Best Camino de Santiago Routes | How to Choose the Right Camino | 8 Top Camino Routes Reviewed

Hi, I'm Sarah Deema and by. The end of the video, you will know which, camino, de santiago route, is the best one for your, next trip. Last. Five years I've walked several Camino, de Santiago routes, and people, often ask me hey Sara what's the best route and that's. A very, very typical question, to answer because, it comes down to a lot, of different factors such, as the time of year you want to go the, length of time you want to walk your physical, fitness and what. You want to get out of the Camino some. People choose to walk just for spiritual, reasons other people, they're, more drawn to the historic, side, cultural. For. Fitness for. The nature, or, even. The wine in. The Spanish city of Santiago. De Compostela there. Is a big cathedral, and inside. That Cathedral. It are the remains of st., James and so, since, medieval times, as far back as the ninth century people. Have been setting, out from, their homes wherever, their home may be it could be in Spain Italy Germany wherever, and walking. All the way. To, Santiago to pay their respects, inside, the Cathedral, there's, been a revival in. The, last few decades thanks to a lot of different books and, movies like the way and, now. We have, all, sorts, of great modern. Pilgrimage, routes that, go towards, Santiago. Now, if. Arriving. In Santiago. Is not important, to you but. Feel free to do just, sections, or parts, of the different route you, don't always have, to end in Santiago, unless you really, really want, the. Certificate according. To the pilgrim office, last. Year. 327. Thousand. Pilgrims arrived, in Santiago that. Is incredible. And fifty, percent to those pilgrims walked, on the Camino, Francis the, Camino frances runs from Saint John pietà port in France and then kind of goes in a straight line past, Pamplona. And Burgos. And Lyon onto. Santiago. It, is definitely, the most popular and, most famous, of the Camino routes, it's. About a little. Less than eight hundred kilometers. And it usually takes people between five to six weeks to walk I walked, it in twenty four days because I had my Appalachian, Trail legs and my. Mom joined me for the last part and that was super. Awesome and memorable. So. On this way you're going to have a variety, of accommodation. Options, if you, want to be on a budget you can stay in the municipal, or doing a table upper gays you, can step it up staying, in a private privately. Owned and run albergue a or you can go for the bed-and-breakfast, and hostel.

If, You are struggling. With backpack. Weight, there are bag transfer, services, - they're, really easy to use and so, you can have your big waiting for you at the end of the state end of each day stage and only, carry a little day pack with your water and snacks. This, way goes through a variety of terrain, there. Are some steepest. Parts. And hilly parts, so it's not it's. Not totally, easy but. It's, a very popular, busy. Camino and there's a lot of first-timers on it you're gonna get tons, and tons of support. And. There's, a lot of taxis, and buses - if you get injured and, need to skip ahead sections. I. Recommend. This for first-timers. Because, of the social aspect and. It. Is beautiful, there are amazing. Historic. Sites along the way to see, the, main downfall, is that it is so busy there's. A lot of shops and places to eat along, the way because, businesses, have taken, advantage, of the touristy, nature, so. That's a positive and negative that you can get a Catholic con leche or a beer fairly often but. Some, of these businesses, have done some shady practices like. Redirecting. The yellow arrows in villages, to go directly, to their shop they're, looking for something more, peaceful. And. Solitary. This is definitely, not the Camino. For you the, best time to walk this Camino, is in the spring, or in the fall you. Can do it in the summer but, it can be brutally. Brutally hot, so, you might, want to do some very early book Dahae Portuguese. Camino, is also, a great choice for a first-timer, you, can start in Lisbon or even further south but most people including myself start, in Porto. And walk, to Santiago that. Distance is about two hundred and, thirty kilometers, the, terrain, is, fairly. Flat with some hilly sections, but, for, most the time you're going to be going through vineyards and, countryside's, and, small villages, it's, very picturesque. The, I really enjoyed, experiencing. The Portuguese, culture and the Portuguese, food even. Though it was a bit tough for me to get a handle, on the language. There. Are very, similar services. To, the. Camino. Francis, that there's a big transfer. And there's variety of accommodations. Available and the, route is getting more and more popular each year twenty-five, percent of those who arrived in Santiago came. On the Portuguese, way, and. I walked, to the central, way there is also an option to walk a coastal, path that, I will do in the future that, also sounds fantastic.

