CAMINO KOALA
Camino del Norte · ItineraryFull Route

Irun to Santiago de Compostela

Full route. The spectacular Cantabrian coast from the French border to Santiago. The most scenic Camino with the best food.

35 stages835 km33-37 days21,460 m ascentBest May - Jun, Sep
Build my Camino from IrunSee all 35 stages
Back to the Camino del Norte and its other starting points
to Santiago de Compostela
835 km
walking days
35 stages
with the arrival night
36 days
total ascent
21,460 m
places to stay
2,054
OverviewStage by stageElevationOther startsPlan it
Overview35 stages · 835 km

Walking the Camino del Norte from Irun

From Irun it is 835 km to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino del Norte, walked here in 35 stages at an average of 24 km a day. Most pilgrims arrive the afternoon before, sleep in Irun and set off early on day one, so plan for 36 days plus any rest days you want.

Day one goes from Irun to San Sebastián (Donostia), 25 km with 960 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.

The walk passes through 5 regions: Basque Country (7 stages), Cantabria (1 stage), Portugalete to Castro Urdiales (7 stages), Asturias (11 stages), and Galicia (9 stages). It covers more than the 100 km on foot the Pilgrim Office needs to issue your Compostela.

Week by week5 weeks · 35 stages · 835 km

The walk from Irun 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.

35 stages, 835 kmEach block is one stage, sized by distance. Move along the strip.
Week 1 · days 1 to 7Irun to Bilbao7 stages · 150 km · up 4,860 m
1San Sebastián (Donostia)960 m850 mabout 6-8 hours25 km2Zarautz450 m660 mabout 4-6 hours21.5 km3Deba820 m790 mabout 5-7 hours22 km4Markina-Xemein950 m800 mabout 6-8 hours23.5 km5Gernika Lumo750 m830 mabout 6-8 hours25.5 km6Lezama590 m600 mabout 4-6 hours20 km7Bilbao340 m340 mabout 2-4 hours12.5 km
Week 2 · days 8 to 14Bilbao to Comillas7 stages · 185 km · up 4,390 m
8Portugalete600 m500 mabout 4-6 hours18.5 km9Castro-Urdiales790 m770 mabout 6-8 hours25.5 km10Laredo880 m900 mabout 7-10 hours32.5 km11Güemes530 m420 mabout 6-8 hours29 km12Santander330 m380 mabout 4-6 hours20 km13Santillana del Mar730 m680 mabout 8-11 hours38 km14Comillas510 m570 mabout 4-6 hours21 km
Week 3 · days 15 to 21Comillas to Avilés7 stages · 180 km · up 4,340 m
15Colombres870 m800 mabout 6-9 hours29 km16Llanes380 m420 mabout 5-7 hours25.5 km17Ribadesella / Ribeseya720 m670 mabout 6-9 hours30 km18Colunga590 m500 mabout 4-7 hours21.5 km19Villaviciosa520 m430 mabout 4-6 hours18 km20Gijón / Xixón810 m890 mabout 7-9 hours30 km21Avilés450 m500 mabout 5-7 hours26 km
Week 4 · days 22 to 28Avilés to Lourenza7 stages · 153 km · up 4,180 m
22Muros de Nalón660 m560 mabout 5-7 hours21 km23Soto de Luiña560 m580 mabout 3-5 hours15.5 km24Cadavéu (Cadavedo)680 m510 mabout 4-6 hours18 km25Luarca / Ḷḷuarca350 m450 mabout 3-5 hours16.5 km26A Caridá660 m590 mabout 6-9 hours30.5 km27Ribadeo320 m340 mabout 4-7 hours24 km28Lourenza940 m950 mabout 6-9 hours27 km
Week 5 · days 29 to 35Lourenza to Santiago de Compostela7 stages · 168 km · up 3,700 m
29Abadín1,060 m880 mabout 6-9 hours27.5 km30Vilalba320 m360 mabout 4-6 hours20.5 km31Baamonde340 m370 mabout 4-5 hours19 km32Sobrado dos Monxes810 m750 mabout 8-11 hours40 km33Arzúa350 m450 mabout 4-6 hours22 km34O Pedrouzo450 m490 mabout 4-6 hours19 km35Santiago de Compostela370 m440 mabout 4-6 hours19.5 km
ElevationFrom Irun to Santiago de Compostela, with the route before your start in grey

835 km of ups and downs

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

Elevation profile21,460 m up and 21,010 m down from Irun, high point 720 m
Before IrunIrunIgeldoBilbaoSantanderGijón / XixónVilalbaSantiago de Compostela
Biggest climbsPlan a short day before or after
29Lourenza to Abadín1,060 m1Irun to San Sebastián (Donostia)960 m4Deba to Markina-Xemein950 m28Ribadeo to Lourenza940 m10Castro-Urdiales to Laredo880 m
Longest daysOr split them with a bed in between
32Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes40 km13Santander to Santillana del Mar38 km10Castro-Urdiales to Laredo32.5 km26Luarca / Ḷḷuarca to A Caridá30.5 km17Llanes to Ribadesella / Ribeseya30 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
Most PopularIgeldo to Santiago de Compostela34 stages · 810 km · 32-36 daysOpen itineraryVilalba to Santiago de Compostela5 stages · 120 km · 3-7 daysOpen itineraryGijón / Xixón to Santiago de Compostela15 stages · 347 km · 13-17 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
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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
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