The Camino de Santiago without making any effort
Do you want to get to Santiago de Compostela without many difficulties? To live the experience of travelling to Santiago without much effort? Do the Camino de Santiago the lazy way? There are many ways to make your pilgrimage to Santiago.
In Santiago Ways, we are a specialized travel agency in the Camino and we would tell you that doing the Camino de Santiago the easy way also exists. In principle, the pilgrim route may seem like an adventure only for sports lovers or people willing to sacrifice themselves in the name of religion. But nothing is farther from the truth!
You can complete the Camino with a lot or with little effort. There are countless ways to make your pilgrimage. You can even get the famous Compostela, making the minimum effort necessary.
If you are interested in doing the Camino de Santiago from Sarria with all the comforts and without having to make a great sacrifice, tell us a little more about yourself, with whom you want to make a pilgrimage, and we will contact you so that your trip is totally tailored to your needs.
How to do the Camino de Santiago the lazy way
Now we will explain all the secrets to get to Santiago in minimum effort mode. Take note and encourage yourself to do the Camino de Santiago!
The shortest and easiest Camino de Santiago
If your goal is to obtain the Compostela (or erroneously, also called, “Compostela”), no one saves you from travelling 100 km to Santiago. It is the requirement that the pilgrim’s Office places to give you the certificate.
At this point there are no exceptions, you will have to show your pilgrim accreditation with the first seal a minimum of 100 kilometres from Santiago de Compostela. Obviously, you can cheat, but those secrets we keep for the end of the article.
Before we’ll give you some tricks to get to Santiago without effort, but legal ones. At the end of the day, if you’re a little lazy, it doesn’t mean you like cheating.
Next, we tell you which are the shorter and easier routes on the Camino de Santiago. We also explain where to go to travel the minimum kilometres to get the Compostela.
Last stage on the Camino Frances
The last stage on the Camino Frances is one of the shortest and easiest ways to Santiago, and the most common starting point on the Camino Frances is Sarria. From here, there are 114,2 kilometres to Compostela.
But if you don’t want to walk another kilometre, you can shorten the first stage from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, starting to walk from Ferreiros. You’ll walk 101.1 kilometres to Santiago de Compostela, the minimum needed to get the Compostela.
If you want to know more about this route, do not forget to consult our article on the Camino from Sarria. We will explain how each of the stages are.
Last stage on the Camino Portugues
The last stage of the Camino Portugues is also an excellent option. In Portugal, there are two roads, the Camino Portugues (Central) and the coastal route. Both are practically flat. Of the routes to Santiago, they are the easiest.
If you choose the Camino Portugues (Central), you can start the Camino de Santiago from O Porriño. From there is only 101.2 km to Compostela. Check out our guide if you want to know more about the route.
The other option is to follow the Camino Portugues coastal route and start walking from Vigo. The route from there also meets the minimum distance to get the Compostela. A total of 102 kilometres of travel.
In fact, there are not many differences between one path and the other. The only difference is the first stage, then both roads to Santiago share the route. See the description of the Vigo stage in our guide on the Camino de Santiago to choose between one or the other.
Other short route to Santiago de Compostela
Other short routes on the Camino de Santiago, although not so easy, are the Camino Ingles and Via de La Plata. The Camino Ingles is the shortest of all the ways of Santiago. Total 122.3 kilometres to Compostela.
However, you can still reduce the kilometres to the minimum required to get the Compostela. Start the Camino Ingles in Xubia (108,5 km) or in Fene (102.2 km), that’s the trick.
Both are localities located on the first stage of the Camino Ingles. Check out our guide to learn more about the Camino Ingles.
Another option is to follow the Via de la Plata. You can start the Camino de Santiago in Ourense, the distance is 106.9 kilometres to Santiago de Compostela. We won’t talk about the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo because they are rather more difficult routes and require more effort.
Enjoy comforts along the route
To pilgrimage to Santiago, you can make the effort that you want. In addition to making the minimum distance to achieve the Compostela (or “Compostela”), you can pay attention to other aspects of your trip to Santiago so that the road becomes easier.
The above does not mean that the services we will talk about will be for lazy pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. On the contrary, there are many people who use them simply because they want to enjoy more of the Jacobean experience.
Do the Camino de Santiago without a backpack
Si If you want to make a minimum effort during your journey, forget about carrying your backpack. It is an additional weight and will force you to make more effort.
It is common for many pilgrims not to carry their backpack. The reasons, in addition to reducing the effort, are very diverse. Check out this article from our blog on the Camino de Santiago to answer all your doubts about the baggage transfer service on the routes to Santiago.
Sleeping in hotels on the Camino
Pilgrim`s hostels are cheap, but they are not comfortable. In addition, many of them are located on the outskirts of the localities, so you will have to add to your route some extra distance each day.
Sleep in comfort! You can book in hotels, cottages or other lodgings on the Camino de Santiago. You will sleep better and be able to choose your location. So you’ll be sure that you’ll never have to walk too far to find a bed at the end of a stage.
Do your trip completely organized
Without a doubt, planning the Camino, hiring a backpack transport service and to reserving accommodation, is a job. If you don’t want to dedicate your efforts up to this point, the easiest thing is to get in touch with a travel agency that specializes in the Camino and arrange your trip to Santiago for you.
It may sound bad that we say it, but it is our blog. We are the best travel agency on the Camino de Santiago. With many years of experience and hundreds of satisfied pilgrims. See the pilgrim’s opinions who have travelled with us.
So obviously, we recommend that you put yourself in contact with us. We’ll take care of all the details on your trip. Tell us what you want to make the Camino de Santiago without much effort and to make everything as easy and comfortable as possible.
Have a guided trip
If besides getting the Compostela you want to enjoy its historical and cultural heritage, as well as the landscapes, we recommend that you ask your travel agency on the Camino de Santiago to provide you with a guide.
That’ll save you the research work. We also offer a guided tour service on the Camino de Santiago, ask us!
Tricks for the lazy on the Camino de Santiago
What we are going to explain below are some of the pitfalls that pilgrims make. Nobody says it, but everybody knows it.
Do the Camino without training: walk little
To do the average 20 kilometres on the stages along the Camino de Santiago, you will need to prepare yourself physically. However, you don’t necessarily have to walk that distance.
If you have time to make the Camino de Santiago, you can make the stages as short as you want, so you will complete them without effort. Like you want to do just five kilometres a day. In this way, physical training won’t be necessary.
Use transport or assistance
Taking transport is a very common trick. Many pilgrims when faced with a very complicated stage or if they feel very tired, they take a local bus until the end of the stage.
Another option, even easier, is to agree with the travel agency that an assistance car accompanies you. This is a support car that accompanies you during the tour. When you get tired of walking, you simply ask the driver to take you.
In the Pilgrim’s Office, they will not know if you have taken any transportation between the stages. The only thing they review to give you the Compostela is that you have several stamps on your credential and that the first is located at a minimum of 100 km.
The pilgrim’s route by car
The easiest Camino de Santiago is to definitely do it by car. If you are not interested in the Compostela and all you want is to enjoy the cultural richness and the landscapes, it’s another option.
Taking the pilgrim route by car requires very little effort. You can travel on the pilgrim route by private vehicle, both on your own and by hiring a travel agency that offers this service.
We have broken down all your excuses not to make the Camino de Santiago. You can see that there are endless ways to complete the Camino in a comfortable way. Do you dare to come with us?
Buen Camino!
