--- title: Sacred Routes — Europe description: A guide to Europe's most significant pilgrim routes — from the Camino Francés across Spain to Mount Athos, Fátima, the Via Francigena and the Marian roads of... author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) updated: 2026-03-29T10:46:41.237Z canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/sacred-routes-europe categories: Sacred Routes publication: Rich Travel Magazine schema_type: Article --- Every major faith in the world has left a trail across European soil. Christianity built its routes along the roads of the Roman Empire and the paths of its own martyrs. Judaism mapped its presence through the cities where it was welcomed and the roads it was forced to walk. Islam left its mark in Andalusia, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. The continent's sacred geography is not a relic. Millions of people walk these routes every year, sleep in pilgrim hostels, carry credential documents, and arrive at destinations that have been receiving travellers in exactly this spirit for a thousand years or more. Rich Travel Magazine maps the most significant routes — known and lesser known — for travellers who want their journey to carry weight. ### Spain ### The Camino Francés — France to Santiago de Compostela Follow the Camino Francés from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, covering 780 kilometres across northern Spain. Begin the crossing of the Pyrenees on the Route Napoléon if the weather permits, or take the lower Valcarlos pass in winter. Reach Pamplona on day two and walk the long meseta from Burgos through the wheat plains of Castile, where the sky opens and the path offers few distractions from the act of walking itself. Collect stamps in a pilgrim passport, the Credencial, at churches, hostels and cafés from the first day to the last. Arrive at the Praza do Obradoiro and enter the cathedral to embrace the silver statue of Saint James behind the high altar. Receive the Compostela certificate confirming completion of at least 100 kilometres on foot or 200 by bicycle. The Camino Francés is the most walked long-distance route in the world. In 2023, the Pilgrim Office in Santiago issued more than 450,000 Compostelas — a figure that excludes those who walk only part of the route. The infrastructure is correspondingly well developed, with albergues spaced no more than a day's walk apart for the full length. Book ahead in summer between Sarria and Santiago, where demand consistently outpaces capacity. ### The Camino del Norte — The Coastal Route Walk the northern coastal route from Irún on the French border through the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias before turning inland to Santiago, covering approximately 825 kilometres. The route follows the Bay of Biscay cliff tops, descends to fishing villages and crosses the river estuaries of the Cantabrian coast by bridge and ferry. Pass through San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander and Gijón, each city large enough to require navigation and small enough to cross in an afternoon. The Norte carries fewer pilgrims than the Francés, which means more solitude on the path and occasionally more difficulty finding an open albergue in the smaller villages. It is considered the harder and more beautiful of the two northern routes. ### The Camino Portugués — Porto to Santiago Begin the Portuguese Way at the Sé Cathedral in Porto, where pilgrim stamps have been issued since the twelfth century, and walk 240 kilometres north through Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and Valença before crossing the river Minho into Spain at Tui. The final 120 kilometres from Tui to Santiago qualify for the Compostela and draw the largest volume of Portuguese Way pilgrims. Walk the coastal variant from Vila do Conde to Caminha for clifftop paths and Atlantic light that the inland route does not offer. The Portuguese Way is the fastest growing Camino by pilgrim numbers and retains a quieter, more contemplative atmosphere than the Francés despite its increasing popularity. ### The Via de la Plata — Seville to Santiago Walk 1,000 kilometres north from the Cathedral of Seville through Extremadura, Salamanca and Zamora to Santiago, following a route built on a Roman road connecting the south of Hispania to the north. The Via de la Plata passes through some of the most sparsely populated landscape in western Europe, with stretches of 20 kilometres or more between villages in the Extremaduran dehesa. Arrive in Mérida on day four to walk through one of the best-preserved Roman city centres in the world, including the theatre, the amphitheatre and the bridge of 