© José Manuel Guerrero · Fotografía propia · © Todos los derechos reservadosThe oldest of them all, starting in Oviedo: mountainous, solitary and strikingly beautiful, until it joins the French Way in Melide.
✦ Historic↑ Ascent
+8000 m
↓ Descent
−7976 m
The Camino Primitivo is the original historic route, the one King Alfonso II followed from Oviedo back in the 9th century. Mountainous and demanding —with the legendary Ruta de los Hospitales— it rewards you with sweeping landscapes and true solitude.
It passes through Lugo and its Roman walls before joining the Camino Francés in Melide for the final stretch into Santiago.
Who it's for
For experienced pilgrims seeking mountains and solitude.
The itinerary
Classic division into stages. Distances are approximate and for guidance; each pilgrim adjusts their days to their own pace.
Cumulative: 30 km
↑564 ↓735 m⏱ 8 h 5 min
Asturias
Setting out from the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo, the historic birthplace of the Camino.
View stage →Cumulative: 50 km
↑577 ↓423 m⏱ 5 h 43 min
Asturias
Cumulative: 70 km
↑694 ↓263 m⏱ 5 h 55 min
Asturias
Cumulative: 92 km
↑689 ↓600 m⏱ 6 h 23 min
Asturias
Cumulative: 125 km
↑1458 ↓1308 m⏱ 10 h 17 min
Asturias
The Ruta de los Hospitales: high mountain terrain with no services or settlements, the crown-jewel stage (with an alternative via Pola de Allande in bad weather).
View stage →Cumulative: 146 km
↑636 ↓967 m⏱ 6 h 4 min
Asturias
Cumulative: 172 km
↑852 ↓457 m⏱ 7 h 37 min
Asturias · Galicia
Cumulative: 196 km
↑583 ↓822 m⏱ 6 h 41 min
Galicia (Lugo)
Cumulative: 229 km
↑403 ↓658 m⏱ 8 h 32 min
Galicia (Lugo)
Cumulative: 255 km
↑415 ↓344 m⏱ 6 h 53 min
Galicia (Lugo)
Leaving town over the Roman bridge across the Miño, out into the Lugo countryside.
View stage →Cumulative: 275 km
↑319 ↓402 m⏱ 5 h 18 min
Galicia (A Coruña)
Cumulative: 290 km
↑272 ↓328 m⏱ 4 h 1 min
Galicia (A Coruña)
Cumulative: 311 km
↑239 ↓344 m⏱ 5 h 24 min
Galicia (A Coruña)
Cumulative: 329 km
↑299 ↓325 m⏱ 4 h 47 min
Galicia (A Coruña)
Monte do Gozo and the arrival at the Praza do Obradoiro.
View stage →Plan your daily stages
Choose which stage you start from, how many days you have and at what pace; we split the stages into days balanced by effort (distance and elevation). You can save, share or print your plan.
14 days · ≈ 329 km in total
This split is not realistic on foot: at least one day goes over 42 effort units (kilometres plus climb). Add days or start closer to Santiago (from Sarria, for instance, if you have less than a week).
An indicative split by effort (distance + elevation). It does not guarantee accommodation at each stop: check each stage and its hostels before finalising your plan.
✦ Add stamps to your digital credential
Save this route to your account, mark each stage you complete and earn your virtual Compostela when you reach Santiago. Free.
The stamps and the digital credential are a keepsake from Santiago Plan, with no official validity: they are not the pilgrim credential and do not replace the physical stamps collected at hostels and churches to obtain the Compostela at the Cathedral.
🛡 Travel insurance for the Camino
Insurance with medical assistance, baggage cover and cancellation protects you against the unexpected: an injury, a mishap or a stage you can't walk. IATI specialises in travel and offers cover valid for the Camino de Santiago.
See IATI insurance ↗Affiliate link: taking it out through it costs you no more and helps keep this guide independent.
The route
Approximate track of the route with the towns it passes through.
Layers
Use two fingers to move the map; Ctrl + scroll to zoom.
Download and offline navigation
Download the GPX track and open it in your hiking app (OsmAnd, Wikiloc, Locus…) to navigate without coverage.
Where to sleep
A selection of pilgrim hostels (albergues) along the Camino, ordered from the start towards Santiago. The municipal and parish ones are usually the cheapest and many cannot be booked (you arrive and check in in order). Confirm beds, price and opening times before relying on them.
Borres → Berducedo (Ruta de los Hospitales)
Hotels and guesthouses ↗Hostel data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). It does not include beds or price, which are not always in the source; check with the hostel. Is one missing or wrong? Write to us.
Accommodation
On the Camino, pilgrim hostels (municipal, parish and private) are the cheapest option, and many cannot be booked: you arrive and check in in order of arrival. The links below search for hotels and guesthouses, for those who prefer to secure a bed in advance.
Affiliate links to Booking.com: booking through them costs you no more and helps keep this independent guide running.
When you reach Santiago
When you finish your Camino, make the most of Santiago: a guided tour of the cathedral and the botafumeiro, a trip to Finisterre and Muxía (the end of the world), or the corners of the old town.
Affiliate link to GetYourGuide: booking through it costs you no more and helps keep this guide running.
🧭 How to get there
Find out how to travel from your city to Oviedo by train, bus, car or plane.
Camino taxis and transfers
Companies specialising in pilgrims that cover this route: transfers between stages, luggage transport and airport.
Primitivo completo: Oviedo → Lugo → Santiago
Tramo de Allande: Tineo → Pola de Allande → Berducedo
Concejo de Tineo (Asturias)
Tramo gallego final: Melide, Lugo, Arzúa, Palas
Xacobeo 2027
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