Because, Then you get the viewer the sea and it's. Supposed to be flat, in fact if you're a first time Walker I would suggest doing the, the. Portuguese, way from Porto in. 12. To 14 days I did, it in nine days and there were some longer stages, in there and you. Can really do this this. Walk almost any time of year but be, warned, if you go in the winter time some, Alber gates may be closed, and it might be rain the. Northern, way goes, from, eye, room, near, the border, with France right. Along the coast, towards. Santiago. And it. Is. Absolutely. Stunning it is just. It's. Hard to describe how, wonderful. It is to have the, Melton's on one side and the sea on the other this. Walk is pretty. Challenging now. I only walked as far as Bilbao, I died, in about seven, days and that, is the Basque Country section. Which is known to be the most difficult and. There were some hard climbs, in there with some mud, and slippery. Stuff, so, I don't, recommend this, for. People. Who haven't, really walked before or, hiked, before, and. The, waymarking, got a little bit tricky, at times as, well, it's, recommended. For people who love nature and especially. If they love swimming because you have the opportunity to, swim in the sea along the way at several plates, it's. Also recommended if, you like eating food the, seafood, and the bass style, tapas. Are out, of this world. San, Sebastian is, a first-class, city as well, as Bilbao, there's, lots of museums and things to see along the way and, for. Accommodations. It's. The the route is getting more and more popular so, I found. I had to kind of like do a little bit of a hurry up to get my chosen albergue, a but. There are also. The. Private. B&B, and hotel, options out there if you want to go a little bit more in style, than the, cheapo Albert days if you. Do do the full route of the northern way which I will finish in the future don't worry it's, about 800 kilometers in, length and, the, best time to walk is definitely, in the summer because. You're. Gonna have great weather and because. You're near the coast it's not going to be as caught as walking, in the via de, la Plata, or, the silver, wave is the route that I walked, last, winter. It's about a thousand. Kilometers in, length and it starts in Seville, and goes, up to Santiago. This. It is an old ancient, kind of route that the Romans took for trade and then, Lin later years it became a pilgrimage, route and. So. You're gonna get a lot of Roman. Stuff. To see there's. Right. Out of Seville. Italica, where they have this beautiful, amphitheater. That was recently, used in, Game of Thrones as. Well as meridia, which, is a stunning. Sunny City. Of Roman, ruins. And, museums. And, wonderful, wonderful things, to see plus, there's also. Medieval. Renaissance cities. Like Salman, Alka that has a gorgeous, Cathedral. So this, route is recommended. For history. Buffs now. It is a very lonely road you're not going to see very many pilgrims. As compared, to the other routes, and the, accommodation. Choices are limited. Some. Places you'll, find our gaze some, places you may need to stay in a hostel. One. Thing I really like about this Camino, is that you cross extra, Medora excellent, majora is famous, for its jamon. The, pigs there, they. Kind of roam around around. Acorn, trees and, have a happy, life nup acorns, and that ham home just, melts, in your mouth and has a slightly, nutty flavor, and it, is one, of the most delicious things I've ever tasted in, my life I. Really. Recommend, the via de la Plata for. People, who. Want, a more solitary, Camino. It is, fairly, flat, there's only a few big tricky client, but there are some very long stages, so you need to be comfortable with walking, long days or try.

And Seek other alternatives. Like arranging, taxis, to kind of cut some of the stages down in size. The. Best time to walk this way, is pretty. Much any time except. For the summer the, summer is going to be blazing. Hot I walked, it in, February. Last year and that, was a great time for me because, the my, walking days were warm but still cool, and at night it was cold but. As long as you put lots of blankies on you're all good in the albergue a the. Lip we come, you know our via, pawn. Dances. I have trouble pronouncing that or the, gr 65. Hiking. Route it. Starts, in lop, we on valet, and it, is the most popular, Camino. Grrrrrr Madrid in France, so, it starts there and then it goes down to. St., John P at a port where you can pick up the Camino Francis, if you plan to go on to, Santiago, order, you can you, can do this weird I did this weird three-day connector, thing to go up to the northern way but. That's definitely. Not something. Popular people, to you it was this, kind of weird route myself. And Camille put together anyways. Camino. Is for. People who love, food. The. Wine the cheese. Meats. All, so. Delicious, it is. Fairly. Hilly, and strenuous sometimes. So. It's not a fast, flat, walk by any means and I. Encountered, a lot of mud. So without hiking, poles I would have wiped. Out several. Times. But. I love the, heat the, jeeps are the places like, the albergue A's where you can stay and some, of them are like farm houses where they have a bed available and, then, the price includes, dummy, pension, your breakfast, your. Dinner and your, bed for the night and the. Dinners, were. Gourmet. Style. Meals, multiple. Courses of food I did, not even know cheese, courses, existed, until I walked. The look.we Camino, there. Like a big, platter of cheese we come out to the table. With like five or six different types of cheese and as. A cheese. Lover, this, was great, so. It. Was a really really enjoyable, Camino, because, you're walking in a lot of natural stuff, there's lots of historical, interesting. Things to see along the way and then at the end of the night you're very, very comfortable now. Because, it is this, style of walking it's a little bit more expensive than, walking, in Spain, so, you, do, need to budget some more money I would say you, know budget like 30, euros, a day if you're, going to kind. Of mix it up staying with the Jeep's with the full meals. And staying. At some. Of the like miscible, places, our Don donut evil places and cooking your own food I, walked, the lip we Camino in, 33. Days I was definitely taking my time and that's, about the average amount of time people do take it's, about, 750. Kilometers and, the, back and the best time to walk this route is in the spring or the fall because, the summer can be really hot in the winter you're, gonna get a lot of snow at the higher elevations. Like, the overact plateaus, the. English, Way or Nino, Ingles is the. Camino, that people, from the United Kingdom or Scandinavia. Historically. Took when they came by ship to, Spain, they, would disembark. And then walk down to Santiago. So most people start in feral because that's a hundred and ten kilometers, from Santiago. You need to walk a minimum of a hundred kilometers to be eligible for the completion, certificate so, you start from feral, and the. First part is kind of coastal, stuff and then you move more into, countryside. And trees, now. It. Takes about a week to walk I took sixties. That's about average. This. Camino, had some interesting, stuff to see along the way there. Were some very, few like tough climbs, this is kind of like average, kind, of Camino, I don't, recommend this, Camino, for a first-timer, because. There are limited. Sleeping. Options, there. Are some municipal, Alber gays which are very cheap but, to get those Alber gays you have to get into the upper gay bed race and, if you watch my video, log for, the Camino English you will see what happened one day when. I. Arrived. Later, than I should have at the albergue a and I was pretty, pretty, sore, and angry about, it anyways. It. Is a nice block, there are, some cool stuff to see along, the way and, you. Can walk it year-round though, if you walk it in the winter, because, you're up near the coast you might get a lot of rain because, it is Galicia, after, the, ruta, de la Llana this is a remarkable. Camino, I don't, recommend it at all for a first-timer, I recommend. It for a season, a season Walker, because. It, is very lonely, and, not. A lot of people speak English along, the way so you need to have your Camino, Spanish, really. Up to snuff to be able to survive, so, it. Starts in Alicante. In the south of Spain and then it goes up to Burgos, where it joins with the France's and we can continue on to Santiago, from there if you wish the.

