Most Popular Camino de Santiago Tours

You can walk the Portuguese Coastal Camino from Baiona in about a week, begin on the coast in Porto for a longer journey, or take the Camino Francés from Sarria at a slower pace. All three reach Santiago, but they offer different scenery, trip lengths and walking days.

Other popular choices include the English Way, the hillier Primitivo and the full French Way. If you are choosing your first Camino, start with where you want to begin and how many days you want to spend on the trail.

Popular Camino walking tours and how they differ

Portuguese Camino Coastal: Last 100 km

Our most popular Camino walking tour starts in Baiona. This eight-day walk follows the coast past beaches on the way to Vigo, then reaches Redondela, where the coastal and central Portuguese routes meet. From there, the trail continues inland to Santiago, giving you both the Galician coast and an arrival at the cathedral within roughly a week.

The self-guided Portuguese Coastal Camino from Baiona includes accommodation and luggage transfers. It is rated moderate, so the relatively short holiday still calls for preparation for consecutive days on foot.

Portuguese Coastal Camino from Porto

If you can set aside two weeks, begin at Porto and follow the Atlantic shore north through Portugal before crossing into Galicia. You have time to watch the landscape change from seaside towns to the greener approach to Santiago. Choose the longer journey if the days in Portugal and the steady progression north appeal to you as much as the arrival in Santiago.

The self-guided Portuguese Coastal Camino from Porto runs for 15 days and is rated moderate. For a closer look at the route before choosing a departure, read our Portuguese Camino walking guide.

Portuguese Coastal Camino

Camino Francés at a slower pace

This 12-day trip takes the familiar Sarria-to-Santiago section of the French Way in shorter stages. That gives you more time in the villages and avoids squeezing the walk into a single week. Luggage transfers mean you can walk with a daypack, making it appealing if you want shorter days on your first Camino.

See the self-guided slower paced Camino Francés. You can also ask about adding a stop in Melide, which gives you another overnight break on the way to Santiago. If you want a shorter holiday on the same route, compare the self-guided last 100 km of the Camino Francés.

Portuguese Camino from Tui to Santiago

The self-guided Portuguese Camino from Tui to Santiago follows the final stretch of the central Portuguese Way in eight days. From the border town, you walk through Galician villages, woods and historic places such as Pontevedra and Padrón before reaching Santiago. Unlike the Baiona trip, this itinerary stays with the inland route.

Camino Francés

Complete Camino Francés

Beginning in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the full French Way crosses the Pyrenees and continues through La Rioja, the Meseta and Galicia before reaching Santiago. You have time to see the changes along the entire route: vineyards give way to open plains, then to the green hills and villages of Galicia. The daily distances add up over more than a month, so this is a very different commitment from the final 100 km.

Our self-guided complete Camino Francés covers 743 km over 41 days and is rated hard. Before committing to that length of trip, use our Camino preparation guide to plan for consecutive walking days.

English Way from Ferrol

The Camino Inglés begins at the port of Ferrol and heads south through Galicia. The route passes small towns, old chapels and stone crosses on its way to Santiago. Pilgrims from northern Europe once arrived by sea to begin here; today, the Ferrol route gives you a complete Camino in an eight-day trip.

This self-guided English Way Camino tour is rated moderate. For the stages and route history, see our Camino Inglés guide.

Camino Inglés

Complete Camino Primitivo

The Primitivo begins in Oviedo and crosses the hills of Asturias and Galicia before joining the French Way for the approach to Santiago. It is a hillier option for travellers drawn to quieter countryside and a more rugged route. Build up to consecutive walking days before setting out, particularly if you are used to day hikes rather than long trips on foot.

Our self-guided complete Camino Primitivo is a 16-day trip rated hard. Read the Camino Primitivo route guide to see whether its terrain and stages fit the trip you want.

Finisterre Way from Santiago

After reaching Santiago, you can keep walking west toward the Atlantic and Cape Fisterra. The Finisterre Way begins in the city, so it adds several walking days after a route into Santiago. You can also start the six-day trip there without completing another Camino first.

The self-guided Finisterre Way tour walks away from Santiago rather than toward it, a distinction to keep in mind when planning the end of your trip.

Camino Primitivo

Complete Portuguese Camino from Porto

The central Portuguese Way offers another two-week option from Porto to Santiago. Instead of tracking the Atlantic coast, it travels through towns such as Barcelos and Ponte de Lima before crossing into Spain at Tui. The itinerary continues through Galicia to the cathedral, giving you a complete Porto-to-Santiago pilgrimage on the inland route.

The self-guided complete Portuguese Camino takes 14 days and is rated hard. Compare it with the 15-day coastal tour above if your main decision is whether to walk inland or beside the sea.

How to choose your Camino tour

With roughly a week, the main choice is between the coastal Portuguese route from Baiona, the central route from Tui and the English Way from Ferrol. The slower paced Sarria trip covers a short section of the French Way but uses more days to do it. If you have two weeks, you can start in Porto and choose between the Atlantic coast and the inland Portuguese Way.

The Primitivo has hillier walking, while the complete French Way requires far more time. Finisterre begins in Santiago and takes you to the Atlantic after a pilgrimage into the city. For different start points and trip lengths, browse all our self-guided Camino de Santiago walking tours.

The walking experience also changes with the season. Our guide to the best time to walk the Camino de Santiago can help you choose travel dates.

Finisterre Way

Frequently asked questions

Does an eight-day tour include eight full days of walking?

Usually not. An itinerary normally includes an arrival day and a departure day, and some trips include transfers or time in Santiago. Check the day-by-day itinerary to see how many days you will actually walk and the distance for each stage.

Can I walk the Camino without a group guide?

Yes. The tours featured here are self-guided, with accommodation arranged in advance. Check each tour page for its exact inclusions, including whether luggage transfers are provided.

Which trip gives me shorter walking stages?

The slower paced Camino Francés from Sarria is designed around shorter stages and has an easy difficulty rating. You will still walk on several consecutive days. Compare the daily distances, since a longer holiday does not always mean shorter walks.

Are the Portuguese Coastal and central routes the same walk?

No. Both can lead to Santiago, but they take different paths out of Porto. The coastal itinerary stays close to the Atlantic for much of the journey, while the central Portuguese Way passes inland towns and villages. The routes eventually converge in Galicia.