Camino Tips for Hiking to Santiago de Compostela

What’s your definition of a hike? For some people, it’s getting outdoors for a few hours and returning home the same day. For others, a hike can mean walking for weeks on end!

Adventurous souls who aspire to trek through rugged and picturesque landscapes make pilgrimages and expeditions across vast swaths of land, ideal for stepping out and away from the expectations and routines of the everyday. These trips require elaborate planning and preparation physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

One such walk is the Camino de Santiago or The Way of St. James.

Discover why people go on long journeys on foot and how to make such a journey yourself.

Walking the Camino de Santiago

Meet Mikala Whitaker, author of The Unanchored Passenger, where she writes extensively about the Camino de Santiago and shares information, tips, and personal experiences from her Caminos and those of other pilgrims.

Mikala’s first Camino began in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France. You can walk many different routes on the Camino de Santiago, with those who start their journey in France walking the ‘Camino Francés.’ Mikala spent 33 days hiking almost 800km through northern Spain.

You might be wondering what inspires someone to walk 800km.

For Mikala, the catalyst for the timing of walking her Camino was a dramatic change in personal circumstances.

Mikala writes of the year before walking the Camino, “I experienced a devastating and surprising end to my engagement. Less than three months before my wedding, my then fiancé decided he wasn’t sure if we should get married after all,”

Her desire to walk the Camino was percolating long before the breakup.

Mikala reflects, “As soon as my relationship fell apart, I realized I needed to finally do it. I needed to give myself an adventure to look forward to and help heal from everything that happened. I was also feeling a little lost in life and wanted the time to get away and live a simpler life on the trail for a month to think about what I wanted to do next.”

You could say beauty was brought from ashes in this turn of events, with a natural wonder awaiting Mikala on day one of her Camino in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

The most beautiful wonder she saw on her travels? She exclaims, “For me, it was crossing over the Pyrenees Mountains. Never before have I completely crossed up and over a mountain range, and the views were absolutely stunning. I’ll never forget looking out and seeing lush green mountaintops all around me.”

The Camino de Santiago is one of the most hospitable walks you can do, with well-marked trails and ample stops along the way for refreshment and lodging. There’s also a tremendous community of people who walk the Camino and camaraderie on the trail regardless of why they are walking.

The Way

A Hollywood film, The Way (2010), starring Martin Sheen, made the Camino de Santiago a household name. The film was directed by his son Emilio Estevez, who plays a small but pivotal on-camera role in the production.

The movie spurred a renaissance of all things Camino and motivated many people to tread the well-worn paths pilgrims have walked for over a millennium, with the first record of walking the Camino dating back to the 9th century.

At the end of their pilgrimage, pilgrims arrive at a cathedral believed to be the burial place of James, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This James was the first of the apostles to be martyred for his Christian faith. You might remember this apostle and his brother John (the Gospel writer) by their biblical monikers, the “Sons of Thunder.”

I walked the Camino de Santiago with my husband, David, in June 2024. We embarked on our Camino from Leon, Spain, about half the distance Mikala walked.

Camino Backpack Basics

Pilgrims or Peregrinos carry backpacks with everything they need (or think they need!) for their journey. The backpack should not weigh more than 10% of your body weight – maybe even less if you’re more petite. Otherwise, you may find yourself shipping your bag ahead to your destination with couriers (which, admittedly, after a couple of days, I did). On the Camino, less is more.

This list most often includes:

• large hiking bacpack from an outdoor adventure store
• retractable hiking poles
• two changes of clothes
• minimal toiletries
• sunblock
• wide-brimmed hat or baseball cap for sun protection
• medications or supplements that you rely on daily
• two water bottles, each holding a liter of water
• a good pair of hiking shoes (with a little room to grow if your feet swell up)
• two pairs of wool hiking socks
• breathable footwear to slip on (sandals or flip-flops) after you’re done walking for the day
• an outfit you can wear out to dinner to feel refreshed
• a lightweight rain jacket or poncho
• first-aid materials
• fanny pack to carry your wallet, phone, sunblock, etc.

