8 sections

	French Way Section 1 Walk From St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona - 68km 5 Days/4 nights, half Board, en-suite, available year round, From €390		French Way Section 2 Walk From Pamplona to Logrono - 88km 6 Days/5 Nights, Half Board, hotels en-suite, year round, From €490
	French Way Section 3 From Logrono to Burgos - 115km 7 Days/6 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, all year round, From €590		French Way Section 4 Walk From Burgos to Sahagun - 111km 8 Days/7 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, year round, From €680
	French Way Section 5 Walk From Sahagun to Leon - 53km 5 Days/4 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, year round, From €390		French Way Section 6 Walk From Leon to Ponferrada - 99km 6 Days/5 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, year round, From €490
	French Way Section 7 Walk From Ponferrada to Sarria - 93km 6 Days/5 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, year round, From €490		THE LAST 100KM. Walk 1 week and get your Certificate! French Way Section 8 From Sarria to Santiago de Compostela - 111km 7 Days/6 Nights, Half Board, en-suite, year round, From €590

Information

The French Way is the most traditional of all the pilgrims' ways to Santiago, and the best known internationally. The route, which crosses the north of the Iberian Peninsula, was established in the late 11th century thanks to the efforts of monarchs like Sancho III the Greater and Sancho Ramirez de Navarra y Aragon, as well as Alphonse VI and his successors, who took care of its construction and promotion. The principal routes of the Way in France and Spain were described in detail around the year 1135 in the Codex Calixtinus, an essential reference work providing details of the pilgrimage tradition.

Book V of this codex is a bona-fide medieval guide describing the pilgrimage to Santiago. It enumerates the different stretches of the French Way from the lands of Gaul and offers detailed information on the sanctuaries to be found along the way, including comments on the hospitality, the people, the food, natural springs, local customs, etc. The entire work is written clearly and succinctly; a practical answer to a specific demand – the pilgrimage to Santiago.

This guide, attributed to the French cleric Aymeric Picaud, reveals the political and religious interest that lay behind promoting the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela, while at the same time bearing testimony to the demand for this type of information. At the time this book was written an unprecedented number of pilgrims were travelling the French Way. Accordingly, Santiago became the paramount destination for all Christian pilgrims. The popularity of the route prompted a Moslem Ambassador to comment that "the throng of worshippers who travel to Santiago and back is so great that there is almost no room left on the road leading to the west".

With the passage of time the physical route of the French Way lost much of its former reputation. Indeed, it was not until the end of the 19th century that there was a renewed interest in Saint James and the pilgrimage way. This led to the progressive restoration and recovery of the ancient route – nowadays internationally recognised as one of the historical symbols of European unity.

Stages of the camino frances

This is the list of the sections and stages of our Walking holidays on the Camino Frances (French Way). Click on the Camino section to go directly to the walking holiday.

Itineraries

The French Way acquired a specific itinerary in France through the four main routes described in the Codex Calixtinus. Three of these routes (Paris-Tours, Vezelay-Limoges and Le Puy-Conques) enter Spain after crossing the Pyrenees through Roncesvalles in Navarra, while the fourth route (Arles-Toulouse) crosses the border over the Somport pass and continues on to Jaca, in the region of Aragon. The Roncesvalles route, which goes through the city of Pamplona, joins the Aragonese route in Puente de la Reina (Navarra).

From Puente la Reina onwards, the French Way follows a single route as far as the city of Santiago, passing through cities and towns of note in the north of Spain such as Estella, Logrono, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Burgos, Castrojeriz, Fromista, Carrion de los Condes, Sahagun, Leon, Astorga, Ponferrada and Villafranca del Bierzo.

The Bierzo region which, throughout history, has enjoyed strong ties with Galicia, is the gateway into Galicia on the French Way. This territory was described by Aymeric Picaud as being “abundant in woods", while "the countryside is pleasant with its rivers, meadows and rich apple orchards, its excellent fruit and pristine fountains; cities, towns and farmlands are few and far between. It is lacking in wheat bread and wine, but abounds in rye bread and cider, cattle and horses, milk and honey, in fish from the sea both large and small; it is rich in gold and silver and in cloth and pelts of wild animals. It has other riches, most Saracen treasures". Twenty-first century pilgrims will be able to see for themselves what remains and what differs from this account, caught halfway between reality and legend.

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