Each Camino is different. They offer different climates, cultures, food, terrain, history, etc. The Camino Frances, which is the best known of the published routes, runs for about 790km and has mountains, plains, forest, cities and towns, single track to asphalt. It also offers arguably the most flexible route as far as the frequency and distance between places to stay and eat. It is a beautiful route, but because it is the most widely known route, it’s not my preference. Not that I wouldn’t walk it again, but there is so much more to see, that I would prefer walking other routes over this one.

On the opposite, is the Camino Olvidado. It runs between Bilbao and Ponferrada (Camino Frances) for 489km and is some of the most remote paths that I have encountered to-date. Many towns do not have complete services and many albergues are sporadically closed. One must plan to walk this route and you would be luck to encounter another pilgrim. It is a solitary trail, but offers some of the most beautiful countryside of any of the caminos.

My favorite so far has been the Camino Primitivo between Oviedo and Melide (Camino Frances) and runs 261km. This route has a nice blend of mountains, forests, rivers, villages and towns, and people. It is better known than the Camino Olvidado, so it has more services, but it is arguably more strenuous than the Camino Frances. It’s a good balance.

Year	Camino	From	To	Distance	Terrain	People (Other pilgrims)
2015	Frances	Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port	Santiago	790km	Mountain, plains, forest	100’s per day
2016	Norte	San Sebastian	Santander	245km	Costal, Mountains	15-30 per day
2016	Primitivo	Oviedo	Melide/Santiago	311km	Mountains, forest, farms	Typically no more than 20 per day
2017	Portugues (Costal)	Lisbon	Santiago	630km	Mountains, Oak Savana, costal, cities & towns	20-40 per day
2022	Olvidado	Bilbao	Ponferrada	475km	Mountains, forests, farms	<10 entire route (three when I did it)
2022	Invierno	Ponferrada	Santiago	260km	Mountains, forests, rivers, towns	10-15 per day
2024	My Custom Route (Norte->Vadiense->Olvidado->Salvador->Primitivo->Frances)	Bayona->Comillas->Cistierna->La Robla->Oviedo->Melide->Santiago	Santiago	1006km	All of the above	All of the above