The most popular and best-established pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, crossing the Pyrenees and traversing northern Spain.
The Camino Francés (French Way) is the most popular route to Santiago de Compostela, traveled by pilgrims for over a thousand years. Beginning in the medieval town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees, this historic path crosses northern Spain through diverse landscapes, from mountain passes to rolling wheat fields, ancient forests to bustling medieval cities.
Along the way, you'll pass through vibrant cities like Pamplona, Burgos, and León, each with their own character and centuries of pilgrim hospitality. The route is exceptionally well-marked with yellow arrows and scallop shells, and offers the most comprehensive network of pilgrim accommodation (albergues) of any Camino route.
Whether you're seeking spiritual renewal, personal challenge, or simply an unforgettable adventure, the Camino Francés offers a transformative journey through Spain's cultural heartland to the magnificent cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
You don't have to walk all of it. Not every pilgrim starts in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Some have five weeks, some have five days, and the Camino Francés welcomes them all. Whether you are walking the full 790km from the French Pyrenees or joining the trail further along, each starting point offers its own unique landscapes, experiences, and challenges. Pick where your Camino begins.
Start in Saint Jean Pied de Port: 33 stages plus the night you arrive, with no days to spare.
Shown belowFull route. The classic Camino experience with the best infrastructure, biggest pilgrim community, and the Pyrenees crossing on day one.
Move along the profile to follow the trail on the map. Select a starting point on the map or the profile to see its stages above.
May to June and September to October are the sweet spot: long days, open albergues and bearable heat on the Meseta. July and August are hot and busy, and from November to March many albergues close.
The Napoleon route over the Pyrenees is closed from 1 November to 31 March. Take the Valcarlos road instead.
Two mountain days, two hundred flat kilometres, and rocky descents in between.
Hardest: the drops into Zubiri, Molinaseca and Triacastela
Yellow arrows and scallop shells at almost every junction. You will rarely need a map, but the app shows your position when a town has two exits or an alternative splits off.
The densest network of pilgrim accommodation on any Camino: municipal and private albergues from about €10 to €18 a bed, donativos, and hotels in every city. Book ahead in Galicia, in high season and for the first night in Saint Jean.
Collect a pilgrim credential in Saint Jean or your start town and get it stamped once a day, twice a day from Sarria. Walk the last 100 km on foot and the Pilgrim Office in Santiago issues your Compostela.
Budget about €35 to €50 a day in albergues, including a pilgrim menu in the evening. Hotels and private rooms roughly double that. Prices are indicative and change by season.
Saint Jean Pied de Port is a train ride from Bayonne, which connects to Paris, Bordeaux and Biarritz airport. Pamplona, Burgos and León have mainline stations, and Sarria has trains from Madrid and A Coruña. Santiago has its own airport.
Services such as Correos and Jacotrans carry a bag from one albergue to the next for about €6 to €8 a stage along the whole route, so you can walk with a day pack.
The Camino Francés is one link in a longer chain. Add a route before it, or keep going once you finish.
Before: walk in fromWalking from France? Many pilgrims arrive at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port having already walked Le Chemin du Puy (736 km from Le Puy-en-Velay) — the most popular Camino route in France. Stage 1 below is where those two great routes connect.
Open the Le Chemin du Puy guidePeople continue onto Finsterra
Up 2% on 2024.
Pick a start and a date and get a day by day plan, with a bed to book for each night. Day 0 is the night you arrive in Saint Jean Pied de Port. Choosing is never booking.
