Picked by our team
Towns along the Camino worth stopping in. Open a town to see what it offers and where to stay.
58 towns
Caldas de Reis is the town of warm water: since 1881, thermal water at almost 50 degrees has flowed from two lion heads in the middle of town, and in the washhouse next to it pilgrims soak their feet. King Alfonso VII, later emperor, is said to have been born here in 1105. Santiago is still 44 kilometres away.
Caminha is Portugal's last town on the coast, a small border town at the mouth of the Minho with a clock tower, a Renaissance fountain and a late Gothic parish church. The ferry to Galicia no longer runs: you cross to A Guarda in small boats or walk along the river to Valença. An afternoon is enough.
Einsiedeln is the meeting point of the Swiss Ways of St James: since 934 a monastery has stood here above the cell of Saint Meinrad, and in the Chapel of Grace the Black Madonna awaits. Every day at 16:30 the monks sing the Salve Regina. Pilgrims sleep in the monastery from CHF 45 with breakfast, but can only reserve the evening before.
Around a million pilgrims arrive in El Rocío at Pentecost, and here you set off: 220.1 kilometres from the Ermita on the edge of the Doñana Marismas to Zafra. An afternoon is enough for the Ermita, the stamp and the flamingos. Until spring 2027 the Virgen del Rocío stays in Almonte, your first stage destination.
Esposende lies where the Cávado flows into the sea. An iron bridge from 1892 brings you into this small town, whose fort at the river mouth has carried a light since 1866. There is no pilgrim albergue in town; the nearest are in Fão and Marinhas. From tomorrow, the coastal route and the inland route part ways.
Estella carries the star in its name: King Sancho Ramírez founded the town on the Way of St James around 1090, and the Codex Calixtinus already praised its bread, its wine and the river Ega. Romanesque churches and a royal palace line the Camino. An afternoon is enough, and tomorrow wine flows from the fountain at Irache.
Faro is the beginning at the very bottom: the Camino de Faro starts at the cathedral of the Algarve's capital, and just under 980 kilometres lie ahead of you to Santiago. There is no pilgrim hostel and no credencial here. Pause briefly before you set off, as the bone chapel of the Carmo asks you to.
Fischingen is a monastery for tired feet: it was founded in 1138 to shelter pilgrims between Konstanz and Einsiedeln, and the altar of Saint Idda has an opening for aching pilgrim feet. From 3 to 8 November 2026 the monastery marks the 800th anniversary of Idda's death. Tomorrow morning there is the pilgrim blessing, then it's up the Hörnli.
For many, Fisterra is the real end of the Way: 87 kilometres beyond Santiago, the 0.000 km marker stands on the cape above the Atlantic. The fishing town with its harbour, medieval parish church and the lighthouse of 1853 lives for the sunset over the sea. Stay an extra night to see it.
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