Religious pilgrims have been making their way to the city of Santiago de Compostela in the north western corner of Spain for over a thousand years, along the route known as the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St James in English. Pilgrims who completed the trip to Santiago, the reputed resting place of the remains of St James, were given a shell as proof they had completed their journey. Nowadays, the pilgrims are joined by an ever-increasing number of holidaymakers who find walking all or part of the route makes for a unique vacation experience and a complete break from the modern world.

The Route

The best known of the routes starts in St Jean de Pied Port, right on the border between Spain and France. The route then winds through the Pyrenees and westwards, through cities such as Burgos and Leon. The total distance is 488 miles, and the suggested time for doing the entire route is 29 days. As well as completing the route on foot, it is possible to follow the trail on bicycle, horseback or even on a donkey. 100,000 people walk the route annually, and the Spanish regions through which it passes have invested considerable sums in promoting the route and ensuring it is well signposted.

Accommodation along the route

As the route passes through some of the most rural and unspoilt areas of Spain, the options for accommodation are sometimes limited. However, the sheer number of people making the journey every year has ensured that the small hostels and dormitories, which there are, have plenty of customers. Anyone thinking of completing the trail, especially in the peak season of March to September is advised to book all accommodation in advance. Pilgrim accommodation is clean but basic in most areas, and nearly all of the hostels on the route will provide both a hearty breakfast and warming evening meal. Some will also arrange to have your luggage sent on to the next stop so you don’t have to carry it all day.

For the authentic pilgrim experience, and only if you have the Pilgrims’ Passport, you can choose to stay at a “refugio”, or refuge. These types of accommodation are very basic, but only open to those on the Pilgrim trail. You cannot book ahead, but the advantage of this style of accommodation is the price, with a night’s stay costing as little as 5 euros.

The Pilgrims’ Passport

The essential travel document for everyone walking the route is the “credencial”, or Pilgrims’ Passport. You can pick this up at the start of your journey, then have it stamped in every place you stop along your route as proof of your journey. Once you arrive in Santiago de Compostela, you present your completed passport to the Pilgrim Office and you will be given a very impressive Latin certificate to mark your arrival. You don’t even need to do the whole journey to qualify; the minimum is the last 100km on foot, or the last 200km by bicycle.

Morag Peers works for PassportGenius.com, a Nationwide Rush Passport Service. The service helps travelers to save money on passport expediting by negotiating discounts with expediters on Same Day Passports. Image by by Fresco Tours