A small travel pack for charging your devices and a universal travel adapter/converter for European electrical outlets are necessary.

Camino Essentials

When asked what she relied upon most on the Camino, Mikala confided, “Aside from all the necessary gear, I couldn’t hike the Camino without bringing my Kindle. Long hikes day after day take a toll on your body, so it’s important to take as much time to rest and recover each day as possible. I love reading, and bringing my Kindle along made my time resting more enjoyable.”

While Mikalas’ Kindle was useful, something else that helped keep her going on the Camino was napping each day. She says, “I tried to take a nap almost every day, even if it was just for 30 minutes. As much as I wanted to explore each day, I knew my body needed the extra recovery time.”

If there are items you use daily that cannot be easily found or replaced, consider adding them to your shortlist of Camino essentials.

Something I brought with me, though bulky, was my bible. I read the bible every morning at home and love the feeling of the paper, being able to underline passages and turning the pages. Sticking to my spiritual discipline was nourishing on a very long walk. I drew strength from the Scriptures and did much better on my Camino because my mind was renewed, and I felt encouraged.

For those who want to bring God’s Word in digital form wherever you find yourself, there are apps that make Scripture accessible on your mobile device. My go-to when away from my physical bible is the BLB app (Blue Letter Bible).

What You Don’t Need on the Camino

What doesn’t need to come in your backpack? Sometimes, it’s the one thing you thought you’d need or a ‘nice to have’ but ultimately didn’t help.

Mikala shares, “I regret bringing a silk pillowcase. I had read that people recommend them for keeping bed bugs out. However, on the Camino, pretty much everywhere I stayed had pillows that were much larger than your standard pillow. I couldn’t use the pillowcase in the end, so it was unnecessary extra weight.”

You might think that a pillowcase being extra weight sounds silly, but believe me, every ounce counts.

Something I regret bringing on the Camino was a towel. Because we stayed in hotels, we didn’t need it for bathing. I thought I would need it to dry off if we were rained on (which did happen), but I wasn’t reaching for the towel in those instances. Even though it was considerably lightweight, it took up a lot of space in my backpack.

On my husband’s first Camino, he brought a stainless steel Yeti tumbler for morning coffees that he thought he would be taking with him to go. At a certain point, he realized he didn’t need it and saved himself the extra weight and clanging by leaving the cup for someone else who might benefit from it.

Pilgrims will find many “donation boxes” full of items left behind by other travelers. These are opportunities to leave something behind, as well as pick something up in case of need.

Shoes on the Camino

Long before your Camino, break in a pair of quality hiking shoes and keep them in good condition for your trip. Also, bring secondary footwear for the evenings to let your feet breathe after a long day of walking.

Each day, you will walk anywhere from 15km to 30km. The challenging and varying terrain of the Camino de Santiago is known for giving you and your feet a real workout (your knees, too, which is why you need the hiking polls!).

While some of the Camino is paved, the fancy footwork required on other surfaces can leave you feeling like a deer as you climb hills, scale mountains, navigate shards of shale, and more.

Your shoes need traction to handle the Camino, but be light enough not to weigh you down.

With a background in running, Mikala chose a pair of shoes that gave her support and appropriate cushioning. She writes, “For the Camino de Santiago, I liked hiking in HOKA Speedgoat trail running shoes for their cushioning. I’m a marathon runner who typically runs in HOKAs because I’ve never found a pair of athletic shoes with better cushioning. I find that they help reduce the impact of running or hiking such long distances.”

Having worn a pair of newer hiking boots to kick off her Camino, Mikala quickly discovered they didn’t fit her well and gave her blisters, revealing, “I knew I needed to get something new and didn’t hesitate to get a pair of HOKA Speedgoats once I had the chance. They’re a very popular shoe among many pilgrims on the Camino.”

Before my adventure, I visited a local shoe store specializing in footwear for people who wear orthotics. The hiking shoe I picked was water-resistant by a brand called Lowa.

Want more ideas? Explore Outdoor Gear Lab’s reviews of 6 best hiking shoes for women and 6 best hiking shoes for men.

