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I’ve walked the Camino Frances eight times over the last 11 years. With so much knowledge I decided to create comprehensive daily guides for each of the Camino Frances walking stages.
My aim is to help you prepare for your journey, with practical tips, personal insights, and snippets of historical background.
Deciding to walk the Camino de Santiago is a huge undertaking. I remember reading names of places and village and towns and wondering if they’d ever make sense to me. If you feel like me then keep reading.
The Camino Frances, also called the French Way, is the most iconic of all the Camino routes. It spans nearly 800 kilometres from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
The route, now divided into manageable daily walking stages, offers breathtaking landscapes, cultural landmarks, and for many, an incredibly spiritual experience. Having walked this route many times, I have created these daily stage guides to make planning easier for you; whether you’re tackling the full route or just a portion
Daily Stages by Stage Guides
Click the links below for my tips, insights and experiences; where to eat, drink, sleep, great albergue suggestions and historical details worth exploring.
Waking through rural villages along the River Arga into the historic heart of glorious Pamplona; with lively streets, Hemingway and the famous Running of the Bulls.
Walk up to the iconic iron statues on Alto de Perdon and onwards to Puente de la Reina at the crossroads of two ancient Camino Routes and it’s famous medieval bridge.
Walk out of Navarra and into Rioja, passing the beautiful little Templar Church of the Holy Sepulchre and ending in fabulous Logrono and it’s equally fabulous Calle Laurel!
Leaving Logrono through urban parks, walk through the stunning wine region of Rioja and on into historic Najera with it’s links to the crown jewels of England.
Walk through Granon with it’s famous albergue, on through cereal fields as the Camino criss-crosses the road before reaching Belorado with it’s stunning wall art.
Walk through lands so ancient that our earliest ancestors called them home to the UNESCO Cathedral of Burgos; one of the most iconic landmarks on the Camino Frances
Ancient springs and historic albergue punctuate todays walk, with a visit to the monastery which discovered the treatment for the medieval San Anton’s Fire.
Walking into the heartlands of the Meseta, climb Alto de Mostelares, discover quirky albergue in Boadilla before walking alongside the Canal de Castilla
Finally leaving the remote lands of the Meseta and heading to Leon. Do expect a certain amount of urban sprawl today but then your reward is glorious Leon!
Leaving fabulous Leon behind we walk first through the urban landscape before returning to more Meseta like lands. But the mountains are on the horizon again and the terrain is changing for sure!
Today is a long stage; glorious but long. Consider breaking this stage and allow more time to explore the ancient city of Astorga, at the end of the Meseta.
A beautiful day through changing landscapes. You leave Astorga and walk into the foothills of the Montes de Leon, through ancient villages to our end at Rabanal del Camino.
Learn why I shorten the stage and recommend you spend the night at El Acebo. This glorious mountain stage brings you to the Cruz de Ferro and the highest point on the Camino Frances.
We walk into the glorious winelands of the Bierzo region of Spain. With a more gentle terrain and a landscape framed by the mountains that we’ll cross in the coming days.
Some guidebooks suggest you walk on today, but I love to break this stage at Las Herrerias. The day is relaxing, plenty of opportunity to pause and you can even soak tired feet in the cool river!
My stage differs from other guides. I walk from Las Herrerias to Fonfria, pausing for lunch at O Cebriero. If you’d rather break the journey on this iconic mountain stage, spend the night in the mountains and split this stage in two.
Today is a glorious, but longer stage. I’m also bringing this guide in line with the traditional walking stages for the last 5 days into Santiago. Rest assured I’ll still mention my favourite places to stay for quieter trails.
More Galician splendour. You’ll reach the last 100 kilometre mark and the trail will be busier but embrace the joy and the energy of this fabulous stage!
There are more Galician hills today and lots more history, you’ll walk through the lovely town of Melide and end your day just two days walk from Santiago.
We’ll show you how to plan your own Worldwide Travel or Camino de Santiago
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Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Whenever you travel, you should have great travel and medical insurance. None of us expect anything bad to happen, but in the event of an incident, you want to be sure that your insurance will cover you.
I’ve ended up in hospital in Peru, Indonesia, Portugal, Japan and Ireland. Every time my insurance took care of everything. I would never leave home without full and comprehensive insurance.
TrueTraveller : We have this policy and are very happy with the cover, especially considering our ages and pre-existing conditions.
Globelink: We have used and recommended Globelink for years and not heard of any issues. They are a great choice for European and UK Residents.
Genki : This is an EU based company offering long term policies for nomads and travellers. Their monthly rates are very competitive for longer trips too.
Safety Wing : Many of my travelling buddies from the USA recommended Safety Wing; we’ve not used them personally but know folks who have.
Hey I’m Colleen. I’m married to Gerry, we’ve three fabulous kids and been living in France for almost two decades. I fell in love with Spain in the 1980s and I’ve walked 1000s of miles along the Camino de Santiago. Now we’re exploring and walking the world and I can’t wait to share what we’ve learned!
