Camino Frances calls more strongly than the other caminos

[JustJack]

In 2023 I walked the CF from SLPDP. In 2024 I walked the Vía de la Plata from Seville. For 2025 I was/am going to walk the next logical option - the Camino Portuguese. Seeing something different by starting in Portugal seemed like an obvious choice after two long caminos in Spain. So recently I’ve been consuming copious amounts of CP content online. And for whatever reason I’m just not feeling the pull towards the CP, and have surprisingly been thinking of returning to the CF for a second time. I’m not sure what it is, I think maybe I have the perception that the CP won’t feel as much like a camino, compared to the CF. Certainly the VDLP didn’t feel as camino-y as the CF (which I expected going in and didn’t mind). But I kinda miss that communal pilgrim feeling you get on the CF.

Anyone else find themselves returning to the CF after walking other caminos? I disliked the crowds the first time so not sure why I wouldn’t mind them the second time, except perhaps that I’ll be expecting it and I’m also used to it.

 

[trecile]

How about the Camino del Norte or Primitivo?

 

[JustJack]

How about the Camino del Norte or Primitivo?

Perhaps it’s inherent laziness, or perhaps it’s because I live in the mountains. But caminos that are constantly up and down don’t excite me as much. I don’t mind some up and down. And the occasional big up and down, such as you get on the CF. But up and down all day doesn’t excite me. The long windy roads across the meseta are what really grab my imagination. And the coastal views just don’t grab me as much as views of old villages and cathedrals. Perhaps it’s because I live on the coast.
That said, I have a framed map hanging on my wall that shows all the camino routes in Spain, and I’d love to walk each one. There’s a chance I’ll walk the CF again next year and afterwards say never again. After the blissful solitude of the VDLP it’s going to be jarring to walk the CF.
But something I missed while walking the VDLP is all the villages being so close together, like they are on the CF. The notion of “second breakfast” just doesn’t exist on the quieter routes. Often there wasn’t even a first breakfast stop. And there are so many iconic things to see along the CF. And such a variety of scenery as you walk west. That route really seems to have everything. And there’s something uniquely special about that particular route. Hence the crowds.

 

[trecile]

If you decide on the Francés again, I recommend starting on the Camino Aragonés. It's about a week's walking from Somport to where you join the Francés at Puente la Reina.

Camino Aragonés | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés por Aragón o Camino Aragonés enlaza el puerto de Somport en la frontera hispano-francesa con la localidad navarra de Puente la Reina, donde se une al Camino Francés procedente de Roncesvalles. El Camino Francés por Aragón debe su origen al Camino de Arles (Vía Tolosana), una de...

www.gronze.com

 

[Robo]

A very personal choice of course.

Having walked the CF 2 and a bit times, it does have a strong 'pull' and is somewhat unique and special I think.

Last year I walked VdlP, Invierno and Fisterra/Muxia.

I loved those routes (all 3) and I think I'm 'sold' on remoter routes from now on.

I did get 3 days on the Frances crossing between routes. I was worried about crowds and at first it seemed 'crazy' busy. I saw more people at 6:30 am leaving Astorga than a whole month on the VdlP!
But...........I loved being on the CF again.

I don't think I would want to walk the whole route again though. There are too many other routes to try. And the 'busyness' of the CF was a great vibe for a few days, but not sure I'd enjoy 40 days of it.

I suppose it's a balancing act between the Social aspects and Solitude?
And in that, we probably all seek different things.

The VdlP was perfect for me in that regard.
A few people to make friends with, but lots of solitude.

I'm certainly looking at other more remote routes now. Le Puy, Mozarabe......
But none so far have felt as 'intense' from a Camino perspective as the Frances.
Or camino-y to use your term.

I'm not sure it's all down to the route though.
Perhaps it's more of a mindset thing?
The VdlP felt very "camino-y" for the first week, but them kind of morphed into an enjoyable long 'hike'.
The Invierno was quite intense.
Maybe for me, 'solitude' is a factor.

But there again as soon as I stepped onto the Frances again, wow!
I could feel the energy.........

Who knows?

Maybe you need to try to think of the things that make a Camino so special for you.
Maybe even make a list and share it. See what routes others might suggest?

Just don't have too many expectations. I try not to have any really.
Could be a 'buzz kill' if the route isn't what you hoped for.

PS.
The Portuguese doesn't call to me either.
Not sure why.
It seems wrong to disregard a route sight unseen.
But I only have a finite time on earth and only so many Caminos left in me, and there are other routes with a stronger call.

