Distance
825 km
Duration
32–35 days
Difficulty
Challenging
Best season
May – September
Highlights
- 32 featured stages
- Irún, Spain → Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Monte Jaizkibel ridge
- First Atlantic views
- Arrival at La Concha bay
About this route
A demanding, breathtaking alternative that hugs Spain's northern coast through the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia. Expect short steep climbs, stunning ocean views, and excellent seafood.
Stages
A featured selection of stages on the Camino del Norte. Click any stage for distance, albergues, and where to eat.
Your progress on the Camino del Norte
32 stages · 766 km · ~193 h 22 min total walking
0 km / 0 min done · 766 km / 193 h 22 min to go
- 1↑ 700 m~6 h 30 minChallenging
- 2↑ 580 m~5 h 51 minChallenging
- 3↑ 750 m~6 h 8 minChallenging
- 4↑ 880 m~6 h 48 minChallenging
- 5↑ 750 m~6 h 48 minModerate
- 6↑ 670 m~5 h 47 minModerate
- 7↑ 240 m~2 h 51 minEasy
- 8↑ 100 m~4 h 23 minEasy
- 9↑ 540 m~6 h 54 minModerate
- 10↑ 500 m~7 h 3 minModerate
- 11↑ 350 m~6 h 48 minModerate
- 12↑ 130 m~3 h 20 minEasy
- 13↑ 320 m~8 h 45 minChallenging
- 14↑ 320 m~5 h 25 minModerate
- 15↑ 380 m~6 h 51 minModerate
- 16↑ 350 m~5 h 55 minModerate
- 17↑ 530 m~7 h 46 minChallenging
- 18↑ 580 m~8 h 18 minChallenging
- 19↑ 540 m~7 h 34 minChallenging
- 20↑ 240 m~5 h 57 minModerate
- 21↑ 480 m~6 h 8 minModerate
- 22↑ 530 m~4 h 53 minModerate
- 23↑ 280 m~4 h 1 minEasy
- 24↑ 540 m~7 h 34 minChallenging
- 25↑ 230 m~5 h 16 minEasy
- 26↑ 530 m~7 h 20 minModerate
- 27↑ 130 m~2 h 13 minEasy
- 28↑ 690 m~5 h 49 minChallenging
- 29↑ 220 m~4 h 49 minEasy
- 30↑ 130 m~4 h 26 minEasy
- 31↑ 470 m~9 h 54 minChallenging
- 32↑ 240 m~5 h 17 minModerate
Walking times assume a steady ~4.5 km/h pace plus 10 min per 100 m of ascent. They cover moving time only — add breaks, photo stops and coffee.
- 1
Irún → San Sebastián
24 km • 700 m gain • Challenging
Monte Jaizkibel ridge • First Atlantic views • Arrival at La Concha bay
- 2
San Sebastián → Zarautz
22 km • 580 m gain • Challenging
Climb to Igueldo for views back over La Concha • Orio fishing village • Zarautz's surf beach
- 3
Zarautz → Deba
22 km • 750 m gain • Challenging
Getaria's fishing harbour and Balenciaga museum • Cliff path to Itziar • Long descent into Deba's estuary
- 4
Deba → Markina-Xemein
24 km • 880 m gain • Challenging
Inland turn through wild Basque hills • Bolibar village • Renaissance basilica of Ziortza
- 5
Markina-Xemein → Gernika-Lumo
25 km • 750 m gain • Moderate
Munitibar's wooded valley • Rolling Bizkaia farmland • Gernika — Basque spiritual capital, painted by Picasso
- 6
Gernika-Lumo → Lezama
21 km • 670 m gain • Moderate
Oak of Gernika • Bizkaia's green hills • Quiet rural Lezama just outside Bilbao
- 7
Lezama → Bilbao
11 km • 240 m gain • Easy
Descent into Bilbao via Begoña basilica • Crossing the Nervión into the Casco Viejo • Optional Guggenheim visit
- 8
Bilbao → Portugalete
19 km • 100 m gain • Easy
Río Nervión riverside path • Working shipyards and mines of left-bank Bizkaia • UNESCO Vizcaya transporter bridge
- 9
Portugalete → Castro Urdiales
27 km • 540 m gain • Moderate
Pobeña beach • Cliff path along the disused railway • Castro Urdiales' Gothic church and Templar castle by the sea
- 10
Castro Urdiales → Laredo
28 km • 500 m gain • Moderate
Cerdigo coastal path • Islares cove • Laredo's 5-km golden beach
- 11
Laredo → Güemes
28 km • 350 m gain • Moderate
Boat across the bay to Santoña • Berria beach climb • Padre Ernesto's legendary albergue at Güemes
- 12
Güemes → Santander
14 km • 130 m gain • Easy
Coastal cliffs of Galizano • Boat across the bay of Santander from Somo • Arrival in elegant Santander
