The French Way

A man wearing sunglasses, a hat, a red fleece jacket, and a backpack stands on a rural road with sheep grazing behind him. Two other people are walking in the distance near a historical building under a clear blue sky.

The Camino Francés is the classic pilgrimage route — 800 kilometres from the French Pyrenees across the heart of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, the road that has been changing people for a thousand years.

A man hiking outdoors in a hilly, rural landscape with mist and clouds in the background, wearing a red jacket and carrying a backpack.

Stages of the French Way

Section 1 — Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona~66km · 3 stages

Section 1 — Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona~66km · 3 stages

The Camino Francés begins with its most dramatic day — the crossing of the Pyrenees from France into Spain. Three days of walking through mountain passes and Navarrese countryside bring you to Pamplona, the first great city on the route. The walk that changes everything starts here.

Saint-Jean → Roncesvalles (25km) → Zubiri (21km) → Pamplona (20km)

Two hikers walking along a dirt trail in a rural landscape with rolling green hills, scattered trees, and distant village houses.
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Empty outdoor cafe area with tables and chairs, city buildings in the background, evening sky, and streetlights.
Two men standing next to each other outside near a road, with a road sign indicating Santiago de Compostela at 790 kilometers. The men are dressed in outdoor clothing, and the background features trees with fall foliage.
Two men standing beside a road sign that reads "Santiago de Compostela" with autumn trees in the background and a partially cloudy sky.
Metal sculptures of cowboys and horses with windmill and wind turbines in the background on a grassy hill under a partly cloudy sky.

Section 2 — Pamplona to Logorno~96km· 9 stages

Gothic cathedral with tall spires and intricate stone carvings, featuring large stained glass windows and a detailed facade, set against a clear blue sky.
A dirt path winding through a grassy field leading towards a hill with green vegetation under a clear blue sky.
Three men sitting outdoors at a cafe table holding coffee cups, wearing outdoor gear and smiling, with a window display of fruits behind them.
A dirt road in a rural area with two people walking, surrounded by fields and distant trees under a cloudy sky.
Front view of a Gothic-style cathedral with twin towers, intricate stained glass window, and detailed stone carvings, bathed in golden sunlight against a clear blue sky.
A man standing on a dirt path beside a paved road in a rural area with open fields and scattered trees under a cloudy sky.
Three hikers walking along a dirt trail in a dense forest with tall trees and green foliage.
Four men wearing outdoor jackets and backpacks standing in front of a historic building with ornate architecture and tall towers.
A stone marker with the yellow shell symbol of the Camino de Santiago and a plaque reading '0.00 K.M.', located outdoors near a body of water and green grass.
A man in outdoor clothing with a backpack is filling a bottle at a water fountain with a decorative crest on a stone wall behind him.

The heart of the Camino Francés. The route crosses the Rioja wine country — two days walking through vineyards at their most beautiful — before arriving at Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the approach to Burgos. The wine fountain at Bodegas Irache, the tapas street in Logroño, and the Gothic cathedral in Burgos make this the most varied and rewarding section on the entire route.

Pamplona → Puente la Reina (24km) → Estella (22km) → Los Arcos (22km) → Logroño (28km) → Nájera (28km) → Santo Domingo de la Calzada (21km) → Belorado (23km) → San Juan de Ortega (24km) → Burgos (28km)

Section 3 — Burgos to León~180km · 8 stages

The meseta. The great flat plain of northern Spain that most pilgrims fear before they walk it and remember longest afterward. Eight days of open sky, Roman roads, and a particular silence that does its work on whoever is walking through it. The section ends in León, one of the finest cities on the Camino, anchored by its extraordinary stained glass cathedral and the magnificent Parador San Marcos.

Burgos → Hornillos del Camino (21km) → Castrojeriz (20km) → Frómista (25km) → Carrión de los Condes (20km) → Calzadilla de la Cueza (17km) → Sahagún (22km) → El Burgo Ranero (18km) → Mansilla de las Mulas (19km) → León (18km)

Section 4 — León to Sarria~195km · 8 stages

The mountains return. The route climbs from León through the Cruz de Ferro — the Iron Cross at 1,504m where pilgrims have left stones from home for centuries — and over the dramatic pass at O Cebreiro into Galicia. The landscape transforms completely on the descent. Everything from here to Santiago is green, granite, and ancient in a different way from the plains behind you.

León → Villavante (22km) → Astorga (27km) → Rabanal del Camino (20km) → Ponferrada (32km) → Villafranca del Bierzo (24km) → O Cebreiro (30km) → Triacastela (21km) → Sarria (19km)

Section 5 — Sarria to Santiago de Compostela ~116km · 5 stages

The final section begins at Sarria — the last qualifying start point for the Compostela certificate — and ends in the Plaza del Obradoiro in front of the Santiago cathedral. Five days through the green valleys of Galicia, arriving at one of the great pilgrimage destinations in the world.

Sarria → Portomarín (23km) → Palas de Rei (25km) → Arzúa (29km) → O Pedrouzo/Arca (19km) → Santiago de Compostela (20km)

Section 6 — Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre & Muxia ~120km· 4 stages

For those with time and legs to spare, the route continues to Finisterre and the Atlantic Ocean — the way the original pilgrims ended their journey.

Santiago → Negreira (22km) → Oliveiroa (34km) → Fisterra (22km) → Muxía (29km)

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