CAMINO KOALA
Camino Francés · Itinerary

Burgos to Santiago de Compostela

Starts at one of Spain's great Gothic cathedrals. The Meseta begins almost immediately, which is either meditative or monotonous depending on your mindset.

21 stages484 km19-23 days8,230 m ascentBest May - Jun, Sep - Oct
Build my Camino from BurgosSee all 21 stages
Back to the Camino Francés and its other starting points
to Santiago de Compostela
484 km
walking days
21 stages
with the arrival night
22 days
total ascent
8,230 m
places to stay
1,490
OverviewStage by stageElevationOther startsPlan it
Overview21 stages · 484 km

Walking the Camino Francés from Burgos

From Burgos it is 484 km to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino Francés, walked here in 21 stages at an average of 23 km a day. Most pilgrims arrive the afternoon before, sleep in Burgos and set off early on day one, so plan for 22 days plus any rest days you want.

Day one goes from Burgos to Hornillos del Camino, 20.5 km with 230 m of climbing. The last day into Santiago de Compostela starts in O Pedrouzo, 19.5 km. The longest stage is Sahagún to Mansilla de las Mulas at 36.5 km, and the biggest climb is 1,180 m on the way to O Cebreiro.

The walk passes through 3 regions: Castilla y León - Mountains (3 stages), Galicia (3 stages), and 100 km to Santiago (5 stages). It covers more than the 100 km on foot the Pilgrim Office needs to issue your Compostela.

Week by week3 weeks · 21 stages · 484 km

The walk from Burgos 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.

21 stages, 484 kmEach block is one stage, sized by distance. Move along the strip.
Week 1 · days 1 to 7Burgos to Mansilla de las Mulas7 stages · 160 km · up 1,210 m
1Hornillos del Camino230 m270 mabout 4-6 hours20.5 km2Castrojeriz350 m320 mabout 4-6 hours19.5 km3Frómista90 m80 mabout 4-6 hours25 km4Carrión de los Condes140 m80 mabout 3-5 hours19 km5Terradillos de los Templarios140 m90 mabout 4-7 hours26 km6Sahagún100 m170 mabout 2-4 hours13 km7Mansilla de las Mulas160 m180 mabout 6-9 hours36.5 km
Week 2 · days 8 to 14Mansilla de las Mulas to O Cebreiro7 stages · 171 km · up 3,340 m
8Leon200 m170 mabout 3-5 hours19 km9Villadangos del Páramo220 m160 mabout 4-5 hours20 km10Astorga250 m220 mabout 5-7 hours28.5 km11Rabanal del Camino380 m100 mabout 4-6 hours20 km12Ponferrada760 m1,180 mabout 7-10 hours32.5 km13Villafranca del Bierzo350 m350 mabout 4-6 hours22.5 km14O Cebreiro1,180 m850 mabout 7-9 hours28 km
Week 3 · days 15 to 21O Cebreiro to Santiago de Compostela7 stages · 154 km · up 3,680 m
15Triacastela590 m1,130 mabout 5-7 hours21 km16Sarrià470 m660 mabout 4-6 hours18 km17Portomarín580 m630 mabout 5-7 hours22.5 km18Palas de Rei610 m450 mabout 5-7 hours25 km19Arzúa610 m750 mabout 6-8 hours29 km20O Pedrouzo450 m490 mabout 4-6 hours19 km21Santiago de Compostela370 m440 mabout 4-6 hours19.5 km
ElevationFrom Burgos to Santiago de Compostela, with the route before your start in grey

484 km of ups and downs

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

Elevation profile8,230 m up and 8,790 m down from Burgos, high point 1,510 m
Before BurgosSaint Jean Pied de PortPamplonaLogroñoBurgosLeonSarriàSantiago de Compostela
Biggest climbsPlan a short day before or after
14Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro1,180 m12Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada760 m18Portomarín to Palas de Rei610 m19Palas de Rei to Arzúa610 m15O Cebreiro to Triacastela590 m
Longest daysOr split them with a bed in between
7Sahagún to Mansilla de las Mulas36.5 km12Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada32.5 km19Palas de Rei to Arzúa29 km10Villadangos del Páramo to Astorga28.5 km14Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro28 km
Other starting points5 more ways to walk the Camino Francés

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 RouteSaint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela33 stages · 769 km · 31-35 daysOpen itineraryMost PopularSarrià to Santiago de Compostela5 stages · 115 km · 3-7 daysOpen itineraryLeon to Santiago de Compostela13 stages · 306 km · 11-15 daysOpen itineraryLogroño to Santiago de Compostela26 stages · 607 km · 24-28 daysOpen itineraryPamplona to Santiago de Compostela30 stages · 703 km · 28-32 daysOpen itinerary
Build my Camino

Turn this route into your plan, night by night.

Reading about the Camino Francés 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.