From Italy to France, Spain to Britain, Portugal to Romania, and Germany to Norway, Europe is crisscrossed by historic pilgrimage routes traveled by thousands of journeyers each year. These paths wind along ancient roads through enchanting landscapes and villages, offering experiences worth undertaking at least once in a lifetime.
A premier European trail for over five centuries, the Via Francigena retraces the route taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury to Rome to meet Pope John XV in the late 10th century. This 2,000-kilometer itinerary for walkers and cyclists unfolds along country roads, mountain paths, and mule tracks. Its most popular segment runs from the Swiss border to Rome, notably the kilometers crossing Tuscany and touching borghi like San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, the Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta in Colle di Val d’Elsa, and the Church of San Martino in Siena. Accommodations range from agriturismi and hostels to churches offering lodging for a donation.
Also in Tuscany is the Way of St. Francis, following the footsteps of the famous saint from Assisi. His travels to spread the Gospel led him to the hermitage of La Verna in 1224, where he received the stigmata. The sanctuary, perched on a rocky hill in the Casentinesi Forest National Park, is now a pilgrimage site reachable from Florence in hours by bike, horse, or car, or in six days on foot.
Leading to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, the resting place of St. James, the Camino de Santiago is the world’s most famous pilgrimage. This network of medieval routes includes the renowned 800 km French Way from the Pyrenees; the Portuguese Way along the coast; the Northern Way by the Cantabrian Sea; the primitive route from Oviedo; and the English Way from Ferrol. It is an experience blending faith, history, culture, and nature, where pilgrims collect stamps in a credential booklet.
In France, the Via Podiensis, the oldest of the four French Ways to Santiago, also leads to the Spanish shrine. Dating to 950 AD, this 700 km route from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port features highlights like the chapel of Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe and the cathedral of Notre-Dame du Puy.
While pilgrims head to Santiago in Spain, in Germany they journey to Altötting, near the Austrian border, to venerate the relics of the Apostle Philip. Paths from across Central Europe converge here, traversing the remarkable landscapes of Bavaria and the Alps.
Portugal’s Rota Vicentina is a nearly 350 km ancient path from Alcoutim to Cape St. Vincent in the south. This rural route through Alentejo and Algarve alternates between nature and small villages. It comprises two trails: the challenging Fishermen’s Trail along wild coastal dunes and cliffs, and the Historical Way through a natural park. Both are divided into stages with towns for lodging never more than 25 km apart.
In England, the 112 km Way of St. Augustine links Rochester Cathedral to the shrine of St. Augustine in Ramsgate, passing the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Canterbury Cathedral, a spectacular work of English Gothic and seat of the Anglican Church.
Further north, the St. Cuthbert’s Way in Scotland covers 100 km from Melrose Abbey, where the saint began his religious life in the 7th century, to Lindisfarne, the site of his original tomb. It traverses spectacular landscapes in southern Scotland and the Northumberland National Park.
Dedicated to the saint who spread Christianity in Scandinavia, Norway’s St. Olav’s Way leads to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Its 643 km pass through some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and can be traveled on foot, by bike, or kayak from starting points in Norway, Sweden, or Finland.
One of the longest routes in Eastern Europe is Romania’s Via Transilvanica. While not religiously motivated, this 1,400 km north-south path crosses the wild Carpathian Mountains, passing through over 100 villages from Putna to Drobeta-Turnu Severin near the Serbian border.