The pilgrim’s office in Santiago de Compostela requires those who walk the Camino de Santiago to walk at least the last 100 km to obtain the diploma or Compostela that certifies it.

In the case that concerns us “the Camino de Santiago by bicycle”, it is necessary to do at least the last 200 km.

So, taking Santiago de Compostela as the epicenter and looking for a distance of these 200 km, it will be possible to get the Compostela by doing any road or route that reaches Santiago with that minimum distance.

To justify these kilometers, it will be necessary to carry the “Credencial” or pilgrim’s card during the journey and put at least two daily stamps in churches, museums, hostels, hotels, etc. that prove the passage through these places.

You can get the credential in the hostels at the beginning of the route, in associations of friends of the Camino de Santiago, or if you choose to rent one of our rental bikes, you will find it included in the equipment.

It is not necessary to worry too much about whether you have everything you need or if you may be missing something to prepare your Camino de Santiago. Unlike other routes, the Camino de Santiago runs through very civilized places with many shops and services, so it is preferable to have to buy something on the way than to transport something for hundreds of kilometers that we might need and that we finally do not use.

At Bicigrino we have prepared a list of materials that tries to collect everything that is necessary for a cycling route, but it is very important that you know how to interpret this list. It is not a list to take absolutely everything that appears on it, but it shows what you might need on the route and that you should take into account… but I insist! you don’t have to take everything!!

In the following link you can see the list we are talking about:

Material List

Note that for those who are doing the Camino de Santiago for the first time, the most recommended route due to ease of logistics, signage, services, history, monuments, etc. is the Camino de Santiago known as CAMINO FRANCÉS.

Then, once this road has been completed, those who want to repeat it can take routes such as the Vía de la Plata, the Camino del Norte, the Camino Primitivo, etc… If you already have experience in cycle touring and want to try other routes, go ahead with routes such as the Camino del Norte or the Vía de la Plata, but if not, we insist that it is always better to start with the Camino Francés.

This road, in addition to being the easiest, is also the one that has all the Jacobean essence, the pilgrims, the monuments, cathedrals… and on its route you can soak up the history and tradition of what it means to do the Camino.

Then, once you have lived this experience, you will like the other roads much more and you will enjoy them with more intensity.

In addition, if you want, you can do other cycling routes such as the TRANSALANDALUS, which we also cover: http://www.transandalus.org

On the road that we recommend doing in the first instance (EL CAMINO FRANCÉS) it is impossible to get lost and it is not necessary to use GPS devices.

On that route, the universal sign of the Camino de Santiago (the yellow arrow) is present in all places, intersections and detours. Following these arrows becomes the simplest of games and in essence is part of the adventure of following the arrows and official signs throughout the journey.

On other routes such as the Vía de la Plata, the Camino del Norte, the Camino Primitivo, although they are also well signposted with yellow arrows, the use of a GPS may provide an extra peace of mind because at all times we will be sure whether or not we are on the correct route, but it is not essential.

On the Camino de Santiago and in relation to the signs, there is a golden rule that does not usually fail: If you arrive at a crossroads and do not see a sign or yellow arrow anywhere, it means that you got lost at the previous crossroads.., simply go back and take the correct path. It’s that easy.

So we insist on the idea that the recommended route for beginners is the Camino Francés.

This road has so many accommodation possibilities and is so well signposted that organization is not very necessary… it would be enough to inform yourself well and have our services for sending your own bicycles in transport to the beginning of the road or, if you need it, you can also rent a fully equipped bicycle for cycle touring.

You will find all these services in the Bicigrino virtual store.

At Bicigrino we have prepared a guide to this road with all the practical information (stages, profiles, hotels, hostels, workshops, services). With this guide you will be well informed during the journey as it has been designed under a simple and comfortable concept that allows you to take it with you even during the trip.

In the following link you will find our guide to the Camino Francés (free download) with the proposed establishments in hotel, rural house and hostel versions… there are also bicycle workshops in case you have any contingencies on the route.

The option of going to do the Camino on your own, simply knowing where you want to start from, is a good way to do the Camino.

You can do the route and let yourself be carried away by the events of the trip. You shouldn’t be afraid to do it alone and without too much organization… on the Camino Francés the distances between towns are no more than 15 km and the whole route is very well covered with establishments, information and signs.

Doing the Camino on your own has the advantage that it can be done flexibly and you can adjust the different stages to your strength or the attractiveness of each of the places you pass through… so simply having good information about the place you are passing through (our guide in pdf will help you with that) you can decide where to stop and try to adjust the total route to the days you have to do the route and its different stops on the way.

Doing the Camino in this way you must carry the necessary luggage in the saddlebags (our rental bikes have them as equipment), if everything you need for the route is with you, you can stop where and when you want… This way you gain in freedom and flexibility.

