French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

This Cycling Holiday explores the first section of the Camino Frances / French Way by Bike, the most traditional of all the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela and the best known internationally. The route, which was established in the late 11th century reaching the tomb of St James the Great, crosses the North of the Iberian Peninsula, through the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y Leon and Galicia regions of Spain. Nowadays, cycling on the Camino has become an incredibly popular way of enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime journey to Santiago de Compostela.

Starting in Roncesvalles, this leg of the French Way will bring you to the vibrant city of Burgos. This section is great for cyclists who want to enjoy different landscapes, from the foothills of the Pyrenees to hilly sunflower fields, from woodlands to red earth vineyards. It also has its lot of historical cities as well as picturesque towns, and visitors can enjoy different regional cultures as they journey from the Basque Country to Castilla y Leon, not to mention the wine-dedicated region of La Rioja.

French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

Day 1 : Roncesvalles
Day 2 : Roncesvalles to Pamplona (48km)
Day 3 : Pamplona to Estella (44km)
Day 4 : Estella to Logrono (49km)
Day 5 : Logrono to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (48km)
Day 6 : Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Burgos (70km)
Day 7 : Burgos

View Camino Frances - Cycling in a larger map

DAY BY DAY

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Day 1 - Roncesvalles With its collegial church, old monastery and chapel of Santiago, Roncesvalles has a strong link to the Camino de Santiago. It is also one of the major spots of all the routes to the tomb of St James as this is where all pilgrims gather to to start their journey to Santiago de Compostela via the French Way. Set at the foothills of the Pyrenees (Alt. 1000m), this peaceful place seems to exist because of, and for, the Camino! Town: ATM, all facilities.     Day 2 – Roncesvalles to Pamplona (48km, +600m -1000m) Leaving the Pyrenees behind us, we cycle down to Pamplona (Alt. 450m) through the undulated terrain of the Basque Country, via woodlands and hilly cultivated lands, before reaching the capital city of the region of Navarra - Pamplona. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 3 – Pamplona to Estella ( 44km, +650m -650m) As soon as we leave Pamplona, we notice a drastic change in landscape: sunflowers and cereal fields surround us as we pass el Alto del Perdon (Alt. 750m) before heading down to Puente de la Reina, where the French and Aragonese Ways to Santiago meet. The second half of the day sees another progression in landscapes as red earth crop fields, charming villages and vineyards begin to appear. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board

Day 4 – Estella to Logrono (49km, +670m -650m Today is another beautiful day, cycling through vineyards and red earth crop fields. We also pass by a few famous landmarks of the Camino such as the Monasterio of Irache and its bodega, and the steep climb up to Villamayor de Monjardin. Shade also decreases as we get closer and closer to Logrono, capital city of world-known wine producing region of La Rioja. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 5 – Logrono to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (48km, +600m -350m) Yet another very nice cycling day, along red earth tracks and through the countryside of La Rioja. As the day goes on, we notice vines start to disappear and are replaced by more cereal fields as we approach Santo Domingo de la Calzada, another great milestone on the Camino de Santiago . This day can be seen as challenging as there are many ups and downs all day long and little shade. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 6 – Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Burgos (70km, +1000m -650m) The day is spent through hilly crop fields, crossing a few nice villages before getting back to civilisation in Burgos. This can be a demanding day as the length is challenging and because of the ascent/descent - but the final destination in Burgos worth it! Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meal: Half Board Day 7 – Burgos After breakfast, we bid you farewell Town: ATM, Internet, shops, all facilities Meal: Breakfast

WEATHER

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French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

FLY IN AND OUT

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It is best to fly to France (Biarritz or Paris), then come back from Spain (Bilbao, Santander or Madrid)

1)    FLY IN

• To Biarritz

With Ryanair, easyJet, Air France (via Orly).
Biarritz airport info : http://www.biarritz.aeroport.fr/

• To Paris

With almost all companies.

2)    FLY OUT

• From Bilbao

Internal destinations from Bilbao : A Coruna, Alicante, Barcelona, Badajoz, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Jerez, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife, Valencia and Vigo.

European destinations from Bilbao : Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Milan, Munich, Paris and Stuttgart.

See with EasyJet, Iberia and AerLingus :
- EasyJet : daily flights from Bilbao to London Stansted Airport
- Iberia : flights to Gatwick or Heathrow via Madrid
- AerLingus : operates out of Dublin.

• From Santander

Direct flights from Santander only with Ryanair : London Stansted, Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan and Rome, as well as Reus and Madrid in Spain.

Internal flights with Iberia to Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia.

• From Madrid

With almost every companies :

- See the Spanish national company: www.iberia.com
- See the Spanish low-cost: www.spanair.com

GETTING AROUND

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1)    GETTING THERE

• From Biarritz

First, from Biarritz to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port :

By train :
- 1h30 journey
- See timetable : www.voyages-sncf.com

Then, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles :

By taxi :
- 15min journey
- Cost : 10€

• From Paris
  

By train : Either solution 1, or solution 2.

