Camino del Norte hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Camino del Norte (Northern Way) is the coastal route of the Camino de Santiago. It starts in Irún, on the Bidasoa river at the French border, and follows the Bay of Biscay west for about 830 km through the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias, then turns inland across Galicia to join the Camino Francés at Arzúa, two days before Santiago de Compostela. Since 2015 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain". It is waymarked with yellow arrows and scallop shells, and walkers sleep in pilgrim albergues, hostels, pensions and hotels in the towns and villages on the way. It is quieter than the Camino Francés, greener and hillier, and you see the sea on most days until Ribadeo.

The route

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into the 35 classic stages, about 24.0 km each. The Basque section is the hardest: from Irún the Camino climbs over Monte Jaizkibel to Pasai Donibane, where a small boat crosses the harbour, then over Monte Ulía into San Sebastián. It continues through Orio, Zarautz, Getaria and Zumaia, past the flysch cliffs to Deba, and inland over the lonely hills to Markina, the Cistercian monastery of Ziortza and Gernika. A long day through Lezama brings you to Bilbao, and an official hillside route leads on to Portugalete and the Vizcaya Bridge.

In Cantabria the Camino follows a cliff-top greenway into Castro Urdiales, walks the 4 km beach of Laredo to the Santoña boat, and crosses the dunes and surf beaches of Somo, where a ferry takes you into Santander. After a long, mostly urban day to the medieval village of Santillana del Mar, it passes Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera into Asturias. Llanes, Ribadesella, Colunga and the cider town of Villaviciosa follow; there the Norte continues along the coast to Gijón and Avilés (the branch south to Oviedo and the Camino Primitivo is not part of this guide). West of Avilés the coast is wilder, with deep river valleys at Soto de Luiña, Cadavedo and Luarca. At Ribadeo you cross the Eo estuary on the Ponte dos Santos into Galicia, climb over the hills to Mondoñedo and the Alto da Xesta, and walk across the Terra Chá plateau through Vilalba, Baamonde, Miraz and Sobrado dos Monxes, with its huge monastery. At Arzúa you join the crowds of the Camino Francés for the last two days to the cathedral.

When to walk the Camino del Norte

The best months are May, June and September. The climate is mild and Atlantic: rain can fall in any month, and grey, damp days are normal even in summer. July and August are warm and sunny but busy, because the coast is Spain's main summer holiday area: beds in San Sebastián, Llanes and Ribadesella are expensive and fill early. Many private albergues and some public ones close from November to March, the Laredo boat stops at the end of October, and winter storms make the cliff paths muddy, so winter walking needs careful planning.

How hard is it?

Harder than the Camino Francés. The elevation profile adds up to about 14,800 m of climbing, with the steepest days in the Basque Country (Irún to Bilbao) and between Ribadeo and Abadín. Stages are long: Santander to Santillana is about 37 km and Portugalete to Castro Urdiales about 34 km, and a lot of the route is on asphalt or beside roads. The highest point is only about 710 m, between Miraz and Sobrado. Fit walkers manage it in five weeks; plan one or two rest days and do not start with your longest days.

Permits, Credencial and booking

No permit is needed. Carry a Credencial (pilgrim passport) and get it stamped every day; you can get one at the albergue in Irún. Public albergues (municipal, parish and the Xunta de Galicia network) cost about 5 to 12 EUR or a donation, take walkers with a Credencial in order of arrival and give one night only. Private albergues, hostels and hotels can be booked, and on the coast in summer you should book ahead. For the Compostela certificate you must walk at least the last 100 km to Santiago; on the Norte that means starting in Vilalba or earlier.

Getting there and away

Irún is on the border with Hendaye in France, linked by train to San Sebastián, Madrid and Paris. The nearest airports are San Sebastián (Hondarribia), Biarritz and Bilbao. Santander, Asturias and Santiago also have airports, so splitting the walk into sections is easy. A narrow-gauge coastal railway links Bilbao, Santander, Oviedo and Ferrol, with stations in many stage towns, which helps if you need to skip a section or return to a rest day. From Santiago there are trains to A Coruña, Vigo and Madrid and flights across Europe.

Money and phone signal

Spain uses the euro. Cards are widely accepted in towns, but carry cash for donation albergues, small bars and village shops; ATMs are in all the towns but not in hamlets such as Güemes, Olatz or Miraz. Mobile signal is good on most of the route, with gaps in the hills between Deba and Markina and on the Terra Chá. Shops close on Sundays and often in the afternoon.

What to pack

Pack light: aim for 7 to 9 kg. Bring a good rain jacket and pack cover, quick-drying clothes, broken-in shoes with grip for wet clay and stone paths, a light sleeping bag or liner, and flip-flops for showers. Add a blister kit, sun protection, a hat and a 1.5-litre water bottle; fountains are less common than on the Francés. A headlamp helps on dark autumn mornings, and offline maps help where waymarks are sparse in cities.

Safety

The main risks are traffic, slippery descents and long days. Walk facing the traffic where there is no path, wear something bright and use a light early in the morning. Stay on the waymarked paths near cliffs, especially in wind or rain, and never walk on railway bridges or tracks. The Deba to Markina and Mondoñedo to Abadín stretches are remote: carry water and food and avoid the mountain option to Abadín in fog. In an emergency call 112; it is free and answered in English.