Camino de Santiago 2027: How to Prepare for the Holy Year
The Holy Door of Santiago Cathedral stays open throughout 2027, and after that not again until 2032. If the Camino is on your list, this is the year to walk it. We take care of every detail so all you have to do is walk.
31.12.2026
25.07.2027
2032
The Holy Door opens
Feast of Saint James
Next Holy Year
A thousand-year-old walk
THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, is a network of pilgrimage routes that cross Portugal, Spain and much of Europe and all end in the same place: the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, where tradition holds that the Apostle James is buried.
People walk it today for many reasons. Faith, sport, grief, a milestone to mark, or simply the wish to spend a few days walking slowly and thinking about life. You cover 15 to 25 km (around 10 to 15 miles) a day, sleep in a different village each night and arrive in Santiago through the Praza do Obradoiro, where almost everyone cries.
It is not a mountain trek and you don't need hiking experience. Most of the route follows dirt tracks, stone paths and country lanes between villages, marked the whole way by yellow arrows. What changes from one route to another is the landscape, the distance and how many people you meet along the way.
You choose your Camino.
We take care of the rest.
There are two ways to walk the Camino with EnjoyIberia, and only one thing separates them: whether a guide walks with you the whole way. In both, your accommodation is booked in advance, the itinerary is built around your pace and our team checks in with you every day.
Self-Guided Camino
You walk without a guide, at your own pace: alone, as a couple, with family or with your own private group. We plan the whole trip in advance and follow every day of your walk remotely.
FORMAT 1
Who it's for: travelers who want to walk alone, as a couple or only with people they know, with no guide and no group schedule, free to shape each day.
Accommodation booked stage by stage, hand-picked by us
Detailed itinerary with maps, distances and where to stop along the way
WhatsApp group with our team, there for you at any hour of your Camino
Satellite tracking for the whole route, with a link you can share with your family
We handle anything unexpected that comes up on the Camino
You decide when to set off, where to stop and how long to stay
HOW DOES IT WORK
FORMAT 2
Guided Camino
Someone from our team walks with you on every stage, from the first day to the Praza do Obradoiro. There is always someone at your side who has walked that stretch many times.
Who it's for: travelers who enjoy stories, meeting other people and understanding the history of the Camino and the places it passes through. Also for first-time pilgrims who would like company.
An EnjoyIberia guide walking with the group on every stage
Everything in the Self-Guided Camino, plus in-person support
The history of the Camino and its landmarks told stage by stage
Women-only groups, for women who want to walk with other women
Mixed groups, with fixed departure dates throughout 2027
Private groups from 4 people, for a family, a group of friends, a parish or a company
INCLUDED IN BOTH FORMATS:
All accommodation booked and checked by us
Stages planned around your dates and walking pace
Day-by-day itinerary with maps, distances and stops
Pilgrim passport (credencial)
WhatsApp group with our team for the whole trip
Satellite tracking, with a link to share with your family
Support on arrival in Santiago
Optional service: luggage transfer between stages is booked separately. Your bag is collected from your accommodation in the morning and delivered to the next one, so you walk with just a daypack. Most of our travelers add it, and it makes a real difference on the longer stages.
Every route ends at the same cathedral, but they differ a great deal in landscape, effort and how crowded they are. What usually decides it is how many days you have and how fit you are. These are the routes we walk.
Portuguese Way
FROM VALENÇA
You cross the bridge over the Minho River and walk into Galicia with Portugal still in sight. Small villages, stone paths, the first glimpse of the sea at Redondela and the approach through Padrón. It's the Camino we walk most often.
Distance ~120km
Stages 6 walking days
Difficulty Easy to moderate
Right to Compostela Yes
The best-known Camino in the world, and the busiest. Galician hamlets, oak woods and the energy of walking alongside people from dozens of countries. If you want company and the classic Camino experience, this is it.
