St James's Way

The Way of St James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago) is one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. It has been one of the most important Christian pilgrimages since medieval times - the others are to Rome and Jerusalem.

Thousands of Christian pilgrims each year walk for weeks or months from their homes or from popular starting points from all across Europe to visit the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the apostle Saint James the Great is said to be laid to rest. Some pilgrims also come on horseback or by donkey; modern pilgrims sometimes come by bicycle.

The most popular of the routes is the Camino Francés which runs from the French side of the Pyrenees through to Santiago de Compostela.

The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987 and inscribed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.

The Way of St James has a variety of different names in various languages. In Spanish it is usually called El Camino de Santiago, in German Der Jakobsweg, in French le chemin de St Jacques, and in Italian Cammino di Santiago.