 

[efdoucette]

I walked the Camino Frances in 2011. Life enhancing. I walked it again last month, but only from SJPdP to Burgos, and I walked with an old friend. It was indeed different, many more pilgrims. I was a bit apprehensive, knowing that it has become more popular. What I didn't expect was how much I enjoyed the additional numbers. With more people come more interactions, for me, just more fun. And, you can still find your seclusion when you want.
I've walked many Camino trails over the years, and all have their charm. But there is nothing like the Camino Frances, in my opinion, of course.

 

[Robo]

I walked the Camino Frances in 2011. Life enhancing. I walked it again last month, but only from SJPdP to Burgos, and I walked with an old friend. It was indeed different, many more pilgrims. I was a bit apprehensive, knowing that it has become more popular. What I didn't expect was how much I enjoyed the additional numbers. With more people come more interactions, for me, just more fun. And, you can still find your seclusion when you want.
I've walked many Camino trails over the years, and all have their charm. But there is nothing like the Camino Frances, in my opinion, of course.

I tend to agree.
Though I recall one breakfast on the VdlP where I think 12 Pilgrims were in the local cafe getting breakfast.
It just felt noisy and intrusive!
Because for the rest of the time it was generally just the locals and me....or 1 or 2 other Pilgrims.

A couple of weeks later I was having a breakfast on the Frances and there must have been 50-60 Pilgrims having breakfast!

But it was a good vibe!

Go figure.........

 

[efdoucette]

I tend to agree.
Though I recall one breakfast on the VdlP where I think 12 Pilgrims were in the local cafe getting breakfast.
It just felt noisy and intrusive!
Because for the rest of the time it was generally just the locals and me....or 1 or 2 other Pilgrims.

A couple of weeks later I was having a breakfast on the Frances and there must have been 50-60 Pilgrims having breakfast!

But it was a good vibe!

Go figure.........

I wonder if we just enjoy seeing all these first timers? Knowing how much we enjoyed our first CF, and knowing what they are in for, in a good way. A bit of a club isn't it?

 

[Sirage]

I'm certainly looking at other more remote routes now. Le Puy, Mozarabe.

Robo - as one aussie to another, I have difficulty with calling Le Puy remote, let alone more remote - it is the most popular route in France and connects seamlessly with the Frances.

Sometimes the understanding of routes can get confused between remoteness with number of peoples walking. The Mozarabe might be remote but appears to be getting quite popular.

For both remote and with few pilgrims I can accept the Camino starting in Xabia, for example, meets those criteria.

 

[Juspassinthru]

If you decide on the Francés again, I recommend starting on the Camino Aragonés. It's about a week's walking from Somport to where you join the Francés at Puente la Reina.

Camino Aragonés | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés por Aragón o Camino Aragonés enlaza el puerto de Somport en la frontera hispano-francesa con la localidad navarra de Puente la Reina, donde se une al Camino Francés procedente de Roncesvalles. El Camino Francés por Aragón debe su origen al Camino de Arles (Vía Tolosana), una de...

www.gronze.com

Highly agree with @trecile with a bit of prejudice as I too did this route earlier this year. Down hill from Somport. Flats with some hills along the river and you join the CF In Puente La Reina to feed your Francés needs.

None of my Camino’s have been the same and it’s not the route, it’s me that’s different. As Hereclitus said:

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

Go walk my friend.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I think maybe I have the perception that the CP won’t feel as much like a camino, compared to the CF. Certainly the VDLP didn’t feel as camino-y as the CF (which I expected going in and didn’t mind). But I kinda miss that communal pilgrim feeling you get on the CF.

The Português has become increasingly CF-like in recent years, particularly from Porto northwards.

The Faro > Lisbon > [Fátima] > Porto sections do have fewer pilgrims, though as you get closer to Porto the numbers did seem to increase when I was there.

There's no lack of community from Porto onwards, whether on the Central or the Coastal or so on. Only the more easterly and southerly Portuguese Camino routes can be more solitary.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@JustJack, There are so many great responses and reasons listed by others already, although I got bogged down reading, so have only read about half of them.
My opinion is that no other Camino route really replicates the Frances, so you may set yourself up for disappointment no matter which one you choose since your memories of walking it are so special, and the Frances IS special.
One thing that stood out to me was when you said this... "But up and down all day doesn't excite me. The long windy roads across the plateau are what really grab my imagination." I can give you the recommendation of considering the Madrid Way, as once past Segovia it irons out like the Meseta. Otoh, there are definitely no crowds, but your imagination can definitely be at work. I loved the Madrid way.

