Camino Tiles: The Most Beautiful Waymarkers in Ceramic Worldwide
From Brittany and Switzerland to Santiago: a photo journey along the tiles and azulejos that mark the Way of St. James – and how to read them.
July 1, 20266 min read
The shell beneath your feet
At some point on the Camino you glance down between two steps – and there it is: a tile with the scallop shell. Sometimes set into the pavement, sometimes into a house wall, sometimes as a glazed azulejo on a chapel. On no other long-distance trail in the world do you meet the waymark so often in fired, glazed form.
This collection is a joint effort by the friends of the Camino Ninja app: pilgrims from many countries photographed their finest finds and sent them to us – dozens of pictures, often within a few hours. From them this little journey around the world took shape, from Brittany over Switzerland to the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago.
Join in – send us your tile
This page grows with the community. All the photos here come from friends of the Camino Ninja app who shared their finds with us. Have you spotted and photographed a beautiful tile along the way? Then send it to us – by email to info@caminoninja.com – and we'll gladly add it to this collection. That's how, one small discovery at a time, the finest tile collection of the Camino comes together.
Tile, azulejo, bronze shell – what's what?
Not every ceramic waymark is the same. Broadly, you'll meet three families:
Azulejos – the blue-and-white (or colourful) glazed ceramic, above all in Portugal and Spain. Often on churches, fountains and house walls, sometimes made specially for the route.
Paving and floor tiles – slabs with a shell or arrow set straight into pavements and squares; typical in towns, where signposts would be intrusive.
Bronze and brass shells – set into the cobblestones of old towns, discreet and durable; not clay, but the same idea.
How to read a Camino tile
The shell is more than decoration – it's a waymark. The grooves converge like rays, and traditionally the point where they meet is read as pointing toward Santiago. Only: it isn't consistent. Sometimes the shell's narrow end points the way, sometimes exactly the opposite, depending on region and craftsman. Among pilgrims it's a lovingly nurtured running dispute – when in doubt, trust the yellow arrow that accompanies the shell almost everywhere.
So two things always reward a glance downward: orientation – and the little works of art themselves. Let's set off.
France and the Netherlands
In Morlaix in Brittany, two routes coming up from the coast (from Moguériec and from Locquirec) meet and become the Voie de Moguériec. Photo: Emma Delvaux de Fenffe.
In Vézelay, at the start of the Via Lemovicensis, one of the four historic French main routes. Photo: Son Ja.
In Chartres, on the way up to the famous cathedral. Photo: Norma Inderst.
In Bourges, also on the Via Lemovicensis. Photo: Roswitha Kliment.
Just before Thiviers, further south on the Via Lemovicensis. Photo: Son Ja.
Near Périgueux, the same route, deep in the Périgord. Photo: Son Ja.
In St-Jean-St-Maurice on the Loire, on the old road from Cluny to Le Puy. Photo: Hans-Martin Seubert.
And an outlier to the north: Vlissingen in the Netherlands, on the Via Scaldea along the Scheldt. Photo: Gabriele Meixner.
Switzerland
Outside the cathedral of St. Gallen, plain shell tiles are set into the pavement. Here runs the Via Jacobi from Lake Constance to Geneva. Photo: Dirk Fehse.
In Rapperswil on Lake Zurich, a hub of the Via Jacobi across Switzerland. Photo: Karin Kuschel.
In Fribourg, right in the middle of the Via Jacobi. Photo: Brigitte Vuichard-Schwaninger.
Just before Fribourg, the same route, a different motif. Photo: Thomas Zellweger.
In Geneva, where the Via Jacobi ends and the Via Gebennensis takes over – „only 1913 km to Santiago“. Photo: Jacqueline Smolders.
On the Schwabenweg shortly before Einsiedeln, at the Brünig Pass. Switzerland is simply more vertical than other countries – so the tile is allowed to hang upright on the wall for once. Photo: Thomas Zellweger.
Germany and Poland
In Telgte in North Rhine-Westphalia, on the Way of St. James from Bielefeld to Wesel. Photo: Julia Heinrich.
In Poland near Olsztyn, on the Camino Polaco, which leads down from the Baltic. Photo: Helmut Winkle.
Over the Pyrenees into Spain
In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the classic start of the Camino Francés at the foot of the Pyrenees. Photo: Carmen Gerbermann.
In Irún, just across the French-Spanish border, where the Camino del Norte begins. Photo: Brigitte Vuichard-Schwaninger.
Northern Spain: Norte, Olvidado and Primitivo
In Bilbao, on the Camino del Norte and at the same time the start of the lonely Camino Olvidado. Photo: Sylvio Hoffmann.
In Aguilar de Campoo, deep in the „forgotten“ Camino Olvidado. Photo: Barbara Schörner.
In the cathedral of Oviedo, where the route splits into the Camino Primitivo and the coastal way. Photo: Andrea Wionski.
In Lugo, behind the Roman city wall, on the Camino Primitivo. Photo: Sarah Eberhardt.
And the tile in the background of the same shot – also in Lugo on the Primitivo. Photo: Sarah Eberhardt.
The Camino Francés
In Obanos, just after the routes from Roncesvalles and Somport merge. Photo: Karla Bartelmai.
In Navarrete, in the wine country of the Rioja. Photo: Brigitte Vuichard-Schwaninger.
In Logroño, the capital of the Rioja. Photo: Brigitte Vuichard-Schwaninger.
In Carrión de los Condes, out on the wide Meseta. Photo: Andrea Wionski.
In Burgos, an evidently freshly laid slab with the grout still damp. Photo: Barbara Schörner.
In Burgos, the same motif – only already dry. Photo: Thomas Zellweger.
In Ponferrada, probably the wettest signpost on the Camino Francés. Rumour has it its top corner points the wrong way – but for the sake of that bubbling freshness we'll let it pass. Photo: Carmen Gerbermann.
In Villafranca del Bierzo, just before the climb to O Cebreiro. Photo: Carmen Gerbermann.
Portugal: the coastal way
In Porto, on the busy Caminho Português da Costa. Photo: Cory Ko.
In Vila do Conde, further north along the coast. Photo: Peter Eich.
Just before the Spanish border, still on the Caminho Português da Costa. Photo: Susanne Fröller.
In Tui, just across the border, where the Portuguese route reaches Spanish soil.
Near Caldas de Reis – a motif for everyone who looks up now and then, too. Photo: Viola Zimmermann.
Arrival in Santiago
In Santiago de Compostela, shortly before the goal. Photo: Manu Maela.
In Santiago, at the goal – here you look up anyway. Photo: Thomas Zellweger.
And the day after, in the queue outside the Pilgrim's Office, waiting for the Compostela. Photo: Sta Ni.
