Before embarking on this life changing adventure, you might want to choose which Camino you’re going to walk (yes there’s more than one!). There are 7 main camino routes that start in Spain and 4 in France but you can technically start anywhere in Europe! I knew people who started walking in Germany, Austria, Italy and even Turkey.
The most popular Camino route is the Camino Frances with over 50% of pilgrims taking this path. This is a good route to choose if you’ve never embarked on a long distance trek before and are looking to meet a lot of people and feel secure in knowing there’s built up infrastructure with accommodation and food all along the way. Those looking for a more peaceful, less popular walk might want to think about the other caminos including the Camino Portugues, Camino del Norte and the Camino Le Puy en Velay starting in France./im
The seven main Camino routes in Spain in order of popularity:
Camino Frances
Camino Portugues
Camino del Norte
Camino Finisterre
Camino Primitivo
Camino Ingles
Via de la Plata
The four main Camino routes (Chemin Saint Jacques de Compostela in French) starting points in France:
Camino Le Puy /Via Podiensis
Paris and Tours Way / Via Turonensis
The Vézelay Route / Via Lemovicensis
The Arles Route / Via Tolasana