60 arches still carrying pedestrians across the Guadiana. The route receives fewer than 20,000 pilgrims annually, which means genuine solitude in the south and increasingly busy paths only from Zamora north. ### Italy ### The Via Francigena — Canterbury to Rome Walk the medieval pilgrim road from Canterbury to Rome, entering Italy through the Great St Bernard Pass and descending through the Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy and Tuscany to reach St Peter's Basilica after approximately 1,800 kilometres from the English coast. The Italian section alone, from the Swiss border to Rome, covers 1,000 kilometres and is fully waymarked. Pass through Ivrea, Vercelli, Pavia, Fidenza, Pontremoli and the Cisa Pass before descending into Tuscany. Walk through Lucca, whose medieval walls are intact and whose cathedral holds the Volto Santo, the dark cedar crucifix that medieval pilgrims travelled to venerate. Continue through San Miniato, Gambassi Terme and Monteriggioni, the walled village whose towers Dante used as a comparison in the Inferno, before entering Siena through the northern gate. From Siena the route continues south through the Val d'Orcia — a landscape of cypress-lined roads, hilltop towns and medieval hospitality structures called ospitali, several of which still operate as pilgrim rest points. Cross Bolsena, Viterbo and the Lazio hills before the final approach to Rome. Arrive at St Peter's Square and present the Testimonium, the Via Francigena's completion certificate, at the official reception point. The Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica opens only in Jubilee years; 2025 is a Jubilee year, making this a historically significant moment to complete the Via Francigena in Rome. ### The Franciscan Way — Assisi and Surrounding Routes Walk the routes of Francis of Assisi through Umbria, starting from the Eremo delle Carceri, the hermitage carved into the rock of Monte Subasio above Assisi where Francis retreated to pray. Descend to Assisi to visit the Basilica of San Francesco, which holds Giotto's fresco cycle depicting the saint's life and the tomb in the lower church. Walk south to Gubbio, where Francis is said to have tamed the wolf that had been terrorising the town, along a path through oak forest that has changed little since the thirteenth century. Continue to Spoleto, Trevi and Foligno, following the route recorded in the earliest Franciscan chronicles. The Cammino di Francesco connects Assisi to Rome in 13 days through Rieti and the Lazio mountains, offering both the Umbrian spiritual landscape and a natural continuation to the Via Francigena. ### The Via Romea Germanica — Stade to Rome Follow the northern variant of the Rome road, which begins in Stade near Hamburg and crosses the Alps at the Brenner Pass before descending through the Adige valley, Verona, Bologna and the Apennines to Rome. The Italian section from the Brenner to Rome covers approximately 900 kilometres through Trento, Rovereto, Verona, Ferrara and Florence. The route through Florence presents one of the longest single stretches of artistic patrimony on any pilgrim road in Europe, passing the Baptistery, the Duomo, Santa Croce and the Oltrarno churches on a direct line south. The Via Romea Germanica was the primary route used by pilgrims from northern and central Europe throughout the medieval period and is now fully waymarked from Stade to Rome. ### Portugal ### The Fátima Pilgrimage — Walking Routes to the Shrine Walk to the Sanctuary of Fátima in central Portugal from Lisbon, Coimbra or Porto along the established pilgrimage routes covering between 130 and 200 kilometres depending on the point of departure. The Lisbon route passes through the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros natural park, crossing limestone hills and walnut forests before descending to the Cova da Iria, the hollow where the Marian apparitions were reported in 1917. Arrive at the sanctuary in time for the candlelight procession held every thirteenth day of the month between May and October, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims fill the vast esplanade and walk in procession with candles through the dark. Observe the penitential path within the sanctuary, where pilgrims crawl on their knees from the entrance to the Chapel of the Apparitions — a distance of 200 metres that takes some pilgrims an hour to complete. Fátima receives approximately six million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world. The most concentrated pilgrimages fall on 13 May and 13 October, the dates of the first and last apparitions. Walking to Fátima rather than arriving by coach or car remains the more