Cycling pilgrimages in Spain - Camino Francés and Camino Finisterre

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - this is where the Camino Francés begins. The small village, which apparently consists almost exclusively of pilgrims' hostels, is one of the most famous entry points on the Way of St. James. For many, their pilgrimage begins right here.



You too start here on the Camino Franc… read more

Today, a few more meters of altitude await you at the beginning of the stage, then it goes comfortably downhill into the Arga Ibaia valley. After crossing the Pyrenees yesterday, you can look forward to a relaxed ride. First you follow the N-135 until you have reached the first hill and then turn right… read more

Coming from the suburbs you drive into the city center of Pamplona, circle the star-shaped citadel and arrive in the southwest to Cizur Menor, a small town outside of the big city, where there used to be a Johanniter monastery. Shortly afterwards, you branch off from the Camino de Santiago, which leads… read more

Today's route takes you from Estella-Lizarra via los Arcos and Torres del Río to Logroño. Shortly before you reach the city you cross the border of the Autonomous Community of Navarre to La Rioja - red wine lovers will get their money's worth here, because in most restaurants even the cheap house wine… read more

From Logroño you first drive past the Pantano de La Grajera to Navarette. The pretty village was built around a small cone hill and therefore stands out from the landscape from a distance. For a short distance the way runs along the motorway. On a fence that separates it from the busy road, pilgrims… read more

Today's stage is less than 30 kilometers a day and only a few meters in altitude a lot more relaxed than yesterday. Time to breathe, regenerate and enjoy the country and its people. Halfway through the Redecilla del Camino you reach the border with the autonomous community of Castile and León. So it… read more

Shortly after Belorado you cross the valley of the Río Tirón, then it goes increasingly uphill. At first the ascent is quite gentle, then the Río Oca marks the last almost flat point before you can expect inclines of ten percent over the next two and a half kilometers.



The ground during the ascent consists… read more

In addition to a visit to the cathedral, it is also worth making a detour to the castle in Burgos, from which you can enjoy an amazing view over the city. Then it goes to the west out of the city.



In the meantime, the landscape has also changed increasingly. You are in the heart of the Castilian plateau… read more

From Hontanas we continue through the Iberian Meseta to Carrión de los Condes. Shortly after Castrojeriz you have the choice. Either you follow the tour over the Alto de Mostelares, a mountain that seems to stand half lost in the landscape, or you drive around it in the north via Castrillo Mota de Jud… read more

The landscape still hardly changes noticeably, but this is exactly what makes this wasteland so attractive. There is also a lot to discover: artistically designed irrigation canals, beautiful dry thistles along the way and small storage cellars, the entrances of which peek out from the hills as if you… read more

From Sahagún, the Camino takes you today via Reliegos to the gates of León. Enjoy the flat landscape of the Castilian plateau again before it slowly but surely gets a little more mountainous again in the next few days.



In Reliegos, a stop at the unique Bar Elvis is definitely worthwhile. Here every pilgrim… read more

After you have made a little round through the old town of León to the cathedral, you drive a short distance in the west of the city on Via de la Plata until you have left the busy streets behind and in the south-west again on EuroVelo 3 turn in.



The journey continues over Villar de Mazarife and seemingly… read more

It is not far from Hospital del Órbigo and you will reach Astorga. Here you can take a long break, look at the city with its impressive architecture or just take a breather and recharge your batteries, because from then on it slowly but surely goes uphill again and you get closer to the border with Galicia… read more

The day begins with an ascent, but after seven kilometers the roughest is over. You are at almost 1,500 meters and therefore significantly higher than in the Pyrenees. A large iron cross marks the highest point of the Camino Francés here. Incidentally, over the decades this will get higher and higher… read more

After a ten-kilometer warm-up phase through the valley of the Río Valcarce, today you will embark on the so-called Camino Duro - the hard way. It will take you high up once more, to the mountain pass that separates the Galician from the Castilian plateau. Roughly you stick to the pilgrimage route, but… read more

Today you can expect a refreshing descent to Sarria. In places it gets a little flatter, which takes the momentum out of the wheels, but the tough climbs of the last few days are now done. If you prefer to save yourself the little extra hump at the beginning of the route, you can initially just make… read more

Although you have already made the Camino Duro behind you, the area is still criss-crossed by many small hills, which gives the route profile a lot of altitude. Even switching to the main road is of little use and would only mean giving up the wonderful landscape.



With the landscape, the language has… read more

The local landscape has a certain positive aura, that cannot be denied. Over gentle hills, on rural roads through small hamlets, cozy houses made of dry stone walls and the Galician pantries traditionally built on stilts come into the picture. Eucalyptus groves and mixed forests alternate with lush green… read more

Today the last stage on the Camino de Santiago welcomes you at dawn - a venerable moment. During the last few days you have certainly not missed how the kilometers on the way markers are getting smaller and smaller. 49.2 is on your very personal milestone today when you get on your bike and start to… read more

For some pilgrims, the Way of St. James does not end in Santiago de Compostela - be it because they still have time before their return flight, or because they cannot find the peace they want in the hustle and bustle of Santiago at the end of their pilgrimage. The Camino Finisterre, which strictly speaking… read more