CaminantesCamino Finisterre
The only route that starts in Santiago. Walk on to the Atlantic and the old end of the world.
- Distance
- 90 km
- Typical time
- 3 to 4 days
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Total ascent
- 240 to 300 m per stage
- Starts
- Santiago de Compostela
- Ends
- Finisterre
The Camino Finisterre is the epilogue. It is the one route that begins rather than ends at the cathedral, carrying on west to Cape Finisterre, which Roman geographers took for the end of the known world.
Three or four days through Galician countryside bring you to the coast at Cee and Corcubión, then out along the headland to the lighthouse. Many pilgrims continue north to Muxía and its clifftop sanctuary.
It is the quietest walking of any route, largely because most people fly home from Santiago instead. You can collect a separate Finisterrana certificate at the end.
Who it suits
Best for: Anyone not ready to stop walking when they reach Santiago.
When to go: May to October. The coast is exposed and Atlantic weather arrives fast.
Watch out for: Buses back from Finisterre fill up in summer. Book the return before you walk out.
Suggested stages on the Camino Finisterre
5 stages averaging 16.9 km a day, generated from the route itself rather than copied from a guidebook. Treat it as a starting point: the whole idea of planning your own Camino is that a 27 km day someone else picked might be the wrong day for you.
| Stage number | From | To | Stage | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago de Compostela | Negreira | 21.3 km | 21.3 km |
| 2 | Negreira | A Corna | 15.1 km | 36.4 km |
| 3 | A Corna | Mollón | 16 km | 52.4 km |
| 4 | Mollón | Cee | 20.3 km | 72.7 km |
| 5 | Cee | Finisterre | 11.8 km | 84.5 km |
Stage stops and distances are derived from the route geometry and from OpenStreetMap place data (ODbL). Distances are measured along the route line, so they will differ slightly from a guidebook.
Walking the Camino Finisterre offline
There is no reliable mobile signal on large parts of this route, and the stretches without it are exactly the stretches where you want a map. Caminantes caches the route, the stages and the elevation profiles before you leave, and tracks your distance, pace and ascent while you walk. It is free, with no paywall on any of it.
Common questions about the Camino Finisterre
How long does the Camino Finisterre take?
3 to 4 days at a typical walking pace. Our suggested plan splits the 90 km into 5 stages averaging 16.9 km a day, and you can split or join any of them.
How hard is the Camino Finisterre?
Easy. It covers 90 km with 240 to 300 m per stage of total ascent, and the longest stage in our plan is 21.3 km. Buses back from Finisterre fill up in summer. Book the return before you walk out.
When is the best time to walk the Camino Finisterre?
May to October. The coast is exposed and Atlantic weather arrives fast.
Where does the Camino Finisterre start and finish?
It runs from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre, a total of 90 km.
Does the Camino Finisterre count towards the Compostela certificate?
Not the Compostela, because this route starts in Santiago rather than ending there. You can collect a separate Finisterrana certificate when you reach Finisterre, and a Muxiana in Muxía.