Thirteen routes. Three traditions. Three topologies.
Filters the cards below by what matters when picking a route. The comparison table further down always lists all thirteen.
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, and the hardest: Kōyasan south to Kumano Hongu Taisha over three passes above 1,000 m, with the nights at Omata, Miura-guchi and Totsukawa Onsen.
The coastal route of the Kumano Kodo, Ise Grand Shrine to Kumano Hayatama Taisha. Ships metadata only: OpenStreetMap's confirmed relation holds just 2 km of the ~170 km route.
The southern coastal route of the Kumano Kodo, Tanabe to Nachi via Kushimoto. Ships metadata only: OpenStreetMap holds no route relation for it at all.
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.
Sortable by any column. Ships sorted by distance, descending — the table below is fully readable even without JavaScript.
| Route | Best Months | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camino del Norte (Northern Way) | 788 km | 34 | Hard | 34 | 2,928 | May, Jun, Sep |
| Camino de Santiago (Frances) | 764 km | 31 | Moderate | 33 | 2,957 | May, Jun, Sep |
| Tosa (Temples 23-39) | 418.5 km | 16 | Hard | 15 | 369 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Iyo (Temples 39-65) | 365.7 km | 14 | Hard | 14 | 938 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Camino Primitivo (Original Way) | 263 km | 11 | Hard | 11 | 732 | May, Jun, Sep |
| Camino Portugués (Central) | 243 km | 12 | Easy | 11 | 1,634 | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Sanuki (Temples 65-88, and the return to Temple 1) | 202.2 km | 8 | Hard | 6 | 385 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Iseji (Eastern/Coastal Route) | 170 km | 11 | Moderate | 0 | 0 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Awa (Temples 1-23) | 154.5 km | 6 | Hard | 5 | 195 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Camino Inglés (English Way) | 112 km | 6 | Moderate | 6 | 482 | Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct |
| Ōhechi (Southern Coastal Route) | 90 km | 4 | Moderate | 0 | 0 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Kohechi (Mountain Route) | 63 km | 4 | Expert | 4 | 35 | Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
| Nakahechi (Central Route) | 36 km | 4 | Moderate | 4 | 115 | Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov |
Logistics waypoints tagged along each route: water sources, medical facilities, accommodation, food, transport, and supply points, plus curated sacred sites and towns.
| Type | Francés | Norte | Primitivo | Portugués | Coastal | Inglés | Awa | Tosa | Iyo | Sanuki | Nakahechi | Kohechi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water sources | 788 | 662 | 96 | 177 | 52 | 85 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Medical (pharmacy/hospital) | 172 | 206 | 63 | 112 | 50 | 44 | 14 | 18 | 45 | 18 | — | — |
| Accommodation | 532 | 250 | 75 | 180 | 92 | 39 | 9 | 33 | 41 | 9 | 16 | 9 |
| Food (restaurant/cafe) | 713 | 764 | 265 | 600 | 425 | 152 | 29 | 27 | 92 | 85 | 10 | 2 |
| Transport (bus/train) | 511 | 657 | 180 | 431 | 302 | 136 | 25 | 162 | 494 | 111 | 28 | 8 |
| Supply (convenience/toilet) | 189 | 235 | 53 | 134 | 122 | 26 | 70 | 75 | 117 | 103 | 40 | 10 |
| Sacred sites | 9 | 68 | — | — | — | — | 51 | 42 | 151 | 54 | 18 | 5 |
| Towns | 36 | 51 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — |
Four additional variants extend two of the parent routes. The Coastal variant of the Camino Portugués ships as a full route with its own geometry, stages, and statistics; the rest are metadata-only stubs awaiting full geometry and waypoints.
| Variant | Parent Route | Distance | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Portugués da Costa (Coastal) | Camino Portugués (Central) | 110 km | Full route — own geometry, stages, and stats |
| Camino Inglés from A Coruña | Camino Inglés (English Way) | 75 km | Metadata only |
| Variante Espiritual | Camino Portugués (Central) | 73 km | Metadata only |
| Camino Portugués from Lisbon | Camino Portugués (Central) | 620 km | Metadata only |
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.