- 13
Santander → Santillana del Mar
37 km • 320 m gain • Challenging
Long stage with limited services — many split at Boo or Mogro • Sand-dune coastline • Santillana del Mar — 'three lies in one' (not flat, holy, or by the sea)
- 14
Santillana del Mar → Comillas
22 km • 320 m gain • Moderate
Cobreces and Modernist church • Comillas — Gaudí's whimsical El Capricho • Pontifical University
- 15
Comillas → Colombres
28 km • 380 m gain • Moderate
San Vicente de la Barquera's ría and bridge • Crossing into Asturias • Indiano mansions of Colombres
- 16
Colombres → Llanes
24 km • 350 m gain • Moderate
Bufones de Pría sea-blowholes • Cliffside meadows • Llanes' painted Cubos de la Memoria
- 17
Llanes → Ribadesella
31 km • 530 m gain • Challenging
Playa de Cuevas del Mar • Hórreos and apple orchards • Ribadesella — start of the Sella canoe descent
- 18
Ribadesella → Sebrayo
33 km • 580 m gain • Challenging
Forested ridges of central Asturias • Caravia's quiet beaches • Tiny pilgrim refuge at Sebrayo
- 19
Sebrayo → Gijón
30 km • 540 m gain • Challenging
Decision point — Gijón (Norte) or Oviedo (Primitivo branch) • Eucalyptus forests of Sariego • Arrival in Gijón's old fishermen's quarter Cimavilla
- 20
Gijón → Avilés
25 km • 240 m gain • Moderate
Industrial fringe via Veriña • Forest paths through Tamón • Avilés' restored Calle Galiana and Niemeyer Centre
- 21
Avilés → Soto de Luiña
24 km • 480 m gain • Moderate
Salinas beach and dunes • El Castillo de Gauzón ruins • Soto de Luiña's quiet 18th-century church
- 22
Soto de Luiña → Cadavedo
18 km • 530 m gain • Moderate
Cliff path or interior route via Ballota • Eucalyptus tunnels • Cadavedo's rural simplicity
- 23
Cadavedo → Luarca
16 km • 280 m gain • Easy
Ribadesella's cliffs and coves • Luarca's photogenic harbour and white town • Cementerio de los Marineros
- 24
Luarca → La Caridad
30 km • 540 m gain • Challenging
Navia estuary • Indiano mansions of Tapia and La Caridad • Quiet inland forest sections
- 25
La Caridad → Ribadeo
22 km • 230 m gain • Easy
Tapia de Casariego's beaches • Crossing the Río Eo bridge into Galicia • Ribadeo's elegant Indiano architecture
- 26
Ribadeo → Lourenzá
29 km • 530 m gain • Moderate
Faro de Illas Pancha (short detour) • Inland turn through Vilanova de Lourenzá • Benedictine monastery and the famous fabas de Lourenzá
- 27
Lourenzá → Mondoñedo
9 km • 130 m gain • Easy
Short half-stage • Mondoñedo's medieval cathedral plaza • Sweet specialty: tarta de Mondoñedo
- 28
Mondoñedo → Gontán
21 km • 690 m gain • Challenging
Climb to the high plateau of A Terra Chá • Chestnut and oak forests • Hamlet of Gontán
- 29
Gontán → Vilalba
20 km • 220 m gain • Easy
High moor of A Terra Chá • Tower of Vilalba — restored 14th-century keep • Capital of capón roast goose
- 30
Vilalba → Baamonde
19 km • 130 m gain • Easy
Río Magdalena valley • Quiet country lanes • Baamonde's rural church and pilgrim hospitality
- 31
Baamonde → Sobrado dos Monxes
41 km • 470 m gain • Challenging
The longest stage on the Norte — many split at Miraz • Cistercian monastery of Sobrado • Vespers and pilgrim mass at the abbey
- 32
Sobrado dos Monxes → Arzúa
22 km • 240 m gain • Moderate
Boimorto and rural lanes • Joining the Camino Francés at Arzúa • Galician cheese country
Towns on this route
Cities and villages worth a longer stop along the Camino del Norte.
Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
San Sebastián / Donostia
Belle Époque elegance, three crescent beaches, and the world's densest concentration of Michelin stars.
Gipuzkoa, Basque Country
Zarautz
A 2.5-km surf beach backed by a quiet medieval town.
