The Camino Francés: Seven Iconic Stages to Santiago

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Refuge Orisson

Steep mountain road

Leave the walled Basque town through the Porte d'Espagne and climb hard on a narrow paved road, with the valley falling away behind you and the first big views of the Pyrenees ahead. About 2.5 hours to the last refuge before the border.

Refuge Orisson → Col de Lepoeder

Open high mountain, grassland

Continue up open grazing land past the wayside statue of the Virgin of Orisson and the Cruz de Thibault, crossing into Spain at the Col de Lepoeder at about 1,450 m — the roof of the day. Around 3 hours; exposed to weather, with no shelter.

Col de Lepoeder → Roncesvalles

Steep beech-forest path

Drop steeply through ancient beech forest to the great Augustinian monastery at Roncesvalles, gateway of the Camino in Spain and site of the legendary battle of 778. About 1.5 hours down.

Pamplona old town → Zariquiegui

City streets then farm track

Cross the university city made famous by Hemingway and the running of the bulls, then climb gently through wheat fields toward the hill village of Zariquiegui. About 2.5 hours.

Zariquiegui → Alto del Perdón

Steady ridge climb

Climb to the crest of the Sierra del Perdón at about 770 m, where a line of rusted-iron pilgrim figures leans into the wind beneath the turbines — one of the Camino's signature images. Around 1 hour.

Alto del Perdón → Puente la Reina

Loose descent then vineyard tracks

Descend a stony path and roll through vineyards and the villages of Uterga and Óbanos to Puente la Reina, named for its elegant six-arched Romanesque bridge built for pilgrims. About 2.5 hours.

Burgos Cathedral → Tardajos

Riverside parks and lanes

Set off beneath the soaring spires of Burgos Cathedral, a UNESCO-listed masterpiece of Spanish Gothic, and follow green riverside paths out of the city to the village of Tardajos. About 2.5 hours.

Tardajos → Hornillos del Camino

Dirt track across open meseta

Climb a ramp onto the meseta and walk a dead-straight track across huge cereal fields with nothing but sky for company, dropping at last into the honey-coloured hamlet of Hornillos. About 2.5 hours.

León Cathedral → La Virgen del Camino

City streets and suburbs

Begin at the León Cathedral, whose walls are famously more glass than stone, then thread out through the suburbs to the modern pilgrim sanctuary of La Virgen del Camino. About 2 hours.

La Virgen del Camino → Villadangos del Páramo

Flat gravel path beside the road

A long, straight stretch across the flat farming plain of the páramo, following a path beside the main road to the roadside village of Villadangos. About 3 hours.

Villadangos del Páramo → Hospital de Órbigo

Field paths and a great stone bridge

Cross fields to Hospital de Órbigo and its remarkable long medieval bridge, the Passo Honroso, where a knight held a jousting challenge in the Holy Year of 1434. About 2.5 hours.

Foncebadón → Cruz de Ferro

Mountain path

A short climb from Foncebadón to the Cruz de Ferro, a simple iron cross on a tall pole atop a great mound of stones — the most moving ritual stop on the Camino, and near the route's highest ground at about 1,500 m. Around 40 minutes.

Cruz de Ferro → El Acebo

Rocky ridge and steep descent

Pass the near-abandoned outpost of Manjarín and begin a long, rough descent along the ridge to the slate-roofed mountain village of El Acebo, with the Bierzo valley opening below. About 2.5 hours.

El Acebo → Molinaseca

Steep stony descent

Keep dropping steeply to the pretty riverside town of Molinaseca, where pilgrims cool their feet in the Meruelo beneath a fine medieval bridge. About 2 hours.

Molinaseca → Ponferrada

Town roads and paths

Walk the final easy stretch into Ponferrada, dominated by its huge 12th-century Templar castle guarding the river Sil. About 2 hours.

O Cebreiro → Alto do Poio

High ridge track

Start in the mist at O Cebreiro, famous for its pre-Roman round-stone pallozas and its miracle church, and follow the ridge past the pilgrim statue at Alto de San Roque to the high point of Alto do Poio at about 1,335 m. Around 2.5 hours.

Alto do Poio → Fonfría

Rolling farm lanes

Descend through tiny Galician hamlets and green pasture, with wide views over layered blue hills, to the village of Fonfría. About 1.5 hours.

Fonfría → Triacastela

Sunken lanes through chestnut woods

Drop through ancient chestnut woods and stone-walled lanes to Triacastela, a classic Camino stop in a quiet valley. About 1.5 hours.

O Pedrouzo → Lavacolla

Forest and woodland paths

Set off early through tall eucalyptus woods and rolling countryside, passing the airport, to Lavacolla, where medieval pilgrims washed before entering the holy city. About 2.5 hours.

Lavacolla → Monte do Gozo

Suburban rise

Climb gently to Monte do Gozo, the 'Hill of Joy', where after weeks of walking pilgrims catch their first sight of the cathedral spires across the city. About 1.5 hours.

Monte do Gozo → Praza do Obradoiro

City streets

Descend into Santiago and wind through the stone streets of the old town to the vast Praza do Obradoiro, ending beneath the baroque façade of the cathedral that holds the tomb of Saint James — journey's end. About 1.5 hours.