Whether you know someone who’s planning to walk the Camino de Santiago or someone who’s already been there and done that (but not necessarily got the t-shirt) this list will, hopefully, give you plenty of ideas to find the perfect Camino inspired gifts, whatever your budget.
There’s a mix of practical, inspirational, and souvenir items, from small stocking fillers to some big-ticket items and, of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to buy a little treat or two for yourself if you see anything that takes your fancy! Even better, why not forward it to someone you know and drop some hints?
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Practical Camino de Santiago Gifts
Practical gifts are perfect for someone who has yet to walk the Camino, but you need to be careful. For example, a good backpack and walking shoes are essential pieces of Camino kit, but I wouldn’t recommend surprising someone with either of these items as the fit of both is so specific to the individual.
Other practical gifts are a matter of personal choice, including hiking poles (some people love them while others never use them) and rainwear (some people swear by a poncho while others prefer a raincoat and waterproof trousers).
It’s worth remembering that everyone walking the Camino needs to travel light so any practical gifts need to be small enough to fit in their backpack and light enough to not add any unnecessary weight to their load.
These are some of my top choices for practical Camino de Santiago gifts – all are lightweight and likely to be used a lot along the way.
AirTag
AirTags are small Bluetooth trackers that you can stow in your bag to keep track of it when it’s not with you. These would be a good gift idea for someone who’s planning to use a luggage transfer service as they’d be able to see where their bag is during the day and check that it’s arrived at their chosen accommodation.
They’re also handy for anyone who’ll be checking in their backpack ahead of the Camino as sometimes bags are delayed or go missing and having an AirTag in place gives some peace of mind.
AirTags are made by Apple so check that the person you’re buying for has an iPhone before you spend your money.
Buff
Buffs are one of those items that work in a multitude of ways. I personally used mine as a hat on cold and rainy days and as a scarf on the windy boat journey to Pontecesures on the Spiritual Variant on the Camino Portugués.
They’re also handy on hot days to stop sweat from getting in your eyes and to keep the sun off your neck. My first one was luminous orange but I’d recommend something a little more stylish if you’re buying one as a gift – you can even buy a Camino print buff.
Ear plugs
Ear plugs make a cheap, but extremely useful, stocking filler – anything that helps filter out the sound of snoring in dorm rooms has got to be a good idea!
You can buy individual pairs like the Loop Quiet 2 ear plugs which are lightweight, comfortable for sleeping and great at blocking out unwanted noise.
Alternatively, by giving a tub of 50 pairs you’re also guaranteeing that your recipient is going to be very popular on the Camino as they’ll be able to share their ear plugs with their fellow pilgrims.
➡️ Shop for Loop ear plugs on Amazon
➡️ Shop for single use ear plugs on Amazon
Eye mask
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential on the Camino but, when you’re sharing a dorm with others, it can be hard to come by. Just as with ear plugs, an eye mask can be the difference between getting enough sleep or setting off bleary eyed in the morning.
Eye masks are an inexpensive gift idea and come in loads of designs. I love this puffin design mask from Eva’s Emporium on Etsy.
If you want to spend a bit more you can buy Bluetooth sleep masks – as well as blocking out light they also have small speakers near the ears so you can play music to help you nod off. Perfect for noisy dorms.
➡️ Shop for Bluetooth sleep masks on Amazon
First aid kit
As practical gifts go, a foot care kit could be a lifesaver. Most injuries on the Camino are foot-related so a selection of lamb’s wool, moleskin plasters and Compeed blister plasters is a really thoughtful gift.
For something a bit quirky Babeloo Designs on Etsy has some great Camino plasters – too nice to hide away under your socks so more suited to any cuts and grazes that might be picked up along the way!
➡️ Shop for more foot care ideas on Amazon
Gift card
If you’re buying for someone who hasn’t yet purchased any of the more expensive items how about a gift card?
An Osprey gift card can be put towards a backpack of their choice or a gift card from REI or Decathlon means they can have a pre-Camino shopping spree for all the gear they need.
➡️ Shop for Osprey gift cards
➡️ Shop for REI gift cards
➡️ Shop for Decathlon gift cards
If you do want to buy someone a practical gift for everyday use check out my tried and tested packing list for women to help you decide what they might like.
Guidebook
There are lots of guidebooks on the market but the most popular and respected are those written by the late John Brierley. John wrote detailed guides for the various routes to Santiago de Compostela. His guidebooks have a wealth of practical information as well as interesting facts and figures about the history of the route in question so would make an ideal gift.
Take care when buying guidebooks as there has been a proliferation of AI produced books recently that offer no real help to future pilgrims.
