Want to be part of the 350,000 pilgrims who complete the Camino de Santiago every year? This short travel guide will cover everything I wish I had known before walking the Camino de Frances, and therefore everything you need to know! It includes what to pack, how to budget, and how to prepare for such a journey.
Back in June 2022, I set out with my boyfriend, Marius, on one of the most famous pilgrimages in the world – the Camino de Santiago. We opted for the Camino de Frances which goes from St Jean Pied de Port in France across the north of Spain to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Like many pilgrims before me, I turned to Google to figure out what I needed to pack, what route to take, and how to prepare for such a trip.
And I’ll be honest, arriving at the start of my Camino in St. Jean Pied de Port, I felt somewhat cocky and prepared. I’d read many packing list guides and stuck to the 10% bodyweight limit, had hiking boots that I’d worn in, and had tons of blister protection methods…But in reality, I was definitely naive about what was to come.
Reflecting on the trip, I want to share my experiences and all I wish I had known before walking the Camino de Santiago. Hopefully, to inspire you and help you feel more prepared and relaxed about your own Camino one day.
seven main routes lead to santiago: you choose.
Seven main routes lead to Santiago de Compostela. While many first-timers like myself opt for the Camino de Frances, the most popular route with the best infrastructure, it’s entirely up to you where to begin. After all, it’s your Camino.
We started at St Jean Pied de Port (772km from Santiago), the main starting point for pilgrims on the Camino de Frances. I’m so happy we started the journey here, as picking up our pilgrim passports at the pilgrim office with so many other excited pilgrims and sharing a big dinner at our albergue was the perfect start to a big journey.
So when I reached Santiago 30 days later, what kinda things did I wish I’d known at the starting point in St Jean Pied de Port?
Here they are. I hope they make you a little more prepared and wiser.
11 things you need to know before walking the Camino
1. Don't plan too far ahead.
On of the most important things you need to know about walking the Camino, is that you shouldn’t prepare too much in advance! If you’re familiar with the Camino, you’ll know that there are private albergues (that can be booked in advance) and municipal albergues (first-come, first-serve basis). Many Camino articles will advise you to book albergues in advance, especially during the summer months when the trail is busy. But I’m telling you the opposite.
Go with the flow. As long as you wake up early and aim to be at the municipal albergue by 1/2 pm, you’ll secure a bed. If you reach an albergue and it’s full, there’ll be a spot in the next town, don’t worry. Trust the process.
The people you meet along the way are a big part of the Camino. Everyone tends to walk at similar speeds (around 25km per day), so you bump into the same people again and again. You can walk alone all day, but seeing a familiar face and sharing dinner with other pilgrims is super nice. And over time, you’ll plan where to meet up the next evening and so on.
I met a guy who had booked his albergues months before he even stepped foot on the Camino. He regretted it because it restricted him and made it difficult to stay connected with the people he met along the way.
It’s better to have your first albergue booked when you arrive at the starting point and then go with the flow. You don’t know who you’ll meet or what will happen on the way.
2. Your feet with be your worst enemy.
I really underestimated how painful the feet situation would be. I had blister upon blister, and it was so bad at one point that it affected the nerves in my feet, and every time I stopped walking, electric-like shocks would shoot through my leg.
I thought I’d prepared for every blister eventuality…but no way. By day 4, I was in agony and had run out of my Compeed plaster stock. Pilgrims have so many different techniques to help the blister situation, but my honest advice is…
This is what you need to know about dealing with feet problems on the Camino – take two pairs of shoes. One Birkenstock-esque pair of sandals and a pair of hiking/trail trainers and alternate both. My hiking boots were my arch-enemy. If you’re doing the French Way, the terrain isn’t challenging, and you don’t need hiking boots. They make your feet sweat more and you’ll be in pain, I promise you that.
3. Hiking poles will be your best friend.
When Marius suggested we take some hiking poles, I thought, “Nah, it’s not hilly, I won’t need them.”
But luckily, he convinced me to buy some last-minute at the Decathlon in France, and I’m so happy he did. The terrain might be flat on the Camino de Frances, but hiking poles will help you get into the flow and keep moving one foot in front of the other.
4. The last few kms are gonna be a little bit of a disappointment.
So to earn a Compostela, the Latin document declaring you’ve completed the Camino, you only need to walk the last 100 km starting from a town called Sarria. This is when the Camino feels a bit like a tourist trail, and you see Spanish school children and tour groups, etc. It’s also where many of the Camino trails meet, so you see so many more people.
We tried to stay in the smaller, quieter towns to try and avoid the masses of walkers. If you mentally prepare yourself for the amount of people, it’s fine. Just be sure to treasure every moment of the 672 km before you reach Sarria.
