Buen Camino: 15 Books About the Camino de Santiago

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The Camino de Santiago is one of those experiences where, if you know, you know. You’ve either never heard of it, dream about doing it, have already done it, or think it sounds absolutely crazy. This centuries-old pilgrimage follows the path of the apostle St. James, ending at the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in the northwest corner of Spain.

There are several routes—most starting in France, Spain, or Portugal—that all converge in Santiago. Pilgrims who walk at least the final 100 km (with their “pilgrim passport” stamped along the way) earn a certificate of completion. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. For others, it’s so life-changing they return to walk again…and again.

Close-up of a pilgrim’s backpack, sunhat, and worn hiking shoes placed on the cobblestone plaza in front of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral after completing the Camino de Santiago.

Why Read Books About the Camino de Santiago?

One of the best ways to prepare for your Camino—or relive the journey after you’ve walked it—is by reading books about the Camino de Santiago. From memoirs detailing the physical and emotional highs and lows, to novels inspired by the Camino’s magic, these books offer more than just route maps and packing lists—they capture the spirit of the journey in a way that’s deeply personal and universally relatable.

While many focus on the ever-popular Camino Francés, there’s a growing number highlighting alternative routes like the Portuguese, Northern, or Primitivo. (Maybe you’ll even write one yourself after completing an alternative route!)

Note from Jen: If you’re looking for a practical guidebook, I highly recommend the guidebooks by John Brierley. Although he passed away in 2023, his work is still considered the gold standard for Camino preparation.

If you’re looking for all of these books in an easy-to-use checklist, click here.

My Camino Experience on the Portuguese Coastal Route

Three women smiling in front of the ornate façade of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain, celebrating the completion of their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

I walked the Camino de Santiago myself with two friends in May 2023. Short on time (thanks, work), we followed the Portuguese Coastal Route from Porto, dipping into the Portuguese Central Route near the end to save a day. The fresh sea air, the rhythm of footsteps along ancient stone paths, the kindness of strangers, and the sense of purpose each morning—it was unforgettable.

It wasn’t always easy, but reading several Camino books beforehand helped me know what to expect and stay motivated when things got tough. If the Camino is on your bucket list, let these books be your guide, your inspiration, or even your companion on the road.

(If you’re more of a visual person, check out my list of movies about the Camino de Santiago. Watching a few of these also inspired my journey—and one lesson from Martin Sheen’s The Way came in handy on the trail!)

Books About the Camino de Santiago

Cover of Buen Camino! by Natasha and Peter Murtagh featuring a father and daughter walking along a sunny path bordered by yellow flowers. It captures the family travel angle found in some books about the Camino de Santiago.

Buen Camino! Walk the Camino de Santiago with a Father and Daughter: A Physical Journey that Became a Spiritual Transformation

Author: Peter Murtagh and Natasha Murtagh
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir
Location(s) Featured: Saint Jean Pied de Port, France to Finisterre, Spain

A warm and heartfelt father–daughter memoir that alternates between their perspectives as they journey from the French border to Spain’s western coast. Beyond the physical trek, it’s a celebration of family, friendship, and the bond formed through shared adventure. While some readers note factual errors, it’s more about connection than technical detail.

Cover of Buen Camino by Gordon J. Bernhardt showing a hiker with a wide-brim hat walking along a rural trail. This image reflects the long-distance hiking theme of many books about the Camino de Santiago.

Buen Camino: What a Hike Through Spain Taught Me About Investing and Life

Author: Gordon J. Bernhardt
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Investing
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

I wanted to specifically include this book because it’s a little different than some of the others–as much as it is about Bernhardt’s journey across the Camino and the physical and spiritual journey (like so many of the others), Bernhardt takes what he learns while on the Camino and turns it into lessons in investing and other opportunities for financial advice (and we could all use some of that, right?) It’s honest and humorous, insightful, and well-written.

Cover of I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck showing two friends journeying across green fields, one pushing the other in a wheelchair. A deeply moving true story often highlighted in lists of books about the Camino de Santiago.

I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair

Author: Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Patrick and Justin were best friends–born in the same hospital and grew up together always by each other’s side. And that didn’t change when Justin was diagnosed with a disease that put him in a wheelchair. Patrick continued to be by his side even when his friend shared his dream of doing the Camino…certainly challenging to do in a wheelchair, but Patrick didn’t hesitate and said “I’ll push you.” This is the story of their friendship and their journey.

Note from Jen: This was one of the books I read before doing the Camino myself–it is absolutely inspiring and very humbling. I certainly thought of Patrick and Justin more than once when I wanted to complain while on the walk myself. (There’s also a documentary about their journey that’s included on my list of movies about the Camino de Santiago and I recommend both…they offer different insights into their journey.)

