An open-source pilgrimage dataset, built by pilgrims and researchers worldwide.
Camino del Norte · 788 km
Camino Francés · 764 km
Tosa (Shikoku 88) · 418.5 km
Kumano Kodo · 36 km
Camino Portugués · 243 km
Camino Primitivo · 263 km
Camino Inglés · 112 km
There is no comprehensive, structured, open dataset of pilgrimage routes. Trail databases capture geometry and elevation but miss what makes a pilgrimage a pilgrimage — the credential systems, sacred sites, cultural practices, seasonal ceremonies, and the interior transformation that unfolds over weeks of walking.
Open Pilgrimages captures three layers of data:
| Layer | What It Contains |
|---|---|
| Geometry | Route paths and waypoints as standard GeoJSON |
| Logistics | Stages, accommodation, water sources, services, seasonal availability |
| Cultural & Spiritual | Traditions, credential systems, associated literature, sacred site protocols, interior journey narratives |
The most popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, crossing the Pyrenees from France and traversing northern Spain. Walked continuously since the 9th century.
The coastal Camino de Santiago along the Bay of Biscay, from Irún through the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias into Galicia. The longest non-Francés Camino, and the only one that stays within sight of the sea for most of its length.
The original Camino, walked by King Alfonso II of Asturias from Oviedo to Santiago in 814 CE. The most physically demanding of the major Caminos, crossing the Asturian and Galician mountains via the high Puerto del Palo pass.
The second most-walked route to Santiago de Compostela, traversing the Minho region of northern Portugal before crossing into Galicia at Tui. Walked since the 12th century, shorter and flatter than the Camino Francés.
The shortest of the major Caminos, walked since medieval times by English, Irish, Scandinavian, and Flemish pilgrims arriving by sea at Ferrol and A Coruña. Modern revival began in the 2000s.
Ancient pilgrimage routes through the mountains of the Kii Peninsula to the three Grand Shrines of Kumano. UNESCO World Heritage since 2004, and sister route to the Camino de Santiago through the Dual Pilgrim program.
The mountain route of the Kumano Kodo: Kōyasan south to Kumano Hongu Taisha over three passes above 1,000 m, walked in four days between the river-valley settlements of Omata, Miura-guchi and Totsukawa Onsen.
The first of the four dōjō of the Shikoku 88: 23 of the eighty-eight temples in 154.5 km, from Temple 1 to Temple 23, where Tosa takes over from the same point.
The longest and emptiest dōjō: 418.5 km for sixteen temples, and the circuit's widest gap between two of them — 82.7 km from Temple 37 to Temple 38.
The dōjō with the most temples, twenty-six in 365.7 km, and every spacing the circuit has: a 70.4 km step between two of them, and a run of five each under 5 km.
The dōjō that closes the circle: Temple 65 to Temple 88, where the numbering ends, then the 39.8 km return to Temple 1 where the pilgrimage began.
Route geometry is sourced from OpenStreetMap. Additional data comes from official pilgrimage organizations and published sources. Interior journey narratives are editorial content.
Data: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
Code: MIT
Contains information from OpenStreetMap, which is made available under the ODbL by the OpenStreetMap Foundation.
© OpenStreetMap contributors.