 

[roving_rufus]

What about mixing things up - and starting on a less travelled route and then joining the CF, meaning getting something familiar but also new. So like the Via Bayona/Vasco to Burgos to join the CF which i've done which has one great climb through San Adrian tunnel but also has plains- but there are other options such as the Madrid which camino Chrissy suggested above.

 

[Anhalter]

Walked my first CF in 2019, wantet to do the Portoguese in 2020, but then came Covid. No time in 2021. After much internal debating, i went to the CF again in 2022. My main concern was that i would be trying to recreate the experience from the first time, and i knew that would not be possible. So for the first few days i tried trying new stuff, eating and staying at other places, walking different sections. After a few days i stopped trying to enforce a different experience. I just went with the flow. Was a wonderful time and i absolutely do not regret doing the same camino twice in a row.
2024 i walked the Primitivo. Weather was bad, but still, thats a super beautiful camino to walk. Also a great time with the people. But it did not feel as camino-y as the CF. Not exactly sure why. Guess even when its older there has not been that much pilgrim traffic over the centuries compared to the CF.
So anyways, my next camino will most likely be the CF for a third time. When i find the time for that. While others look interesting, and i might do them one time in the future, they don't call to me as much as the Frances.

 

[woody66]

Hi Justjack!
This is only how i feel; you and i may want different outcomes from Camino.

The Portuguese Coastal and Espiritual Variant was my first Camino! I was excited to go all was new to me and an adventure! The subsequent walks have again given me that feeling!
Not knowing is the excitement it adds to the fear a little; but that's part of the experience!

I want to try the unknown and unexpected not the familiar i have that everyday!!!.
I don't want to walk the same Camino again.

This bit is by JRR Tolkien slightly naff but i love it i always have perhaps it's the mystery beyond
“Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."

I start the Camino de Costa Rica with my adult kids January next year; this one will push me beyond anything i have ever done! But it's new and the unknown if i finish it ;the adventure will be food for my soul. (i think i have one somewhere)
Buen Camino
Woody

 

[peregrino_tom]

What about mixing things up - and starting on a less travelled route and then joining the CF, meaning getting something familiar but also new. So like the Via Bayona/Vasco to Burgos to join the CF which i've done which has one great climb through San Adrian tunnel but also has plains- but there are other options such as the Madrid which camino Chrissy suggested above.

I recommend this too. If you do Aragones first you do almost whole CF as well, if the Vasco (which is awesome IMO) then about 2/3rds CF as well. If Madrid then add about 1/3rd CF. Walking the Madrid in mid/late October the contrast with the CF (which I joined at Bercianos) was amazing - I was so happy to be amongst people again, I think my constantly beaming smile freaked out a few people tho'.
Vad/Lebaniego is another one - from the north coast over the cantab mountains (with quite a lot of road walking) eventually to Leon with then 1/3 CF to go.
Also agree with Jabba that CP from Porto has much of the spirit of the CF now - so many newbies discovering the wonder of the camino for the first time, and some really nice and helpful hospis. It's not quite the same, with less of a visible tangible history, and more commercial, but definitely shares some of the CF vibe, even in February, which was last time I was there.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I can give you the recommendation of considering the Madrid Way, as once past Segovia it irons out like the Meseta. Otoh, there are definitely no crowds, but your imagination can definitely be at work. I loved the Madrid way.

I walked southbound from Sahagún to Medina de Rioseco on the Madrid Way over just less than a week, then southbound from Zamora on the VDLP for one day, plus the morning before and the morning after.

I encountered 4 or 5 times as many pilgrims on the VDLP in those 48 hours than in a week or so on the Madrid.

I think that it is unreasonable to suggest that the OP should follow some more scarcely populated routes as a means to enjoy a more Community-centric Camino.

 

[J Willhaus]

I agree with you. I have no pull to walk the Portuguese.

 

[alexwalker]

I agree with you. I have no pull to walk the Portuguese.

After my 2 first CF I thought I should try different routes, so I did VdlP (great!) Mosarabe, and CP.

Nothing pulls me in like the CF, though: I have given up, and accepted it. So next year, I am thinking about another CF (7th....). The Meseta is (also) calling strongly...

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

If long Caminos are the personal draw, why not consider the Via Francigena? It covers 4 countries.