Cover of The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho in purple and orange with a stylized sunburst and scallop shell illustration. A spiritual adventure novel that has inspired many readers seeking books about the Camino de Santiago.

The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom

Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Magical Realism
Location(s) Featured: St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago, Spain

Coelho is most known for another book about a spiritual journey, The Alchemist, but it was this book (and this journey) that inspired that one. Written with his usual poetic and insightful style, The Pilgrimage does read almost like another fable and includes many spiritual teachings, but it really is the story of Coelho’s walk through Northern Spain.

Cover of The Way, My Way by Bill Bennett with a weathered stone marker against a blue wall, painted with yellow arrows and a scallop shell. Such imagery is frequently featured in memoir-style books about the Camino de Santiago.

The Way, My Way: A Camino Memoir

Author: Bill Bennett and Jennifer Cluff
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Travel/Adventure
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Bill Bennett was a popular film director in Australia and although he wasn’t really sure why, he felt called to do the Camino. And, lucky for us, he took along a journal to record his thoughts and experiences. He’s honest about the pain, he looks deep into his thoughts, and he laughs throughout the miles. It’s a true travelogue meant for people interested in the Camino and people just interested in adventure.

Cover of The Walk of a Lifetime by Russ Eanes showing a stone marker with a yellow arrow and scallop shell symbol. These iconic Camino markers often appear in books about the Camino de Santiago to guide pilgrims.

The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 MIles on the Camino de Santiago

Author: Russ Eanes
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Travel/Adventure, Change/Self-discovery
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Like a few others on this list, Russ Eanes had been dreaming of walking the Camino de Santiago for many years and, at the age of 61, he decided it was time to do it. He left his job, packed his bag, and set off on an adventure. Not only is it a physical journey, but it’s also a mental one with challenges, soul-searching, and life lessons along the way. Readers say this is one of the most accurate descriptions of what it’s really like on the Camino Frances.

Cover of Two Million Steps by Patrick Devaney with a sweeping green valley under a blue sky. This scenic view conveys the beauty and challenge described in many books about the Camino de Santiago.

Two Million Steps: Band-Aids, Cocktails, and Finding Peace Along Spain’s Camino De Santiago

Author: Patrick Devaney
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Humor
Location(s) Featured: St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago, Spain

Like others who seek out the Camino, Patrick Devaney was looking for a spiritual journey and something to jumpstart his life. He found it…and he also found a lot of really good wine and people to share those wines with. So as much as his book is a memoir about his trek, it’s slightly different from some of the other Camino memoirs out there: it is also a “Camino pub crawl,” an honest look at the drinks and hangovers that are also on the Camino. Though maybe not for everyone, it is a funny read and a different way of looking at the famous pilgrimage.

Note from Jen: At the time of posting, this book is available on Kindle Unlimited. (Which I highly recommend signing up for–for a monthly fee, you get free access to a HUGE selection of books and audiobooks.)

Cover of Walking to the End of the World by Beth Jusino featuring blue text over a collage of colorful Camino passport stamps. A vibrant design reflecting the travel memoir style common in books about the Camino de Santiago.

Walking to the End of the World: A Thousand Miles on the Camino De Santiago

Author: Beth Jusino
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Travel/Adventure
Location(s) Featured: Le Puy, France to Finesterre, Spain

In 2015, Beth Jusino and her husband, Eric, left their comfortable life to go on an adventure: to walk the Way of St. James, the Camino de Santiago, starting in Le Puy, France, walking almost 1,000 miles, visiting the Santiago de Compostela cathedral, and ultimately ending at the Atlantic Ocean. It was a pilgrimage, a challenge, a life lesson, and an opportunity to meet new people and explore the world. Beth’s book is very well-written, engaging, and authentic. It provides just the right balance between personal experiences and thoughts and practical stories and advice–with some history and cultural notes sprinkled throughout. She’s honest about the physical pain and her mental struggles to keep going and accurately describes the highs and lows of an adventure like this.

Note from Jen: This is another book I read before my own Camino and I loved it–I felt it gave a few tips AND helped me feel excited about the adventure to come!

Cover of The Camino by Shirley MacLaine showing a pilgrim walking with a large backpack through tall grass, with misty mountains in the background. A classic example of books about the Camino de Santiago exploring personal and spiritual journeys.

The Camino A Journey of the Spirit

Author: Shirley MacLaine
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, Religion/Spirituality
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

In full disclosure, I think this might be how I first heard of the Camino–I don’t really remember much of the story what Shirley wrote, but what stuck with me was the spiritual power this walk seemed to offer. While Shirley can sometimes be a little “out there” for some readers, this book contains many lessons–both personal and spiritual. And that’s kind of the point of the Camino–it’s a different journey for each person…Shirley’s is very spiritual.

