Camino Guidebooks and Apps
Whether you’re just in the dreaming stage, or you are ready to strap on your backpack, these guidebooks and apps will help you plan your Camino and keep you on target while on the Way.
You don’t strictly need a guidebook or an app to map your away along the Camino. For that, you can simply follow the yellow arrows. But they are very useful for offering practical on-the-ground resources, lodging suggestions and cultural context. This article also includes some advice on the pros and cons of apps versus guidebooks so you can decide which works better for you.
If you haven’t yet fully committed to your route, you may also want to check out our route overview page, which provides high-level information for many Camino routes.
(We strive to provide you with a full range of choice and don’t advocate for any one author or app developer over another)
Should You Take a Guidebook or Use an App on the Camino?
Each media type has its strengths and weaknesses and you can take both, so it’s not a binary choice. They all include some way of tracking stages with mileage and elevation. They have lodging listings and indicate towns with services (such as pharmacies and grocery stores). They also offer official route alternatives.
But here are some pros and cons for each media type.
Camino Guidebooks
- Pros: The guidebooks (both physical and ebooks) do a good job of providing historical and cultural context with advice on worthwhile side trips to museums, churches and ancient sites. Physical books are much easier to read in full daylight than a phone screen and are easily skimmable. But ebooks contain no weight.
- Cons: The guidebooks (both physical and eBooks) recommend stages, which while useful, can create choke points on the trail and may not be right for your pace. Physical books add weight. If you are using an older edition, the lodging information may be out of date. There are some ebooks that aren’t well formatted for the Kindle app. Check the book’s samples and reviews before purchasing.
Camino Apps
- Pros: Most offer real-time (and offline) mapping. They often have more thorough or up-to-date albergue listings. You can use the communication features to Whatsapp, call or email lodgings using an easy link from the app. Some offer the ability to create custom stages. They cost less than a guidebook.
- Cons: The user interface can take some getting used to. They lack cultural, culinary and historic information.
Jump down to Camino guidebook series
Jump down to niche guidebooks
Jump down to Camino apps
Camino de Santiago Guidebook Series for Multiple Routes
All of the following guidebooks have suggested stages, maps, elevation profiles, accommodation and town services info and some cultural and historical context. And these publishers offer guides for multiple routes.
A Pilgrim’s Guide: Various Routes, John Brierley
Most of the guides have recent (2023-2026) editions.
Brierley was the “grandfather” of Camino guidebook authors and he’s been producing guides and maps for many years . . . and for many routes. You can get Brierley guides for the following routes: full Camino Francés, Francés from Sarria, Finisterre/Muxía route, Portugués routes from Lisbon, Sanabrés/Invierno, and the Inglés.
Brierley’s author page on Goodreads.
(We were very sad to hear that Brierly passed away in 2023. But his family business continues and there are recent editions of his books, allowing his legacy to continue.)
Village to Village Guide: Various Routes, Anita Dintaman, and David Landis or Matthew Harms
Most of the guides have recent (2023-2025) editions.
Anita Dintaman has co-authored a series of Camino guidebooks, some with her husband David Landis, and others with Matthew Harms. Together they’ve produced guides for the following routes: full Camino Francés, Finisterre/Muxía route, Portugués from Lisbon, del Norte, Primitivo, and the Inglés.
Dintaman’s author profile on Goodreads.
Wise Pilgrim: Various Routes, Michael Matynka Iglesias
Most of the guides have recent 2024-2025 editions.
Iglesias resides in Spain and has produced a series of guidebooks and apps (more on the apps below). These books are slimmer than the above guides. They cover less prep and culture info, cutting to the chase with practical on-the-ground information.
Iglesias sells physical copies from his own website and ebooks from various sources, including the Camino community and Amazon. He’s produced guides for the following routes: Camino Francés, Portugués from Lisbon, Via de la Plata (+Sanabrés), and the Primitivo.
Iglesias’ author profile on Goodreads.
Cicerone Guides, Various Authors
Most of the guides have 2022-25 editions.
Cicerone has produced a number of guides for global pilgrimage routes. The guides offer practical advice, routing, cultural context and “don’t miss” experiences. They’ve partnered with various authors to cover the following routes:
- Spain: Camino Francés (cycling and hiking), del Norte, Primitivo, Via de la Plata (cycling and hiking), Portguese, Inglés and the Ruta del Mar
- Italy: Via Francigena, Way of St Francis, Cammino Materano
- Japan: Kumano Kodo
- UK: Fife Pilgrim Way, Canterbury to London, St. Cuthbert’s, St. Oswald’s,
- France: Via Podiensis,
- US: California Missions Trail
Cicerone Guides on Goodreads.