5. When you need it the most, the Camino will provide.
Trust me, when you feel like you can’t go on anymore, something will appear and give you a new lease of life.
The Camino is full of generous and lovely people who’ve set up donation-based initiatives for the pilgrims. You’ll find donation-based albergues, cafes, and food stalls to cheer pilgrims up.
One particular stand-out morning was close to Astorga. We had left the albergue in Hospital de Ordigo at 6am and by 8.30, my blisters were unbearable. I was feeling really low and dying to stop for a coffee, but we were in the middle of nowhere. And then, as if by magic, a self-service donativo with fruit, juices, toast, nuts, and eggs appeared as if by magic. We were in heaven and felt so much gratitude.
6. Resist the urge to prepare for everything and anything.
Remember that you’ll never be able to not find food or water on the Camino. There’s only one stretch of 16km in the middle of the Camino de Frances, which is basically no man’s land and requires you to stock up on water.
All of the Camino routes pass through small towns with shops. Don’t feel the need to stock up and carry all your food with you—it’s not necessary! The same goes for packing; only carry the absolute necessities.
The Buen Camino App is useful to help you figure out when the next pharmacy, cafe, or shop will be.
But one thing you do need to be prepared for is the Free Wine Fountain at Bodegas Irache here. It gets filled up every morning, so you need to be there early enough, bottle in hand, to get your free wine fix.
7. Don't let the people you meet dictate how you walk your Camino.
As I mentioned, a huge part of the Camino is the people you meet along the way, and this is definitely true. We met some truly beautiful people and tried to meet up and stay in the same albergues along the route.
But the most important thing to remember is making sure whatever you do is right for you. If everyone is taking a rest day and you don’t need one or promised yourself, you wouldn’t. Then don’t stay in a town for an extra day in order to stay on the same schedule as your new friends. There’ll always be new people to meet and new opportunities in the next place.
You need to know that the Camino is your personal journey, and you don’t want to look back on your trip and regret not following your heart in order to not be left out of the group.
8. Take a lightweight sleeping bag, not just a sleeping liner.
This is definitely something you need to know while walking the Camino in the summer months.
If you stay in municipal albergues, they only provide paper sheets to cover the mattress so many Camino packing lists recommend packing a sleeping bag liner to use as a light blanket. But honestly, at the beginning and end of my Camino in June (as during the middle, northern Spain experienced a 37-degree heatwave), I felt so cold during the nights and slept in all my clothes. I kicked myself for not bringing my lightweight sleeping bag.
So, in short, don’t listen to the blogs that tell you a sleeping liner is enough. Get a light sleeping bag like this from Decathlon.
9. You don't need to train in advance.
This is one of the most important things you need to know before walking the Camino! Unless you’re incredibly unfit, there’s no need to extensively train; your body will adjust as you keep moving. Many blogs say, “Get training!” which I think is bullshit. It’s not a race. You can start slow and build up your distance. How easily your body adjusts to carrying a 9kg backpack is incredible.
“I haven’t walked 30km before!” shouldn’t be the barrier to you doing the Camino. Just one step at a time.
10. Keep it simple.
You’ll see many different kinds of people on the Camino. The wise die-hards with minimal gear who have walked the Camino countless times; the ones who didn’t get the memo carrying a full 65L backpack covering all the eventualities; the all gear-no ideaer’s head-to-toe in Osprey gear. I even saw a guy walking with a donkey and camping out under the stars.
What I’m trying to say is that don’t feel the need to shell out loads of new gear. Worn in trail/ hiking trainers and a comfortable backpack is what you need to focus on. I hiked with my sister’s hand-me-down 35L mountain warehouse backpack, which did just the job. Keep it simple.
11. Wake up early to catch the sunrise!
Because of the midday heat and securing a bed, it’s recommended to leave albergues as early as possible. Most municipal albergues kick pilgrims out around 8am anyway, but my best advice is to wake up before sunrise and walk as the sun rises. It’s such a magical part of the day and also means that you’ll likely reach your next albergue early and be able to secure a bed.
My best morning was spent leaving Castrojeriz. We left the albergue around 5.30am, and the first few km involved hiking up a big hill. Once we reached the top, we were met with the most incredible sunrise.
Alright, so that’s a round-up of everything I wish I had known before starting the Camino de Santiago. Remember, it’s your Camino, and there’s no “right way” to walk the Camino despite what people say. If you want to use the bag transportation, do it. No one has the right to judge your journey.
Read later: Walking the Camino de Santiago on a Small Budget of €20 A Day
