French Way - Section 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

This Cycling Holiday explores the second 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 from Burgos, medieval city and home of a UNESCO World Heritage cathedral, this section of the French Way by Bike offers some of the best historical and cultural vestiges of the whole Camino Frances. It passes through Leon and the vast Castillan Plateau (Approx. alt. 900m) before reaching another medieval bastion - the buzzing city of Ponferrada. The mostly flat and gentle terrain makes it accessible to any cyclist with an average level of fitness.

French Way - Section 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

Day 1 : Burgos
Day 2 : Burgos to Fromista (73km)
Day 3 : Fromista to Sahagun (67km)
Day 4 : Sahagun to Leon (67km)
Day 5 : Leon to Astorga (44km)
Day 6 : Astorga to Ponferrada (54km)
Day 7 : Ponferrada

View Camino Frances - Cycling in a larger map

DAY BY DAY

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Day 1 - Burgos Burgos still preserves important vestiges of its medieval splendour and the city boasts a masterpiece of Spanish Gothic architecture: the Cathedral of Burgos (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Aside from a visit to the historic quarter, you can take quite an interesting walk along the banks of the Duero and Arlanza rivers. Town: ATM, shops. all facilities. Day 2 – Burgos to Fromista (73 km, +650m -550m) All day long, you will notice the influence of the Camino de Santiago as there is not a single village we cross that does not have obvious references to it. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 3 – Fromista to Sahagun (67km, +150m -80m) During this stage, we have a good understanding of the popular meaning "Castilla es ancha" (castilla is wide). Crop fields give patches of beautiful colour to the agricultural landscape all year round. The first half of the day is mainly flat and it gets a bit more undulated on the second half to Sahagun. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board

Day 4 – Sahagun to Leon (67km, +200m -200m) Today, we cycle through the colourful Castillan meseta or plateau. The landscape here seems endless as we pass over the flat terrain of the area, affording great views over the surrounding agricultural area. We finish the day in the vibrant city of Leon. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 5 – Leon to Astorga (44km, +500m -200m) This is probably one of the flattest cycling days of the entire Camino Frances, but as we are on a high plateau, it still offers some great views and you will see Astorga down in the valley long before reaching it! In Astorga, take some time to visit the Episcopal palace, the cathedral, and the old city walls. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 6 – Astorga to Ponferrada (54km, +1000m -1150m) The last day of this section is definitely the most difficult, but also, the most rewarding one! We can enjoy spectacular views as we climb up to 1500m above sea level to reach the famous Cruz del Hierro (the Iron Cross). The natural scenery and towns with rich history make this the best way to finish the section, before reaching Ponferrada: a city with a lively, and very pretty, medieval centre. Town: ATM, Shops, all facilities Meals: Half Board Day 7 – Ponferrada After breakfast, we bid you farewell Town: ATM, Internet, shops, all facilities Meal: Breakfast

WEATHER

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French Way - Section 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

 FLY IN AND OUT

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It is best to fly to Bilbao, Santander or Madrid.

1)    FLY IN

• To Bilbao

Internal connections to 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 connections to Bilbao : Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Milan, Munich, Paris and Stuttgart.

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

• To Santander

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

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

• To Madrid

With almost every companies :

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

2)    FLY OUT

• From Madrid

See above.

• From Santiago  de Compostela

See with Ryanair, Iberia and Aer Lingus for flights to the UK :
- Ryanair : direct flights to Stansted, Nottingham East Midlands and Liverpool
- Aer Lingus : flights to Dublin.

Great choice of other connections with Iberia and Spanair to : Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Bilbao, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma, Seville, Tenerife and Valencia.

GETTING AROUND

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1)    GETTING THERE

• From Santander

Train to Burgos :
- 1 hour journey
- Several departures a day

• From Bilbao

Train to Burgos :
- 3 hours journey
- Several departures a day.

• From Madrid

By train :
- 2h30 journey
- See timetable : www.renfe.es
- Regular departures

By bus :
- 3h30 journey
- See timetable : www.alsa.es
- Regular departures

2)    GETTING BACK

• To Madrid

By bus :
- 4h30 journey
- See timetable : www. alsa.es
- Regular departures

By train :
- 6 hours journey
- See timetable : www.renfe.es
- Regular departures

• To Santiago de Compostela

By train :
- 2 hours journey
- See timetable : www.renfe.es
- Regular departures

By bus :
- 2 hours journey
- See timetable : www.alsa.es
- Regular departures

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT 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 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

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 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

French Way - Section 2 - 7 Days/6 Nights - 305 km - From €550 -
From Burgos to Ponferrada

 

 

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	€109 (per person - bike not included)	Transport to Burgos from Santander Airport For information on transfers for more passengers or from other airports, please ask us.

 

	Extra nights (€) Santander / Ponferrada / Burgos	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.