Useful links
There's masses of stuff on the Web about Santiago and the pilgrimage.
Here are a few worthwhile sites that we've found so far. We're not - so
far at least - including individual accounts of the pilgrimage (the Jakobsnet
site - see below - includes links to many Pilgerberichte), and we list the websites of commercial tour operators on a separate page. Please
let us know (with comments) of any others we should include.
The background to the pilgrimage
The historical background to the pilgrimage
This site outlines the content of a course at the Department of Spanish and Portugese at the University of California, Los Angeles, in medieval Spanish literature, and focussing on the pilgrimage to Santiago. It includes maps, a booklist, and a few links to other sites.
The
Picture Pages of the Camino
This site gives a comprehensive overview of the main routes in Spain, including the Camino Francés, Aragonés, Inglés, Finistere, Primitivo, Portugués, Via de la Plata, Camino del Norte, and the Tunnel route. Each route is covered stage-by-stage in a page with 20-40 pictures. The captions of most pages are in English and Spanish, and often other languages; the Camino Francés pages are translated into 6 European and 3 Far Eastern languages. There is also a growing index of links to other websites classified by what they contain. Also,people can send any of the pictures as electronic postcards to their friends, and they can register their Camino when the reach Santiago.
A site with some useful practical information (booklist, packing list, list of refugios on the Camino Francés, links).
A one-page article describing the origin of the pilgrimage, its early history, and its current revival.
The International Society for the Study of Pilgrimage Art has transferred its Journmal, Peregrinations, to the web with Vol 1, no 3. It includes articles on the art of the pilgrimage routes, and a nascent photographic gallery. Well worth a visit.
An account of The Pilgrimage to Santiago, the 2-CD set recorded by Philip Pickett and the New London Consort, and a listing of other recordings of music from similar MS sources.
The Joining of Heaven and Earth
This site, using both still images and film, explores the Romanesque World through the prism of the pilgrimage to Santiago.
A thoughtful site, all in German, reviewing past and present motivations for undertaking the pilgrimage.
The website of the principal City of London Church dedicated to St James, built by Sir Christopher Wren and sometimes known as "Wren's Lantern" from the lightness of its interior.
A site, all in Spanish, dedicated to the Abbey of Roncesvalles and its history.
Pilgrim Associations, actual and virtual
Friends of the Road to Santiago
The website of the United States pilgrims' association, now being wound up, and merged with American Pilgrims on the Camino (see next entry); for the time being, this page has some good basic information, and recommended reading.
American
Pilgrims on the Camino
If you're in North America you may like to visit the site of our fellow organisation in the USA, a new "open entity", which came into being in 2004; they are organising a series of Pilgrim Gatherings across North America, and their listserve address is gocamino@oakapple.net.
The Little Company of Pilgrims
The site of the Canadian Association, containing the current issue of their Newsletter and many other good things.
The Confraternity of Saint James of South Africa
A warm welcome to our South African namesake
The Irish Society of the Friends of St James
A warm welcome to our Irish friends and colleagues, with a small site not very different in structure and content from this one.
The Federation of Spanish Associations
This belongs with the Pilgrim Associations, since it's the site of the Federation which unites all the Spanish Amigos del Camino. It also describes itself however as a Guía Virtual, and is full of useful information (all in Spanish).It also contains contacts for helping in the refuges as a hospitalero/a.
Based in Irun, this association has a full and interesting website, all in Spanish.
Asociación Galega de Amigos do Camiño de Santiago
The site of the association of Amigos in Galicia, useful for up-to-date information about developments, new refuges, etc, in the region.
Société des Amis de Saint Jacques de Compostelle
The site of the oldest of the Jacobean Associations, in Paris (and incidentally the association from which the Confraternity itself sprang, in 1983). Worth a visit, especially if you want to keep an eye on Jacobean events being organised in Paris.
Association de Coopération Interrégionale les Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle
An association set up by the three regions of Acquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, and Languedoc-Rousillon for the promotion of the cultural and touristic aspects of the pilgrimage: the site is entirely in French.
A site, all in French, with lots of useful information, especially for pilgrims who either are, or want to be, a little out of the ordinary.
Predominantly in French (though with a link to an English-speaking "web-hospitaller") this site will be particularly helpful to people wishing to undertake the pilgrimage in a specifically Christian spirit.
Tranquilles sur la Voie de Tours vers Compostelle
A new associaition (March 2010) which aims to bring together pilgrims from all parts of northern Europe, including Scandinavia and the UK.