Bizkaia, Basque Country
Bilbao
Industrial port reborn as a museum-led design city — and a glorious detour off the trail.
Cantabria
Castro Urdiales
A Templar castle and a Gothic church rising straight from the Cantabrian Sea.
Cantabria
Laredo
A 5-km golden beach — once Charles V's favourite landing point for crossing into Spain.
Cantabria
Santander
A Belle Époque seafront capital rebuilt with elegance after the 1941 fire.
Cantabria
Santillana del Mar
The 'town of three lies' — neither santi (holy), llana (flat), nor by the mar.
Cantabria
Comillas
A small seaside town with — improbably — a Gaudí villa and a Modernist university.
Asturias
Llanes
An Asturian fishing port wrapped in cliffs and painted concrete blocks.
Asturias
Ribadesella
Where the Sella meets the sea — and the great August canoe descent finishes.
Asturias
Gijón
Asturias's biggest city — Roman baths, a working port, and the cradle quarter of Cimavilla.
Asturias
Avilés
A medieval old town hiding behind heavy industry — and Niemeyer's only Spanish building.
Asturias
Luarca
A white-washed fishing village wedged into a green ravine above its harbour.
Lugo, Galicia
Ribadeo
Where the Eo estuary marks the entrance into Galicia — and the Praia das Catedrais is just down the coast.
Lugo, Galicia
Mondoñedo
A tiny Galician former bishopric with a cathedral plaza far grander than the town deserves.
Lugo, Galicia
Vilalba
A Terra Chá market town beneath a restored medieval keep.
A Coruña, Galicia
Sobrado dos Monxes
A working Cistercian monastery that takes pilgrims for the night.
A Coruña, Galicia
Arzúa
Where the Camino Norte joins the Francés — and the home of Galicia's most famous cheese.
Galicia
Santiago de Compostela
The journey's end — and for many pilgrims, a new beginning.
Interactive map
A clickable map of stages, towns, and albergues is coming soon — built on Leaflet and OpenStreetMap so it stays free and fast.
Related reading
All articles about the Camino del Norte
Every post on Camino Compass that mentions this route, its towns, or its stages — 35 in total.
Practical
The Honest Packing List: 7 Things Every Pilgrim Forgets
After three Caminos, here is the gear I would never leave home without — and the things I now refuse to carry.
11 min read
Practical
Best Time of Year to Walk the Camino de Santiago
Month-by-month breakdown of weather, crowds, albergue availability, and what to expect when on the Francés, Portugués, and Norte.
8 min read
Practical
How Long Does It Take to Walk the Camino? (Route Breakdown)
Realistic timelines for every major Camino route, with daily distance averages and tips for fitting it into a working life.
7 min read
Practical
What It Costs to Walk the Camino de Santiago (Full Budget Guide)
A real, line-by-line budget for the Camino — from albergue beds to pilgrim menus, gear, transport, and the things that surprise people.
9 min read
Gear
Ultimate Camino Packing List (What I Brought vs What I Needed)
An honest, weighed-out packing list from someone who has walked three Caminos — what made the cut, what got mailed home, and what I'll never carry again.
12 min read
Gear
Best Shoes for Walking the Camino de Santiago (2026 Guide)
Trail runners, hiking shoes, or boots? An honest review of the most common Camino footwear, with picks for wide feet, hot weather, and the rainy Norte.
11 min read
Gear
Backpacking the Camino with No Gear: What I Learned the Hard Way
When my luggage didn't arrive in Bilbao, I started the Camino del Norte with the clothes on my back. Here's what I bought, what I borrowed, and what I'd do differently.
8 min read
Gear
Top 10 Must-Have Items for the Camino (And What to Skip)
The ten things I'd never walk a Camino without — and the popular gear I now leave at home.
7 min read
Practical
How to Prevent Blisters on the Camino (Real Tips from the Trail)
Blisters end more Caminos than weather, illness, or homesickness combined. Here's how to keep your feet on the trail.
9 min read
Food
Top 10 Places to Eat in San Sebastián (Camino del Norte)
The Basque pintxos capital of the world, walked through on day 2 of the Norte. Where to eat — and what to order — when you only have one night.
9 min read
Food
What to Eat on the Camino de Santiago (Regional Food Guide)
From Basque pintxos to Galician pulpo, the Camino is a tour of Spain's regional cooking. Here's what to order in each region you walk through.
12 min read
Food
Where to Eat in Santiago de Compostela After Finishing the Camino
You've made it. Now eat. The best Galician seafood, octopus, and wine in Santiago — including the spots most pilgrims miss.