Solution 1 : Train from Paris to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, then taxi to Roncesvalles :

Train to Saint Jean Pied de Port :
- Departures everyday
- 6h30 journey
- Depart at 12.10 / Arrive at 18:30

Then, taxi to Roncesvalles :
- 15min journey
- Cost : 10€

Solution 2 : Train from Paris to Bayonne, then Taxi to Roncesvalles :

Train to Bayonne :
- Direct train :
- 4h45 journey
- See timetable : www.voyages-sncf.com

Then, Taxi from Bayonne to Roncesvalles.

2)    GETTING BACK

• To Bilbao

By train :
- 3 hours journey
- See tinetable : www.renfe.com

• To Madrid

By train :
- 3 hours journey
- See timetable : www.renfe.com

• To Santander

By train :
- 1 hour journey
- See timetable : www.renfe.com

MORE INFORMATION ON FLIGHTS

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• www.skyscanner.net

Searches most Airlines for best available connections and prices

• www.spanish-airport-guide.com

French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

HOTEL AND GUESTHOUSE GRADES – HOW WE CHOOSE YOUR ACCOMMODATION

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Our accommodations are selected based on a number of criteria, including location, comfort, services, price and character. We always try to book accommodations that are both on/near the Camino and also close to the historical quarter or centre of the town/city. This is facilitated by the fact that the Camino usually goes through the heart of each town and/or city.

In larger towns, which are usually at the beginning and end of each section, we book hotels of a 3* standard. In smaller towns/villages/hamlets in between the larger towns, we choose hotels or guesthouses of a 2* standard. However, there could be some exceptions to this rule, for example, in some small villages, our selection depends on local infrastructure and it may happen that the only possibility is a non-rated guesthouse. This does not mean it is not up to our standards only that it does not have an official classification, which is usually due to the rural and remote nature of parts of the Camino.

Given the reasons stated above, we do believe that a 2* hotel located in the historical centre is a better choice than a 3* hotel located in the outskirts of the town at a distance from the Camino. If our first choice is not available, we will use another accommodation of the same standard and price. If there is no such accommodation available, we may contact you to offer either an upgrade at a premium, or a downgrade with a refund, again based on local infrastructure in each area.

We are determined in our motto: to provide our customers with the best available on the Camino.

French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

French Way - Section 1 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 259 km - From €550 -
From Roncesvalles to Burgos

 

 

LIST OF PRICES AND OPTIONS

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	Base Price (€) Bike not included	Double/Twin Room (pps)	Single Room	Solo Departure
	High Season Apr, May, Jun, Sep	690	830	905
	Mid Season Jul, Aug, Oct	650	790	865
	Low Season Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec	550	690	765

 

Choose your mountain bike  - prices €

	BH Over-X 21V Aluminium frame 21 speeds syncroniced gear changes Regulable fork: Suntour SR.	BH Over-X 24V Alloy Frame, Shimano Alivio 24 gears, fork suntour XCM with lock-out	BH Peak 6.5 27v Alloy Frame Shimano SLX-Alivio, 27 gears, Poplock fork
	215 (per 7 day section*)	245 (per 7 day section*)	295 (per 7 day section*)

*  Discounts available for cycling more than one section,  please contact us for prices.

 

	Included in all our bike prices
	Pannier pack includes - pannier bags and repair kit (pump, set of tools, spare inner tube and cables)	Helmet (obligatory)	Saddle cover gel pad This removable saddle pad with Gel techonology helps relieve pelvic discomfort.	Water bottle holder

 

Please note that for delivery reasons, all bikes arrive at your accommodation in flat pack form.  15 minutes approx are required to get the bike ready for use, tighten handlebars, screw pedals and set the saddle to correct height.  No particular skills are required for this set up. However, should you wish to include it in your package, please see options below.

 

Options	Assembly of Bike	€30	Assembly availabe in Burgos and Ponferrada only.
	Picnic Lunches	€50 (per person)	includes all cycling days
	Airport Transfer 2 - 8 people	€43 (per person - bike not included)	Transport to Roncevalles from Biarritz Airport For information on transfers for more passengers or from other airports, please ask us.

	Extra nights (€) Roncesvalles / Ponferrada / Burgos / Biarritz	Double/Twin Room (pps)	Single Room
	2* Hotel B&B	44	60
	3* Hotel B&B	65	95

Special rates for group of 6+

INCLUDED Luggage transferred from hotel to hotel Rooms en-suite Half Board during the hike Detailed Walking Notes Map Pilgrim passport

NOT INCLUDED Flights Insurance (recommended) Drinks Dinner first and last nights Transfer from/to airport Bike rental (see table of options)

 

If you have any questions about prices, please consult our FAQ's or Contact us.