Association québécoise des pèlerins et amis de Compostelle
A good basic site intended mainly for francophone pilgrims from Québec.
The site of the German Association: mostly in German, but with some information about the Association itself in English. See also this information page, which though entirely in German, includes a useful account of many of the routes in the different countries of Europe.
"The geographical focus of this Internet-site lies in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, where the Way of St. James leads from the Brünig-Pass down to Brienz, along the lake of Brienz to Interlaken, and further onto the caves of St. Beatus, which were themselves a pilgrimage site. Then, crossing the lake of Thun, pilgrims arrive at Spiez, and up to Amsoldingen, further onto the monastery of Rüeggisberg." Mainly in German, this site has some pages in English, and a very good page of links to other websites (follow the link "JakosNet mit über 100 Links" on the Home page).
Het Nederlands Genootschap van Sint Jacob
The website of our colleagues in Holland: a nice site, entirely in Dutch.
A very active group with the first Asociacion de Amigos del Camino de Santiago EN INTERNET (AACS-I), all in Spanish, run by Manuel Vazquez, known as "Ales". All the messages appear on the website: if you subscribe (it's free), the messages reach you by e-mail - but beware of being flooded with material. Ales himself contributes a frequent Boletin de Noticias sobre el Camino de Santiago.
"We are a group of people, mainly pilgrims to Santiago, who have met each other and become friends thanks to the new technologies. We are not limited to a specific geographical space. We share a common experience: el Camino de Santiago: it has left its mark on us, and we feel that the world should know of it. That is why we have established ourselves as Via Europaea." The association came into being on 31st December 1998. Their website, last updated in November 1999, describes itself still as under construction (January 2002), will in due course give information about the pilgrimage in 8 languages (only Basque and Italian remain to be added). The site includes a pilgrims' message centre, and a comprehensive set of links - particularly to other pilgrim associations.
Au coeur du chemin - les Amis
de Chemin de St Jacques des Pyrénées Atlantiques
For some years we have been particularly friendly with les Amis de Chemin de St Jacques des Pyrénées Atlantiques, on whose patch the first three of the great French routes meet, and whose special contribution to the pilgrimage has been the Accueil St Jacques at 39 rue de la Citadelle in St Jean-Pied-de-Port. Here volunteers from the local association, and from many other of the European associations, welcome and help pilgrims coming from further afield, or starting their journey in St Jean, and facing the challenge of the 1,200 metre climb on the following day. We're delighted to welcome them to the Net, and encourage you to visit their site.
"Via Lemovicensis"
(La Voie de Vézelay)
The site of the Association des Amis de Saint Jacques et d'Etudes Compostellanes de la Voie de Vézelay. An intensely serious site from a group of people dedicated to revitalising both the authentic Vézelay route, and the true spirit of pilgrimage, it's well worth a visit. Click here for details of the description of the whole route which they have recently published, and which is available through our on-line Bookshop.
A useful and thoughtful site, in French, which though mainly intended for cyclists on the Vézelay route, addresses the need for mutual respect between cyclists and walkers. Follow the links to "fiches techniques" from the opening page for route details.
Association des Amis de Saint Jacques d'Eure et Loire
An informative site, with detailed route descriptions (some more direct than the GRs) centered on Chartres and covering the département of Eure et Loire.
Les chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle en Bretagne
This site lists routes heading south across Brittany, including a new one called le Chemin des Plantagenêts, leading down into Anjou.
Les Amis de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle Voie de Tours en Région Centre
A small but well-designed site, in French, including descriptions of the routes in the immediate area of Tours, plus accommodation.
A voluntary asociation of French students dedicated to all forms of outdoor activity. Their website includes some basic information about the camino, descriptions of their guides to the routes Vézelay-Roncesvalles, Paris-Tours, Paris-Vézelay, and Vézelay-le Puy (all of which can be bought by phone or mail), and a collection of photos.
The Confraternity of St James,
Norway
This site gives information about the Santiago pilgrimage to prospective pilgrims from Norway, and in their own language - but of special interest to the rest of us are a few pages in English devoted to pilgrim routes in Norway itself.
"The Norwegian Confraternity have launched a mailing list on their website mainly for the benefit of English-speaking pilgrims. This mailing list is meant to be a service to the borderless community of pilgrims. It may for instance be convenient if you are looking for advice on undertaking European and Scandinavian pilgrim routes, or to discuss various topics related to the pilgrimage. Please visit our website for further information. The service is free."
