Camino del Norte: The Complete Route Guide

Quick facts

Start: Irún, Basque Country, Spain (on the French border, by Hendaye)
Finish: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Distance: ~825 km
Typical time: 34-38 walking days
Busiest months: June to September, driven as much by coastal summer tourism as by pilgrims. Quietest: November to March (frequent rain, some albergues closed)
Compostela requirement: walk at least the last 100 km and collect two stamps per day in that final stretch. Ribadeo is roughly 185 km out; the route's last-100 km start is Vilalba area on the inland turn (see variants note)

The route: map, elevation, and stages

824.1 km on the track 34 stages +10567 m total climb −10291 m total descent

Walking now? See how far you are, and what is next. Download the GPX track

Route track: Nederlands Genootschap van Sint Jacob (santiago.nl), republished with credit. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Dashed line: shared finish on another route.

Elevation sampled from terrain data (Terrarium DEM, built on SRTM) along the track. Hover the profile to trace the route on the map. Click a stage to zoom to it.

Stages

Stage	Walk	Km	Climb	Descent
1	Irún → San Sebastián	25.0	+700 m	−693 m
2	San Sebastián → Zarautz	22.0	+408 m	−413 m
3	Zarautz → Deba	22.0	+654 m	−430 m
4	Deba → Markina-Xemein	24.0	+509 m	−574 m
5	Markina → Gernika	25.0	+612 m	−606 m
6	Gernika → Lezama	20.0	+388 m	−273 m
7	Lezama → Bilbao	11.0	+18 m	−316 m
8	Bilbao → Portugalete	20.0	+151 m	−124 m
9	Portugalete → Castro Urdiales	27.0	+280 m	−296 m
10	Castro Urdiales → Laredo	25.0	+355 m	−364 m
11	Laredo → Güemes	29.0	+235 m	−214 m
12	Güemes → Santander	12.0	+14 m	−38 m
13	Santander → Santillana del Mar	37.0	+267 m	−190 m
14	Santillana → Comillas	22.0	+207 m	−241 m
15	Comillas → San Vicente de la Barquera	12.0	+136 m	−156 m
16	San Vicente → Llanes	37.0	+422 m	−319 m
17	Llanes → Ribadesella	31.0	+177 m	−261 m
18	Ribadesella → La Isla / Sebrayo	30.0	+357 m	−248 m
19	Sebrayo → Gijón	35.0	+621 m	−760 m
20	Gijón → Avilés	25.0	+191 m	−192 m
21	Avilés → Muros de Nalón	23.0	+358 m	−296 m
22	Muros → Soto de Luiña	16.0	+358 m	−342 m
23	Soto de Luiña → Cadavedo	18.0	+219 m	−210 m
24	Cadavedo → Luarca	16.0	+136 m	−192 m
25	Luarca → La Caridad	30.0	+371 m	−310 m
26	La Caridad → Ribadeo	22.0	+57 m	−133 m
27	Ribadeo → Lourenzá	28.0	+454 m	−175 m
28	Lourenzá → Abadín	25.0	+541 m	−504 m
29	Abadín → Vilalba	21.0	+308 m	−184 m
30	Vilalba → Baamonde	21.0	+129 m	−164 m
31	Baamonde → Sobrado dos Monxes	41.0	+446 m	−225 m
32	Sobrado → Arzúa	25.0	+93 m	−362 m
33	Arzúa → O Pedrouzo	19.0	+178 m	−264 m
34	O Pedrouzo → Santiago de Compostela	20.0	+214 m	−224 m

Why the Norte

The Norte is the coastal Camino: five weeks walking Spain's green north coast through the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and into Galicia, with the Bay of Biscay rarely out of sight in the first half. It has the best food of any Camino (San Sebastián alone makes the case), serious scenery, harder walking than the Francés, and far fewer pilgrims. It is also the route where the sea and the mountains share the same day: steep little climbs from fishing towns up to headlands and back down again, over and over.

The shape of the route

Basque Country (Irún to Bilbao, days 1-7): the toughest opening week of any main route. San Sebastián, Zarautz, Getaria, Deba, Markina, Gernika, then Bilbao. Paved stretches alternate with muddy farm tracks; the climbs are short and constant.
Cantabria (Bilbao to Santander and on, days 8-14): Portugalete out of Bilbao, then Castro Urdiales, Laredo, the boat across the bay at Santoña area stages, Santander, Santillana del Mar. More road walking in this section than pilgrims expect.
Asturias (days 15-25): Ribadesella, Llanes, San Vicente inland? no: the coast continues through Colunga, Villaviciosa (where the Primitivo splits south to Oviedo), Gijón, Avilés, then quieter fishing towns like Cudillero and Luarca. Many pilgrims rate this the most beautiful third.
Galicia (days 26-end): cross into Galicia at Ribadeo, then the route turns inland: Lourenzá, Mondoñedo, Abadín, Vilalba, Baamonde, Sobrado dos Monxes (stay at the great monastery albergue if you can), then it joins the Francés at Arzúa for the final shared stretch into Santiago.