Distance ~114km
Stages 5 walking days
Difficulty Moderate
Right to Compostela Yes
French Way
FROM SARRIA
Portuguese Coastal Way
FROM PORTO, BAIONA OR VIGO
The version with the Atlantic beside you for much of the way. Beaches, fishing villages and the crossing of the Vigo estuary. Quieter than the French Way, with a landscape that changes every day.
Porto ≈ 271 km · 13 days
Baiona ≈ 122 km · 6 days
Vigo ≈ 100 km · 5 days
Right to Compostela Yes
THE ROUTES
Which Camino route to choose
Portuguese Way
FROM PORTO
For those with more days who want to feel the border change beneath their feet. You leave Porto, walk north through the Portuguese Minho, cross into Spain and continue to Santiago.
Distance ~240km
Stages 10 to 12 walking days
Difficulty Moderate
Right to Compostela Yes
The Camino Francés in its traditional, medieval form. From the Pyrenees to Galicia, through the vineyards of La Rioja, across the Meseta and through historic cities such as Burgos and León.
Distance ~790km
Stages 30 walking days
Difficulty Moderate
Right to Compostela Yes
Full French Way
FROM SAINT-JEAN-PIED-DE-PORT
English Way
FROM FERROL
The route pilgrims from northern Europe took when they landed in Galicia by sea.
Short, and very green.
Distance ~112km
Stages 5 walking days
Difficulty Moderate
Right to Compostela Yes
The route is the choice that shapes your experience most, and it's where our planning starts. Tell us how many days you have and how fit you feel, and we'll suggest the right stretch.
The year the Holy Door opens
THE 2027 HOLY YEAR · XACOBEO
A Compostelan Holy Year, also called a Jacobean Holy Year or Xacobeo, happens when the Feast of Saint James, 25 July, falls on a Sunday. In 2027 it does. After that, the next one is not until 2032.
On 31 December 2026, the Archbishop strikes the wall sealing the Holy Door three times with a silver hammer, in the Praza da Quintana, and the wall comes down. The door stays open all year and is sealed again on 31 December 2027. In every other year it is walled up, so walking through it is something you can only do now.
There is also the practical side, and it's the one that rushes us. A Holy Year draws more people to the same routes in the same months. Good accommodation right on the route is limited at each stop and doesn't grow from one year to the next. The earlier you book, the more choice and comfort you have, and the less you'll need to travel off the Camino at the end of the day.
The Holy Door opens and the Jubilee Year begins.
31.12.2026
25.07.2027
31.12.2027
Feast of Saint James, the high point of the year. It falls on a Sunday.
The Holy Door is sealed. It won't open again until 2032.
During the Holy Year, pilgrims can receive the plenary indulgence. It's worth clearing up a common confusion: it is not the same thing as the Compostela, and it has nothing to do with how many kilometers you walk.
According to the Cathedral of Santiago, there are three conditions: visit the Cathedral and pray for the Pope's intentions (an Our Father and the Creed, for example); go to confession within fifteen days before or after the visit; and receive Holy Communion. It can be received once a day, and may also be offered for someone who has died.
Gian Franco, co-founder of EnjoyIberia, is a member of the Archconfraternity of the Apostle Saint James at Santiago Cathedral. For pilgrims walking for faith, this means walking with someone who knows the Cathedral's liturgy from the inside, not only the route.
THE SPIRITUAL SIDE
The Holy Year plenary indulgence
HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
What to do before you go
Choosing the month, training, packing, and understanding the pilgrim passport and the Compostela. We handle the tedious part, but these four things make a big difference to how much you enjoy your walking days.
May, June and September are usually the best months: long days, bearable heat and the landscape at its best. July and August are the hottest and busiest, and in a Holy Year that matters even more. April and October bring more rain and fewer people, and the Camino takes on a more inward, reflective mood. From November to March there is almost no competition for rooms, but the days are short and many places close.
Galicia's weather is unpredictable and it rains in every month of the year. Pack a rain jacket even in August, and expect a wet day or two on the trip (it's part of the Camino experience!).
If you'd like to be in Santiago on 25 July, or in a particular summer week, tell us early. Those are the dates that fill first.
