Camino de Santiago from Santander

Santander - Envato

Why do the Way of Saint James from Santander?

Capital of Cantabria, Santander is a coastal city that faithfully represents the north of Spain. Its mild climate all year round, its spectacular beaches and its rich gastronomy make it a city visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Moreover, tourists who decide to stay for a few days in the Cantabrian city are not the only ones who visit it. Many of those who pass through it are pilgrims who walk the tough Camino del Norte, the famous Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela, which originates in the city of Irún.

But as we have mentioned, this is one of the hardest routes of the Camino de Santiago, and therefore many pilgrims decide to start their journey halfway. For this, a perfect place is Santander, as it also allows you to choose different routes to get to Santiago. 

Thus, if we choose the route of the Camino del Norte, we can enjoy the incredible views offered by the Cantabrian, Asturian and Galician coast. And if in Gijón we decide to take a detour to Oviedo, we can follow the Primitive Way to discover some of the most spectacular inland landscapes in Spain.

When to do the Way of St. James from Santander, what to take into account?

If we base ourselves on the departure from Santander and if your objective is not to reach Santiago, the reality is that any time of the year could be a good time to carry out this adventure. But be careful, if you are going to cover the more than 400 km that separate Santander from the Galician capital, there are some elements that you should take into account.

Firstly, you should bear in mind that summer temperatures will be higher, but not so high that this will be an impediment. Of course, it will be the time of year in which we will find more pilgrims, and some of the stages could be overcrowded.

As for the winter, we must take into account how apprehensive we are about the cold, as it is possible that in some places the temperatures will be very low. Even if we take the decision to detour through the Camino Primitivo, we may encounter snow, which is only recommended for those more experienced pilgrims. If you are one of them, do not hesitate, because this time will allow you to enjoy unique landscapes and you can even consider the option of doing the Camino de Santiago at Christmas. 

Taking into account the above mentioned, and if you think that neither summer nor winter is a good time for you, go for it in the remaining months. Temperatures will be more stable and you will find less impediments. However, bear in mind that you will be travelling through the north of Spain, so you will always need to be prepared to protect yourself from possible rain.

Stages of the Pilgrims Way to Santiago from Santander

As we have already mentioned, from Santander we will have several possible routes to choose from that will take us to Santiago de Compostela. If our decision is to continue along the Northern Way, we will have to follow the following stages.

• Stage 1: Santander - Santillana del Mar (37 km)
• Stage 2: Santillana del Mar - Comillas (22 km)
• Stage 3: Comillas - Colombres (29 km)
• Stage 4: Colombres - Llanes (23 km)
• Stage 5: Llanes - Ribadesella (31.5 km)
• Stage 6: Ribadesella - Sebrayo (31.5 km)
• Stage 7: Sebrayo - Gijón (36 km)
• Stage 8: Gijón - Avilés (25 km)
• Stage 9: Avilés - Muros de Nalón (22.5 km)
• Stage 10: Muros de Nalón - Soto de Luiña (16 km)
• Stage 11: Soto de Luiña - Cadavedo (23 km)
• Stage 12: Cadavedo - Luarca (16 km)
• Stage 13: Luarca - La Caridad (29.5 km)
• Stage 14: La Caridad - Ribadeo (22 km)
• Stage 15: Ribadeo - Lourenzá (30 km)
• Stage 16: Lourenzá - Gontán (23 km)
• Stage 17: Gontán - Vilalba (24 km)
• Stage 18: Vilalba - Baamonde (18 km)
• Stage 19: Baamonde - Sobrado dos Monxes (40.3 km)
• Stage 20: Sobrado dos Monxes - Arzúa (19 km)
• Stage 21: Arzúa - Monte do Gozo (34,1 km)
• Stage 22: Monte do Gozo - Santiago de Compostela (4,1 km)

On the other hand, if we want to turn inland to enjoy the Primitive Way, we will have to head towards Oviedo. This can be done a little before arriving in Gijón, but once we have our boots on, it is ideal not to miss the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful city. Thus, after arriving in Gijón, the stages would be as follows.

• Stage 8: Gijón - Oviedo (27.3 km)
• Stage 9: Oviedo - San Juan de Villapañada (30.5 km.)
• Stage 10: San Juan de Villapañada - Salas (20.2 km.)
• Stage 11: Salas - Tineo (20.2 km.)
• Stage 12: Tineo - Pola de Allande (28.2 km.)
• Stage 13: Pola de Allande - La Mesa (22,8 km.)
• Stage 14: La Mesa - Grandas de Salime (16,8 km.)
• Stage 15: Grandas de Salime - Fonsagrada (28.1 km.)
• Stage 16: A Fonsagrada (Padrón) - O Cádavo Baleira (23.4 km.)
• Stage 17: Cádavo Baleira - Lugo (30.5 km.)
• Stage 18: Lugo - San Romao da Retorta (19,7 km.)
• Stage 19: San Romao da Retorta - Melide (27,7 km)
• Stage 20: Melide - Arzúa (14,6 Km.)
• Stage 21: Arzúa - O Pedrouzo (19,5 km.)
• Stage 22: O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela (19,7 km.)

Each of the routes has its own charm, so it will be up to you to decide which route to take.

How to travel to Santander from the main cities?

Being a capital of an autonomous community, the city of Santander has very good connections, something that also motivates pilgrims to begin their journey to Santiago from here.

Santander has an airport that every year offers more flights, both between Spanish cities and abroad. In addition, there are also direct bus lines to the city and there is a train station, which although at the moment does not have AVE travel, it does have connections to dozens of cities.

• Distance from Barcelona: 701.7 km
• Distance from Madrid: 458.7 km
• Distance from Bilbao: 98.9 km
• Distance from Seville: 827.9 km
• Distance from Santiago: 489 km
• Distance from Lisbon: 828,5 km
• Distance from Oporto: 646,9 km