Dating back to the 9th century, Camino de Santiago is usually a month-long pilgrimage—which is too long for lots of folks. That’s why a self-guided, 7 to 8-day slice of the Camino is the preferred alternative for many—you get to walk at your own pace with reserved accommodation and transferred luggage ready for you at the end of every day. The trails snake their way through the Spanish bucolic setting, quaint fishing villages, historical landmarks, and pristine nature, always ending in the famed Santiago de Compostela. Follow the yellow scallops, uncover the secrets of the Camino, and find out why Spanish cuisine makes every best-of list in the world!
Enjoy walking the millennium-old Camino de Santiago at your own pace
Accommodation, luggage transfer, and route instructions are taken care of
Choose one of Camino’s most famous and picturesque portions—and get your pilgrim passport stamped
By going on a self-guided tour, you’re able to walk at your own pace and enjoy the journey without worrying about the logistics of it all. The guiding company who put this all together is Follow the Camino. They’ve been leading pilgrims along their journey since 2007 and they were the first ever operator to organize walking along Camino de Santiago.
There are many perks of choosing a self-guided tour. Apart from not having to adjust to the group, you’ll have the accommodation, breakfasts, luggage transfer, and route instructions sorted. You’ll be staying in carefully-selected 2-3* hotels and guesthouses and there’s no need to print out anything upon checking-in—your guides booked and arranged everything for you, all you have to do is show your I.D.
This is a hassle-free trip so if you want to focus on enjoying your pilgrimage in the Spanish bucolic countryside, these self-guided tours are the perfect match.
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
If you have any special dietary requirements, let us know in time so we can make arrangements. Please remember to mention it once again upon check-in, it’s always best to double check.
The most important thing about walking the Camino Santiago is that you enjoy the journey at your own pace. Whether you’re a very fast or a slow walker, we encourage you to enjoy the trail. Having said that, being in good walking shape is still required. The trails have plenty of opportunities to rest and recover!
You’ll be doing between 11 and 30 km a day (7 to 19 miles), carrying a daypack of things you might need on the trail. Depending on the self-guided tour you choose, you’ll be either walking for 7 or 8 consecutive days. Don’t worry about the baggage, though, as the support vehicle will carry everything for you!
Hiking consecutive full days can be quite strenuous. In preparation for your hike, your guides recommend doing some 5-10 mile (8-16 km) walks – including some uphills and downhills with a loaded backpack.
Here’s a list of clothing we recommend bringing:
Here’s a list of other equipment we suggest you bring:
Your guides will send you a pre-departure pack by post. The pack contains your pilgrim passport, luggage tag, route notes or guidebook if you’ve requested a hard copy. In case there are certain complications with receiving the pre-departure pack, it will wait for you at your first accommodation.
You’ll have to download the walking notes and vouches yourself. The walking notes are here to assist you. Although the Camino is pretty well-marked and you only need to follow the yellow arrows, there are sometimes variations on the routes or some of them are more difficult to follow than the others. We recommend that you always familiarize yourself with the daily journey ahead. You’ll also download the vouchers yourself. These vouchers contain all the information about your confirmed accommodation—there will be an address, their phone number, any special instructions on how to get there, and a small map.
You will find a 24/7 support phone number on the bottom of each voucher. Keep in mind that there’s no need to print out the vouchers, as your reservations will be confirmed.
Accommodation for the duration of your tour is based on a number of criteria, including location, comfort, services, price, and character. Though accommodation on the Camino is limited, your guides will always try to book something that is near the Camino as well as the historical center of the city. Expect hotels of a 3* standard in larger cities, while for the smaller villages and towns, your guide choose hotels or guesthouses of a 2* standard. Exceptions may be made.
In case your accommodation is located outside the town, you’ll need to check your vouchers for specific instructions on how to get to your accommodation. Most likely the accommodation will organize a taxi transfer or they will pick you up themselves. All the necessary information will be on the vouchers, which is why it’s important to check them every morning so you can plan ahead.
The luggage transfer is limited to 1 bag per person with a maximum weight of 15 kg per bag, it does not matter the size of the bag. Additional bags can be transferred for an extra €10 per bag per transfer. Please note that boots or smaller bags attached to the main bag count as an extra bag and will be charged accordingly.
If you’re moving onto different accommodation, we ask you to have the luggage ready by 8 am at the reception. Make sure to use your luggage tags—ideally, write your trip reference and your mobile phone number if you wish. Your luggage should be at the next hotel by 6 pm max. Note that if you’re not walking to your following destination (for example on days when you take public transport), you have to carry it yourself.
Group sizes and prices:
Min. age requirements:
Regardless of which pilgrimage you’re doing (coastal portion of Camino Portuguese or final 100 km of Camino Portuguese), it’s easiest to reach any of them by flying into Santiago–Rosalía de Castro Airport (SCQ). From there, your guides can either arrange airport transfers to the meeting point for an additional fee or you can reach them by yourselves.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Spain and Portugal, please refer to requirements for travel to Spain and travel advice for Portugal.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
Yes! Dogs are allowed on the trail, just consider your dog’s fitness and whether they’re willing to go with you on tour. Keep in mind that extra fees might occur in accommodations, especially depending on your dog’s size.
A non-refundable 30% deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 2 months (60 days) prior to departure.
Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
Client can transfer their booking to a person who satisfies all the requirements, having first given the Guide reasonable notice in writing to do so before the departure date (such notice must be given more than 21 days prior to the date of departure). Client who transfers the Booking shall be jointly and severally liable with the transferee to the Guide for the payment of any balance due in respect of the holiday and for a substitution fee of €30.00 per person substituted, subject to a maximum of €120.00 per booking (or such other greater sum as may be authorized).
