Picked by our team
Towns worth discovering along the Camino de Santiago, chosen by our team. Open one to see its history and sights, and where to stay.
49 towns on the Camino Francés
View on the mapRibadiso is the loveliest resting place between Melide and Arzúa: a stone bridge over the Iso, a meadow by the water and a medieval pilgrim hospital that has welcomed pilgrims again since 1993. Here, 41.5 kilometres before Santiago, it makes a break or a quiet evening, and both are worth it.
Camino FrancésCamino PrimitivoRoncesvalles is your first stop in Spain, 24.3 kilometres and almost 1,500 metres of climbing from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Since the 12th century this monastery at the pass has taken in pilgrims, today in an albergue with 183 beds and an evening pilgrim Mass. One evening is enough, because apart from the church, chapels and albergue there is almost nothing here.
Camino FrancésFrances alternative 1st stageSahagún is considered the midpoint of the Camino Francés: 406.7 kilometers from Saint-Jean, 369.4 still to go to Santiago. Here stood León's mightiest monastery, the "Spanish Cluny", where King Alfonso VI was buried. What remains is an archway, Mudéjar brick churches and a certificate for the halfway point.
Camino FrancésCamino de MadridSaint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is where the Camino Francés begins: in 2025 almost 55,000 pilgrims registered at the pilgrim office. The little town of the kings of Navarre lies at the foot of the Pyrenees, and everything that matters is on the Rue de la Citadelle. The next day you climb to 1,430 metres, in winter via Valcarlos.
Via PodiensisCamino Francés+6Samos is the worthwhile detour of the Camino Francés: about seven kilometers longer than via San Xil, the variant from Triacastela leads you to a Benedictine monastery from the 6th century, with two cloisters and a Mozarabic chapel under a cypress. An afternoon is enough; the monastery albergue is currently closed.
Camino FrancésSantiago de Compostela is where 14 Caminos end, and in 2025 more pilgrims than ever collected their Compostela here: 530,987. Around the cathedral with the apostle's tomb you'll find granite squares, monasteries and tapas bars. Stay at least two nights, because arriving takes time.
Camino FrancésCamino Portugués Central+12Santo Domingo de la Calzada bears the name of a man who built a bridge, a hospital and a road for pilgrims. In its cathedral live a white rooster and a hen, witnesses to a miracle legend. An afternoon is enough, and pilgrims praise the large albergue of his confraternity almost without exception.
Camino FrancésCamino Vasco del InteriorSarria is the biggest starting point of all the Caminos: in 2025, 161,901 pilgrims began here, almost one in three of everyone who arrived in Santiago. If you have been walking for weeks, you meet thousands in fresh shoes. It is around 115 kilometres to Santiago, and from here you need two stamps a day. An afternoon is enough.
Camino FrancésTorres del Río is a hilltop village of 172 people, 141.0 kilometres from Saint-Jean, and it has one of the most enigmatic churches on the Camino: the octagonal Santo Sepulcro from the 12th century, with a star-shaped dome and a lantern tower. Nobody knows for sure who built it. An afternoon with a mystery.
Camino FrancésTop rated
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