The landscape is hilly so on most days, you will ascent and descent approximately 300m. The first few days along the beautiful coast are slightly more difficult than the days approaching Santiago de Compostela.
People Also Ask
The best approach, especially at the beginning, is to get out and start walking (or cycling if you plan to cycle the Camino). If you are walking the Camino, you're going to want to build up to being able to walk 20km a day comfortably.
There are some who travel the Camino without any physical preparation, and they get through it and reach the tomb of St James in Santiago de Compostela. You will have, however, a far more pleasant experience if you do some hill-walking or aerobic exercise in the months before going on the Camino!
People of all ages walk the Camino de Santiago! The average age of walkers is probably closer to 60 than it is to 20! If you are in good overall health and able to walk on uneven surfaces, you will most likely be able to walk the Camino, or at least certain sections.
The average age of Pilgrims walking El Camino de Santiago is between 30 and 60 with nearly 60% of Pilgrims finishing the Camino being in this age group. There are also 15% of Pilgrims being over 60 years old and this is a growing group with more and more seniors walking the Camino de Santiago.
The hardest day of the Camino is on the first day of the French Way, where you have to cross the great mountain range of the Pyrenees over the Napoleon Pass. You must hike 26km to get to the first stop, but you are awarded with a stay in the stunning monastery town of Roncesvalles and two days later Pamplona.
The Camino Francés often stands out as a top recommendation when talking about beginner-friendly routes. This route starts in St. Jean Pied de Port in France and spans 800 km, crossing over to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Total Trip CostsMost pilgrim budgets fall in the $30-60 (€25-50) per day range, meaning a 30-day walk would cost $900-1800 (€750-1500). If you don't already have hiking gear, new gear could easily cost $300-600 (€250-500) if you need to get new footwear, backpack and sleeping bag.
I lost about 8kgs, around 18 lbs, over a four week period. So yes, I did lose a lot of weight on the Camino. However, losing weight was never one of my reasons for walking the Camino. I did not set out on the Camino to lose weight, and I must admit that it never entered my mind at any time while I was there.
Very few people camp along the Camino, as there are more albergues than campsites. As such, there's no need to carry a heavy tent. Many albergues have kitchens where you can prepare your own food, as well as other amenities such as washing machines and dryers, meals, internet, etc.
Public bathrooms are not frequent on the Camino de Santiago. But, cafes, restaurants and bars are frequent, you may find one or two during the day, and these all have bathrooms that customers can use.