CAMINO KOALA
Camino del Norte · Itinerary

Gijón / Xixón to Santiago de Compostela

Starts in Asturias' largest city. Option to detour to Oviedo and switch to the Primitivo. Western Asturian coast and Galicia.

15 stages347 km13-17 days8,320 m ascentBest Jun - Sep
Build my Camino from Gijón / XixónSee all 15 stages
Back to the Camino del Norte and its other starting points
to Santiago de Compostela
347 km
walking days
15 stages
with the arrival night
16 days
total ascent
8,320 m
places to stay
611
OverviewStage by stageElevationOther startsPlan it
Overview15 stages · 347 km

Walking the Camino del Norte from Gijón / Xixón

From Gijón / Xixón it is 347 km to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino del Norte, walked here in 15 stages at an average of 23 km a day. Most pilgrims arrive the afternoon before, sleep in Gijón / Xixón and set off early on day one, so plan for 16 days plus any rest days you want.

Day one goes from Gijón / Xixón to Avilés, 26 km with 450 m of climbing. The last day into Santiago de Compostela starts in O Pedrouzo, 19.5 km. The longest stage is Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes at 40 km, and the biggest climb is 1,060 m on the way to Abadín.

It covers more than the 100 km on foot the Pilgrim Office needs to issue your Compostela.

Week by week3 weeks · 15 stages · 347 km

The walk from Gijón / Xixón in weeks

Each block on the strip is one stage, sized by distance. The cards below group the stages into weeks, with the climb and the time each day takes. Flip a card for that week on the map.

15 stages, 347 kmEach block is one stage, sized by distance. Move along the strip.
Week 1 · days 1 to 7Gijón / Xixón to Ribadeo7 stages · 152 km · up 3,680 m
1Avilés450 m500 mabout 5-7 hours26 km2Muros de Nalón660 m560 mabout 5-7 hours21 km3Soto de Luiña560 m580 mabout 3-5 hours15.5 km4Cadavéu (Cadavedo)680 m510 mabout 4-6 hours18 km5Luarca / Ḷḷuarca350 m450 mabout 3-5 hours16.5 km6A Caridá660 m590 mabout 6-9 hours30.5 km7Ribadeo320 m340 mabout 4-7 hours24 km
Week 2 · days 8 to 14Ribadeo to O Pedrouzo7 stages · 175 km · up 4,270 m
8Lourenza940 m950 mabout 6-9 hours27 km9Abadín1,060 m880 mabout 6-9 hours27.5 km10Vilalba320 m360 mabout 4-6 hours20.5 km11Baamonde340 m370 mabout 4-5 hours19 km12Sobrado dos Monxes810 m750 mabout 8-11 hours40 km13Arzúa350 m450 mabout 4-6 hours22 km14O Pedrouzo450 m490 mabout 4-6 hours19 km
Week 3 · days 15 to 15O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela1 stage · 19.5 km · up 370 m
15Santiago de Compostela370 m440 mabout 4-6 hours19.5 km
ElevationFrom Gijón / Xixón to Santiago de Compostela, with the route before your start in grey

347 km of ups and downs

Move along the profile to read the height at any point.

Elevation profile8,320 m up and 8,220 m down from Gijón / Xixón, high point 720 m
Before Gijón / XixónIrunIgeldoBilbaoSantanderGijón / XixónVilalbaSantiago de Compostela
Biggest climbsPlan a short day before or after
9Lourenza to Abadín1,060 m8Ribadeo to Lourenza940 m12Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes810 m4Soto de Luiña to Cadavéu (Cadavedo)680 m2Avilés to Muros de Nalón660 m
Longest daysOr split them with a bed in between
12Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes40 km6Luarca / Ḷḷuarca to A Caridá30.5 km9Lourenza to Abadín27.5 km8Ribadeo to Lourenza27 km1Gijón / Xixón to Avilés26 km
Other starting points5 more ways to walk the Camino del Norte

Fewer days, or more?

Pick a start further along for a shorter walk, or earlier for the whole road.

Compare them all on the route page
Full RouteIrun to Santiago de Compostela35 stages · 835 km · 33-37 daysOpen itineraryMost PopularIgeldo to Santiago de Compostela34 stages · 810 km · 32-36 daysOpen itineraryVilalba to Santiago de Compostela5 stages · 120 km · 3-7 daysOpen itinerarySantander to Santiago de Compostela23 stages · 560 km · 21-25 daysOpen itineraryBilbao to Santiago de Compostela28 stages · 685 km · 26-30 daysOpen itinerary
Build my Camino

Turn this route into your plan, night by night.

Reading about the Camino del Norte is the easy part. Build my Camino gives you a day by day plan with a bed to book for each night, so the only thing left is to walk it.

  1. Pick a start and a dateAny of the 6 starting points, or any town on the route. Day 0 is the night you arrive.
  2. Shape your daysShorten a long stage, add a rest day or split a hard climb in two. The plan redraws as you go.
  3. Book a bed for each nightLive prices for the dates you chose, in one tap. Walk-in albergues and donativos are marked, so you know where you can simply turn up.
Build my CaminoChange where you start
Free, no account needed. Choosing is never booking. Some accommodation links are affiliate links; booking through them costs you nothing extra.
Then the trail

Plan on the web. Walk with Camino Koala in your pocket.

Your saved Camino opens in the app with every town, date and stay exactly as you left it, and keeps working when the signal does not.

Day by day itinerary, offlineLive trail map and your positionToday: distance and climb leftBook a bed from the pathReplan mid walk, rest days includedDaily Cast, one episode per stage
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Free to download. Your plan syncs the moment you sign in.

Some accommodation links are affiliate links. If you book through these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.