1. CHOOSING THE MONTH
When is the best time to walk the Camino de Santiago?
You don't need to be an athlete to walk the Camino. But arriving with legs used to walking makes it far more enjoyable.
Start walking about eight weeks before your trip, building distance gradually and varying the terrain. Most important of all: train in the shoes and with the backpack you'll be taking. New shoes on the Camino mean blisters.
If you can, also work your inner and outer thighs (hip adductors and abductors) at the gym or at home. They hold the knee steady on long descents, which is where most aches start.
2. TRAINING
How to train for the Camino
7 & 8 WEEKS
BEFORE THE CAMINO
Three walks a week of 5 to 8 km, at a comfortable pace on flat ground. The aim is to build the habit and test your shoes.
5 & 6 WEEKS
BEFORE THE CAMINO
Two walks of 8 to 10 km during the week and a longer one of 12 to 15 km at the weekend. Start carrying the backpack with 3 or 4 kg.
Add uphill and downhill. One walk of 18 to 20 km at the weekend with the backpack at its real weight. Add two leg-strengthening sessions.
3 & 4 WEEKS
BEFORE THE CAMINO
2 WEEKS
BEFORE THE CAMINO
Two long walks on consecutive days, 18 km and 15 km, so your body learns to recover overnight. That's what the Camino asks of you.
1 WEEK
BEFORE THE CAMINO
Time to get easier and relax a bit. Short walks, stretching and rest, so you start fresh.
If you have a physical limitation, recent surgery or doubts about how far you can walk in a day, the Camino is still possible. It just changes the plan: shorter stages, a car transfer between points, a rest day in the middle. It's a conversation we have before we build your itinerary.
Shoes already broken in, half a size to a size larger than usual, because feet swell during the day. Trail running shoes work on most of the routes we walk.
Seamless technical socks, two or three pairs. They're what prevents blisters most, and what people forget most.
Layers: mornings in Galicia are cold, midday warms up and the afternoon brings rain. Three quick-dry changes are enough.
Rain cover for you and for your backpack, in any month.
A foot care kit: fabric tape, needle and thread, plasters and anti-chafing cream. A blister treated on day one won't spoil the rest of the trip.
Trekking poles if you have a history of knee problems. They take a lot of load off on the descents.
Documents and pilgrim passport in a plastic bag, together with your travel insurance.
3. PACKING
Camino de Santiago
packing list
You don't need to carry your suitcase. Luggage transfer between stages is an optional service, booked separately: your bag is collected from your accommodation in the morning and delivered to the next one, and during the day you carry only a small daypack of 2 to 3 kg (or less) with water, a rain jacket and the essentials.
Everything in your backpack is carried every single kilometer, so keep the list short. The usual rule of thumb is no more than 10% of your body weight.
The pilgrim passport (credencial) is the document that identifies you as a pilgrim. It records your route and becomes the most beautiful keepsake of the trip, because you have it stamped along the way at hostels, churches, cafés and town halls. Everyone who travels with us receives their pilgrim passport in their welcome kit.
4. PILGRIM PASSPORT AND COMPOSTELA
How to get the Compostela certificate
To receive the Compostela you need to:
Walk at least the last 100 km on foot along one official route, or cycle at least 200 km.
Finish in Santiago, with your last stage arriving at the Cathedral.
Collect two stamps a day on that final stretch, one when you set off and one when you arrive.
If you start outside Spain, as in Valença or Porto, walk at least 70 km on Spanish soil. Every route we offer meets this rule.
There is also the Certificate of Distance, a separate parchment showing your starting point and total distance.
EnjoyIberia is a family business. We are a father and daughter, Gian Franco and Rafaela, and the two of us design every trip, from the first draft to the day you arrive in Santiago. When you send a message, you're talking to one of us.
Gian Franco has walked the Camino more than ten times. He is a member of the Archconfraternity of the Apostle Saint James at Santiago Cathedral, and he brings that calling and sense of mission to itineraries full of meaning and history, the kind that doesn't fit in a catalog.
