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
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
Hi Barbara
Happy New Year! First day back in the office today for the full team so sincere apologies for the delay. Our colleagues in Customer Care will be emailing you details for the guided tours in September with our Early Bird offer and we’ll email you the Camino ebooks as well, that’s no problem at all. Thank you so much for getting in touch. Maria
Good morning,
We are hoping to do the last 100 miles on the Camino in late September of 2018. I believe you have guided walks available on the 22nd and 29th of that month. Can you send me any information you have about this option? I tried to download the beginners guide plus other e-publications, but could not complete the “I am not a Robot” part for some reason. Would you send me those five publications too? Finally, am I correct in understanding that there is an early-bird 10% discount if we confirm right now (early January 2018?). Thanks for your help. I look forward to hearing from you. Barbara, Tucson, Arizona
Hi Carmen, thank you for your message. Great to hear that you are planning your Camino. Yes, it is possible to do a section of the way guided. We have a number of guided tours on the most popular routes that leave on specific dates. See the link here for 2017 guided tours: http://caminoways.com/our-services/camino-de-santiago-guided-tours I am going to send your details to our travel team so that they can give you all of the information you need and suggest the best itinerary based on the time that you have available. Kindest regards, Lisa.
Hello,
I would like help in planning my Camino. Tentatively looking to do Camino Frances. I’m a newbie, therefore, I’m tempted to do a guided package, to start.
Is there an option to do a section of the way guided, followed by other sections, self guided, once I’m acquainted and comfortable? I would have up to four to five weeks to complete.
Would love to speak with someone to design my package.
Thank you.
Carmen
Hi Bonnie, at the moment we offer the Arles Way Camino route from Montpellier, see full itinerary here: http://caminoways.com/ways/arles-way-chemin-arles/arles-way-full-walk
Do you have information on a self guided tour of the French way that starts at Arles in France at the church Eglise Saint Honorat at Les Alyscamps, the medieval graveyard?