Camino de Santiago in Asturias

Peregrino | Envato

The Camino de Santiago has multiple itineraries throughout the length and breadth of the peninsula, but undoubtedly the North of Spain offers privileged views; being for many pilgrims the favorite routes. These routes and due to its popularity offer today a number of benefits and advantages in terms of shelters and better adapted roads. 

Among all the northern itineraries, Asturias has several of the most beautiful Jacobean routes of the Camino de Santiago. Without going any further, UNESCO has listed all the routes that pass through Asturias as World Heritage Sites. The Primitive Way and the Northern Way, also known as the Coastal Way, are the two routes that run through the Principality. Each with its own characteristics and personality. 

The Primitive Way in Asturias

The Primitive Way is the oldest Way of St. James, hence its name. Pilgrims who want to follow in the footsteps of Alfonso II at the beginning of the 9th century will discover routes of great beauty, but also very demanding paths that require previous physical preparation. 

Camino Primitivo | Wikicommons. Usuario: Simon Burchell

Starting from Oviedo, the Primitive Way offers several of the most attractive Jacobean routes for several reasons. The first and most outstanding is undoubtedly its history; a detail that has aroused the curiosity of more and more pilgrims to complete it. On the other hand, it is important to remember the hardness of its stages. An example is the "infamous" climb before Grandas de Salime, only suitable for the fittest pilgrims. 

Given the demanding nature of the Primitive Way and the increasing traffic of pilgrims, hostels are present throughout the length and breadth of the route. It will not be difficult to find a place to sleep on the Primitive Way, having also a good number of essential places of the Primitive Way that you should not miss. 

The Northern Way in Asturias

The Northern Way, also known as the Coastal Way, is the second busiest along with the French Way. Of its 815 kilometers, the passage of this itinerary through Asturias is one of the most imposing in the Jacobean routes, both from its entrance by the Tina Mayor estuary to its exit from the Principality by the river Eo. 

Camino del Norte | Wikicommons. Usuario: José Antonio Gil Martínez

A total of 284.1 kilometers through Asturias that leave us a wide repertoire of biomes in the community. From the most rural Asturias, through the seafaring or urban. There is absolutely nothing missing in this route and in which medieval bridges stretch along the routes, beaches on the sides of the road or a variety of buildings in the form of old pilgrims' hospitals or cities. 

If you are looking for the most beautiful scenery on your Camino de Santiago, the Camino de la Costa does not disappoint. While the French Way delights in these mountainous postcards, the Northern Way does the same with all the territory that runs along and parallel to the Cantabrian Sea. Nature everywhere, such as the beaches of Concha de Artedo or San Antolin, as well as the fishing villages and rural towns are the main protagonists of a trip in which it is difficult to put away the camera.