As for planning for the Camino de Santiago, the first thing I would like to clarify is that I don’t like to spend a lot of time on it, even though those who know me think otherwise. Except for my first bike ride with my brother, for all the others I have followed the rule “The Way provides”. In any case, it is not bad to have a quick look at the stages you are going to find, especially to know the opening period of the albergues in case you like to go out on the Camino outside the high season. As for the technology I carry with me, I leave you the link to my “packing list“.
General information
For the little bit of Camino de Santiago planning I do, my two go-to websites for stage descriptions are:
- Gronze. Every day I like it more and more for the stages as well as for the hostels and articles about the Camino. It has a lot of information on almost all possible alternatives.
- Guía Eroski. The first reference guide for many of us. It has a PDF version so that you can take it with you on paper or on your cell phone offline.
Both are very complete and the forums are very active as you get closer to the departure dates. To consult a forum in English, do not miss caminodesantiago.me. They are most active and respond almost instantly.
GPS Maps
If you want to carry all the maps of the stages in your cell phone to avoid getting lost, I recommend the website and application Wikiloc. Here you can find a multitude of users, including me, who upload the tracks of their stages so that other users can follow them safely.
- RayyRosa. One of the users I have found with the most complete information on all the alternatives.
- Google Maps. You can also use Google although the information is not as good since the Camino follows paths that are not available in the tool. I leave you the examples of the Camino Frances and del Norte as well as the section of the Camino Aragonés from Somport.