Miam Miam Dodo Guides, Various Authors
2025 editions.
Miam Miam Dodo offers a series of guides for the official Camino routes in France. These include the Arles/Aragonés (or GR653) route and the Via Podiensis from Le Puy (or GR65). The guides are written in French, but they use a series of easy to follow symbols for routing and services which an English speaker can easily follow.
Miam Miam Dodo on Goodreads.
Niche Guidebooks for Specific Routes
Beyond the guidebook series, there are many one-off books that have been published to help you plan and execute your Camino. The following are listed (roughly) in publication order, for books published or updated in the past 5 years.
Moon Camino de Santiago: Sacred Sites, Historic Villages, Local Food & Wine, Beebe Bahrami
2026 edition
Bahrami is also the author of The Way of the Wild Goose, which is featured on our Camino memoirs page. The Moon Guide covers the Camino Francés through to Finisterre and Muxía. In addition to the usual stages, lodging and mapping info, Bahrami pays particular attention to food and culture.
Bahrami’s author profile on Goodreads.
Practical Pilgrimage: Useful Rules for Walking the Camino de Santiago, Thom Ryng
2025 edition
Through anecdotes and photos, veteran Camino pilgrim Thom Ryng lays out his twelve rules for a successful Camino.
From the Introduction: These rules are hard-won through experience. The emphasis here is mostly on the practical-these will not necessarily ensure a more spiritual or fruitful pilgrimage, but perhaps a less needlessly difficult one. … These are my rules for a successful Camino. You may very well decide that these rules aren’t for you. Fair enough. Everybody is different, and everybody-as they say-walks their own Camino.
I’m just trying to give you the benefit of the mistakes I’ve made so that when you make mistakes, they are new and different mistakes.
Having said that, Rule 4 applies to everybody. Obey Rule 4.
Buen Camino! Tips From a WINTER Pilgrim, Anne Born
2021 Edition
Based on an unconventional Advent Camino (2021), “Tips from a WINTER Pilgrim” will help you plan: what to pack, what not to pack, how to stay warm both indoors and out, and ultimately, how to make the Camino your own in the face of the challenges of the colder season. It’s a new Tumbleweed Pilgrim guide, written by a veteran winter pilgrim, with over two dozen chapters full of ideas for you as you plan your own winter walk. If you are looking for solitude and a chance to use your people skills, just imagine the Camino de Santiago during the winter – but plan to do it safely.
Buen Camino! Tips from an American Pilgrim, Anne Born
Updated 2025 edition
Camino de Santiago preparation essentials and the perfect companion to your walk! Not a guide book, no maps, not a step-by-step, no long-winded history – just lots of fun little stories and helpful tips from an American pilgrim. Ideal for first-time pilgrims and anyone interested in traveling on The Way of Saint James. How to plan, where to stay, how to pack, what not to miss, and how to have a Buen Camino from the #littleoldladywalking! A great gift for your family so they can feel like they are on a pilgrimage with you.
Find Anne at Tumbleweedpilgrim.com
The Camino de Santiago: 150 Questions and a Puzzle to Solve, Héctor Oliva
2022 edition
This extensive FAQ was originally published in Spanish during the Jacobean Year in 2021. It’s now available in English and ready to become a useful tool for pilgrims all around the world – before, during and after their Camino. This book is full of history, culture, religion, practical tips, and amazing facts.
Oliva’s author profile on Goodreads.
Camino Catalan. The Tranquil Route towards Santiago de Compostela, Callum Christie
2021 edition
The Camino de Santiago trails and routes in this Camino Catalan guide are amongst the quietest and most attractive of any to be found in Spain. They afford the traveler time to reflect while enjoying the surrounding countryside and the friendly folk who inhabit it. The guide covers over 1,600km of detailed notes for six interconnected routes, with color maps, albergue/hotel information, and historical notes of interest.
Christie’s author profile on Goodreads.
Camino Quick Guide: Walking the Way of Saint James, Juan Martin Garcia
2025 edition
To walk the Camino is a crazy but rewarding adventure. To do the Camino is to walk, nothing more. Walking is not running or climbing, but neither is it strolling at the mall. A book for readers who are considering it, this book will be a help in making informed decisions and planning it well. (Also available in Spanish).
Garcia’s author profile on Goodreads.
You can also check out the book reviews in our La Concha magazine for more suggestions.