Rafaela has walked the Camino twice and has helped design many itineraries. Her background is in luxury travel, and she brings her eye for detail to making your Camino to Santiago well organized and full of good moments.
WHY TRAVEL WITH ENJOYIBERIA
Who designs your
Camino de Santiago
We live here and know the routes up close. When something comes up in the middle of your Camino, we solve it quickly, in the same time zone where it happens.
WE LIVE ON THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
BUILT AROUND YOU
You tell us how many days you have, who you're traveling with and how fit you feel, and we design the stages from there. Nothing we do is an off-the-shelf package.
SAFETY
The Camino is one of the safest routes in the world for solo travelers. For extra peace of mind, every one of our pilgrims carries a device that shows us their exact location in real time, with an SOS button. We can send your location to local emergency services within minutes, even if you're in an area with no phone signal.
"The Camino de Santiago showed me how strong and resilient we are, and it was without a doubt the best trip I've taken in years. Reaching the cathedral after days of walking is an emotion like no other. Something that only a few days earlier felt so far away was suddenly right there in front of me.
Walking the Camino with the support and planning of @enjoyiberia made all the difference. Everything was perfect, the accommodation, the meals and the support I needed, so my only concern was walking 😊
It gave me the confidence to do something I'd sworn was almost impossible. Thank you for a wonderful experience that will stay with me."
Anelise 🇧🇷
September, 2026
ENJOYIBERIA PILGRIMS
What our pilgrims say
"I want to congratulate EnjoyIberia on all the care they put into our Camino. Thanks to our guide Gian Franco, always attentive, meticulous and wise, we got through every difficulty and every moment of discouragement. He helped us see what everyday routine so often keeps us from noticing.
With you, we discovered and savored the best of Galicia, with excellent choices of restaurants and hotels all along the way. Thank you for leading the whole group to Santiago with such care."
Giuseppina 🇮🇹
April, 2026
"For us, the Camino was a path of personal growth, a metaphor for life made of obstacles and effort. Thanks to Gian Franco's organization and his human and professional contribution, it was calm and worry-free, as the logistical precision turned physical tiredness into energy. With Gian Franco's guidance, each stage was not only a goal reached but a moment of discovery and sharing.
It was, without a doubt, an unforgettable experience, perfectly balanced between efficiency and warmth, where the security of flawless organization left room for the magic of the journey."
Ermanno e Marina 🇮🇹
April, 2026
"The experience was incredible, from the preparations before departure to the constant support along the way, pointing out the best paths to take, and even after finishing the Camino, deepening my understanding of its extraordinary history and meaning. A unique experience that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life!"
Gabriel 🇧🇷
February, 2025
"More than walking a camino, walking the Camino. Intense days of pushing past my limits, with fantastic support from EnjoyIberia in the organization and in the hardest moments. Thank you so much, Gian, for walking with us and giving yourself to it fully."
Marcelo 🇵🇹
August, 2025
"Walking without hurry, feeling life slow down and simply going!
Walking the Camino de Santiago was one of those experiences that changes something inside you. Disconnecting from routine, leaving hurry behind and putting one foot in front of the other turned out to be a real exercise in presence.
Of course my body felt it. I had blisters, tiredness and moments when the path asked a lot of me, even a mix of laughter and tears. But, curiously, the walk was also light, full of laughter and incredibly fun.
And the truth is that none of this would have been the same without my four travel companions. They were essential! Their energy, support and laughter made every kilometer so much lighter and more special. How lucky I am to have shared this Camino with you! 💛
A very special thank you to the EnjoyIberia team, who looked after us from the very first minute until our arrival. The care, attention and professionalism in every detail made all the difference to our journey. You were genuinely amazing!
Full heart, tired feet and enormous gratitude for everything we lived."
Lucielle 🇧🇷
September, 2026
What is the difference between a guided and a self-guided Camino?
