How Many Days Does It Take to Walk the Camino de Santiago?

The full Camino Francés, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago, takes between 32 and 35 days walking at a pace of 22-24 km per day. If you only have a week, the classic option is to walk from Sarria, the last 5 stages (about 115 km), which takes 5-6 days and already qualifies you for the Compostela (the minimum required is 100 km on foot).

There is no single answer because each route has its own distance and profile, and every pilgrim walks at their own pace. Here are the real numbers for each Camino and how to choose based on the days you have.

Days per route: the comparison table

These are indicative times based on the official number of stages of each Camino. You can adjust the pace by combining or splitting stages.

RouteDistanceStagesApprox. days Camino Francés full route764 km3332-35 days Camino Francés from Sarria~115 km55-6 days Camino del Norte818 km3635-38 days Vía de la Plata973 km3635-40 days Camino Mozárabe419 km1817-19 days Camino Sanabrés364 km1313-15 days Camino Primitivo304 km1413-15 days Camino de Invierno264 km1010-11 days Camino Portugués (Lisbon)609 km2524-27 days Camino Portugués from Porto~240 km109-11 days Portugués Coastal Way267 km1211-13 days Camino Aragonés161 km66-7 days Camino Inglés116 km65-6 days Camino a Fisterra116 km43-4 days

Factors that change your actual pace

These numbers are indicative because the time you need depends on several very personal factors:

• Your fitness level and experience: a trained walker can easily cover 25-28 km a day; someone starting from scratch will do better with 15-18 km stages.
• The stage's terrain profile: a flat day across the Meseta is not the same as climbing the O Cebreiro pass or the steep sections of the Camino Primitivo. Checking the altitude profile before setting out avoids surprises.
• The time of year: in summer you can walk more hours but with more heat; in winter days are shorter and some mountain stages get trickier.
• Rest days: many pilgrims add 1-2 rest days (Burgos, León, Pamplona) to visit cities or let their bodies recover. Factor these into your calculation.
• Unexpected setbacks: blisters, tendinitis, or simply wanting to walk less on a given day. Adding a 10-15% margin to your theoretical calculation is the sensible move.

How much Camino you can do based on your available days

I have 5 days

The go-to option is Sarria → Santiago (the last 5 stages of the Camino Francés, ~115 km), the most popular route for earning the Compostela in a short time. You could also walk the full Camino Inglés from Ferrol (116 km, 6 stages, at a brisk pace) or the Camino a Fisterra if you've already reached Santiago and want to continue to the coast.

I have 7 days

With a week you can do Sarria-Santiago more comfortably (spreading the stages over 6-7 days instead of 5), or the final stretch of the Portugués Coastal Way from Porto, or the last legs of the Primitivo. The full Camino Inglés also fits comfortably with an extra rest day in Santiago.

I have 15 days

Two weeks are enough to complete entire mid-length routes: the Camino Primitivo (304 km, 14 stages), the Sanabrés (364 km, 13 stages), or the Portugués from Porto with plenty of margin (~240 km, 10 stages), leaving days to explore Santiago upon arrival.

I have 30 days or more

This is the time needed for the full Camino Francés (764 km, 33 stages) or the Camino del Norte (818 km, 36 stages). If you have even more time, the Vía de la Plata from Seville (973 km, 36 stages) is the longest challenge among the Spanish Caminos, with more demanding stages and less infrastructure between towns.

Plan your pace with real data

Before deciding how many days you need, check the elevation, distance, and available albergues for each stage. On the Peregrinia interactive map you can browse 1,900 geolocated albergues, real altitude profiles, and download the free GPX file for each stage to calculate your exact pace before you set off.