Cover of Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist with a red background and a blue winding path leading to a distant village. A romantic travel novel that stands out in fiction inspired by the Camino and related books about the Camino de Santiago.

Two Steps Forward: A Novel

Author: Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Location(s) Featured: Camino France

I was glad to find at least one book about the Camino that wasn’t a memoir and this novel (by the author of the truly delightful book The Rosie Project) is a perfect addition to anyone preparing for the Camino. Two Steps Forward is about two people (Zoe, a widow, and Martin, a new divorcee) who find themselves on the Camino looking for answers. And while they find adventure, new friends, and new experiences, they also find each other. As is typical Simsion, the characters are flawed, a little quirky, and very real. It would be a fun addition to anyone reading books about the Camino de Santiago.

Cover of Blanket of Stars by C.W. Lockhart featuring two hikers with walking poles on a golden-lit trail at sunset. The imagery reflects the wonder and challenge celebrated in many books about the Camino de Santiago.

Blanket of Stars: Thru-Hiking the Camino de Santiago

Author: C.W. Lockhart
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Self-Discovery and Change
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

This book is on the shorter side (just 280 pages), but it packs a lot in. Lockhart is very much on a personal journey as well as a physical one as she uses her walk to explore her own past and think about her future. She also shares stories from her journey on the Camino with a lot of funny, but also poignant stories about the pilgrims she met along the way.

Cover of Grandma’s on the Camino by Mary O’Hara Wyman with a bright yellow scallop shell above a winding path over green hills. A memoir that adds a unique generational perspective to books about the Camino de Santiago.

Grandma’s on the Camino: Reflections on a 48-Day Pilgrimage Walk to Santiago

Author: Mary O’Hara Wyman
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Autobiography
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Through journal entries and postcards to her granddaughter, Mary pulls together a book that outlines her walk along the Camino Francis including her meetings with a wide variety of pilgrims, observations of numerous animals, and, of course the sometimes frustrating daily tasks of finding food and lodging each night. Although it’s called Grandma’s on the Camino (I’m not sure why the apostrophe is there either), Mary’s adventures and stories will help anyone preparing for their own pilgrimage.

Cover of I’m Off Then by Hape Kerkeling with worn leather hiking boots resting against a rustic wooden door with iron hinges. This is a bestselling travelogue often mentioned in lists of books about the Camino de Santiago.

I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago

Author: Hape Kerkeling, Translated by: Shelley Frisch
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Biography, Self-Discovery/Change
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Hape Kerkeling is a popular German comedian and it’s reported that this book won the Chatwin Award for Best Travel Book of the Year. It’s obviously the story of the author’s journey on the Camino and it’s filled with humor and honesty as he recounts several of the people he meets along the way (and some of his own mishaps).

The Camino Club

Author: Kevin Craig
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

If you’re a fan of The Breakfast Club and other stories about misfit teens figuring out life, then you’ll be a fan of The Camino Club. It’s the story of a group of “wayward teens” who all chose to walk the Camino de Santiago over their summer instead of going to a juvenile detention center. While the group didn’t start out as friends, there’s something about this kind of journey that brings them all together.

Cover of Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy showing a father and son seated on stone steps with bold yellow arrows behind them. A heartfelt memoir that stands out among books about the Camino de Santiago.

Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain by Andrew McCarthy

Author: Andrew McCarthy
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir/Autobiography
Location(s) Featured: Camino Frances

Speaking of The Breakfast Club, one of the actors from the well-known Brat Pack, Andrew McCarthy shifted careers after the 80s and became a travel writer. And, in 2021, he walked the Camino de Santiago with his teenage son looking to connect with his son before heading off to a life on his own and in an attempt to reconnect with the same feelings he had on his first Camino years before. As can be seen in his other writings, McCarthy is honest, funny, and thought-provoking.

Smiling woman standing beside actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy in a bookstore, holding a yellow book with a white arrow on the back cover.

Note from Jen: I was honored to meet Andrew McCarthy at a book reading in Washington, D.C. and he was kind, insightful, and funny. (I also highly recommend his book The Longest Way Home, another great travel story.)

Your Next Step on the Camino Journey

Whether you’re planning your first pilgrimage, reminiscing about a past walk, or simply curious about this legendary route, books about the Camino de Santiago can offer an inside look at the experience. They prepare you for the challenges, inspire you to keep going, and remind you of the magic that happens on the trail.

If the Camino is calling you, start with one or two of these books. (Or check out my list of movies about the Camino de Santiago!)

If you’re looking for all of these books in an easy-to-use checklist, click here.

Buen Camino!

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