Walking the Camino de Santiago with your kids is an incredible experience. Here’s the route we recommend to bring you most joy and an amazing sense of achievement, for everyone.
Walking the Camino de Santiago in summer
The Camino de Santiago is over 1,000 years old and still one of the world’s most important pilgrimages. Traditionally it begins at your front door, wherever you live, and ends at the city of Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. However, there are many well established routes with starting points across Europe, which vary in length from just over 100km to 1,000s.
Walking with children for the first time, you want to take it at an easy pace, make sure there’s plenty to see along the way, and keep the distances between stages relatively short. For all those reasons and more, the Camino Frances (French Way) is a great choice for families.
It’s the last leg of the Camino de Santiago, just over 100km long and one of the best routes to experience the charm and welcome of northern villages, as well as Galicia’s lovely countryside and the powerful sense of community that makes this pilgrimage so joyous, whether you’re walking for spiritual reasons or simply for the pleasure of walking.
Almost there! Signpost on Camino Frances
Why the Camino Frances is perfect for families
The final 110km of the Camino de Santiago hold a very special place in the pilgrimage’s story. It’s the distance needed to earn the Compostela, but it is also where the Camino shows its real sense of community.
Villages sit closer together, so the day’s walks are naturally shorter, and in spring and summer the landscape of Galicia almost shimmers under sunny skies.
For families, this stretch offers a route that isn’t too demanding but still feels like an achievement. The history is fascinating and involving, but it’s worn lightly, so kids aren’t overwhelmed, and the sense of tradition is balanced by the lively atmosphere of towns and villages, and an unmistakable spirit of camaraderie.
Also, although this is one of the busier sections of the Camino, it’s one of the most welcoming, as it’s been shaped over the centuries by travellers of all types. So the villages along the way truly understand the nature of hospitality.
Walking from Sarria to Santiago is not about chasing destination. It’s about moving through villages that understand travellers, and for those walking together as a family, that shared experience is just as memorable as finally arriving in Santiago de Compostela.
Talk to the experts about family-friendly guided Camino de Santiago walks
Convento de la Magdalena, Sarria
Sarria: where the Camino de Santiago begins for you
For centuries Sarria was a stopping point for traders and pilgrims, and today it’s possibly best known as the point from where walkers embark on the final stages of the Camino.
Sarria itself is divided between a modern lower area and an historic upper quarter, where monasteries, striking stone staircases and narrow, atmospheric streets hint at its ancient past. Kids will like that it feels comfortable and at ease with itself, people are friendly, there are shops to browse as well as cheerful cafés, and everywhere you get a feeling of excitement, as pilgrims set out on the final stage of the Camino.
Portomarin, Camino de Santiago
Portomarín: one of the most fascinating villages on-route
As Sarria retreats into the distance behind you, the route winds through woodland and tiny hamlets before opening out to the dramatic sight of the impressive bridge which crosses the River Miño to Portomarín.
Take your time to stop and stare here, this is one of the Camino’s iconic moments and you’ll want to commit it to memory.
Portomarín has an unusual story that will definitely appeal to kids. Back in the 1960s, the original medieval village was flooded to create a reservoir. This might sound like a barbaric destruction of heritage, but the tale actually has a happy ending. Instead of the past being drowned, it was raised up, as each historic building was dismantled stone-by-stone and restored to its original form, on higher ground. So the Portomarín you see looking out over the Miño today, is in fact a very careful reconstruction.
There are stairs leading into the village, and on warm evenings people gather in the squares, it’s at times like these you appreciate being on the slightly busier Camino route, as there’s an almost festive feel to sharing this remarkable experience.
Find the perfect Sarria to Santiago de Compostela experience for your kids
Colourful scallop shells celebrate the Camino de Santiago
Palas de Rei: the every-day life of the Camino de Santiago
Beyond Portomarín, the Camino enters the heart of rural Galicia and you’re surrounded by farmland, forests, and peaceful country lanes, where cows graze close to the path and the pace of life is gentle and unhurried.
Palais de Rei doesn’t deliver architectural drama or unusual stories, and that’s part of its appeal. It modestly welcomes pilgrims as it has done for centuries, yet remains, first and foremost, a working village where you can glimpse authentic Galician life and meet the ordinary people who have always had a special role in the history of the Camino de Santiago.
Families walking the route with children, never fail to mention Palas de Rei and how warmly welcomed and at home they felt here.
The charm of Galicia’s cheesemaking country
Arzúa: take in the charming countryside of Galicia
The walk to Arzúa takes you into Galicia’s cheese-making country, a landscape of wide fields with low stone walls and a sense of space that urges you to slow down and look around.
Arzúa has grown with the Camino, but it remains essentially a traditional village, where squares invite you to stop and the streets positively encourage exploration. Historically, it has always been an important stage on the pilgrimage, a place to take stock, rest a little and look forward to the last hours of walking before you reach journey’s end.
Santa Eulalia, O Pedrouzo
O Pedrouzo: your last night on the Camino de Santiago
O Pedrouzo and the Camino also have a tightly woven history and, as the final stop before the end of the walk, you can almost feel the anticipation in the air. This isn’t a village for monuments or grand buildings, it’s practical and welcoming, filled with cafés and friendly shops. Of course, almost everywhere you go conversations turn towards tomorrow, and children will really enjoy feeling part of the shared sense of achievement that’s quietly, but clearly, celebrated here.
More Camino de Santiago routes to explore with your kids
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Santiago de Compostela: one of Spain’s greatest cities
Arriving in Santiago de Compostela is unforgettable. The Camino leads through suburbs and streets before opening suddenly onto the Praza do Obradoiro, where the cathedral dominates.
For families, this arrival often feels less like an ending and more like a homecoming. Pilgrims gather, photos are taken, and the joy is unmistakable. Although, don’t think of Santiago as just a finishing line. It’s a magnificent city, packed with history and experiences your kids will love, from touring the rooftop of the mighty cathedral to wandering through the historic quarter soaking up the atmosphere. The Camino may end here but it’s far from the end of the excitement for families.
Advice for the Camino de Santiago with kids
- Pack light
Only carry daypacks with essentials like water, snacks and a light jacket or sweater. - Remember sun protection
- If you’re walking in spring or summer, don’t forget sun screen and hats for everyone.
- Build in little rewards
Walking the Camino de Santiago is a huge achievement for kids, keep them motivated with small treats like an ice cream stop, cakes from a local bakery or a break with time to explore. - Talk as you walk
The villages along this route offer natural talking points, from their history and architecture to the local food and day-to-day life, do a bit of research before you go and keep the chat flowing with kids as you walk. - Take a break from walking if you need one
Using transport on the Camino when you’re walking with kids doesn’t devalue the experience, it’s not a cheat and occasionally, it’s exactly what everyone needs.
Why choose Viaje Camino de Santiago to plan your trip
Viaje Camino de Santiago offer you more than 10 years experience creating the ideal Camino experiences for families. Based in Santiago de Compostela, the English speaking team are experts in every route so they can advise on anything from what itinerary is best for you and the ages of your children, right down to how to bring your dog along for the walk.
However you want to experience the Camino, Viaje Camino de Santiago will organise your entire trip from start to finish, so all you have to think about is the pleasure of walking one of the world’s greatest pilgrimages and sharing it with your kids.