Camino de Santiago Apps & Websites (Multiple Routes)
Wise Pilgrim App
In addition to Michael Matynka Iglesias’ guidebooks (noted above), he’s also developed a series of apps for the Camino. Wise Pilgrim includes towns (with services), updated listings for a variety of lodging (with contact info), offline mapping, stage mapping, alternative routing options and an elevation profile.
He offers a lite version that covers all routes (this is useful if you are researching routes). He then has individual apps for a small fee, which include the following routes: Camino Francés, Finisterre/Muxía, Portugués (all variants), del Norte, Primitivo, Via de la Plata, Invierno, Inglés, Olvidado and the Via Podiensis (Le Puy).
Each version has a similar logo to the above, but they are different colors.
Iglesias has also created the Wise Pilgrim Camino Planner in partnership with the Camino Community. It’s an interactive stage planner. You can choose stages according to your preferred distances and get maps and lodging recommendations.
Buen Camino App
This app is also sometimes called the “Guide of the Way of St. James”, so be sure to note the app logo above and download the correct one.
This app is free and it includes basic features like towns, distances, real-time mapping (and offline use), lodging information and contact info, and a stage planner.
You can download the following routes into the app: Francés, Baztan, del Norte, Primitivo, Aragonés, Inglés, San Salvador, Via de la Plata, Olvidado and the Portugués.
Gronze.com and the Gronze Map App
Gronze is a website offering suggested stages, distances, elevation profiles, lodging and services information. The content is in Spanish, but easily translated in your browser. Although be careful of translated placenames as the translators don’t always get that right.
They have guides for ALL of the Spanish routes, major and minor. And also for many of the routes originating in France, Germany and Italy.
They also have an app that show route overviews, but the website has far more information.
Camino Ninja
This app is free and it includes distances and elevations between stages that you can select, lists the services available in towns, has information on lodgings/albergues with contact info, and a map (but not for offline use).
The app offers information on the following routes: Camino Francés, Portguese (Central and Coastal), Finesterre/Muxía, San Salvador, Via de la Plata, Sanabrés, Inglés, Caminho Nascente e Poente, San Salvador, Primitivo, del Norte, Podiensis (Le Puy), Via Gebennensis (Geneva), Mosel (Koblenz), Trier (Le Puy).
Other Useful Apps & Sites
Godesalco.com
Godesalco.com is also a great Spanish-language stage planning tool. It doesn’t offer info on lodging and services. But if you are a planner, you can play around with it in advance and roughly map out your stages.
Be mindful that the browser translators sometime don’t get it right regarding translated place names.
Alert Cops
The AlertCops app is a citizen security alert service used by the Spanish police. If you install and activate it, and then find yourself injured or in need of police help, the app will help them find you.
GPX Mapping Apps
Organic maps, Wikilocs, Topo GPS, Maps.me and AllTrails all offer GPS mapping services (with offline options).
Camino Love
This app is free but requires a log-in. It includes general information on more than 300 Camino pilgrimage routes and as such is designed as much for planning and discovery as it is for on-the-ground logistics. You can create tailored stages, find accommodation (and book from the app).
Xunta de Galicia: Way of St. James in Galicia
This app was developed by the Galician government to support pilgrims on the multitude of routes that pass into Galicia. It includes the “official” routing (with map), albergues, tourism resources, weather and info on health centers. Routes include the Galician portions of: Camino Francés, Finesterre/Muxía route, Portugués (including the Spiritual route), del Norte, Primitivo, Via de la Plata, Invierno, and the Inglés.
Staying Connected
The WhatsApp app is a very popular calling and messaging app used internationally. This can be used on either a cellular plan or wifi and you can use it to make accommodation reservations and to stay in touch with your new pilgrim friends or family back home.
You can also “call” home without international fees by using apps like Facebook Messenger, Facetime, Google Meet or Zoom.
Many bars, hotels and even albergues offer free wifi. Check with your cellular service provider about options you have when traveling.
Some carriers, like T-Mobile, include international data and others offer a plan that you can add to your phone. If your phone is unlocked (ie: paid off), you can also purchase an eSIM in advance or a local SIM card at the airport or in major cities.
Prepare for Your Camino
Be prepared and request your pilgrim credential from us before you depart.
- More advice for planning your Camino— an FAQ with first-timer tips.
- Guidance for what to expect once you’re on the Camino, with tips for lodging, food, how to plan your stages and other practical considerations.
- A complete pilgrim packing list.
- Info on cycling the Camino.
- Get inspired by reading books or watching movies about the Camino.
- Join a local chapter to participate in training hikes and engage with like-minded pilgrims.
- Join our Facebook group and get all of your questions answered.
Rev 11/1/25