Foot Care on the Camino

You may have noticed an emphasis on foot care in this article. Aside from bringing all the goodies you need, foot care is the top priority for most pilgrims.

Each morning, you go through your preparatory foot care routine, which involves liberally coating your feet in Vaseline (even between your toes) and making sure that you don’t have any fuzzies or specs of dirt on your feet before putting a clean pair of wool socks on.

You want to avoid blisters and any sources of friction that could injure your feet. Taking special measures to protect your feet discourages the formation of new blisters or the irritation of existing blisters.

Shake out your shoes and make sure no pebbles, grains of sand, dirt, fragments of wood, or grass are in them. When you’re sure everything is smooth sailing, secure your feet in your shoes and lace them up for the day. This meticulous process takes about 20 minutes but is well worth it.

As a side note, you can also get blisters on your hands from holding your hiking poles. Grasp them well, but not too hard!

Do some gentle stretching before you head out for the day. You want to be limber and warmed up before leaving on your Camino each day.

Similarly, when you finish walking for the day, you will want to clean your feet and let them air out. Elevate your feet to minimize swelling, and use an ice pack as directed by your doctor, a pharmacist on the Camino, or a physiotherapist (wrapped in a towel to prevent frostbite) if you need extra help to bring swelling down.

If you have ankles prone to sprains like mine, you may want to get ankle braces before leaving on your Camino. My family doctor prescribed bilateral ankle braces to better support my ankles on the walk. My chiropractor ordered them in and taught me how to put them on. I did not wear them in the evenings, but they were a great support during the day.

Stretching again at the end of the day will help relax your muscles and roll out any tension.

Pharmacies, Physiotherapists, and Hospitals

There are pharmacies in every town, easily recognizable by their green and white cross emblems. You can stock up on sunblock, Compeed (second skin for healing blisters), and anything else you might need, like aloe vera, lip balm, and toiletry items. The pharmacists are incredibly patient and helpful, familiar with the aches and pains of pilgrims.

Pharmacists can even size you up for a knee brace if you need extra support along the way, and if you plan, you can book in with a massage therapist or physiotherapist, some taking pilgrims on short notice. Local hospitals are also at your service, and the wait times are short.

While walking the Camino, the tendonitis in my leg began acting up, and I needed to see a physiotherapist. After doing a Google Maps search for nearby physios in Lugo (Galicia), I found Fisioterapia Ricardo Velho, whose office was mere steps from our hotel, and booked an appointment via WhatsApp.

You will want to use WhatsApp on the Camino as well as a good translation tool. WhatsApp is a popular communication tool to do business. You can also message couriers for your backpack or taxi services on WhatsApp should you need a ride.

I can’t say enough good about the treatment I received and how healing it was after walking for days on end. Ricardo also provided tips on how to keep in good form and prevent more tendonitis flare-ups. After my physio session, I felt like a million bucks, and my Camino was less painful.

If you’re walking the Camino and want to book a physio appointment in advance, here’s a directory of physiotherapists by region in Spain.

Compeed

Yes, Compeed gets its own section in this article. That is how important and superior this product is when adding a second layer of skin to your feet to cover up blisters and stop them from getting worse. The Compeed product not only protects your feet as they are healing, but helps you to heal.

Mikala shares, “Since I struggled with blisters, using Compeed bandaids helped enormously as well. I found that they helped take away some of the pain of the blisters while helping them heal, making it easier to keep hiking.”

Some people put Compeed on preventatively on areas of their feet they know are prone to blistering. It has a cushioning effect and stays put if you seal it on dry feet.

You can’t find Compeed in Canadian drug stores, but their products are available in the US and many other countries. Products can be ordered on Amazon directly from Compeed and delivered before leaving for your Camino.

Nearly every pharmacy on the Camino sells Compeed, so if you forget to buy some before your trip, it is plentiful and easy to find.

Compeed comes in various shapes and sizes. You’ll find combo packs covering blisters in various places on your feet.

It is better to have more Compeed than less. You never know when you will need it or if you can help a fellow pilgrim out.