Standard stages (compressed set)

Day	Stage	Distance
1	Irún to San Sebastián	25 km
2	San Sebastián to Zarautz	22 km
3	Zarautz to Deba	22 km
4	Deba to Markina-Xemein	24 km
5	Markina to Gernika	25 km
6	Gernika to Lezama	20 km
7	Lezama to Bilbao	11 km
8	Bilbao to Portugalete	20 km
9	Portugalete to Castro Urdiales	27 km
10	Castro Urdiales to Laredo	25 km
11	Laredo to Güemes	29 km
12	Güemes to Santander	12 km
13	Santander to Santillana del Mar	37 km (often split at Boo de Piélagos / Mogro, or train-skip the suburbs)
14	Santillana to Comillas	22 km
15	Comillas to San Vicente de la Barquera	12 km
16	San Vicente to Llanes	37 km (often split)
17	Llanes to Ribadesella	31 km
18	Ribadesella to La Isla / Sebrayo	30 km
19	Sebrayo to Gijón (via Villaviciosa)	35 km (often split at Villaviciosa)
20	Gijón to Avilés	25 km
21	Avilés to Muros de Nalón	23 km
22	Muros to Soto de Luiña	16 km
23	Soto de Luiña to Cadavedo	18 km
24	Cadavedo to Luarca	16 km
25	Luarca to La Caridad	30 km
26	La Caridad to Ribadeo	22 km
27	Ribadeo to Lourenzá	28 km
28	Lourenzá to Abadín	25 km
29	Abadín to Vilalba	21 km
30	Vilalba to Baamonde	21 km
31	Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes	41 km (almost always split at Miraz, ~20 km)
32	Sobrado to Arzúa	25 km
33	Arzúa to O Pedrouzo	19 km
34	O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela	20 km

Most pilgrims take 35-40 days with the splits and a rest day in Bilbao, Santander, or Gijón.

Key decision points

Villaviciosa (day ~19): the Primitivo splits south here to Oviedo. Norte pilgrims stay on the coast to Gijón. Choose before you arrive; both are strong walks and this is the natural start of a combined Norte + Primitivo trip.
The Santander suburbs (day 13): the official stage is long and partly industrial. Many pilgrims split it or take the short train hop out of the city. No judgment either way; decide with fresh legs in mind.
Sobrado split (day 31): the 41 km stage is real only on paper for most people. Miraz is the standard split and has a well-loved albergue run by a British confraternity.

When to walk

May-June: green coast, long days, rain still common. A strong window.
July-August: warmest sea and busiest beaches; coastal towns fill with Spanish holidaymakers and private rooms get expensive. Pilgrim albergues hold up better than hotels.
September: the sweet spot for many Norte walkers. Sea still warm, crowds gone, light still good.
October: workable and quiet, with the year's rain arriving. Shorter days.
November-April: a wet winter coast walk. Expect closed albergues, storms off the Bay of Biscay, and mud. For experienced winter walkers only.

Practical notes

Difficulty: significantly hillier than the Francés. Daily ascent is rarely huge but it is constant, and Basque mud is a real factor in wet weeks. Trail shoes with grip beat stiff boots for most people here.
Credencial: available in Irún and at cathedrals and albergues along the way. One stamp per day until the final 100 km, then two per day.
Beds: thinner network than the Francés and it competes with beach tourism in summer. Municipal/association albergues roughly 8-15 EUR, private 15-30 EUR, with coastal spikes in August. In July-August and Holy Year 2027, book the Basque and Cantabrian stages a night or two ahead.
Food: this is the eating Camino. Budget for pintxos in San Sebastián and Bilbao, cider houses in Asturias, and seafood in the fishing towns. Menú del día remains the pilgrim's best friend at midday.
Rain plan: the north coast is Spain's wettest region ('Green Spain'). Pack real rain gear in every season and protect everything inside the pack.
Variants: coastal alternatives exist on many stages (the official route sometimes cuts inland). Local waymarking and apps like Gronze maps show both; the coastal options are usually worth it in good weather.

Holy Year 2027 note

2027 is a Holy Year (Xacobeo). The Norte will feel it less than the Francés, but the shared final stretch from Arzúa and the Galician stages will be busy, and the July 25 feast week plus August beach season is a double squeeze on beds. Book Arzúa onward ahead, and consider a September start to dodge both peaks at once.