The Camino de Santiago starts from the door of your house. This is not intended in some kind of metaphysical way (although some take it that way). Rather, before tourists embraced the Camino as the physical challenge it is today, pilgrims took the easiest possible route to Santiago. If you lived 50 km away, that was all you walked. If you did not live on one of the prescribed routes, you did not walk until the “beginning” of one of them. You did the best you could and joined the road when you could.
Of course, if you live in London or New York, walking from your front door would take a long time. But in fact, many people in Europe start from their homes, a few weeks in a row for several years. But that requires a lot of commitment.
So where should you start if you don’t live conveniently on or near the Camino? Well, it depends on how much time you have, and if you plan to get to Santiago (not everyone does!), And if you want to do “everything.” Assuming you are doing the French Way, the most common starting points are St Jean Pied de Port in France and Roncesvalles in Spain.
How to choose a starting point
Many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago make the mistake of thinking that there is an official starting point. But there isn’t.
There are several places that you can consider as the starting point of the Camino de Santiago:
- The door of your own house
- The 100 km point
- The beginning of each route of the Camino de Santiago.
- Where you want!
The threshold of your own house
The original pilgrims did not have the luxury of flying to Spain to collect the Camino de Santiago from the chosen point. Therefore, to be a true pilgrim, your starting point on the Camino de Santiago must be the door of your own home. It is not that difficult if you live in the south of France, more difficult if you are from New Zealand.
The 100 km point
If you want to get your certificate from the Camino office in Santiago, you must have walked at least 100 km. The most convenient point to start is Sarria in Galicia.
The beginning of each route of the Camino de Santiago
There are numerous routes to Santiago. For convenience, these have been named. By necessity, these routes need starting points. But they are no more ‘official’ starting points than the beginning and end of your home street, being the official starting point on your walk to work!
Where you want!
Assuming that walking from your home is too far and only walking 100 km is too little, you will have to choose another starting point for your pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
You have two ways of approaching the Camino de Santiago:
- Over the course of several years. Many pilgrims, say, one week a year, pick up where they left off each year.
- Like a unique trip. This means that you must arrive in Santiago at the end of your trek.
The first option is the easiest when it comes to choosing your starting point. You can start wherever you want, please! Sarria, León, Burgos, Pamplona, the Pyrenees or even Paris!
But if you have to get to Santiago this time, you will have to do more calculations. These include:
- How much time do you have to spend on the Camino.
- The pace you expect to walk. Most pilgrims, whatever their fitness level, manage to cover 20 to 25 km per day, provided they have invested in a good pair of walking shoes. (Less fit people walk longer each day.)
- Public transport. The easiest points to reach by public transport are Ponferrada, León, Burgos, Logroño or Pamplona.
The best starting cities
If you don’t plan to do such a long hike, you should start in one of the larger towns or cities along the way. These are:
- Pamplona
- Logroño
- Burgos
- Leon
- Ponferrada
- Sarria
If you are not doing the French Way, the other routes start in these places:
- Northern Way : Irun
- Aragones way : Port
- Via de la Plata : Seville
- English Way : A Coruña
- Portuguese Way : Porto
- Primitive Way : Oviedo
