Camino de Santiago with children

The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is also an opportunity to get to know places and cultures, as well as to share with other people. For this reason, the number of families who are interested in taking this route is increasing every day. Below are some aspects to consider when making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Camino de Santiago with children.

Tips for walking the Camino de Santiago with children

Making the Camino de Santiago with children is not an easy thing to do, since, if it is not well planned, it can become quite a complicated adventure. The main thing is to bear in mind the following series of useful tips to make the pilgrimage an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Minimum age of children

Although no minimum age has been set for a person to be able to a child can walk the Camino de Santiago, Specialists recommend that children should be over 3 years of age, as from this age they begin to be more aware of the meaning of the pilgrimage and can also enjoy the journey more.

For children under 6 years of age, it is advisable to use a children's mountain buggy if they are sleepy or tired. Ideally, they should be over 7 years old so that they are more agile when completing the stages.

Follow the French Way

The most popular route for families and the one with the largest number of hostels. is the French Way. A suitable plan is to walk only the last 100 kilometres of the aforementioned route. The route from the town of Sarria to Santiago de Compostela is a lot of fun for children and is less extensive.

However, each of the other routes of the Camino de Santiago has its own characteristics and the number of stages is also different. For this reason, there are families who decide to walk any of the other routes.

Time of travel

The best time of the year to do the Camino de Santiago with children is in spring or autumn, because the weather conditions are not as extreme. Similarly, early or late summer is also a good time to make the pilgrimage.

It is recommended that the route and sections be planned according to the season chosen. This is because the weather may vary from one area to another.

Distance of the stages

When planning to do the Camino de Santiago with children, the distance of each stage should be no more than 15 or 20 kilometres. If your age is between 7 and 12 years, shorter stages should be considered in the first days of the tour. Families who are used to exercising and doing sport can increase this mileage.

The recommendation is to walk for 3 to 4 hours a day. It is advisable to take breaks of at least 5 minutes for every hour of walking and to eat foods rich in energy, such as cereal bars, juices, fresh fruit or nuts.

Walking in the morning

If you do the pilgrimage to Santiago with children From 7 to 12 years old, it is advisable to start walking in the morning to avoid the intense heat of the hottest hours of the day. Walking can be stopped at lunchtime and the afternoons can be left free for the whole family to rest.

Choosing the right footwear

The whole family should wear footwear suitable for walking the Camino de Santiago and thus prevent painful and uncomfortable situations, such as chafing and blisters on the feet.

It is advisable to purchase shoes well in advance of the pilgrimage and to test them sufficiently. In particular, children should have adapted to the shoes before setting out on this adventure.

It is also advisable for each member of the family to carry his or her own backpack and to do so, it should be checked beforehand whether the child is able to carry that weight.

Advance preparation

To arouse children's curiosity about the journey to Santiago and motivate them, an excellent idea is to start making preparations for the trip and get them interested in it several months in advance. Maps, books and more detailed information can be found on the Internet.

It is important to prepare physically before the trip, both for children and adults. If you do not usually do physical activities, it is advisable to take short walks a few months before the start of the trip and gradually increase the duration and over different types of terrain.

In this way, the children will be prepared and you will be able to evaluate how much endurance they have. In the case of children who cannot endure a walk for more than 15 minutes continuously, it will be difficult for them to perform each of the stages with agility.

Entertainment on the road

At the end of each stage, in the locality where you are, you can find various entertainment possibilities, from visits to small museums or monuments, to going to river beaches to enjoy a swim or various water activities such as a canoe trip.

Also, for example, in Palas de Rei, you can go to the Granxa Arqueixal where families will have the opportunity to carry out educational and agrotourism activities with their children.

Use specialised agencies

If time does not allow you to prepare your trip in advance and you are not very knowledgeable about the area, you have the option of choosing one of the organised trips to make the trip. Camino de Santiago with children.

There are a large number of agencies that have programmes to carry out this adventure together with other families. They take care of the organisation of the trip and everything related to accommodation and activities to entertain the children along the route.

Conclusion

As you have seen, making the Camino de Santiago with children, Although it may seem very complicated, it can be done without any problem. You just need to plan well in advance and look for as much information as possible in the right places.

This trip, in addition to allowing the family to exercise, admire nature and see picturesque places, will be very useful in strengthening the bonds between all members of the family group.