As well as the John Brierley books look for those by Cicerone Press, or the Village to Village guides as these are all well researched and well respected books.
➡️ Shop for John Brierley Camino guidebooks on Amazon
➡️ Shop for Cicerone Press Camino guidebooks on Amazon
➡️ Shop for Village to Village Camino guidebooks on Amazon
Many guidebooks are also available for the Kindle or other e-reader – handy for keeping the weight down. If your gift recipient uses a Kindle you could treat them to an Amazon gift card to purchase their guidebook.
Hat
Baseball caps are always a popular choice but I spotted lots of wide brimmed hats along the way when I walked. The advantage of a wide brimmed hat is that it keeps the sun off both your face and the back of your neck (and does the same with the rain too). You can even get wide brimmed hats with a ponytail hole – perfect if you’ve got long hair.
Money
Who doesn’t love receiving money? It might not seem the most thoughtful gift to hand over some cash but it’s a practical gift and giving Euros to a pilgrim who’s travelling from outside Europe means it’s one less thing for them to worry about before they go.
Packing cubes
I love packing cubes and found them so useful when I walked the Camino as they kept everything organised in my backpack so I could find what I needed easily. If you choose compression cubes they free up even more space.
➡️ Shop for packing cubes on Amazon
Patches
Patches are a great gift – you can buy specific Camino patches or, if you prefer, a patch that has some other meaning to the recipient.
When I first went backpacking years ago a friend bought me an Isle of Man patch for my backpack. That one patch was soon joined by dozens more and I added to my collection in each place that I visited until I ran out of space. I don’t use that backpack any more, but I still have it and it reminds me of my adventures around the world.
I particularly love this personalised patch from El Taller de Bordados on Etsy and think it would be a great talking point on the Camino.
➡️ Shop for Camino patches on Etsy
Personal alarm
The Camino is popular with solo travellers and, while it’s generally incident free, it’s better to be safe than sorry so a personal alarm would make a thoughtful gift and give you, and the recipient, peace of mind.
➡️ Shop for personal alarms on Amazon
This post has over 35 practical tips for staying safe on the Camino de Santiago.
Phrasebook
While you don’t need to be fluent in Spanish to walk the Camino de Santiago, it’s always good to know the basics – it certainly makes things a little easier anyway.
A Spanish phrasebook is a good gift. I have a Lonely Planet Spanish phrasebook which I first bought when I moved to Spain – it’s had plenty of use over the years and fits easily in a bag or pocket. There’s also a Lonely Planet Portuguese phrasebook for anyone walking the Camino Portugués.
➡️ Shop for phrasebooks on Amazon
Pilgrim passport cover
The pilgrim passport, or credencial, is one of the most important items a pilgrim needs on the way to Santiago as collecting stamps on the way means they can receive the Compostela at the end of the journey.
My credencial is always pretty dog-eared at the end of each Camino so I should definitely treat myself to one of these before my next walk. My Camino Designs on Etsy has covers in Camino related designs.
➡️ Shop for pilgrim passport covers on Etsy
Socks
Socks get a bad rap at Christmas as being the gift that nobody really wants. Nobody except future pilgrims that is!
The right socks are essential on the Camino but good quality hiking socks don’t come cheap.
Socks are a personal choice but as long as you give them well in advance of the Camino the recipient can test them out to make sure they’re going to get them from A to B (or Santiago de Compostela) with zero blisters.
I love my Injinji toe socks, and these are always popular with pilgrims.
Merino wool socks are another popular choice with Darn Tough being one of the leading names. They even have a lifetime warranty which makes them well worth the money.
➡️ Shop for Injinji toe socks on Amazon
➡️ Shop for Darn Tough hiking socks on Amazon
➡️ Shop for Smartwool hiking socks on Amazon
➡️ Shop for more hiking socks on Amazon
Tote bag
I love a cotton tote bag and always carry one with me wherever I go and the Camino was no exception. In fact, I love them so much I designed some with Camino inspired logos for my website. I took this one with me on my last Camino and got quite a few compliments (any maybe a few sales!) along the way.
➡️ Shop for Camino inspired tote bags on the Alison on Foot shop
Travel notebook
A notebook is a great gift for a would-be pilgrim (even better when it has a Camino inspired cover like this one that can also be personalised) and keeping a journal is one of the best ways to keep the Camino memories alive. Moleskine make great journals and are one of my favourite notebooks.
You can even get downloadable journals for people who prefer working digitally rather than on paper.
