30 in the morning, we set off, but no one was in his best mood. I thought we all needed some cheer up in order to forget the cold so I decided to tell the group a story from Greek mythology. However, since I wanted to add a funnier and more relatable plot in the story, I decided to replace the existing heroes with well known characters who were walking the Camino at the same time as us.

One was the snoring Tom. Tom was a very sympathetic, senior American man who was walking the camino at a great pace for his age, but unfortunately he would have a very loud snoring habit. Every time we shared a dormitory, earplugs would not be enough to block the tremendous snoring. Few nights ago, my friends chose to leave the room during the night and sleep on the bench in front of the hostel, just to get rid of the continuous noise.

The other protagonists are two 19 year old Danish boys, taking their gap year before studying in university. With their curiosity, their smiles and their great manners they have become famous around the Camino. They were walking fast, covering distances greater than the normal pace, but they had a habit to get several rest days along the way and have some parties in some destinations. These three character inspired me to change the world-known story from Aesopos, the tortoise and the hare, and make my friends laugh this cold morning. Few weeks after the camino my friend Lucy wrote down this story in a beautiful way. For me, this story, even though humoristic, sums up very well the meaning of the camino, and will always remind me of my friends and this cold morning in the beautiful Spanish countryside.

Once upon a time, in a land known as Castilla y León, there was a long line of pilgrims walking westwards to Santiago de Compostela. Though for most of the walkers it was the Way – rather than the destination – that mattered, this could not be said of three pilgrims. Snoring Tom, known for his night-time acoustics, and the Young Danes, a long-legged sprightly pair, thus entered into a race to be the first to reach the great city.

Somewhere in the midst of the endless meseta they set off. The Young Danes were at an obvious advantage: their age and limb-length saw them striding forwards, overtaking many walkers and completing three stages in a mere two days. Snoring Tom, on the other hand, was much older and every step sent pain ricocheting through his body. But he was determined, spurred on by the joy he felt in the embrace of mother nature.

Snoring Tom took regular breaks, resting peacefully at night and awakening as good as new. The Young Danes, meanwhile, trotted ahead, racking up the kilometres, sleeping poorly, but surging forwards undeterred. By the time they reached León just days later, Snoring Tom was but 21km from where the race started.

In León the youngsters set about planning the event of the Camino: Jakob’s birthday party. The strapping lad had turned twenty a few days ago and wanted to celebrate with his numerous new camigos. Everyone they passed was invited to the fiesta and word soon spread up and down the albergues. It was set to be some affair! An event that would be talked about for years to come!