From Irún through the Basque interior to join the French Way at Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
Stages(8)
Irún → San Sebastián
Start of the Basque Interior Way from the French border. Climb Monte Jaizkibel with panoramic views of the Cantabrian Sea before descending to the spectacular La Concha bay in San Sebastián, world gastronomic capital and city of incomparable pintxos.
San Sebastián → Tolosa
Leave the coast to enter the Basque Country interior. Climb through the Oria valley among Basque farmhouses, beech forests and green meadows. Tolosa is an elegant industrial town on the Oria river, famous for its Tolosa beans and its Saturday weekly market.
Tolosa → Zalduondo
A long mountainous stage crossing the San Adrián tunnel, a natural rock passage that was the main medieval route between Castile and Europe. Spectacular Basque mountain landscape with beech forests and high-altitude pastures. Zalduondo is an Álavan hamlet with a Renaissance palace.
Zalduondo → Vitoria-Gasteiz
A gentle descent from the mountains to the Álavan plain. Cross the Llanada Alavesa, a wide green plateau. Vitoria-Gasteiz is Europe's green capital, with a perfectly preserved medieval quarter, Santa María cathedral (which inspired Ken Follett) and excellent pintxos.
Vitoria-Gasteiz → La Puebla de Arganzón
A flat stage through the western Álavan plain, leaving Vitoria behind among cereal and potato fields. La Puebla de Arganzón is a historic village in the County of Treviño, a Burgos enclave surrounded by Álavan territory, with well-preserved medieval architecture.
La Puebla de Arganzón → Haro
Enter La Rioja through the Obarenes mountains and Sierra de Toloño, with spectacular vineyard views. Haro is the capital of Rioja Alta, surrounded by centuries-old wineries open for visits. A must: try a Rioja red wine in La Herradura, the area's most famous bar street.
Haro → Santo Domingo de la Calzada
A flat stage through the heart of La Rioja among vineyards. Arrive at Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the quintessential Jacobean city founded by the saint who built the bridge, road and hospital for pilgrims. Its cathedral keeps a chicken coop with a live rooster and hen, witness to the famous miracle.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada → Belorado
The last stage of the Basque Way linking with the Camino Francés. Cross from La Rioja to Burgos through gentle terrain of cereal fields. Belorado is a town with a medieval porticoed square where the Basque Way merges with the Francés to continue together towards Santiago.