The most popular Camino route. From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port it crosses the Pyrenees, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y León to Santiago.
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Stages(33)
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Roncesvalles
The toughest stage of the Camino Francés. Cross the Pyrenees from France into Spain via the Napoleon Route, with over 1,200m elevation gain and spectacular views.
Roncesvalles → Zubiri
Gentle descent through dense Navarrese beech and oak forests. Pass through the villages of Burguete, Espinal, and Viskarret before reaching the Arga river valley.
Zubiri → Pamplona
Route along the Arga valley with moderate ups and downs. Enter Pamplona through the Magdalena quarter, crossing the medieval walls of the Navarrese capital.
Pamplona → Puente la Reina
Climb to the Alto del Perdón with its iconic pilgrim sculptures and panoramic views. Descend to the historic Romanesque bridge of Puente la Reina over the Arga river.
Puente la Reina → Estella
Stage through Navarrese lands passing through Cirauqui, a medieval hilltop village. Arrive in Estella, the Toledo of the North, with its Romanesque churches and the famous wine fountain at Bodegas Irache.
Estella → Los Arcos
Flat and shadeless stage through cereal fields and vineyards. No intermediate towns with services, carry enough water. Arrive in Los Arcos with its Santa MarÃa church.
Los Arcos → Logroño
Long and mostly flat stage crossing from Navarra into La Rioja. Pass through Torres del RÃo and Viana. Enter Logroño, the Riojan capital famous for its Calle Laurel and pintxos tapas.
Logroño → Nájera
Long stage crossing Riojan vineyards and the Grajera reservoir. Pass through Navarrete with its Romanesque cemetery gate. Arrive in Nájera with its Santa MarÃa la Real monastery carved into the rock.
Nájera → Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Short and peaceful stage through Riojan farmland. Pass through Azofra and its fountain. Arrive in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where the cathedral houses a henhouse with a live rooster and hen, in memory of the pilgrim miracle.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada → Belorado
Cross from La Rioja into Castilla y León through cereal fields. Pass through Grañón, the last Riojan village, and Redecilla del Camino with its Romanesque baptismal font. Arrive in Belorado, a town with caves in the cliffs.
Belorado → San Juan de Ortega
Climb into the Montes de Oca through dense oak and pine forest. Pass through Villafranca Montes de Oca. Arrive at the isolated monastery of San Juan de Ortega, famous for its garlic soup.
San Juan de Ortega → Burgos
Descent from the mountains to the Castilian meseta. Pass through Atapuerca, a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site. Enter Burgos with its impressive Gothic cathedral.
Burgos → Hornillos del Camino
First stage of the Meseta. Leave Burgos along paths by the Arlanzón river. Vast cereal plains with few intermediate services. Hornillos is a small village with a cozy albergue.
Hornillos del Camino → Castrojeriz
Pure Meseta with endless cereal landscapes. Pass through Hontanas, a village hidden in a valley. Arrive in Castrojeriz, a long town dominated by its hilltop castle ruins.
Castrojeriz → Frómista
Climb to the Alto de Mostelares with panoramic meseta views. Cross the Canal de Castilla at Itero de la Vega. Arrive in Frómista with its Romanesque gem: the church of San MartÃn de Tours.
Frómista → Carrión de los Condes
Short and flat stage along the road and Canal de Castilla. Pass through Villalcázar de Sirga with its Templar church of Santa MarÃa la Blanca. Carrión has significant monastic heritage.
Carrión de los Condes → Terradillos de los Templarios
The loneliest stage of the Meseta. 17 km without a village or services until Calzadilla de la Cueza. Hypnotic landscape of endless fields. Terradillos is a tiny village with good albergues.
Terradillos de los Templarios → El Burgo Ranero
Continuation through the Leonese meseta. Pass through Sahagún, an important town with ruins of the San Benito monastery and Mudéjar brick architecture. Arrive in El Burgo Ranero along a Roman road.
El Burgo Ranero → Mansilla de las Mulas
Last great Meseta stage. Straight and flat path with little shade. Pass through Reliegos. Mansilla de las Mulas retains remnants of its medieval walls and marks the end of the Meseta.
Mansilla de las Mulas → León
Short and comfortable stage entering León. Urban stretch through Puente de Villarente. León is unmissable: Gothic cathedral with extraordinary stained glass, San Isidoro basilica, and the Barrio Húmedo for tapas.
León → San MartÃn del Camino
Leave León through the La Virgen del Camino district. Flat stage across the Leonese páramo. Alternative via Villadangos del Páramo or Hospital de Órbigo with its historic medieval bridge.
San MartÃn del Camino → Astorga
Stage across the páramo ending in monumental Astorga. Pass through Hospital de Órbigo and its longest bridge on the Camino. Astorga stands out for GaudÃ's Episcopal Palace and its cathedral, plus Maragato cuisine.
Astorga → Rabanal del Camino
Start of the climb into the León Mountains. Pass through Maragato villages like Castrillo de los Polvazares and Santa Catalina de Somoza. Rabanal is a village restored by pilgrims, with evening Gregorian vespers in its church.
Rabanal del Camino → Ponferrada
Epic stage featuring the Cruz de Ferro (1,505m), the highest point of the Camino where pilgrims leave a stone brought from home. Steep descent through Molinaseca to Ponferrada with its Templar castle.
Ponferrada → Villafranca del Bierzo
Route through the Bierzo valley among vineyards and orchards. Pass through Cacabelos and its bridge over the Cúa river. Villafranca del Bierzo has the Door of Forgiveness at the Santiago church, where sick pilgrims could obtain indulgence.
Villafranca del Bierzo → O Cebreiro
One of the toughest stages: constant climb of over 900m elevation gain to O Cebreiro (1,293m), the gateway to Galicia. Pass through the narrow Valcarce valley. O Cebreiro is a pre-Roman village with stone-and-thatch pallozas.
O Cebreiro → Triacastela
Galician mountain stage with a climb to Alto do Poio (1,337m) followed by descent through chestnut forests. Green and misty landscape typical of Galicia. Pass through Liñares and FonfrÃa before descending to Triacastela.
Triacastela → Sarria
Two options: via San Xil (more direct) or via the Samos monastery (6km longer but featuring the largest Benedictine monastery in Galicia). Both routes converge before Sarria, the most popular starting point for the last 100km.
Sarria → PortomarÃn
First stage of the last 100km, the busiest on the Camino. Gentle ups and downs through Galician hamlets with granaries and eucalyptus. PortomarÃn was rebuilt when the Belesar reservoir was created; the San Nicolás church was moved stone by stone.
PortomarÃn → Palas de Rei
Undulating stage through the Galician countryside with constant ups and downs. Pass through Gonzar, Castromaior and its pre-Roman hill fort, and Ventas de Narón. Palas de Rei is a service town with good accommodation options.
Palas de Rei → Arzúa
Long stage with many ups and downs through eucalyptus forests and scattered hamlets. Cross the Iso river at Ribadiso, with its albergue by the medieval bridge. The Camino del Norte joins at Arzúa; famous for its Arzúa-Ulloa cheese.
Arzúa → Pedrouzo (O Pino)
Penultimate stage along rural paths through forests and hamlets. Rolling terrain without major elevation changes. Pass through Santa Irene and its fountain. Pedrouzo (O Pino) is the last town before Santiago, full of pilgrims excited about the arrival.
Pedrouzo → Santiago de Compostela
The final stage. Many pilgrims leave before dawn to arrive for the noon mass. Pass through Monte do Gozo, where Santiago is first seen. Enter the city and arrive at the Plaza del Obradoiro in front of the cathedral: the destination of all the ways.