Guides · Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago guides: where to find good information

Planning your journey is easier when you know where to turn. Here are the guides and websites that will be most helpful in choosing stages, finding accommodation and answering your questions, organised according to your needs. This isn’t a ranking: each one serves a different purpose.

Information last updated in November 2026. We review this page every 6 months.

Planning stages and accommodation

To decide how far to walk each day and where to stay the night.

GronzeAn independent website, online since 2006. Guides to the main walking routes, including stage-by-stage descriptions, maps, elevation profiles and accommodation listings, as well as a forum and its own app, Gronze Maps.Spanish Eroski ConsumerA guide from the EROSKI Foundation featuring 11 routes: stages, landmarks, hostels and maps showing distance, altitude and difficulty. It includes a route planner based on the number of days you have available and a cost calculator.Spanish, English, Basque, Catalan, Galician Albergues Camino SantiagoGuides to the main routes and their alternatives, including descriptions of the stages, the hostels on each route, the towns and villages, and useful tips.Spanish MundicaminoInformation on around 50 routes, the pilgrim’s passport and practical details, as well as a blog and an online shop. It also organises bespoke trips, including accommodation and backpack transport.Spanish Wise PilgrimPrinted guidebooks, an app with offline maps since 2012, and a route planner that calculates distances and dates and exports your plan to PDF.English

Ask other pilgrims

For any queries not covered in any guide, there’s no one better to ask than someone who’s already walked the Camino. Gronze and Eroski also have forums in Spanish.

Camino ForumA large international forum for pilgrims. It’s a place to ask people with experience of the Camino about routes, accommodation, what to pack or transport.English

The Compostela and the pilgrim’s passport

For this, it’s best to go straight to the official source.

Oficina del PeregrinoThe office at Santiago Cathedral which issues the Compostela. It provides information on the Compostela, the pilgrim’s credential and the distance certificate, and publishes statistics on pilgrims.Spanish, English

Friends of the Camino Associations

The associations provide guidance to pilgrims and keep the Camino alive.

Federación Española de Asociaciones de Amigos del CaminoIt brings together Spanish associations. It features a directory of associations, a hostel finder, rules for using hostels and the magazine *Peregrino*.Spanish

Printed guides

They don’t need batteries and you can carry them in your rucksack. Always choose the latest edition: accommodation and services change every year.

Anaya Touring · Antón PomboAntón Pombo’s Guide to the French Way, in two volumes: to León and from León to Santiago, with an extension to Fisterra and Muxía.Spanish Camino Guides · John BrierleyJohn Brierley’s guidebooks: the classic choice for English-speaking pilgrims on the Camino.English Village to VillageA guide to the French Way and Finisterre written by pilgrims, formerly titled *Hiking the Camino de Santiago*. They also have a book containing only maps.English CiceroneGuide to the French Way, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela.English Miam Miam DodoFrench guide to the French Way, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago, published by Les Éditions du Vieux Crayon. Widely used amongst French-speaking pilgrims.French Rother · Cordula RabeSpanischer Jakobsweg, by Cordula Rabe: a guide in German to the Camino Francés, from the Pyrenees to Santiago.German Terre di MezzoGuida al Cammino di Santiago de Compostela, by Alfonso Curatolo and Miriam Giovanzana: from the Pyrenees to Santiago and Finisterre.Italian

Also on our website

Practical information we have put together for pilgrims.

Apps for the Camino The Estella–Los Arcos stage Useful information about the stage Weather

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best guide to the Camino de Santiago?

There isn’t just one: it depends on what you’re looking for. When it comes to choosing stages and accommodation, the websites on this page cover almost everything. If you’d rather not rely on your mobile, there’s a printed guide in your language. And for specific queries, there’s a pilgrims’ forum.

Do I need a printed guidebook to walk the Camino?

It isn’t essential: the French Way is well signposted and there’s plenty of information online and on apps. But many pilgrims find it useful, as it doesn’t rely on battery power or mobile coverage.

Is there an official website for the Camino de Santiago?

The Camino does not have a single official website. For the Compostela and the pilgrim’s passport, the point of contact is the Pilgrims’ Office at Santiago Cathedral. For associations, it is the Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino.

Are the prices in the guidebooks up to date?

Not always. Accommodation providers change their prices, opening hours and peak seasons, and guidebooks struggle to keep up – particularly printed ones. Always check the key details with the hostel itself.

Where can I find out about the requirements for the Compostela?

On the website of the Pilgrim’s Office, which issues it. There you’ll also find out how to obtain the pilgrim’s credential, both in and outside Spain.

The French Way

Will you be passing through Sansol on your journey?

We’re located at Navarra, between Los Arcos and Logroño. Bed, home-cooked dinner and a garden where you can relax.

Check availability and book