Eating on the Camino

There are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat on the Camino. Just make sure you are eating on Spanish time and aware of the daily siesta when restaurants, among other stores, are closed for a leisurely rest in the middle of the afternoon.

Mikala notes, “On the most popular Camino de Santiago routes, it’s possible to eat all or most of your meals out at restaurants if you’d like. You can definitely do this on the Camino Francés, and that’s how I approached food during my experience.”

Tortilla Española

A typical dish at breakfast is a tortilla, not to be confused with tortilla chips or a flat corn tortilla for a taco or burrito.

Tortillas in Spain are a mishmash of potatoes and eggs with olive oil, similar to an open-faced omelet – it varies from place to place and is an iconic dish you can expect to find almost everywhere.

Whole fruits are also easy to find, as Mikala experienced, sharing, “I typically got a banana that I would eat first thing in the morning until I reached a place to eat for breakfast, and I carried some light snacks on me. Otherwise I ate out for all of my meals when passing through villages and towns each day.”

Café Con Leche

Almost everywhere you go, you’ll have the option of getting a café con leche, a beverage that I now make a regular part of my morning at home.

As a tea drinker, I found there to be few teas on the Camino, but coffee was available at every turn, and thank God for that!

This is a beautiful beverage, and no one else does it quite like the Spanish. When I got home, I ordered what I thought was a café con leche but found that it didn’t taste or hit the same way. Was it the European milk? The coffee beans? I’m not sure, but it stands alone as peak caffeine and dairy enjoyment.

Siesta

Plan your lunches strategically so you don’t miss the eating window, closing in most smaller towns observing siesta.

Experience is the best teacher. After a couple of days of encountering a lack of food when entering towns during siesta, I finally submitted my eating schedule to Spanish customs and adapted as best I could by bringing snacks.

Not everything closes during siesta, but enough does that you should not expect to do business between 1pm and 3pm. Siestas can run anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours, with siesta starting at 12pm at the earliest and lasting until 4pm at the latest.

Dinner

Dinners generally start later, so if you’re accustomed to eating around 5pm, most restaurants won’t accept patrons until 8pm. Learn to pace your eating and always carry an emergency snack on your hike.

Try not to eat too late at night or to eat food that is very heavy. “Low fat, high fiber” before bed is a better approach to eating at night to aid digestion and minimize acid reflux. You’ll need a good night’s sleep before your next day of walking! 

As they say, rest and digest. Try to finish eating three hours before you lay down to sleep and call it a night.

Where to Stay on the Camino

When walking the Camino, you’ll notice an entire economy orchestrated to meet the needs of pilgrims.

There’s no shortage of hospitality available to you for where to stay along the way, with stays ranging from traditional hotels to albergues and farmhouses. You can also book short-term rentals and hostels if that’s more convenient. You can even stay in a castle.

On our Camino, David and I stayed at hotels, boutique hotels, a farmhouse, a treehouse, and a few Paradores. Getting a good night’s sleep and eating hearty breakfasts were important factors for us, so we prioritized lodgings that supplied fresh, whole foods and private accommodations (hostels, though part of the quintessential Camino experience, are not everyone’s cup of tea).

Mikala chose albergues, citing, “They help make the Camino de Santiago more affordable and more memorable since you tend to see some of the same people day after day. Many albergues take pilgrims only, so everyone around you is on a similar schedule, which makes it easier to get a good night’s sleep compared to your typical hostel.”

Where you stay impacts your Camino regarding how far you need to walk to your lodging and where you start from the next day, potentially adding kilometers to your days. Most people tend to stay at places on the Camino.

The furthest off the beaten track we walked was to our farmhouse stay on the first night after leaving Leon. It was totally worth it for the homecooked, farm-to-table meals and warm hospitality, even though walking up and down the stairs felt like an epic assignment.

No matter where you stay, try to book your accommodations in advance. That way, you’ll know you have a place for the night and be extra motivated to keep your Camino on track.

When you see the spires and church steeples in the distance, it’s a wonderful sight to behold!

The Camino is not about how fast you walk, but with every step taken, you are moving forward.

¡Buen Camino!