Camino de Santiago

Background

The Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James) is a route concept; this entry focuses on the most popular branch, the Camino Francés (French Way). It starts at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port at the foot of the Pyrenees on the French side, enters Spain via Roncesvalles, passes through Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and León, and ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The French Way runs about 769 kilometers in total, and walking it end to end usually takes more than four weeks. It crosses the Pyrenees passes, the Meseta plateau and the Galician hills, with richly varied landscapes; Roncesvalles, Burgos Cathedral and León Cathedral are all landmarks along the way. According to tradition, the cathedral at the end holds the tomb of Saint James. Scallop shell waymarks are the emblem of the route. The French Way was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The pilgrimage tradition goes back to the legend of the discovery of Saint James's remains in the early 9th century; the Camino later came to be ranked with Jerusalem and the road to Rome as one of the three great pilgrimages of Christendom. Book V of the Codex Calixtinus, the medieval pilgrims' guide, lists four routes originating in France: three meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, and the fourth, starting from Arles, follows the Aragonese Way and joins the French Way at Puente la Reina. To receive the Compostela certificate, pilgrims must walk at least the last 100 kilometers (Sarria is the farthest starting point from which walking still covers 100 kilometers) or cycle 200 kilometers, carrying a pilgrim passport stamped along the way. In 1987 the Camino became the Council of Europe's first Cultural Route.

Local customs

If your time is limited, walk the final section from Sarria to Santiago, collect the stamps and receive the certificate. If you walk the whole route, divide it into daily stages and stay in pilgrim hostels along the way. On arrival, admire the cathedral facade from the Praza do Obradoiro, then go inside to visit the tomb of Saint James. If you have energy to spare, continue on to Cape Finisterre.

Travel tips

• Divide the route according to your ability
• there is no need to force yourself to walk it all. The pilgrim passport can be stamped at churches, hostels and town service points along the way. Hostel beds are first come, first served
• in high season arrive early or book accommodation in advance. Before setting out, check trail conditions and hostel openings for each stage with official and local sources. The starting point, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, can be reached from the French side by train and bus connections
• towns along the route such as Pamplona, Burgos, León and Sarria have rail and road links, so you can walk in stages and join or leave midway
• the endpoint, Santiago de Compostela, has an airport and a railway station.
• May to September is the traditional high season, when most pilgrims walk
• the weather is relatively mild, though the Meseta is hot in summer and Galicia is rainy. In winter some hostels close, and the Pyrenees pass section calls for particular caution. Years in which the Feast of Saint James (25 July) falls on a Sunday are Holy Years, with especially large numbers of pilgrims.