The Camino guide that walks you to the Cathedral

In 2025, 530,987 people picked up their Compostela at the office on Rúa das Carretas. It's the highest figure on record, 6% up on the year before, and it confirms something anyone who spends an afternoon on Praza do Obradoiro can see for themselves: the Camino is no longer a niche pursuit or a passing trend. More than half of those who walked in 2025 came from outside Spain, and for the first time women (53.45%) outnumbered men among pilgrims. July and August remain the busiest months, with a sharp peak around 25 July, the feast of the Apostle.

What the Camino de Santiago actually is

It isn't a single route but a network of historic paths that all converge on the same point: the tomb of the apostle Saint James beneath the high altar of the Cathedral. Some, like the Camino Francés, have been waymarked for centuries and come with every conceivable layer of albergue infrastructure. Others, like the Vía de la Plata, cross long stretches of rural Spain where it pays to plan more carefully where you'll sleep and eat. What they all share is the destination and, for anyone who covers the minimum distance required, the right to request the Compostela.

Choosing a route: a first look

The Camino Francés remains by far the most popular choice: nearly half of 2025's pilgrims walked it, crossing the Pyrenees from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. It's also the best equipped, with the densest network of albergues, waymarking, and fellow walkers to share a stage with. The Camino Portugués, in its Central and Coastal variants, accounts for over a third of pilgrims between them and offers a flatter profile, ideal for first-timers. The Camino Inglés from Ferrol is the short option par excellence, while the Primitivo — the oldest Jacobean route, laid down in the 9th century under King Alfonso II — and the Camino del Norte demand legs that are already trail-hardened, thanks to their mountainous profile. If you want to compare every route by distance, stages and difficulty, we have a complete guide to all the routes.

The credencial and the Compostela, in short

To be issued the Compostela you need two things: to have walked at least 100 km (200 km if cycling, and e-bikes don't count) and to carry the pilgrim's credencial stamped at least twice a day over that final stretch. The credencial itself costs between 1 and 10 € depending on where you get it — Camino offices, parish churches, albergues — or you can go digital with the official app. With every stamp in order, the Pilgrim's Reception Office, at Rúa das Carretas 33, is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00 to issue it. We cover this in more detail, including the difference between the religious Compostela and the Distance Certificate, on the dedicated Compostela page.

When to walk

Spring, from April to June, and above all autumn, from September to October, are the seasons most experienced pilgrims recommend: good weather, without the crowds or heat of July and August, and private albergues with more room to find a bed. Summer has its own charm — long evenings, a village-festival atmosphere in every town — but it also brings full albergues and the year's highest prices. Winter, by contrast, is the Camino for those seeking solitude: many private albergues close, and stretches like the Pyrenees or O Cebreiro turn serious with cold and snow.

Where to sleep on the way

Galicia's public albergue network, run by the Xunta, has 76 centres and over 3,000 beds, priced around 8-10 € a night. They work on a first-come basis with no booking, priority given to those on foot, and only one night's stay allowed at each, which keeps everyone moving forward. Private albergues, more flexible and often offering double or triple rooms alongside the shared dormitory, run 12-25 € and climb to 30-35 € in high season, when it's worth booking ahead.

The backpack you don't have to carry

If the weight of your pack worries you more than blisters do, Correos offers a Paq Mochila luggage-transfer service from 5-7 € per stage: they pick it up from your accommodation in the morning and deliver it by 14:30 at the next, with discounts if you book several stages at once. It covers the main routes — Francés, Portugués, Inglés, Primitivo, Norte and the Fisterra-Muxía extension — with fuller coverage between March and October.

Apps pilgrims actually use on the trail

Buen Camino, with over a million downloads, bundles 45 route guides with elevation profiles and a stage planner. Gronze is the classic reference among pilgrims for the detail of its stage and albergue write-ups. And Wikiloc, with more than seven million GPX tracks available, works both for following the official route and for exploring variants. All three hold up reasonably well without signal — a relief on stretches of the Vía de la Plata where your phone goes dark for hours.

The Camino on the doorstep of Xacobeo 2027

2026 is not a Holy Year — that only happens when 25 July falls on a Sunday — but the next one, Xacobeo 2027, is already being prepared: the Cathedral's Holy Door will formally open on 31 December 2026 and stay open through the following year. If your plan is to walk in a Holy Year, with the plenary indulgence that comes with crossing that door, 2027 is the date to circle. We cover exactly what happens on arrival in Santiago, pilgrim's mass included, in this guide to arriving.