Overview
The Camino del Norte is the coastal camino covering 800km of Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. The Camino del Norte Bilbao to Santander section is also called the second stage of the camino, which gets off to a great start in Bilbao, famous for its culture, cuisine and contemporary cool. Your walking trail then continues over seven days along the coast to Santander, taking in wild beaches, wetlands and traditional coastal villages en route. Stay in a mix of small hotels and guesthouses en route, with luggage transfers, and enjoy northern Spain’s food, wine and friendly welcome.
- Bilbao
- Church of Santa María de la Asunción
- Laredo
- Santander
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Bilbao
Bilbao (or Bilbo in Basque) has reinvented itself in the past 30 years, becoming host to some of the best art exhibitions in the country at the impressive Guggenheim Museum. Explore the Old Town with its rustic taverns and order pintxos, a culinary specialty of the Basque Country. We also recommend booking an extra night in Bilbao.
- Accommodation: Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao or similar in Bilbao
Day 2: Bilbao to Portugalete | 12.4/19.4km
After a night in Bilbao, join the Camino del Norte trail leaving the city via a suspension bridge, the trail continuing along the banks of the Cadagua River. Cross the famous Devil’s Bridge before arriving at the Hermitage of Santa Águeda. After this, there is a steep climb to the small town of Barakaldo before arriving in Portugalete via a path along the banks of the Galindo River. There are two options today: the official, longer route or the shorter version, which follows the Nervión River along its course, saving several kilometres. Each of the sections is simple and flat.
- Walking for the day: 19.4km or 12.4km (along the river), 2-4h
- Accommodation: Puente Colgante Boutique Hotel or similar in Portugalete
Day 3: Portugalete to Castro Urdiales | 27.6km
The Camino del Norte continues along the rocky coastline. At La Arena, cross the beach of fine red sand. There are some steep but short climbs as you follow the coast towards Castro Urdiales. Castro Urdiales has a good mix of modern and medieval architecture; as you enter the town, pass by the bullring and the beach. We recommend visiting the Church of Santa María de la Asunción.
- Walking for the day: 27.6km, 6-7h
- Accommodation: Pension Ardigales 11 or similar in Castro Urdiales
Day 4: Castro Urdiales to Laredo | 26.6km
Today, the Camino del Norte takes you along the coastal cliffs, passing a medieval castle and lighthouse as well as the Chapel of Santa Isabel and Church of La Magdalena on the way to Liendo. Here, there are two route options for the rest of the stage to Laredo. Either take a route across the valley, passing the Church of Nuestra Señora de Liendo in Hazas, or take the alternative route, climbing to the Chapel of San Julián on the way to Laredo. Laredo itself is famous for its beaches, vibrant atmosphere and medieval quarter called Puebla Vieja.
- Walking for the day: 26.6km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hotel El Ancla or similar in Laredo
Day 5: Laredo – Noja | 14km
Follow the seashore to El Puntal in Laredo, catch the ferry to Santoña (every 10/15mins), famous for its anchovies and long-standing canning tradition. Walk to Berria beach, before continuing along the coastal path to Noja.
- Walking for the day: 14km, 3h
- Accommodation: Posada La Mies or similar in Noja
Day 6: Noja – Santander | 25km
Head to Galizano where you take a straight road into town (saving 2km) or follow the coastline, which is a longer option but very scenic. To reach the final destination of Santander, you can take a traditional red boat called a pedreñera across the bay (saving approximately 3.5km) from the village of Somo (payable locally, €2pp). The capital of Cantabria, Santander, is an elegant city with plenty of beaches, parks, architecture and great food.
- Walking for the day: 25km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hotel Picos de Europa or similar in Santander
Day 7: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their proximity to the camino, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Important: We aim to book you into each town listed on the itinerary. However, in case of low availability, we may book you two nights in the same town with provided transfers. Also, on some occasions, your accommodation can be located a few kilometres away from the trail, so we organise transportation to/from your accommodation.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao (Bilbao)
- Puente Colgante Boutique Hotel (Portugalete)
- Pension Ardigales 11 (Castro Urdiales)
- Hotel El Ancla (Laredo)
- Posada La Mies (Noja)
- Hotel Picos de Europa (Santander)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included (usually a simple buffet breakfast/coffee and toast/bread/croissant) on all days. When no restaurant location is available on the route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Where no dinner is included, most places serve hearty pilgrim menus – you can get a three course dinner including wine for about €14-18 per person.
Difficulty and terrain
This walk is graded moderate to strenuous and includes walks of up to 29km a day, and some of the walks are fairly strenuous and a reasonable level of fitness is required. This route can be challenging for those with little walking experience (read more about difficulty grades). The Camino del Norte follows a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths. The route is marked with yellow painted arrows, but please take care at intersections. There are sections on the route where you will divert to follow the red and white stripes of the GR routes. There will always be other walkers around in case you are looking for help. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime.
When to go
This trip is available from March to November, but the best months to visit are April – October.
The weather in Northern Spain is very varied. In general, you can expect pleasant temperatures for walking of between 19C and up to about 26C in the summer months. As you will be walking near the coast for much of this walk, you can expect some rainy days, particularly in spring and autumn.
The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date during the season. For more information, see our blog on the Best time to walk the Camino de Santiago.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Bilbao Airport (BIO). The alternative airport is Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport (SDR).
By train or bus
Arrive in Bilbao:
- If you are able to travel to Spain without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Bilbao and Santander. For more details, see the national rail operator Renfe or use the Omio planner above
- There is a regular shuttle bus between Bilbao airport and Bilbao. See Bizkaiabus or use the Omio planner above
- Bilbao has direct bus services with San Sebastián, Madrid and other major cities. For more information, visit Alsa or use the Omio planner above
Departure from Santander:
- There is a shuttle bus to the airport of Santiago from the centre of Santiago with different stops in the city
- From Santiago, there are regular train services to many destinations in Spain. For more information and tickets, visit Renfe or use the Omio planner above
- Alternatively, there are also regular bus services to many destinations in Spain. For more information and tickets, visit Alsa or use the Omio planner above
- You can also book private transfers with us
Inclusions
Included
- 6 nights accommodation
- 6 breakfasts
- Digital pack (general route information and simple maps)
- Pilgrim Kit: Credential (passport) and Vieira (shell)
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (one piece per person, max 20kg per person)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches and dinners, drinks and snacks
- Additional luggage
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on the spot)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own.
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers
- Extra nights
Spain’s legal requirement for personal information
Please note: in December 2024, the Spanish government introduced a new law making it a legal obligation for all visitors to Spain to share personal details with their accommodations and car rental companies. Consequently, as we book your accommodation for you, we are obliged to pass these on to our local partners on the ground. After booking your holiday, we will send you a form to complete requesting all the legally-required information, including: name, nationality, gender, passport number, DOB, address, phone numbers and email address. This applies to all travellers aged 14 and over. If you are travelling with people under 14 years old, you need to declare your relationship to them. We apologise for any inconvenience. For more information, see here.
