{"id":18164,"date":"2026-09-18T22:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T22:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sarriaturismo.com\/camino-radar\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T22:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:25:26","slug":"camino-radar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sarriaturismo.com\/en\/camino-radar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Camino Crowd Radar"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first public crowd forecast for the Camino de Santiago. We tell you which weeks and which sections of the final 100 km will be busiest \u2014 before you book<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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162,038<\/p>\n

pilgrims started their Camino here in 2025. 1 in every 3 pilgrims in the world starts in Sarria<\/strong> \u2014 that is why this Radar is possible, and why we publish it.<\/p>\n

Source: Pilgrim’s Office of Santiago, 2025 report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Camino Radar<\/p>\n\t\t

From every country, one destination<\/p>\n\t\t

76 countries \u00b7 one destination: Sarria<\/p>\n\t\t

90,127<\/strong> pilgrims in the registry with country breakdown. Drag to rotate \u00b7 scroll to zoom.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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\u2014<\/p>\n\t\t

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\u2014<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\tData: Pilgrim's Office (Santiago de Compostela), 2019 registry \u2014 months with country breakdown available.<\/span>\n\t\tSarria \u00b7 42.78\u00b0 N, 7.41\u00b0 O<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tTop countries in the registry (2019)<\/summary>\n\t\n\t\t\n
Country<\/th>Pilgrims<\/th>% of registry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n\t\t
Spain<\/td>47,957<\/td>34.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Germany<\/td>13,143<\/td>9.5%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Portugal<\/td>9,408<\/td>6.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
United States of America<\/td>9,403<\/td>6.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Italy<\/td>9,369<\/td>6.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
United Kingdom<\/td>4,505<\/td>3.3%<\/td><\/tr>\n
France<\/td>3,928<\/td>2.9%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Ireland<\/td>3,863<\/td>2.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
South Korea<\/td>3,570<\/td>2.6%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Brazil<\/td>3,132<\/td>2.3%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Australia<\/td>2,424<\/td>1.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n
Canada<\/td>2,245<\/td>1.6%<\/td><\/tr>\n\t\t<\/tbody>\n\t<\/table>\n<\/details>\n\n

Which week is yours? The final-100-km traffic light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Forecast of pilgrims per day setting out from Sarria (2026 estimate, indicative)<\/caption>\n
Month<\/th>\nForecast<\/th>\nPilgrims \/ day from Sarria<\/th>\nWhat to expect<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
January<\/th>\nGreen<\/span><\/td>\n~25<\/td>\nA quiet Camino; some stages with fog or frost.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
February<\/th>\nGreen<\/span><\/td>\n~35<\/td>\nQuiet; short days: bring a head torch.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
March<\/th>\nAmber<\/span><\/td>\n~130<\/td>\nSeason begins; Holy Week draws big crowds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
April<\/th>\nAmber<\/span><\/td>\n~380<\/td>\nBusy and rainy: queues at hostels first thing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May<\/th>\nAmber<\/span><\/td>\n~620<\/td>\nHigh. Book ahead and set out early.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
June<\/th>\nRed<\/span><\/td>\n~750<\/td>\nVery high: book your bed before setting out.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
July<\/th>\nRed<\/span><\/td>\n~850<\/td>\nOne of the busiest months of the year.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
August<\/th>\nRed<\/span><\/td>\n~1,030<\/td>\nThe peak of the year across the final 100 km.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
September<\/th>\nRed<\/span><\/td>\n~770<\/td>\nStill at peak; eases off from the second half of the month.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
October<\/th>\nAmber<\/span><\/td>\n~535<\/td>\nEasing down; the first half is still busy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
November<\/th>\nGreen<\/span><\/td>\n~120<\/td>\nQuiet; short days and frequent rain.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December<\/th>\nGreen<\/span><\/td>\n~45<\/td>\nThe quietest Camino; some services reduced.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Green<\/span> calm \u00b7 Amber<\/span> busy: plan your timings \u00b7 Red<\/span> overcrowding likely: book before you set out.<\/p>\n

The figure estimates only those who start walking in Sarria<\/em>. The Sarria \u2192 Portomar\u00edn stage gathers nearly all of them; later stages (Palas de Rei, Melide, Arz\u00faa) also carry those setting out from Portomar\u00edn and from earlier routes, so they are even busier in the red months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

And what time will sunrise be when you set out?<\/h2>\n

Most pilgrims walk before dawn. This is what you will find on the 15th of each month:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sunrise time in Sarria (15th of each month)<\/caption>\n
Jan<\/th>\nFeb<\/th>\nMar<\/th>\nApr<\/th>\nMay<\/th>\nJun<\/th>\nJul<\/th>\nAug<\/th>\nSep<\/th>\nOct<\/th>\nNov<\/th>\nDec<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
07:58<\/td>\n07:28<\/td>\n06:43<\/td>\n05:49<\/td>\n05:08<\/td>\n04:51<\/td>\n05:05<\/td>\n05:36<\/td>\n06:09<\/td>\n06:43<\/td>\n07:21<\/td>\n07:53<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

How the Radar is calculated<\/h2>\n
\nMethodology and sources (open)<\/summary>\n
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  • Official historical series:<\/strong> monthly pilgrims who received the Compostela, 2004\u20132019 series from the Pilgrim’s Office of Santiago (queried on its official website).<\/li>\n
  • Verified recent anchors:<\/strong> 530,987 compostelas in 2025 and 162,038 departures from Sarria (30.5% of the total), according to the Pilgrim’s Office annual report.<\/li>\n
  • Method:<\/strong> the average seasonal shape of the complete years 2014\u20132018 is scaled to the real 2025 total and spread across the days of each month.<\/li>\n
  • Validation:<\/strong> for September 2025 the model estimates 76,000 pilgrims against the published 81,535: an error of ~7%, acceptable for an indicative forecast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n
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    What the Radar is not:<\/strong> it is not real time, it does not say which beds are free (private hostels manage their own availability; at the tourist office we can guide you on the public network) and it does not replace your booking. It is a statistical compass for choosing your week<\/em>. We update the figures every quarter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n