8 min read
Culture
Llanes Travel Guide (Camino del Norte Coastal Gem)
A medieval Asturian fishing town, dramatic cliffs, and one of the best beach detours on the entire Norte.
8 min read
Culture
San Sebastián to Bilbao: What to Expect on the Camino del Norte
The first week of the Norte takes you through Basque fishing villages, surfer towns, and dramatic cliffs. Here's what each day actually feels like.
9 min read
Spirituality
What the Camino Teaches You About Yourself
Walking 800 kilometres with everything you own on your back changes your relationship with time, possessions, and other people. Some honest reflections.
9 min read
Spirituality
Why People Walk the Camino (And What They're Searching For)
Grief, faith, transition, curiosity, escape. The honest, unexpected reasons people give when you ask them on the trail.
8 min read
Spirituality
The Best Day of My Life: Reaching Finisterre
Most pilgrims stop in Santiago. The ones who walk three more days to the Atlantic say it was the real ending. Here's why.
7 min read
Practical
Things Nobody Tells You About the Camino de Santiago
Bedbugs, snoring, the bizarre social life of an albergue. The unfiltered things you'll wish you'd known before day one.
9 min read
Spirituality
Is the Camino Worth It? My Honest Experience
After three Caminos and a lot of conversations on the trail, here's the honest answer: yes, but not for the reasons you'd expect.
9 min read
Culture
The Complete History of the Camino de Santiago
From the legend of Saint James and medieval pilgrimage routes to the modern revival — a thousand-year story behind the Way of Saint James.
14 min read
Culture
Who Was Saint James and Why Is He Connected to Santiago?
Learn who Saint James was, why he is connected to Santiago de Compostela, and how his legend became the foundation of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
12 min read
Culture
Why Is Santiago de Compostela Important?
Discover why Santiago de Compostela is important, from the legend of Saint James and its medieval pilgrimage history to its role as the final destination of the Camino de Santiago.
11 min read
Culture
The Discovery of Saint James' Tomb
Learn the story behind the discovery of Saint James' tomb in Santiago de Compostela and how this legend became the foundation of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
12 min read
Culture
How the Camino de Santiago Became One of Europe's Great Pilgrimages
Discover how the Camino de Santiago grew from a local shrine in Galicia into one of medieval Europe's greatest pilgrimage routes.
14 min read
Culture
The Medieval Pilgrim Experience on the Camino de Santiago
Discover what life was like for medieval pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago, from dangerous roads and simple shelters to faith, hardship, and hospitality.
13 min read
Culture
The Role of Monasteries and Churches Along the Camino de Santiago
Explore the role of monasteries and churches along the Camino de Santiago and how they supported pilgrims through shelter, prayer, hospitality, and history.
12 min read
Culture
Why Do Pilgrims Carry a Scallop Shell on the Camino de Santiago?
Discover the meaning of the Camino scallop shell, why pilgrims carry it, and how it became one of the most powerful symbols of the Camino de Santiago.
10 min read
Culture
The Meaning of the Yellow Arrows on the Camino de Santiago
Discover the meaning of the yellow arrows on the Camino de Santiago, where they came from, and why they have become one of the most beloved symbols of The Way.
9 min read
Culture
The History of the Camino del Norte
Discover the history of the Camino del Norte, the Northern Way to Santiago de Compostela, from early coastal pilgrimage routes to its modern revival.
12 min read
Culture
The History of the Camino Primitivo
Discover the history of the Camino Primitivo, the Original Way to Santiago de Compostela, from King Alfonso II's early pilgrimage to its modern revival.
12 min read
Culture
The History of the Camino Inglés
Discover the history of the Camino Inglés, the English Way to Santiago de Compostela, used by medieval pilgrims arriving by sea from England, Ireland, and northern Europe.
12 min read
Culture
Why Did Pilgrims Walk to Finisterre?
Discover why pilgrims walked from Santiago to Finisterre, the "end of the world," and how this Atlantic extension became one of the most meaningful parts of the Camino.
11 min read
Culture
How the Camino de Santiago Declined and Was Revived
Discover how the Camino de Santiago declined after the Middle Ages and how it was revived into one of the world's most famous pilgrimage routes today.
13 min read
Culture
The Camino de Santiago in Modern Times
Explore the Camino de Santiago in modern times and how an ancient pilgrimage became a global journey of faith, adventure, healing, culture, and self-discovery.
13 min read
Culture
Why the Camino de Santiago Still Matters Today
Discover why the Camino de Santiago still matters today and why this ancient pilgrimage continues to attract modern walkers seeking meaning, healing, adventure, and connection.
13 min read