This very large site, mainly in Portugese (for the benefit of Brazilian pilgrims), has a few pages in English.
Not strictly an association, but a nice site, promoting the Esprit du Chemin refuge opposite the Accueil St Jacques at St Jean-Pied-de-Port, but including a good deal of reflective material on the experience of the pilgrimage as well.
And for pilgrims from Poland ...
A site in Polish.
Santiago de Compostela
A multilingual and dynamic site covering the pilgrimage as well as Santiago itself.
This site has information in English about the pilgrimage, and an extensive collection of links.
This site, mainly devoted to information about and news from the Cathedral and the diocese, includes several useful pages on the camino, in English as well as the other languages of the pilgrimage.
Archicofradía Universal del Apóstol Santiago
The association which takes particular responsibility for the pilgrimage in Santiago itself.
The Pilgrim Office at Santiago
Useful information about your arrival in Santiago, and the facilities available from the pilgrim office.
Up-to-date news from Santiago, in English.
A Spanish-language news service from Santiago.
Galician TV has 7 web-cameras at different locations in Santiago, some of them round, and in, the Cathedral. Watch your friends arrive !
Operated by La Voz de Galicia, located in the Plaza de Quintana, and turning through 360º; with links to similar cameras located around the cathedral.
Spanish language courses offered by the University of Santiago
Now here's an idea! How about combining your pilgrimage with a serious attempt to improve your Spanish?
General information on the city and its surroundings
An on-line booking service for accommodation in Santiago.
Reservations (including flights), information, What's On in Santiago.
The routes to Santiago
The homepage of Eric Walker, a Confraternity member and the author of our guide to the Camino del Norte. It includes some basic information about the pilgrimage, practical advice for those contemplating walking the coastal route, and detailed descriptions of all branches of this less frequented route to Santiago.
A site created by the University of Oviedo, and describing, with pictures, the section of the coastal route that passes through Asturias. Attractive without being very informative about the practicalities.
The site of the Baracelona Association, Associació d'Amics dels Pelegrins a Santiago - Barcelona, has useful information about the routes from Catalonia, as well as pages of more general information. The site is in Catalan and several other languages, including English.
The website of the Madrid Amigos gives a full description, in Spanish, of the route from Madrid via Segovia to Sahagún (where it joins the Camino Francés) - and now includes much else besides (all in Spanish).
The website of the Seville Association, in Spanish and English, with links to several other sites covering the Via de la Plata.
A site maintained by another of our members, Peter Robins, giving details of routes suitable for present-day walkers, and including the routes in Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries. Probably the most up-to-date overview of the development of the pilgrimage routes.
This site links all the sites belonging to the associations concerned with the Arles route. Is has an English version, and in theory includes the IGN maps for the whole route, starting in fact from the Italian border. Worth watching as it develops.
"The part of the Way of Saint James that runs along the foothills of the Pyrenees crosses the department of Ariège from Mirepoix to the Col du Portet d'Aspet in the direction of Saint-Bertand-de-Comminges. About 140 km in length, this section can be done in several stages of 15 to 20 km." This site, in English and French, belongs to the Association "Le Chemin de St Jacques de Compostelle du Piémont Ariège-Pyrénées".
This very well organised site, in English, French and German, gives a detailed overview of the routes crossing Switzerland. For up-to-date information on the development of these routes, visit the website of the www.pilgrimage-switzerland.com or www.jakobsweg.ch of the St James project in Switzerland.
For further information contact:
Volkswirtschaft Berner Oberland
Claire Haltner
Jungfraustr. 38, 3800 InterlakenTel. +41 33 828 37 36, Fax +41 33 828 37 35
E-Mail: admin@jakobsweg.ch
www.jakobsweg.ch
A general view of el Bierzo, this site includes a description of the pilgrim route from the Cruz de Ferro to the Valcarce valley.
A fully-illustrated site devoted to the village of O Cebreiro, and including the biography of Don Elias Valiña Sampedro, the parish priest who did so much for the modern revival of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrim guides
A detailed guide to the camino francés, with background, practical information, and descriptions of each stage with facilities for pilgrims. In Spanish.
The Federation of Spanish Associations
Strictly this belongs with the Pilgrim Associations, since it's the site of the Federation which unites all the Spanish Amigos del Camino. It describes itself however as a Guía Virtual, and is full of useful information (all in Spanish).
Amigos del Camino
de Santiago de Navarra
Ditto, but the main practical use of this site for non-Spanish speakers is an up to date list of all the refugios on the camino francés. It also has a page of practical information, and a chronology of the principal events in the history of the pilgrimage.
