Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago has two main routes within the Iberian Peninsula: the coastal route (less known), and the one through the interior.

The coastal one begins in northern Euskadi (Gipuzkoa), and crosses Bizkaia, Cantabria, and Asturias, entering Galicia through northern Lugo; it continues onto A Coruña until Santiago de Compostela. Also known as the Cantabrian route or as the High Path, it was mainly used during the early days of the pilgrimage, most famously by the Asturias kings.

Three factors: the Spanish Reconquista, the creation by the Cluny order of what is known today as the French Camino, and the ruggedness of the terrain, contributed to its decline until modern times. In Bizkaia, the route goes through Gernika, Larrabetzu, Bilbao, Barakaldo, Portugalete, Somorrostro, Balmaseda, joining Cantabria at Haya de Ontón and Castro Urdiales.

The in-land route enters the peninsula in Roncesvalles (Navarra), continues through La Rioja and several provinces in Castilla y León, and finally entering Galicia through Lugo. It is easy to join this route from Bilbao at any of the Rioja or Navarra stages.

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