What are the most important Christian pilgrimage sites?

Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the Sea of Galilee, Rome and St Peter's Basilica, Santiago de Compostela at the end of the Camino, and St Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai are the sites most Christian pilgrims travel to.

How do I plan a Christian pilgrimage?

Choose whether you want a walking pilgrimage such as the Camino de Santiago or a site-based journey through the Holy Land, pick a season that avoids the busiest feast days and hottest months, allow three to four days per city, and read the Scripture attached to each place before you arrive.

A stone pilgrim path leading toward the walls of old Jerusalem at golden hour

65 documented destinations14 categories

Christian Pilgrimage Trails Through the World's Holy Places

Q: What is a Christian pilgrimage?

A Christian pilgrimage is a journey made to a place of religious significance — a biblical site, a saint's shrine, a monastery or a cathedral — undertaken as an act of devotion, penance, thanksgiving or study. Christians have travelled to Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela in unbroken succession since the fourth century.

Biblical sites, pilgrim roads, desert monasteries and cathedral cities — rated and mapped for travellers who want the sacred as well as the beautiful.

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The archive

Featured pilgrimages

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5/5 Significance

Tiberias, Israel

Sea of Galilee

A large freshwater lake, 210 metres below sea level, where Jesus did most of his teaching and healing.

5/5 · Scripturally central

4/5 Significance

Vatican City, Vatican City

St Peter's Basilica

The biggest church ever built, with Michelangelo's dome over the tomb of Peter the fisherman.

4/5 · Major biblical site

5/5 Significance

Jerusalem, Israel

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The church built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried, and where he rose again. Six different churches share the same building.

5/5 · Scripturally central

2/5 Significance

Lourdes, France

Sanctuary of Lourdes

A cave in the French mountains where a 14-year-old girl said Mary appeared to her in 1858. Six million people visit every year.

2/5 · Historically linked

4/5 Significance

Jerusalem, Israel

Via Dolorosa

The route Jesus is believed to have walked to the cross: 14 stops through the narrow streets of Jerusalem.

4/5 · Major biblical site

5/5 Significance

Capernaum, Israel

Capernaum

The small fishing village Jesus used as his home base. You can still see the synagogue and a house believed to be Peter's.

5/5 · Scripturally central

3/5 Significance

Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia

For 900 years the biggest church in the world. It became a mosque, then a museum, and is a mosque again today.

3/5 · Well attested

2/5 Significance

Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Gaudí's unfinished church in Barcelona. The whole Gospel story is carved into the walls, and the pillars look like trees.

2/5 · Historically linked

5/5 Significance

Selçuk, Turkey

Ephesus

Paul lived here for three years, and his preaching once caused a riot. The ruins are some of the best kept in the world.

5/5 · Scripturally central

The short answer

What is a Christian pilgrimage?

A Christian pilgrimage is a journey to a place where the faith happened — a biblical site, a martyr's grave, a monastery, a shrine or a cathedral — walked or travelled as devotion rather than tourism. Christians have gone to Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela without interruption since the fourth century, and the practice is growing again: the Camino alone draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims a year.

Christrails documents those places one at a time. Every destination carries its history, the Scripture that names it, a significance rating, a map pin and the practical detail — season, access, dress code, permits — you need before booking. Start with the guide to the great Christian pilgrimage sites, browse pilgrimage routes you can walk and biblical sites in the Holy Land, or open the world map of holy sites.

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