There is the option of doing the Camino with hotel or hostel reservations, luggage transport and we can also help you with that. In this other option you gain peace of mind (especially in times of high demand) knowing that you will always have accommodation reserved at the end of the stage and if you send your luggage you will not have to carry it. But it is important that you know that this option will completely eliminate the flexibility we talked about before and you will have to do the stages according to the organization and planning. You will be forced to reach the place where your suitcases and your hotel reservation are. In this option it is necessary to make a very good planning to avoid arriving too early at the destination or making reaching the end of the stage become a real hell. For example due to unfavorable weather, headwind, mechanical breakdowns, etc. Being so it is recommended to be conservative and make planning of stages with certain criteria. At Bicigrino we are specialists in the Camino and in that sense we can help you. For organized Caminos we collaborate with Travel Agencies specialized in this route and if you need it you just have to ask for it and we will put you in contact.

For groups we have a support car service on the road where you can enjoy a comprehensive and attended service at all times. The support car service is much more than a simple accompaniment. The driver of the car is a person with great experience on the road and mechanical knowledge that will give you coverage throughout the route, advise you on places to visit, alternatives on the road, etc. With this service we plan the road according to the days you have to do it, we book the hotels and coordinate everything. You can also make the connections from airports and places distant from the road. And of course your luggage will be transported between stages by us. It is a comprehensive service with excursions at the end of stages to interesting places (for example monasteries, wineries, castles) and gastronomic recommendations. A total experience studied and planned to give a comprehensive service on the road and in which you only have to worry about pedaling and enjoying.

For people who are only going to do this route and do not plan to become regular cyclists, the recommendation is to rent.

Renting a bicycle will be cheaper than transporting and equipping your own and you will save many logistical inconveniences of having to move your own.

The bicycles that we rent in Bicigrino are new and high-end bicycles. They are specially equipped for the Camino de Santiago and we can deliver and pick them up at any point in Spain or Portugal. They also have a complete network of assistance in workshops throughout the route.

People who come from outside Spain will have more reason to rent than to bring their own bicycle. Transporting the bicycle from distant countries will not be cheap and you will have some inconveniences or procedures in customs.

It is also good that you know that once you arrive in Spain, moving bicycles by public transport will not be very easy because unfortunately in Spain public services (buses, trains…) do not always accept bicycles.

Our rental bikes are fully equipped even with gel covers for the saddles.., however if someone wants and expressly requests it they can even bring their own saddle. In the following links you can see our offer of rental bikes:

and in this other link our PRICE RATES:

Our rental bikes do not have the helmet as included equipment. But that does not mean that it is not necessary.., on the contrary it is an essential element to be able to ride a bicycle and it is mandatory according to Spanish legislation. We do not put the helmet as equipment for two main reasons:

– FOR HYGIENE REASONS: We do not consider it logical that helmets go from the heads of one customer to another impregnated with sweat and dirt from use.

– FOR SAFETY REASONS: We think that it is such an important safety element that it has to be the exact size of your head and adjusted to your measurements to be effective. For that reason we do not see it appropriate to send you a helmet inside the box in which our rental bikes are transported.

– AIRBAG TYPE HELMET (optional): What we do have for rent (as an option) is a novel “airbag type” helmet that solves all the problems mentioned above. It works by attaching to the cyclist’s neck and has a washable cover with which we manage to deliver the helmet completely clean and disinfected. Being airbag type will protect your head effectively whatever its size (it is 4 times more effective than a normal helmet).

You can see our offer of electric rental bikes here:

This type of bicycle can be carried with different levels of assistance ranging from zero assistance (motor off) to 5 different levels of assistance so that you get tired or suffer just what you decide. As for the autonomy of its batteries, do not worry, our bicycles in “ECO” option have an autonomy of up to 120 km.

If after what we have told you regarding the rental of bicycles you consider that you are interested in doing it with your own. It is possible that you already have the cycle touring material or you are thinking of making the investment to take advantage of it on other routes.

It is good that you know that at Bicigrino we have bicycle transport services specially coordinated so that they take the bicycle to the beginning of the road and that you can recover it from Santiago or another place easily.

For that it will be enough to use our transport services through the virtual store.

** We have agreements with hotels, hostels and bicycle shops so that you can send your bicycle or deliver it to recover it at your home in any of our affiliated establishments that are many. You just have to inquire about the different possibilities when processing the order of your transport.

At Bicigrino we do not have the luggage service available between stages (moving the suitcases every day on the journey).

But if you need us to move your suitcases directly from the starting point of your road to Santiago de Compostela or to any other place in Spain or Portugal, we can do that.

With our luggage transport service you can, for example, pick up your luggage at the HOSTAL LA SALLE in Santiago, which is the place where we pick up our rental bikes or from which we organize the transport of bicycles through Seur.

We can also send them to the hotel that you indicate or to any other place even if it is not Santiago.