The Camino de Santiago is one of the most well-known walking routes in the world — and for many travellers, it is the first journey that comes to mind when thinking about a long-distance pilgrimage on foot.
What is less widely known, however, is that there isn’t just one Camino. The famous French Way may be the most iconic and most travelled, but Santiago can be reached through a whole network of different routes, each offering its own landscapes, atmosphere, and level of challenge.
Some Caminos follow the Atlantic coast, others cross quiet rural regions or mountain terrain. Some are ideal for first-time walkers looking for a well-supported experience, while others are better suited to those seeking solitude, physical challenge, or lesser-known paths.
At SloWays, we offer a wide selection of Camino routes, designed to help different travellers find the itinerary that best fits their time, pace, and expectations.
Below is an overview of the main Caminos we organise — and what each one is best suited for.
If you want the Camino in its most iconic form
The Camino Francés is the best-known and most traditional route, crossing northern Spain from the Pyrenees to Galicia.
It offers an ever-changing sequence of landscapes: mountain passes, vineyards, open plains, medieval towns, and shaded forests that gradually lead you toward Santiago. Along the way, you’ll find some of the Camino’s most symbolic places — Romanesque churches, lively pilgrim villages, long stretches of trail where walking becomes pure rhythm.
This is the route for you if you want to feel the Camino’s strong communal spirit, meet travellers from all over the world, and enjoy a path with frequent services and excellent signage.
Because of its popularity, this Camino fills up quickly — especially in spring and early autumn — so booking early is essential.
Our routes include:
If you want calm countryside, villages, and gentle stages
Starting in northern Portugal and making its way toward Galicia, the Portuguese Camino is known for its relaxed pace and harmonious landscapes.
You walk through vineyards, forest paths, small rural towns, and historic cities, with stages that feel balanced and never extreme. It is often chosen by walkers who want a quieter alternative to the French Way, while still enjoying a rich Camino atmosphere.
It is a wonderful choice for those who love softer landscapes, slower rhythms, and the feeling of moving steadily toward Santiago with space to breathe.
Our routes include:
If you want the ocean beside you
The Northern Way follows Spain’s Atlantic coastline, offering some of the most spectacular scenery of all Camino routes.
Cliffs, beaches, green meadows, fishing villages, and wide open horizons accompany you day after day. The sea is a constant presence: sometimes calm, sometimes wild, always expansive.
This route is more physically demanding than the Francés, with frequent ups and downs, but the reward is extraordinary: a Camino that feels free, powerful, and deeply connected to nature.
Our routes include:
If you want mountains, wilderness, and silence
The Primitivo is the oldest Camino route in Spain — and also one of the most intense.
Crossing Asturias and inland Galicia, it moves through remote valleys, green mountain landscapes, dense forests, and quiet villages where the Camino feels essential and stripped back.
Services are fewer, stages can be harder, and the walking is more demanding — but for experienced hikers seeking authenticity and solitude, it is one of the most rewarding journeys of all.
Our route includes:
If you want a shorter Camino, still eligible for the Compostela
The Camino Inglés begins in Galicia, traditionally from the port town of Ferrol.
It is compact, green, and welcoming: gentle hills, woodland paths, rivers, and rural villages create a quiet and intimate Camino experience. It is ideal for those who have limited time but still want to walk a complete pilgrimage and arrive in Santiago on foot.
Our route includes:
If you want to walk far from the crowds
The Sanabrés Way is one of the Camino’s most peaceful and lesser-travelled routes.
It crosses inland Spain through open countryside, silent hills, forests, and wide rural spaces. Days feel slower here, and the experience is often more meditative — a Camino for those who value simplicity, solitude, and an authentic connection with place.
Our route includes:
If you want to experience rural France before reaching Spain
The Via Podiensis is one of the oldest and most fascinating routes leading toward Santiago. Starting in Le Puy-en-Velay, in the heart of France, it crosses wide plateaus, quiet countryside, and beautifully preserved medieval villages on its way south.
This Camino is often chosen by travellers looking for a calmer, less crowded pilgrimage experience, deeply rooted in the historic European tradition of walking to Santiago. The paths are well maintained, the landscapes feel open and spacious, and the welcome in small villages is warm and authentic.
It is an ideal choice if you want a Camino that begins gently, with strong cultural character and a slower rhythm, long before the Spanish routes begin.
Our itineraries include:
Le Puy-en-Velay → Aumont Aubrac
Aumont Aubrac → Conques
If you want to reach the Pyrenees on foot, along a historic pilgrimage route
For many pilgrims, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port marks the official starting point of the French Way. But arriving there on foot, through the landscapes of southwest France, adds an even deeper dimension to the journey.
This section of the Via Podiensis follows one of Europe’s great medieval pilgrimage roads, crossing gentle hills, rural valleys, and historic villages as you gradually approach the symbolic gateway of the Pyrenees.
It is a wonderful option for walkers who want to take more time, begin the Camino in a quieter setting, and experience the feeling of a long approach toward Santiago before stepping into Spain.
Our itinerary includes:
Aire-sur-l’Adour → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
If you want the Camino spirit closer to home
Not everyone knows that the Camino tradition exists beyond Spain.
In Tuscany, the Cammino di San Jacopo follows an ancient Jacobean pilgrimage route linked to the relics of Saint James preserved in Pistoia — one of the most important centres of St James devotion outside Iberia.
This journey is ideal as a first walking pilgrimage, or as a meaningful Camino-inspired experience without travelling abroad, crossing historic towns, gentle countryside, and cultural landscapes deeply rooted in Italy’s own slow rhythm.
Our route includes:
Many walkers dream of doing the Camino completely on their own — staying in simple pilgrim hostels, deciding day by day where to sleep.
That freedom can be wonderful, but it also comes with uncertainty, especially in high season: donativo hostels cannot be booked, accommodation fills quickly, and carrying a heavy backpack day after day can be challenging.
With SloWays, the Camino remains fully yours — but with the comfort of private accommodation, luggage transfers, and the reassurance that everything is organised in advance, allowing you to focus on the experience, not the logistics.
If you’d like to explore this difference in more depth, you can read our dedicated article here.
The Camino can be walked almost year-round, but the experience changes greatly with the seasons:
Coastal Caminos like the Norte shine in summer, while mountain routes like the Primitivo are best in late spring or early autumn.
Nominee Best Specialist Tour Operator 2025
Touroperating
S-Cape Countryside Travels srl
Borgo Allegri 16R
50122 Firenze FI
P. IVA 05227330486
