Walking the Camino de Santiago: The two most popular trails
Camino de Santiago, a journey for the soul
Pilgrims from all over the world have walked the Camino de Santiago trails across Europe for centuries, making their way to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, North-West of Spain.
Today, more than a pilgrimage, the Camino is an unforgettable experience and unique journey.
The most famous route is the Camino Frances but there are many more wonderful trails coming from Portugal, France and Spain.
Camino Frances – 2016
The Camino Frances (or the French Way) is perhaps the most famous of all the nine major Camino de Santiago routes.
It’s 800KM of trail has inspired many artists, writers and filmmakers to document their profound journey – such as Paulo Coelho in his bestseller The Pilgrimage and 2010’s Hollywood movie The Way starring Martin Sheen.
This blog outlines my journey from the traditional starting place in St.Jean-Pied-De-Port in France, before traversing the Pyrenees and continuing through the La Rioja region and along the rolling hills of northern Spain, before finishing in Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of St. James. Read more….
Camino Portugues – 2018
The Camino Portugues, or the Portuguese Way, has in recent years become the second most popular route leading to Santiago de Compostela. Nearly 20% of pilgrims traveled along this route in 2016. Boasting fantastic cities such as Lisbon, Porto and Pontevedra, it also passes by stunning coastlines with beautiful, sandy beaches.
The Portuguese Way begins in Lisbon and journeys inland, to the north, passing close to the Catholic pilgrimage site of Fatima. Reaching Porto, it then travels further north towards the Spanish border, crossing at the beautiful old town of Tui, and onwards for just over 100km into Santiago.
The latest alternate is to take the Camino Coastal and keeping the Atlantic Ocean as your companion, this Camino route starts in the gorgeous UNESCO-listed city of Porto and will take you to charming seaside towns and villages in Northern Portugal such as Viana do Castelo and Vila Praia de Ancora before crossing the River Minho by ferry to A Guarda in Galicia.
If you’re looking to get away from the crowds, but still want lots of amenities during your walking days, then the Camino Portuguese is a great option. Read more….