Whether a guide walks with you the whole way. On the Self-Guided Camino you walk without a guide, at your own pace, alone, as a couple or with your own group, while we handle all the logistics and check in with you every day remotely. On the Guided Camino someone from our team walks with you on every stage, in a women-only, mixed or private group, and the history of each place is told along the way. Both include booked accommodation, a day-by-day itinerary, a WhatsApp group with our team and satellite tracking.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When does the 2027 Holy Year start and end?
The Holy Door of Santiago Cathedral opens on 31 December 2026 and is sealed on 31 December 2027. All of 2027 is a Holy Year, and its high point is 25 July, the Feast of Saint James, which falls on a Sunday that year. That is exactly what makes it a Compostelan Holy Year.
Why is the next Holy Year not until 2032?
Because it depends on the calendar: a Holy Year only happens when 25 July falls on a Sunday. This repeats in a cycle of 6, 5, 6 and 11 years. After 2027, the next ones are 2032, 2038 and 2049.
Do I need to be fit to walk the Camino de Santiago?
You don't need to be an athlete. Ideally, start walking about eight weeks before your trip, building distance gradually, in the shoes and with the backpack you'll be taking. Strengthening your inner and outer thighs also helps a lot on the descents. When you travel with us, the stages are built around your fitness, with shorter days or a car transfer if you need it.
How far do I need to walk to get the Compostela?
At least the last 100 km on foot along one official route, or 200 km by bicycle, finishing in Santiago, with two stamps a day in your pilgrim passport on that final stretch. That's why Sarria, on the French Way, and Valença or Tui, on the Portuguese Way, are the most popular starting points for those with fewer days. The Compostela is free.
Does the Compostela count the same if I start in Portugal or France?
Yes. There is just one extra rule: if you start outside Spain, you need to walk at least 70 km on Spanish soil. Starting from Valença you cross the bridge over the Minho on the first day and walk almost the whole route in Galicia, so the rule is met with room to spare.
Are the plenary indulgence and the Compostela the same thing?
No. The Compostela is the certificate that proves your walk, issued by the Pilgrim's Office. The plenary indulgence is a spiritual grace granted in the Holy Year and has nothing to do with the kilometers walked: it depends on visiting the Cathedral and praying for the Pope's intentions, going to confession within fifteen days before or after, and receiving Holy Communion.
Is the Camino de Santiago safe for solo travelers and solo women?
Yes. It is one of the safest routes in the world for people traveling alone, signposted the whole way and with other pilgrims on the path throughout the day. On the Self-Guided Camino you walk independently with our team checking in every day, and on the Guided Camino someone is always with you. Many of our travelers come alone, including women who join our women-only groups. Every one of our pilgrims receives a device that lets us track where they are throughout each walking day, with no need for a phone.
What is the best time of year to walk the Camino in 2027?
May, June and September are usually the best months, with long days and bearable heat. July and August are the hottest and busiest. April and October bring more rain and fewer people. It rains in Galicia all year round, so a rain jacket is essential in any month.
Do I have to carry my backpack all day?
No. Luggage transfer between stages is an optional service we arrange for you: your bag is collected from your accommodation in the morning and delivered to that day's destination. You walk with just a small daypack with water, a rain jacket, spare socks and the essentials.
How many days do I need to walk the Camino?
It depends on the route. Stretches of 100 to 120 km, such as Sarria to Santiago or Valença to Santiago, take 5 to 6 walking days, plus days for arriving, for Santiago itself and for travel. The Portuguese Way from Porto takes 10 to 12 walking days. If you're flying in from the Americas, Asia or Australia, a comfortable trip usually runs 9 to 14 days in total.
Why plan now if the trip isn't until 2027?
Because a Holy Year brings far more people to the same routes in the same months. Good accommodation on the most popular stages is limited and books up many months ahead. Planning in 2026, you can still choose your dates, your stretch and where you sleep.
Still have a question that isn't here?
Message Gian Franco directly, our leading Camino de Santiago specialist.
THE LAST STEP
If 2027 is your year, let's start now
The Holy Door stays open until 31 December 2027, and after that not until 2032. Tell us how many days you have and who you'd like to walk with, and we'll tell you where to begin.
Same-day reply, Monday to Friday.