So you have decided that you want to walk the famous Camino de Santiago. Well done on taking the first step on your unforgettable journey. But what kind of Camino is for you? You can choose to travel independently or join a group with our Camino guided tours, led by experienced Camino guides.
Both experiences are amazing but can be very different. It really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. This guide will help you decide the best fit for you!
CAMINO GUIDED TOURS
If you go for a guided tour you will experience the Camino with a group of fellow enthusiastic pilgrims. When you touch down in Santiago you’ll be collected from the airport and brought to your hotel. Our Camino groups stay together in the same hotel, and often share dinner. There is a brilliant social vibe to the group tours and lots of our former pilgrims have remained friends with their group long after they’ve hung up their walking boots.
Check out this review from Margaret who walked with us as part of a group. That’s not to say you can’t stray from the group at your leisure, of course you can. Our expert Camino guide is there for any support you might need, and to keep you clued in about local history and culture along the way.
The guides are all passionate local walkers, so you’re guaranteed an authentic experience and some insider information! Our group tours are restricted to set dates, to ensure that we get enough walkers signed up. You can find the date that suits you best here: Camino guided tour dates.
SELF GUIDED CAMINO TOUR
Our self-guided Camino tours offer a similar experience in terms of luggage transfers, food options and accommodation. The crowning glory of the self-guided option is the pure flexibility and freedom it provides. You won’t be restricted to particular travel dates or specific routes like the group tour, you can plan your trip as you please using our tailor-made booking system to build your own perfect Camino.
The distances you walk and the towns you stay in along the way are entirely up to you. With a guided tour, the days are planned and carefully structured in advance but you are the master of your own universe with a self-guided tour (as long as you follow the trail!). Our travel specialists are always available to give you advice and help you plan the trip.
We will be provide you with detailed walking notes to ensure you don’t get lost or miss any points of interest. If you are travelling with friends or in a group we’d recommend a self-guided tour.
Still undecided? Check out our handy table below:
Check out this year’s departures here: Camino guided tours.
For more information on any of our Camino tours please contact our travel specialists
Comments
Dear Sharon, thank you very much for getting in touch. We have a selection of ‘Easy Walking’ itineraries where the average daily walk is 5-8 miles per day. If you are travelling from Lisbon or Porto, the route coming from Portugal will be more suitable, for instance you could take public transport to Vigo and then start your walk from there, see itinerary here: https://caminoways.com/ways/portuguese-coastal-way-caminho-da-costa/portuguese-coastal-easy-walking. Let us know what you think and if you’d require a more detailed itinerary and quote. Kindest regards.
Hello, my spouse and I would like to walk part of the camino in late March or early May. We will be in Valencia for the month of April. Due to health issues, an easier walk is ideal- 5-8 a day. We would like a short self-guided walk with luggag transfers hotels booked for us. Right now we are planning to fly to Lisbon, train or bus to the starting point and go from there. What do you recommend? Thank you!
Dear Jan, thank you very much for getting in touch. Are you looking to walk the full route or part of it? We’ll probably have a scheduled departure for guided tours for cyclists in 2020 but we have to finalise dates. We’ll be announcing them in the newsletter in the coming months. Our colleagues will email you with details for a private guide also, in case that could be of interest. I hope this helps. Kindest regards.
Hi! My daughter and I are thinking about biking the Camino in 2020. Both of us have some, but not a lot, of biking experience. I see that you recommend guided tours for beginning cyclists. However, I don’t see any guided tours for cyclists on your schedule for 2019. Do you do pre-scheduled guided tours for those wishing to cycle the Camino? If you do not do pre-scheduled tours is the only option then to hire our own guide for the ‘guided’ option? If so, how does that work and what is the cost?
Otherwise, I do have some cycling experience including changing tires and the like, primarily in the college days, not much since becoming an adult. That was some time ago and I could ressurect the skills, just wondering what you might recommend.
Please let me know.
Jan
Hi Min, there are many solo travellers on the Camino and many of our clients (both female and male) have completed the trail on their own so it’s definitely doable. Let us know if we can help.
Hi, I am considering doing this on my own. Just wondering how safe would it be for a solo female to walk this trail on her own? Any one done it thus far? Thank you.
Regards
min
Hi Sarah, thank you for getting in touch, we would recommend walking the first stretch of the famous Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Logroño: https://caminoways.com/ways/french-way-camino-frances/french-way-full-way; adding a split to shorten the first day and the last walking day into Logroño. Would you like us to send you a quote by email? Kind regards.
Hello
Would like a self guided tour walking on my own but with luggage transfer hotels and breakfast organized. Want to travel in mid September beginning in France for about 10 days. Intermediate type walker can handle 15 to 25 or so k daily.
What do you recommend please
Thank you
Hi Ghada, thank you for your enquiry. May is a great time to walk the Camino de Santiago. You will meet many other pilgrims and we have guided tours in May also. I am going to pass your enquiry to our travel team who will send you the full details of the best routes for May. If you are a beginner we would suggest walking the last section of the French Way. You can find the details here – https://caminoways.com/ways/french-way-camino-frances/french-way-section-8 Let us know if you have any questions once you receive the itineraries. Best wishes, Lisa from CaminoWays.
Hello , I am looking into 2 weeks around beginning of May 2017. I am a newbie , and not sure which route would be best for me. Also I am thinking to maybe start one week guided and the other week self-guided. Love to hear your recommendations . Thanks