traditional form of the pilgrimage, and the infrastructure of marked routes, pilgrim hostels and waypoint churches along each approach road supports walkers throughout the year. ### France ### Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Walk the Via Podiensis from Le Puy-en-Velay, the oldest and most important starting point for French pilgrims to Santiago, through the Auvergne, the Lot valley and Gascony to the foot of the Pyrenees at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, covering 750 kilometres. Begin at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame du Puy, built on a volcanic plug above the town, and follow the GR 65 waymarks south through Conques, one of the finest Romanesque villages in France, where the treasury holds the reliquary of Saint Foy and the tympanum over the west door depicts the Last Judgement in unprecedented detail. Continue through Figeac, Cahors, Moissac — whose cloister capitals are among the most sophisticated Romanesque sculpture in Europe — and Aire-sur-l'Adour before the final stage through Basque country to the pass. The Via Podiensis is the most walked Camino route in France and the natural predecessor to the Camino Francés. ### Mont-Saint-Michel and the Norman Pilgrimage Routes Approach Mont-Saint-Michel across the tidal flats of Normandy at low tide, as medieval pilgrims did before the causeway was built, guided by a certified guide who reads the sand and the incoming tide. The abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, founded in the eighth century on an island rock 92 metres above the bay, was one of the three most important pilgrimage destinations in medieval Europe alongside Rome and Santiago. Walk the ancient coastal routes from Avranches or Pontorson to arrive at the Mount on foot rather than by shuttle. The tidal crossing — three kilometres across exposed sand and quicksand channels — is conducted in groups under supervision and takes approximately 90 minutes. It constitutes one of the most distinctive pilgrimage approaches in the world. ### Chartres and the Notre-Dame Cathedral Pilgrimage Join the annual Pentecost pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, a three-day walk of 110 kilometres conducted each spring by approximately 15,000 young pilgrims, the largest traditional Catholic pilgrimage in France by participant numbers. Arrive at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres, whose two mismatched spires mark the horizon from 20 kilometres across the Beauce plain. Enter the cathedral to stand at the centre of the labyrinth set into the nave floor — a stone path 12 metres in diameter laid in 1200, which medieval pilgrims walked on their knees as a substitute for the journey to Jerusalem. Examine the Blue Virgin window above the south transept, whose cobalt glass dates to 1150 and cannot be reproduced with any modern technique. ### Greece ### The Meteora Monastic Circuit Walk between the monasteries of Meteora on the ancient footpaths cut into the sandstone towers above the Thessaly plain, following routes used by monks since the fourteenth century and by pilgrims since the Byzantine period. The complex holds six active monasteries, all accessible on foot via paths that connect them across the rock formations. Begin at the Great Meteoron, the largest and oldest monastery, founded in the 1340s, before moving to Varlaam, whose sixteenth-century frescoes include a vivid Last Judgement cycle that covers the full narthex wall. Descend to Roussanou, now inhabited by an order of nuns, where the katholikon balcony overhangs a sheer drop of 300 metres. Attend the morning liturgy at any functioning monastery — services begin before dawn and are open to visitors who arrive quietly and dressed appropriately. The footpaths are not signed as a formal pilgrim route and some sections require scrambling. A local guide from Kalambaka, the town below the rocks, can map the full circuit and explain the theological significance of each site in the context of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The paths are most passable in spring and autumn. ### Mount Athos — The Holy Mountain Apply for a diamonitirion, the special permit required to visit Mount Athos, the autonomous monastic peninsula in northern Greece, through the Pilgrim's Bureau in Thessaloniki. The permit restricts access to 100 Orthodox Christian men and 10 non-Orthodox men per day; application must be made months in advance. Travel by ferry from Ouranoupolis to Dafni and proceed to the Protaton in Karyes, the administrative centre, to validate the permit. Walk between the twenty ruling monasteries on the ancient mule paths that connect them along the