VillageGascony / Gers161 km to Saint Jean Pied de Port

Aire-sur-l'Adour

A riverside town on the Adour with a Romanesque church, a cathedral, and full services. Marks the transition from Gascony towards the Pyrenean foothills.

View accommodation Plan your arrival Start my Camino here

About Where to stay Explore Things to do Find a bed

Services available

RestaurantCafeGroceryPharmacyATMTrainPost OfficeBusClinicTobacconistAccommodationAirportPilgrim OfficeWater

About Aire-sur-l'Adour

Aire-sur-l'Adour is a riverside town at the confluence of the Adour and the Douze rivers, marking the transition from the flat Gascon countryside towards the Pyrenean foothills. The town has a Romanesque Church of Sainte-Quitterie (a UNESCO-listed site on the Routes of Santiago) and a cathedral.

Pilgrims will find gites, hotels, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, ATMs, pharmacies, and a train station. The town is one of the better-serviced stops in the Gers section.

Aire-sur-l'Adour is famous for its foie gras and duck markets. The Church of Sainte-Quitterie, with its carved marble sarcophagus, is the most significant Romanesque monument in the area.

Explore

Explore Aire-sur-l'Adour

The Camino through town, with prices where the beds are. Amber is the route; each pin is a place to stay.

Select a pin to highlight the property.

Things to do

Things to do in Aire-sur-l'Adour

4 things

HistoryVisit the Eglise Sainte-QuitterieThe church on the hilltop above the river is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romanesque exterior is robust and the interior has a spacious nave with a beautiful apse. The highlight is the crypt, which contains a 4th-century marble sarcophagus carved with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The sarcophagus is one of the finest early Christian sculptures in France. The church is dedicated to Sainte Quitterie, a Visigothic princess who was martyred for refusing to…

FoodBuy Foie GrasAire-sur-l'Adour sits in the heart of France's foie gras country. The local markets and specialist shops sell duck and goose foie gras of exceptional quality, along with confits, rillettes, and other preserved duck products. If you have room in your pack, a small tin of foie gras makes an extraordinary trail lunch. The Saturday market is the best time to buy, with producers from the surrounding farms selling directly. The quality here is among the finest in France.

RelaxationWalk Along the Adour RiverThe Adour river runs through the town and the banks are pleasant for a stroll. The river is wide and slow here, lined with trees. The Cathedrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste sits near the river in the lower town. The walk from the lower town up to the Eglise Sainte-Quitterie on the hilltop gives good views over the river and the surrounding countryside. The Adour eventually reaches the Atlantic at Bayonne, and you are now tracing a path that converges with the river's trajectory…

Camino MomentThe Pyrenees Are Getting CloserFrom Aire-sur-l'Adour, the Pyrenees are no longer a distant presence. On clear days, the mountain range is visible and growing larger with every stage. You have about 168 km remaining to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which sits at the foot of the mountains. The terrain ahead changes again: the Bearn region, then the Basque Country, then the mountains themselves. The final section of Le Chemin du Puy builds to a dramatic crescendo. The quiet farmland of Gascony was the calm before…

All accommodation

Places to stay in Aire-sur-l'Adour

Our Koala Picks first, then donativos, albergues and hostels, hotels, and everything else. Within each group the best-reviewed places lead.

Prices for the night of

Loading places to stay…