The, Way goes through a lot of rolling, countryside but. It is fairly, flat, but. There are some stand out, beautiful. Natural, sections, like a few gorgeous, that, just, kind of took. My breath away but. The, real star, of this, Camino, is definitely. The people in the small villages, that you pass through there, are so few walkers. Coming along that, the different associations. Along. The way are all, informed. Of who's, coming up and down the, pipeline so there's places where, I arrived, in a, local, village bar and I walked in and the bartender. Smiled. Broadly and, said hola, Sarah and, I was like what but. He got the word that, there, was a Canadian. Pilgrim, woman coming, through and. The, place is where you stay it's, always going to be a surprise some, of the places are very, rustic, some of the places don't even have beds and you, have to sleep, on the ground while. Other places have, beautiful. Beautiful albergue, a spaces, and old historic, houses with full, amenities, and. So. Places, if, they're if they're you don't want to sleep on a gym floor there. Are usually some kind of options, where you can stay. For, a. Small, amount of money like 15, or 20 euros in a hostel, or room. In somebody's, house. And you. Know I've. Really, felt the spirit of the Camino, on this, walk. There, is just so. Much. So. Much kindness. Along. The way and. It. Is, truly, truly. Unforgettable. I only, met. Less. Than five pilgrims. The entire time, and. It, was it was a really. Remarkable. Moment, in my life to just. Spend. Spend. That time walking forward, and sorry, I'm getting getting, emotional, now talking about the Lana but, I. Think. Solana just. Just. Really touched my heart sorry I'm going on I'm going on okay. The Moors are be Camino starts, from three different points you can start from Malaga, and start from al Mira or you can start from Jean so, the. Way from Malaga was just over 200 kilometers and. It. Was, very, strenuous. I thought. Because Malaga, the city of Malaga is on the coast who is gonna be fat yeah no problem you know Malaga, is the second most mountainous, province, in Spain, and, it, was hard, going for the first few days crossing, the mountains but, then once. I got into these wonderful, olive. Groves things, kind of mellowed, out and I. Did have a very flat. Enjoyable. Section, on the olive trail Rail, Trail so this was a section, where there was train. Tracks and it's been repurposed. Into, a walking, and cycling mixed-use, path, and. This. Camino, has. A lot of great, Alber gaze along the way and. The, people there are also very, nice I did, not see one, other Walker I was all alone for my time there and, it. It's. If, you want if you have a short amount of time and, you want something compact, and a little bit a challenge, I definitely recommend, walking. From Malaga, to court dome as for the time of year to walk this way I think, you could probably walk, it pretty much any time a year, however if there's a lot of snow in the mountains that might be a little bit difficult and with. The snowmelt there are some rivers that you have to cross so, that may you might have to do some detours, around them if they're flowing, way too fast. So. What's next for me I'm going to be we're going to be walking the Camino Salvatore. And the Camino. Primitivo. In the fall I'm really, excited because these are both two very challenging. Mountain routes and there's, a short weather window, that you can walk them comfortably, because of snow in the mountains so, this, fall I can't. Wait to be back, 1. Camino, in it along as a Pellegrino, and. If, you want more information, about any of these routes that I've mentioned today you, can go to my youtube channel go. Under, the playlist section, and go under the Camino de Santiago playlist. And you'll see all those, routes, listed, there and you can watch those daily, video blogs of my experience. So. Please subscribe. If, you haven't done so already comment. Below if you have any questions, or anything you'd like to add to this video and, if, you'd like to support the future of this channel and, contribute, to its ongoing success, please, check out my patreon, page Oh Cheers. Thank, you everybody.

2019-01-23 02:13

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