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Camino de Santiago: the French Way – Route Guide

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Santiago de Compostela cathedral above the pilgrims' square
Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The pilgrim road across northern Spain: cathedral cities, meseta horizons and the shared table of the Camino, drivable stage by stage.

Camino de Santiago: the French Way is a 780 km one-way journey (self-drive). It works best as 8–12 days; the plan below is the 10-day version for May, built from 237 verified places, with real road-routed transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

8–12
days
780km
distance
8
Stops
237
curated stops

Plan your own version → 8-day plan · 10-day plan · 12-day plan · best time to go

The route

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port→ 75 kmPamplona→ 90 kmLogroño→ 120 kmBurgos→ 180 kmLeón→ 110 kmPonferrada→ 105 kmSarria→ 100 kmSantiago de Compostela

What you'll see

Pilgrim Office
Collect your passport and start your historic journey with purpose.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Museo de Navarra
Explore centuries of art and artifacts in a historic hospital.
Pamplona
Co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda
Marvel at grand architecture and a Michelangelo-inspired masterpiece.
Logroño
Burgos Cathedral
Admire stunning Gothic architecture and intricate details of centuries-old design.
Burgos
León Cathedral
Sunlight dances through stunning stained glass.
León
Las Médulas
Trek across surreal, striped hills shaped by ancient Roman mining.
Ponferrada
Igrexa de San Salvador de Sarria
Marvel at sturdy stone walls of this Gothic country church.
Sarria
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela
Admire towering Romanesque and Baroque architecture under grand stonking towers.
Santiago de Compostela

Choose your length

8-day plan46 stops · 17.2 h transit5.8 stops/day · 2.1 h transit/daySee the full plan →10-day plan60 stops · 18.9 h transit6 stops/day · 1.9 h transit/daySee the full plan →12-day plan64 stops · 20.3 h transit5.3 stops/day · 1.7 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: May, June, September

The walking months — long light, open albergues and the meseta before it bakes.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →