Spain · Camino de Santiago

Camino Francés

A way of the Camino de Santiago in Spain: 760 km (472 mi) with 12,455 m of ascent, about 33 days on foot.

Distance
760 km (472 mi)
Ascent
12,455 m
Days
33
High point
1,515 m

The line is OpenStreetMap's mapping of the route (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), via Waymarked Trails, with heights from a 30 m terrain model. Check the current official route before a long trip: diversions and permitted paths change. See the source.

0 km100 km200 km300 km400 km500 km600 km700 km1,476 m172 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Camino Francés
Iñaki LL · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The trail

The Way of St James from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port over the Pyrenees to Santiago: carry a pilgrim credential stamped along the way, and for the Compostela walk at least the last 100 km continuously into the cathedral.

Planning

Notes from desk research of the sources listed below, checked 4 October 2026. They are not a first-hand account: paths, transport and rules change, so check before you go.

Which part to walk

The Camino Francés crosses northern Spain from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, over the Pyrenees, to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, through Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos, León, Astorga and Ponferrada. On our map it is 760 km.

With a weekend, start at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, climb over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles, and walk down through Burguete to Zubiri the next day.

With a week, Sarria to Santiago covers the final stretch that qualifies for the Compostela; our separate Camino Francés from Sarria route is 114 km in 5 days. Alternatively, Visit Navarra says a week is enough for its section from Roncesvalles to Viana, which it gives as 134 km.

For the whole way, our map estimates about 33 days at around 23 km a day. Spain's tourist board says most people walk the Camino in sections of about a week.

How hard is it

The first stage, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles, crosses the Pyrenees and needs good fitness. Of the two ways over, Visit Navarra describes the Napoleon route as much harder than the route via Valcarlos. The climb into Galicia at O Cebreiro is also hard going. Stages are usually between 20 and 30 km, and you can adjust them to suit. The way is marked throughout with yellow arrows.

Getting there and back

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is served by the TER 54 regional train from Bayonne. At the end, the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago is at Rúa Carretas 33, near the cathedral, open daily from 9 am to 7 pm except 25 December and 1 January.

Where to stay and eat

There are plenty of pilgrim hostels, called albergues, along the way, as well as rural houses, hotels and campsites. Public albergues cannot be booked: beds go on arrival, with priority for pilgrims on foot over those on horseback or bicycles. They usually open around midday and expect you to leave by 8 or 9 am. In Galicia the public network charged €10 a night in 2026 and allows one night per hostel. Private albergues cost a little more. Fountains along the way let you refill water bottles.

When to go

The Camino can be walked all year, but Spain's tourist board suggests spring and September to October, when it is milder and less wet. In summer avoid walking through the middle of the day. The Napoleon route over the Pyrenees is closed from 1 November to 31 March, when you must use the Valcarlos route.

Before you go

No permit is needed, but carry a pilgrim credential, which gives access to pilgrim hostels and collects the stamps you need for the Compostela. You can get one from the Pilgrim's Office, parish churches and authorised associations, and there is also a digital version. To receive the Compostela on foot you must walk at least the last 100 km continuously into Santiago, or 70 km in Spain if you started on a recognised route outside Spain. If you only walk the minimum, get your credential stamped at the start and end of each stage. At busy times the Compostela may not be issued the same day.

Spain's postal service, Correos, offers daily bag transfer between stages and will store luggage in Santiago for up to 30 days.

You can follow the line in the Global Adventurer app, free, with the map offline.

Sources: Pilgrim's Reception Office, Santiago: The Compostela, Pilgrim's Reception Office, Santiago: The Credencial, Spain tourist board: The French Way of Saint James, Visit Navarra: Camino Francés, Visit Navarra: Camino de Santiago, Xunta de Galicia: Public pilgrim hostel network, Txik Txak (Pays Basque transport): The train, Correos: Luggage transfer on the Camino.

Map sections

About 33 days at about 23 km (14 mi) a day, an estimate from the length. Too many to list day by day, so here the line is in 30 sections, each ending at a town or village it passes, to help you find your way along it. They are not daily stages, and they vary from 18.6 km to 32 km: plan your days and nights from the trail's own guide.

  1. Section 1 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Orreaga / Roncesvalles 24 km · 24 km from the start
  2. Section 2 Orreaga / Roncesvalles to Zubiri 21 km · 45 km from the start
  3. Section 3 Zubiri to Pamplona 20 km · 65 km from the start
  4. Section 4 Pamplona to Obanos 21 km · 86 km from the start
  5. Section 5 Obanos to Ayegui / Aiegi 26 km · 112 km from the start
  6. Section 6 Ayegui / Aiegi to Sansol 26 km · 138 km from the start
  7. Section 7 Sansol to Logroño 20 km · 159 km from the start
  8. Section 8 Logroño to Nájera 29 km · 187 km from the start
  9. Section 9 Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada 21 km · 208 km from the start
  10. Section 10 Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Espinosa del Camino 30 km · 239 km from the start
  11. Section 11 Espinosa del Camino to Orbaneja Riopico 30 km · 268 km from the start
  12. Section 12 Orbaneja Riopico to Hornillos del Camino 32 km · 301 km from the start
  13. Section 13 Hornillos del Camino to Itero de la Vega 31 km · 331 km from the start
  14. Section 14 Itero de la Vega to Villalcázar de Sirga 27 km · 358 km from the start
  15. Section 15 Villalcázar de Sirga to Ledigos 29 km · 387 km from the start
  16. Section 16 Ledigos to Bercianos del Real Camino 27 km · 413 km from the start
  17. Section 17 Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas 26 km · 440 km from the start
  18. Section 18 Mansilla de las Mulas to León 18.6 km · 458 km from the start
  19. Section 19 León to Villadangos del Páramo 21 km · 479 km from the start
  20. Section 20 Villadangos del Páramo to Astorga 27 km · 506 km from the start
  21. Section 21 Astorga to Foncebadón 26 km · 531 km from the start
  22. Section 22 Foncebadón to Ponferrada 27 km · 558 km from the start
  23. Section 23 Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo 23 km · 581 km from the start
  24. Section 24 Villafranca del Bierzo to La Laguna de Castilla 25 km · 607 km from the start
  25. Section 25 La Laguna de Castilla to Triacastela 23 km · 630 km from the start
  26. Section 26 Triacastela to O Casal 28 km · 657 km from the start
  27. Section 27 O Casal to Vendas de Narón 25 km · 682 km from the start
  28. Section 28 Vendas de Narón to Melide 26 km · 708 km from the start
  29. Section 29 Melide to A Brea 27 km · 735 km from the start
  30. Section 30 A Brea to Santiago de Compostela 25 km · 760 km from the start

Start and finish

Start: near Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. 43.16234, -1.23723

Finish: near Santiago de Compostela, Santiago. 42.88097, -8.54510

Directions to the start Directions to the finish

Places to stay

Rooms in the towns and villages along the way:

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line comes from the source named under the map and the heights from a terrain model, so treat the figures as a guide. Check for diversions before you go, take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.

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