➡️Shop for notebooks on Etsy
➡️ Shop for notebooks on Amazon
Voucher for a Good Night’s Sleep
If you want to splash out then how about giving the gift of a good night’s sleep? If you’re buying for someone who’s staying in dorms on their Camino then a stay at the Parador in Santiago de Compostela would be an amazing gift. It’s a luxury hotel right on the main square in Santiago next to the Cathedral.
If your budget won’t stretch to the Parador there are still lots of cheaper alternatives for a lovely way to end the Camino.
➡️ Shop for hotel stays in Santiago de Compostela on Booking.com
Voucher for a post-Camino experience
There are so many things to do in Santiago de Compostela after the Camino so a voucher for an experience would make a great gift. It could be for a guided tour of the Cathedral and old town, a gastronomic night tour, a massage as a special treat or a day trip to the end of the world.
➡️ Shop for post-Camino experiences on Get Your Guide
This post has plenty of ideas for things to do in Santiago after the Camino.
Voucher for a virtual Camino de Santiago
Not exactly a practical gift but one that will help with training for walking the real thing, a virtual Camino is a 480 mile walk that you can do anywhere – and you get a medal at the end.
I did the virtual Camino de Santiago with Conqueror Challenges in 2020 when my plan to walk for real was thwarted by Covid lockdowns. You log each walk you do on the Conqueror app and it virtually plots your journey to Santiago. Along the way you receive 14 virtual postcards and the company even plants a tree in your name for each 20% of the challenge you complete.
A great way to get the miles in before the challenge begins for real!
➡️ Shop for virtual walks on the Conqueror Challenges website
Water Bottle
Staying hydrated on the Camino is as important as looking after your feet so a water bottle makes a great gift.
I have a few of these Chilly’s bottles in different patterns and love the fact that they keep water cold for up to 24 hours and also means there’s a reduction in the use of single use plastics so they’re a win for the environment.
➡️ Shop for Chilly’s bottles on Amazon
This post has more ways to walk the Camino de Santiago in a sustainable way.
Souvenir Camino de Santiago gifts
For those who’ve already walked the Camino then how about an item of memorabilia to remind them of their trip?
Artwork
I quite often buy a poster as a holiday souvenir and have them from various places around the world. Most of them are standard sizes so it’s easy to pick up a frame for them too.
Whether you want some artwork of the Cathedral at Santiago or a map of the route they walked it’s likely to be a popular choice.
➡️ Shop for Camino inspired artwork on Etsy
Books
Plenty of pilgrims who’ve walked the Camino have returned home and put pen to paper to write a book about their experiences.
The actor Andrew McCarthy has written the excellent book Walking with Sam: A Father, A Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain, and Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage is another good read about the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Let’s not forget cookery books either. Sampling the delicious food along the way is one of the joys of walking the Camino. If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to cook then a Spanish cookery book like Tastes of the Camino could be just the ticket.
➡️ Shop for Camino related books on Amazon
Christmas tree decoration
I always try to bring a Christmas tree decoration back with me from every trip I take. After I got my first Camino shell when I walked the Camino Portugués for the first time I’ve always hung it on my tree.
If you want to give something else as a reminder, Spirit of the Camino on Etsy have some great Camino tree decorations. They’ve even got a magnet on the back so they can be used year round as a reminder of walking the Camino.
➡️ Shop for Christmas tree decorations on Etsy
Jewellery
Jewellery is always a winning gift, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
How about some earrings in the shape of the famous Camino arrows? Or a bracelet or necklace with a shell or St James cross pendant? You can find all of these by Talisman Bijoux on Etsy. I have a silver necklace and earrings in the shape of scallop shells for a constant reminder of the Caminos that I’ve walked.
If you know someone who has a Pandora bracelet you can even buy Camino inspired charms.
➡️ Shop for Camino inspired jewellery on Etsy
Keyring
Pretty much everyone uses a keyring so it’s an obvious choice for even the hardest to buy for.
This one shaped like a scallop shell can be personalised on the back too and is sure to be a hit with the recipient and, no doubt, bring back lots of happy memories.
➡️ Shop for Camino keyrings on Etsy
T-shirt
You can’t go wrong giving a T-shirt as a gift (or at least that’s what I tell myself every year as I wrap another one for my brother!).
How about one of these ‘Yo soy peregrino‘ and ‘Yo soy peregrina‘ t-shirts to remind the recipient of their time on the Way every time they wear it? Or maybe an ‘Out of Office: On the Camino’ design?
➡️ Shop for Camino T-shirts on the Alison on Foot shop
I hope this has given you some good Camino de Santiago gift ideas for the pilgrim in your life. Let me know in the comments if you’ve got any other good suggestions, or any great gifts you’ve received yourself.
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