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Best Pilgrimage Hikes in Castile and León

93 routes in Castile and León qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 57.2 km and 1,259 m (4,131 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 931 km.

That is 17 percent of the 542 routes we map in Castile and León. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 57.2 km against 24.8 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,259 m (4,131 ft) on average versus 545 m (1,788 ft) across the wider area.

Historic pilgrim ways come with waymarking, infrastructure and a rhythm built up over centuries of use. The mix is broad: 26 are rated easy and 40 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Moderate

Camino Schmidt

Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama · Castile and León

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
196 m
Typical duration
2 hr 9 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Camino Francés - 04 Burgos a León

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
176 km
/ 109 mi
Elevation gain
3,872 m
Typical duration
47 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Camino de Las Merindades

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
135 km
/ 83.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,962 m
Typical duration
36 hr
  • Forest
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Camino Olvidado (Bilbao-Villasante)

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
65.2 km
/ 40.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,435 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Camino Sanabrés (East)

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
232 km
/ 144 mi
Elevation gain
5,108 m
Typical duration
62 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Camino de Santiago Complutense

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
128 km
/ 79.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,822 m
Typical duration
34 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Camino de Santiago del Sureste

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
931 km
/ 578 mi
Elevation gain
20,472 m
Typical duration
252 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Camiño de Inverno

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
214 km
/ 133 mi
Elevation gain
4,702 m
Typical duration
57 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Etapa 28: Fariza – Mámoles

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Camino del Besaya: variantes

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
29.1 km
/ 18.1 mi
Elevation gain
640 m
Typical duration
7 hr 26 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Camino Natural La Mirada Circular

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
322 km
/ 200 mi
Elevation gain
7,078 m
Typical duration
86 hr
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Moderate

Camino Natural del Eresma

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
13.5 km
/ 8.4 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
2 hr 57 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Camino Real

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
2 hr 16 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Camino de Alterla

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
3.4 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
74 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Camino de Llorada

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
8.6 km
/ 5.3 mi
Elevation gain
350 m
Typical duration
2 hr 19 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Camino de Noceda

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
11.2 km
/ 7.0 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
2 hr 42 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Camino de Piedralaves

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
12.6 km
/ 7.9 mi
Elevation gain
680 m
Typical duration
3 hr 39 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Camino de Vecilla

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
6.0 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
1 hr 26 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Camino de Villarías

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
9.2 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
203 m
Typical duration
2 hr 14 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Camino de la Dehesa de Mogarraz

Castile and León · Spain

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
98 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Camino SchmidtParque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama8.9 km196 m2 hr 9 minModerateOctober to May
Camino Francés - 03 Logroño a BurgosCastile and León119 km2,625 m31 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Francés - 04 Burgos a LeónCastile and León176 km3,872 m47 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Francés - 06 León a CacabelosCastile and León119 km2,622 m31 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Francés - 07 Cacabelos a Palas de ReiCastile and León125 km2,753 m33 hrExpertOctober to May
Etapa 37: Aldeadávila de la Ribera – MiezaCastile and León13.7 km482 m3 hr 34 minModerateOctober to May
Camino de Las MerindadesCastile and León135 km2,962 m36 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Natural de la Cañada Real Soriana OccidentalCastile and León149 km3,280 m40 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Olvidado (Bilbao-Villasante)Castile and León65.2 km1,435 m17 hrExpertOctober to May
Camino Olvidado (Cirujales-Cacabelos)Castile and León95.4 km2,099 m25 hrExpertOctober to May

If you only have time for one, start with Camino Schmidt, Camino Francés - 04 Burgos a León, Camino Francés - 07 Cacabelos a Palas de Rei. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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