3 amazing pilgrimage paths in Europe to explore

There was a time when going on a pilgrimage was a rite of passage for everyone, no matter what their background – meaning we had unwritten permission to take time out of our busy lives for self-reflection. But when Henry VIII banned the practice in 1538 (sidenote: they have never officially been ‘unbanned’) they fell out of fashion. However, the last few years has seen them making a comeback with one major difference.

Once inspired purely by religious motivations, today’s modern pilgrims are driven by fitness, friendship, and finding purpose.

According to the British Pilgrimage Trust’s recent YouGov Survey, 20 percent of the UK adult population want to undertake a pilgrimage (which translates to around 8 million people) with the emphasis on bringing their own beliefs to the trails rather than any set religion.

In the Spring 2026 issue of Boundless magazine we explored some of the UK’s pilgrimage routes, but here’s our choice of three amazing paths in Europe if you’d like to go further afield.

Credit: Getty Images

St Francis Way, Italy

Say Italian pilgrimage to most people and they will think of the Via Francigena, which has in recent years become more popular aka crowded. But the St Francis Way is a much quieter, connoisseurs’ alternative.

Named after the man who was the patron saint of ecology, animals, and the environment – having spent his life advocating for the protection of the natural world and encouraging a simple, sustainable life – now, 800 years after his death it never seemed quite so apt a trail to follow.

The full 445km route runs between Florence and Rome – taking about a month (32 days) to complete, but one of the most beautiful sections runs between Assisi (where the eponymous saint was from and is laid to rest) and the ancient city of Spoleto, which takes around five days to hike. Established as a walking route by Italian-owned and operated Sloways back in the 90s, it’s replete with local food, family run accommodation options, and tonnes of character.

And better yet, before or after the walk you can chill out in Umbria’s Eurocamp Glamping Park in the capital of the region – Perugia, and visit the historic fishing village of Passignano sul Trasimeno, for some authentic regional cuisine.

Boundless offer: Members can save up to 35% on Eurocamp holidays.

Credit: Getty Images

Camino Portuguese, Portugal/Spain

The Camino de Santiago is perhaps the most famous pilgrim path in Western Europe and once saw thousands of people flock to touch the tomb of the remains of one of Jesus’ apostles San Tiago (Spanish for St James).

More recently, thanks to films like The Way featuring Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen, it’s seen people come instead for the love of a challenge, the incredible Galician scenery and the amazing food and drink – wine anyone? But here’s the thing: it’s not just one path, but several, with options going from France, the far reaches of Spain, England and of course neighbouring Portugal.

Of them all, the easiest to follow minus the crowds of the Camino Frances (which is the trail that goes from the Pyrenees to Santiago, and is referred to simply as ‘The Way’) is the Camino Portugues that officially spans from Lisbon to Santiago.

Credit: Getty Images

However, most people start in Valenca, on the border with Spain to walk the last 100km which still entitles them to claim their Compostela and be absolved of all sins.

Along the way expect UNESCO-listed cities, lots of seafood, famous Padron peppers and the chance to take in the “spiritual variant” from Pontevedra. This includes a 26km boat ride to Pontecesures following the only maritime Via Crucis in the world; a series of 17 stone crosses line the Río Ulla, seemingly floating on the surface at high tide.

At the finale in Santiago a heavenly stay can be had in the luxuriously converted 16th century monastery Hospedería San Martín Pinario found on Hotels.com for as little as £50 a night.

Boundless offer: Members can save 8% on bookings through Hotels.com and save on hundreds of thousands of hotels around the world.

The Dutch Walk of Wisdom, Netherlands/Germany

Unlike a traditional pilgrimage route, this modern offering – The Walk of Wisdom – comes with no beliefs attached. Instead, the 147km circular pilgrimage, which starts and finishes in Nijmegen – itself easily accessed from the ferry ports in Amsterdam (served by DFDS; just over an hour away by train) and the Hook of Holland (served by Stena Line; two hours away by train) – was created by Manja Bente and the artists Huub and Adelheid Kortekaas who established a foundation to plot today’s route in 2015.

The idea is that secular souls can seek solitude and time away from screens. It connects together the city with a series of nature reserves, takes in two countries and three provinces, as well as UNESCO sites, war memorials, and border crossings.

A lot of it is on unpaved trails and the organisation responsible for it offer accommodation options for all budgets.

Boundless offer: Members can save on ferry crossings from both DFDS and Stena Line. Save 20% on DFDS ferry crossings from Newcastle to Amsterdam (cabin and vehicle), or 10% discount is valid on Economy, Flexi and Premium motorist fares on the Harwich to Hook of Holland route with Stena Line.

Phoebe Smith is author of Wayfarer: Love, Loss and Life on Britain’s Pilgrim Paths and host of the Wander Woman Travel Podcast.

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