 

[Elvis2]

In 2023 I walked the CF from SLPDP. In 2024 I walked the Vía de la Plata from Seville. For 2025 I was/am going to walk the next logical option - the Camino Portuguese. Seeing something different by starting in Portugal seemed like an obvious choice after two long caminos in Spain. So recently I’ve been consuming copious amounts of CP content online. And for whatever reason I’m just not feeling the pull towards the CP, and have surprisingly been thinking of returning to the CF for a second time. I’m not sure what it is, I think maybe I have the perception that the CP won’t feel as much like a camino, compared to the CF. Certainly the VDLP didn’t feel as camino-y as the CF (which I expected going in and didn’t mind). But I kinda miss that communal pilgrim feeling you get on the CF.

Anyone else find themselves returning to the CF after walking other caminos? I disliked the crowds the first time so not sure why I wouldn’t mind them the second time, except perhaps that I’ll be expecting it and I’m also used to it.

I have done The Frances, Primitivo, a second Frances, The Portuguese. The people I walked with on the other routes ALL agreed The Frances was the their favorite. The few Caminos I have walked;I would only do The Frances again.

 

[Trekker One]

The Camino Frances is certainly the best known route for sure and probably a good first Camino due to it's overall availability of everything, but I wouldn't really say it has any real 'magical' pull over alternative routes. You literally couldn't force me to walk from Sarria to Santiago again, although the rest of the Frances route is fine.
Personally I enjoyed the Primitivo route far more than the Camino Frances and any future Caminos I do the priority will be routes that have lower overall numbers of people on them.
I am not a crowd person and the best days walking have always been when I more of less have the trail to myself for my own personal reflection.
Living in Alberta I am hours away from some of the best hiking in the world. I am did alot mountain hiking this year and found it was more to my liking than Caminos due the spectacular scenery and relative lack of people.

 

[trecile]

I have done The Frances, Primitivo, a second Frances, The Portuguese. The people I walked with on the other routes ALL agreed The Frances was the their favorite. The few Caminos I have walked;I would only do The Frances again.

But you haven't tried the Norte yet!

 

[Elvis2]

But you haven't tried the Norte yet!

This is true. I need to research this route.
My initial limited knowledge as informed by other pilgrims is that it has limited infrastructure. That it has more ascents and descents. This I can train for. Feel free to educate and inform me on the infrastructure and the uphill challenges.

 

[Bart Johnson]

In 2023 I walked the CF from SLPDP. In 2024 I walked the Vía de la Plata from Seville. For 2025 I was/am going to walk the next logical option - the Camino Portuguese. Seeing something different by starting in Portugal seemed like an obvious choice after two long caminos in Spain. So recently I’ve been consuming copious amounts of CP content online. And for whatever reason I’m just not feeling the pull towards the CP, and have surprisingly been thinking of returning to the CF for a second time. I’m not sure what it is, I think maybe I have the perception that the CP won’t feel as much like a camino, compared to the CF. Certainly the VDLP didn’t feel as camino-y as the CF (which I expected going in and didn’t mind). But I kinda miss that communal pilgrim feeling you get on the CF.

Anyone else find themselves returning to the CF after walking other caminos? I disliked the crowds the first time so not sure why I wouldn’t mind them the second time, except perhaps that I’ll be expecting it and I’m also used to it.

I would also look at the Norte.

 

[JustJack]

Hi Justjack!
This is only how i feel; you and i may want different outcomes from Camino.

The Portuguese Coastal and Espiritual Variant was my first Camino! I was excited to go all was new to me and an adventure! The subsequent walks have again given me that feeling!
Not knowing is the excitement it adds to the fear a little; but that's part of the experience!

I want to try the unknown and unexpected not the familiar i have that everyday!!!.
I don't want to walk the same Camino again.

This bit is by JRR Tolkien slightly naff but i love it i always have perhaps it's the mystery beyond
“Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."

I start the Camino de Costa Rica with my adult kids January next year; this one will push me beyond anything i have ever done! But it's new and the unknown if i finish it ;the adventure will be food for my soul. (i think i have one somewhere)
Buen Camino
Woody

I don't disagree with you. And it's that desire to see new things that has me conflicted about going back to the CF. But that said, I feel like I just scratched the surface of the CF, having only walked it one time. Going back as a more experienced pilgrim might be interesting, and I'll be able to focus more on my surroundings and being present in the moment. The first time I was busy figuring out how to live day-to-day on the camino. I know there are plenty of things I missed along the way that I can visit this time. And again, the meseta... I don't know what it is about walking through that area, but it's magic. I walked through many km of similar landscape on the VDLP, but for some reason it didn't seem quite as striking as the meseta. I could go back and just walk the Burgos to Leon stretch over and over, particularly in the spring.