CAMINO KOALA
Camino del Norte · Itinerary

Santander to Santiago de Compostela

The halfway start. Ferry access from the UK. Full Asturian coast and Galician interior. Santillana del Mar on day one.

23 stages560 km21-25 days13,460 m ascentBest May - Jun, Sep
Build my Camino from SantanderSee all 23 stages
Back to the Camino del Norte and its other starting points
to Santiago de Compostela
560 km
walking days
23 stages
with the arrival night
24 days
total ascent
13,460 m
places to stay
1,164
OverviewStage by stageElevationOther startsPlan it
Overview23 stages · 560 km

Walking the Camino del Norte from Santander

From Santander it is 560 km to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino del Norte, walked here in 23 stages at an average of 24.5 km a day. Most pilgrims arrive the afternoon before, sleep in Santander and set off early on day one, so plan for 24 days plus any rest days you want.

Day one goes from Santander to Santillana del Mar, 38 km with 730 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 2 regions: 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 week4 weeks · 23 stages · 560 km

The walk from Santander 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.

23 stages, 560 kmEach block is one stage, sized by distance. Move along the strip.
Week 1 · days 1 to 7Santander to Villaviciosa7 stages · 183 km · up 4,330 m
1Santillana del Mar730 m680 mabout 8-11 hours38 km2Comillas510 m570 mabout 4-6 hours21 km3Colombres870 m800 mabout 6-9 hours29 km4Llanes380 m420 mabout 5-7 hours25.5 km5Ribadesella / Ribeseya720 m670 mabout 6-9 hours30 km6Colunga590 m500 mabout 4-7 hours21.5 km7Villaviciosa520 m430 mabout 4-6 hours18 km
Week 2 · days 8 to 14Villaviciosa to A Caridá7 stages · 158 km · up 4,170 m
8Gijón / Xixón810 m890 mabout 7-9 hours30 km9Avilés450 m500 mabout 5-7 hours26 km10Muros de Nalón660 m560 mabout 5-7 hours21 km11Soto de Luiña560 m580 mabout 3-5 hours15.5 km12Cadavéu (Cadavedo)680 m510 mabout 4-6 hours18 km13Luarca / Ḷḷuarca350 m450 mabout 3-5 hours16.5 km14A Caridá660 m590 mabout 6-9 hours30.5 km
Week 3 · days 15 to 21A Caridá to Arzúa7 stages · 180 km · up 4,140 m
15Ribadeo320 m340 mabout 4-7 hours24 km16Lourenza940 m950 mabout 6-9 hours27 km17Abadín1,060 m880 mabout 6-9 hours27.5 km18Vilalba320 m360 mabout 4-6 hours20.5 km19Baamonde340 m370 mabout 4-5 hours19 km20Sobrado dos Monxes810 m750 mabout 8-11 hours40 km21Arzúa350 m450 mabout 4-6 hours22 km
Week 4 · days 22 to 23Arzúa to Santiago de Compostela2 stages · 39 km · up 820 m
22O Pedrouzo450 m490 mabout 4-6 hours19 km23Santiago de Compostela370 m440 mabout 4-6 hours19.5 km
ElevationFrom Santander to Santiago de Compostela, with the route before your start in grey

560 km of ups and downs

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

Elevation profile13,460 m up and 13,180 m down from Santander, high point 720 m
Before SantanderIrunIgeldoBilbaoSantanderGijón / XixónVilalbaSantiago de Compostela
Biggest climbsPlan a short day before or after
17Lourenza to Abadín1,060 m16Ribadeo to Lourenza940 m3Comillas to Colombres870 m20Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes810 m8Villaviciosa to Gijón / Xixón810 m
Longest daysOr split them with a bed in between
20Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes40 km1Santander to Santillana del Mar38 km14Luarca / Ḷḷuarca to A Caridá30.5 km5Llanes to Ribadesella / Ribeseya30 km8Villaviciosa to Gijón / Xixón30 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 itineraryGijón / Xixón to Santiago de Compostela15 stages · 347 km · 13-17 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.
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Then the trail

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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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