Camino Francés: The Complete Route Guide

Quick facts

Start: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
Finish: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Distance: ~780 km (about 490 miles)
Typical time: 31-35 days
Busiest months: May, June, September. Quietest: November to February (many albergues closed)
Compostela requirement: walk at least the last 100 km (from Sarria) and collect stamps along the way

The route: map, elevation, and stages

749.5 km on the track 33 stages +7799 m total climb −7717 m total descent

Walking now? See how far you are, and what is next. Download the GPX track

Route track: Nederlands Genootschap van Sint Jacob (santiago.nl), republished with credit. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Dashed line: shared finish on another route.

Elevation sampled from terrain data (Terrarium DEM, built on SRTM) along the track. Hover the profile to trace the route on the map. Click a stage to zoom to it.

Stages

Stage	Walk	Km	Climb	Descent
1	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Roncesvalles	25.0	+1248 m	−485 m
2	Roncesvalles → Zubiri	22.0	+173 m	−591 m
3	Zubiri → Pamplona	21.0	+72 m	−144 m
4	Pamplona → Puente la Reina	24.0	+281 m	−386 m
5	Puente la Reina → Estella	22.0	+298 m	−159 m
6	Estella → Los Arcos	21.0	+199 m	−219 m
7	Los Arcos → Logroño	28.0	+177 m	−246 m
8	Logroño → Nájera	29.0	+312 m	−180 m
9	Nájera → Santo Domingo de la Calzada	21.0	+210 m	−96 m
10	Santo Domingo → Belorado	22.0	+177 m	−52 m
11	Belorado → San Juan de Ortega	24.0	+383 m	−146 m
12	San Juan de Ortega → Burgos	26.0	+104 m	−236 m
13	Burgos → Hornillos del Camino	21.0	+72 m	−108 m
14	Hornillos → Castrojeriz	20.0	+101 m	−121 m
15	Castrojeriz → Frómista	25.0	+135 m	−157 m
16	Frómista → Carrión de los Condes	19.0	+47 m	−4 m
17	Carrión → Terradillos de los Templarios	27.0	+72 m	−22 m
18	Terradillos → Bercianos del Real Camino	23.0	+80 m	−118 m
19	Bercianos → Mansilla de las Mulas	27.0	+38 m	−78 m
20	Mansilla → León	19.0	+108 m	−76 m
21	León → San Martín del Camino	25.0	+85 m	−54 m
22	San Martín → Astorga	24.0	+90 m	−115 m
23	Astorga → Foncebadón	26.0	+545 m	−7 m
24	Foncebadón → Ponferrada	27.0	+174 m	−1044 m
25	Ponferrada → Villafranca del Bierzo	24.0	+162 m	−145 m
26	Villafranca → O Cebreiro	28.0	+783 m	−36 m
27	O Cebreiro → Triacastela	21.0	+176 m	−767 m
28	Triacastela → Sarria	18.0	+224 m	−479 m
29	Sarria → Portomarín	22.0	+256 m	−331 m
30	Portomarín → Palas de Rei	25.0	+404 m	−188 m
31	Palas de Rei → Arzúa	29.0	+261 m	−467 m
32	Arzúa → O Pedrouzo	19.0	+145 m	−239 m
33	O Pedrouzo → Santiago de Compostela	20.0	+208 m	−221 m

Why the Francés

The Francés is the classic Camino, the route most people picture: over the Pyrenees on day one, through Pamplona, the Rioja wine country, the long flat meseta between Burgos and León, up over the Cruz de Ferro, and down into green Galicia. It has the densest albergue network of any route, which means flexible stage lengths and a bed almost every 5-10 km in season. That infrastructure is also why it gets crowded from Sarria onward, especially in Holy Years (next: 2027, when July 25 falls on a Sunday).

Standard stages

Day	Stage	Distance
1	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles	25 km
2	Roncesvalles to Zubiri	22 km
3	Zubiri to Pamplona	21 km
4	Pamplona to Puente la Reina	24 km
5	Puente la Reina to Estella	22 km
6	Estella to Los Arcos	21 km
7	Los Arcos to Logroño	28 km
8	Logroño to Nájera	29 km
9	Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada	21 km
10	Santo Domingo to Belorado	22 km
11	Belorado to San Juan de Ortega	24 km
12	San Juan de Ortega to Burgos	26 km
13	Burgos to Hornillos del Camino	21 km
14	Hornillos to Castrojeriz	20 km
15	Castrojeriz to Frómista	25 km
16	Frómista to Carrión de los Condes	19 km
17	Carrión to Terradillos de los Templarios	27 km
18	Terradillos to Bercianos del Real Camino	23 km
19	Bercianos to Mansilla de las Mulas	27 km
20	Mansilla to León	19 km
21	León to San Martín del Camino	25 km
22	San Martín to Astorga	24 km
23	Astorga to Foncebadón	26 km
24	Foncebadón to Ponferrada	27 km
25	Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo	24 km
26	Villafranca to O Cebreiro	28 km
27	O Cebreiro to Triacastela	21 km
28	Triacastela to Sarria	18-25 km (two route options)
29	Sarria to Portomarín	22 km
30	Portomarín to Palas de Rei	25 km
31	Palas de Rei to Arzúa	29 km
32	Arzúa to O Pedrouzo	19 km
33	O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela	20 km

Sections at a glance

The Pyrenees (days 1-3): the Napoleon route over the top is the classic start; closed in bad weather and in winter, when the lower Valcarlos route is mandatory. Book Roncesvalles ahead in season.
Navarra and Rioja (days 4-8): Pamplona rest-day candidate. Wine fountains, Roman roads, easy walking.
The Meseta (days 13-20): Burgos to León. Flat, exposed, mentally the hardest stretch for many pilgrims. Little shade; start early in summer. Some walkers bus this section; most who walk it say it made the Camino.
Montes de León and El Bierzo (days 21-25): the climb to the Cruz de Ferro (leave a stone, take the views), then down to Ponferrada's Templar castle.
Galicia (days 26-33): O Cebreiro's stone pallozas, then rolling green hills, eucalyptus groves, and the busiest final 100 km from Sarria. Rain is normal here in any month.

When to walk

April-May: wildflowers, variable weather, Pyrenees can still see snow early. Strong choice.
June: long days, warming up, busy but manageable.
July-August: hottest on the meseta (35C+ possible), most crowded, albergue races from Sarria. Walkable with early starts.
September: harvest season in Rioja, cooler evenings, still busy. Many pilgrims' favorite month.
October: quieter, shorter days, first rains in Galicia.
November-March: a different, solitary Camino. Many albergues closed; the Pyrenees crossing and O Cebreiro need real winter preparation.

Practical notes

Credencial: pick one up in Saint-Jean at the pilgrims' office (39 rue de la Citadelle) or from a Camino association at home. One stamp per day is fine until Sarria; from Sarria you need two per day for the Compostela.
Beds: municipal and association albergues run roughly 8-15 EUR, private albergues 12-20 EUR with more amenities. In Holy Year 2027, booking private beds a few days ahead from Sarria onward is the safer play.
Rest days: Pamplona, Burgos, and León are the three natural ones, all cathedral cities with good food and laundry.

Holy Year 2027 note

2027 is a Holy Year (Xacobeo): the Holy Door of the Cathedral opens and pilgrim numbers spike, above all in July and around July 25. If you are walking the Francés in 2027, book the first night (Saint-Jean or Roncesvalles) and the Sarria-to-Santiago stretch earlier than you think you need to.