A full and informative site, in Spanish and English, with plenty of practical advice.
Distances for cyclists on the camino francés, an outline map, and a few links.
All in Spanish, this site gives practical information about the Camino Francés and the Camino Aragonés, including lists of available accommodation.
Useful general information - distances, refugios etc - about many of the routes to Santiago.
Part of the Xacobeo 99 site, these pages give a summary description (in English, and with strip-maps) of the cyclists' route from St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago.
An account of a ride from León in autumn 1999, created by an American cycle shop, which includes some useful practical advice.
Useful practical information for cyclists in France, and an itinerary from le Puy to Pamplona. Part of a larger site devoted to a variety of cycling tours in France.
The website of Jacques Clouteau (author of Il est un beau chemin semé d'épines et d'étoiles) for all you could possibly want to know about walking with a donkey.
http://www.chemindecompostelle.com (in French) has lots of advice.
And for an account in English, try Henry.
A small site offering for sale guides to some of the lesser-known French routes, and a few books.
Chris Sanders of Atlanta, Georgia, runs this comprehensive site offering information and advice on all aspects of the pilgrimage.
A slightly ramshackle page with basic information, and some useful links, especially to books about the pilgrimage.
"My wife and I were interested in walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain with our 16 month old daughter. We scoured the internet for information about people who had walked the trail with children. We found a wealth of information about the Camino but nothing about walking it with children. So we decided to go ahead and plunge into the unknown.
The pages here are based on our experience of walking from Leon to Santiago de Compostela (some 330 kilometres or 205 miles) undertaken in October 2006. We hope that the information here will inspire others to tread the way to Santiago and share the experience with their children."
A commercial site offering equipment etc for pilgrims, but with useful information as well.
A newly-established site (January 2007) covering the routes to Rome as well as those to Santiago, and offering guides and other publications. By the same people who run www.pilgrimriders.com
The Camino in pictures
Centro Virtual Cervantes - a virtual pilgrimage
This large Spanish-language site includes pages on the camino grouped according to the 13 stages of the Codex Calixtinus. The emphasis is on the monuments along the way, and the visitor is invited to make a virtual journey along the camino.
The
Picture Pages of the Camino
This site gives a comprehensive overview of the main routes in Spain, including the Camino Francés, Aragonés, Inglés, Finistere, Primitivo, Portugués, Via de la Plata, Camino del Norte, and the Tunnel route. Each route is covered stage-by-stage in a page with 20-40 pictures. The captions of most pages are in English and Spanish, and often other languages; the Camino Francés pages are translated into 6 European and 3 Far Eastern languages. There is also a growing index of links to other websites classified by what they contain. Also,people can send any of the pictures as electronic postcards to their friends, and they can register their Camino when the reach Santiago.
"This website, of digital photos taken during my pilgrimage in May/June 2003, has been created to enable other pilgrims, especially those I met along the way, to rekindle their memories, as well as to give prospective pilgrims a preview of what they may experience along the Camino."
Another Camino Francés gallery
New Zealander Tony Maxwell's pictures of the Camino Francés, mostly taken in 2003.
The Via de la Plata in pictures
Also by Piers Nicholson, this section of his site covers the stages between Seville and Zamora.
A new site containing a gallery of pictures of the Arles route.
Tuija Lehtonen's picture diary
A thematic diary of the pilgrimage illustrated with photographs: a small, attractive site.
A professional photographer who includes camino photographs in the Features section of his website.
A gallery of attractive water colours from the Camino Francés and some other routes.
Maureen Lauran's Prints and Posters
A collection inspired by the pilgrimage ...
A collection of evocative pictures of the Camino Francés, taken by a professional photographer. He has a YouTube slide show version here.
Gretchen Markle is a visual artist from British Columbia. She has just completed a series of oil paintings called "Parallel Journeys" based on her experience of the Camino Francés.
Fernando Diaz on the Camino Frances
Photographs of each stage of the Camino Francés, with some supporting information about the pilgrimage
The spirituality of pilgrimage
A site, all in French, covering not only the practicalities, but also the spiritual side of the pilgrimage ("Les Chemins de St Jacques: conseils pratiques et éclairages spirituels"), and including a list of places on the le Puy route offering Christian hospitality.
Devotional materials for the Pilgrim
This site offers a) a sequence of Bible readings ("A Closer Walk") covering the whole of the year in which you make your pilgrimage, and b) a shorter version ("Forty Days") suitable for the pilgrimage itself. A Spanish version is also available. The readings are in .pdf format.
Christian pilgrimage in
general
A site giving information on many Christian pilgrimages, including Santiago, maintained by Danny Thomas of Epsom. Includes a particularly interesting set of pages on the "ethos of pilgrimage".
Not strictly Santiago, but well worth a visit if you can't get to Spain this year: a growing network of out-of-the-way places in the UK, which offer space and quiet for the pilgrim.
Getting there and back
From London's Victoria Coach Station, serves both Bayonne (from where there's a regular train service to St Jean Pied-de-Port) and Santiago. Unfortunately, no longer serves Pamplona.
For bookings from London to all destinations
Gives the complete Spanish rail network, expresses and regional, timetables from anywhere to anywhere, fares and you can even book tickets. What's more, it works.
To return slowly along the north coast, take the narrow-guage FEVE railway from Ferrol via Oviedo and Santander to Bilbao.
Gives all the ALSA bus services, and allows you to buy tickets. Works very well and easily for all the long-distance coaches between the major towns. Not so easily for more local services but there is an e-mail facility to deal with precise queries which is answered almost immediately.
All French national rail timetables (including connections via Eurostar), with the facility for buying tickets. (See also the next link.)
The new UK TGV website enables you to book your TGV journey along with your connections across the European rail network, including Eurostar.
Essential for cyclists needing to get their bikes to their starting point, or back from Santiago.
A company offering transport of luggage, equipment hire, bicycle repair, and a number of other practical services to pilgrims. For the moment, their services operate between St Jean-Pied-de-Port and Viana, though they say that they will eventually extend as far as Santiago. The site is in English, Spanish and French.
This company offers transport of rucksacks, bicycles etc from Viana to Castrojeriz (possibly beyond, but their website is ambiguous).
Ryanair offer flights from London to Biarritz and Rodez for those looking at starting points in France; and to Santander, Bilbao, Valladolid, Seville, and Santiago de Compostela itself in Spain. In summer 2006 they added a 3-times-a-week service from Liverpool to Santiago.
Easyjet fly to Toulouse, Biarritz, Santander Bilbao, Asturias Oviedo, and Madrid.
Flybe currently serve Bergerac, Toulouse and Perpignan from Birmingham; Bordeaux, Bergerac, Toulouse and Perpignan from Southampton; and Bordeaux, Bergerac and Toulouse from Bristol.
A low-cost Spanish airline which flies from Santiago to Paris, and could be useful for pilgrims from the USA and Australia with flights to/from Paris.
Useful information about Santiago Airport.
AirNinja.com helps you find cheap flights from anywhere in the world to the destination of your choice.
And if you want to make your flight carbon-neutral ...
These cheap flights, convenient though they are, generate enormous quantities of greenhouse gasses: a return flight from the UK to Spain generates nearly half a tonne of CO2. Planting one tree will make your flight carbon-neutral. Follow this link to give £5 per tree to the charity Trees for Cities, who will plant your tree for you. A small price to pay for a slightly clearer conscience, we reckon. (We are confident, by the way, that Trees for Cities will actually plant new trees for you, which is crucial if you really want to make a difference. We are aware of apparently similar offers, where your money just goes towards buying the carbon-rights in existing trees.)
And the road to Rome
Though it's not officially our patch, we are aware of a growing interest in the pilgrimage to Rome, following the Via Francigena. Here are a few links to get you started:
The Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome
Founded late in 2006, our fellow Confraternity now has its own website: http://www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk.
Contact them at info*pilgrimstorome.org.uk; and to join, e-mail: membership*pilgrimstorome.org.uk [To reduce the risk of spam, we're removing direct e-mail links from this site. To use these addresses, copy them into your normal e-mail program, but replace the '*' with the conventional '@', before sending your message.]
Associazione Alpinistica Giovane Montagna
Under the Activita of this Association, you'll find an account of their contribution to the development of the Via Francigena.
The website of the Association Via Francigena: information about the route and the activities of the Association, in English and French. E-mail Adelaide Trezzini for more information: info*francigena-international.org [To reduce the risk of spam, we're removing direct e-mail links from this site. To use this address, copy it into your normal e-mail program, but replace the '*' with the conventional '@', before sending your message.]
A new association, devoted to developing pilgrim routes throughout Europe; their first project is the development of the Via Francigena.
Publish guides and other material on the Via Francigena.