peninsula's spine and coasts. Sleep and eat at the monasteries as a guest of the monks, following the Byzantine monastic schedule of services beginning at midnight. Understand that the Athonite calendar follows the Julian dating, which places it 13 days behind the Gregorian, and that the entire peninsula operates on a religious timetable entirely independent of the outside world. ### Portugal and Spain — The Route of the Holy Year ### The Jubilee Route — Roncesvalles to Pamplona Walk the first stage of the Camino Francés from Roncesvalles to Pamplona on the day after the Feast of Saint James, 25 July, when the cathedral in Santiago grants the Jubilee indulgence — an act of complete remission available only in Holy Years, when the feast day falls on a Sunday. The next Holy Year after 2021 falls in 2027. The route from Roncesvalles to Pamplona, 48 kilometres across the pre-Pyrenean hills, serves as the traditional first day of the Camino Francés and carries the emotional weight of the beginning — the first stamps, the first blisters, the first conversation with a fellow pilgrim that may last the full 780 kilometres. ### Northern Europe ### Saint Olav's Ways — Norway Walk one of the five converging Saint Olav's Ways to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, which holds the shrine of King Olav Haraldsson, canonised in 1031 and venerated as Norway's patron saint. The main route, Pilegrimsleden, runs 640 kilometres from Oslo through the forests of Hedmark and the Gudbrandsdalen valley before crossing the Dovrefjell plateau and descending to Trondheim. Walk sections of original medieval road still preserved under forest cover, marked with scallop shells and the St Olav's cross. Arrive at Nidaros Cathedral, the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, to present the pilgrim passport and receive the Olavsrosa certificate. Nidaros is the destination at the end of Europe's northernmost pilgrim road and the only major pilgrimage terminus located above the Arctic Circle's approximate latitude. ### The Canterbury Pilgrimage — London to Canterbury Walk the North Downs Way from London Bridge to Canterbury Cathedral, 120 kilometres through Surrey and Kent, following the approximate route of Chaucer's pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales. The modern waymarked path passes through Farnham, Guildford, Box Hill and the North Downs before descending into Canterbury through the village of Chilham. Arrive at Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the site of Thomas Becket's murder in 1170, to visit the Trinity Chapel where Becket's shrine stood until its destruction in 1538 on the orders of Henry VIII. The site of the shrine is marked by a single candle and a stone worn smooth by the knees of medieval pilgrims. The Cathedral Treasury holds the earliest pilgrim badge ever found — a small tin ampulla dating to the twelfth century, carried home from Canterbury as evidence of a completed pilgrimage. ### Central and Eastern Europe ### The Marian Routes of Poland — Częstochowa Walk to Jasna Góra, the hilltop monastery in Częstochowa that holds the Black Madonna, the most venerated icon in Poland and one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world. The annual walking pilgrimage from Warsaw to Częstochowa, held every August since 1711, covers 252 kilometres over nine days and draws between 100,000 and 200,000 pilgrims, making it the largest walking pilgrimage in Europe by consistent annual attendance. Walk with one of the organised groups, which depart from parishes across Poland and converge on Jasna Góra in time for the feast of the Assumption on 15 August. Arrive at the Bright Mountain gate on the final morning in a column of pilgrims stretching back several kilometres along the road, many of them barefoot for the last stage as a sign of penance. ### The Via Regia — Central European Pilgrim Corridor Follow the Via Regia, the Royal Road that ran from Kiev to Santiago and served as the primary east-west overland route through medieval Europe, on its Polish and German sections through Wrocław, Görlitz, Erfurt and Frankfurt. The German section from Frankfurt to the French border at Forbach connects to the Via Podiensis at Metz and eventually to Santiago. The route passes through Eisenach, where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German at Wartburg Castle, and through Erfurt, whose Augustinian monastery was Luther's home before the Reformation. Walk the Via Regia as a route through the full geological strata of European religious history — Catholic pilgrimage, Reformation, Marian devotion and ecumenical encounter occupy the same road within the same day's walk.