Camino Francés

The classic route across northern Spain, and the one nearly half of all pilgrims walk.

Distance

780 km

Typical time

35 days

Difficulty

Moderate

Total ascent

~13,331 m

Starts

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Ends

Santiago de Compostela

The Camino Francés runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees across the whole of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. It is the route most people mean when they say "the Camino", and in 2025 it accounted for 45.6% of all pilgrims who reached Santiago.

It is popular for good reasons. The waymarking is relentless, there is an albergue every few kilometres, and you will never walk a full day alone unless you want to. If it is your first long-distance walk, the infrastructure does a lot of the work for you.

The walking splits into three distinct acts: the Pyrenees and Navarra, green and steep at the start; the meseta, a high, flat, shadeless plateau that people either love or bus past; and Galicia, wet, wooded and hilly right up to the cathedral.

Who it suits

Best for: First-time pilgrims, and anyone who wants company and easy logistics.

When to go: April to June and September to October. July and August are hot on the meseta and busy everywhere.

Watch out for: The first day over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles is the hardest of the entire route, and it comes before your legs are ready. Check whether the Napoleon route is open before you start.

Suggested stages on the Camino Francés

36 stages averaging 21.3 km a day, generated from the route itself rather than copied from a guidebook. Treat it as a starting point: the whole idea of planning your own Camino is that a 27 km day someone else picked might be the wrong day for you.

Stage stops and distances are derived from the route geometry and from OpenStreetMap place data (ODbL). Distances are measured along the route line, so they will differ slightly from a guidebook.

Walking the Camino Francés offline

There is no reliable mobile signal on large parts of this route, and the stretches without it are exactly the stretches where you want a map. Caminantes caches the route, the stages and the elevation profiles before you leave, and tracks your distance, pace and ascent while you walk. It is free, with no paywall on any of it.

Common questions about the Camino Francés

How long does the Camino Francés take?

35 days at a typical walking pace. Our suggested plan splits the 780 km into 36 stages averaging 21.3 km a day, and you can split or join any of them.

How hard is the Camino Francés?

Moderate. It covers 780 km with ~13,331 m of total ascent, and the longest stage in our plan is 29.2 km. The first day over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles is the hardest of the entire route, and it comes before your legs are ready. Check whether the Napoleon route is open before you start.

When is the best time to walk the Camino Francés?

April to June and September to October. July and August are hot on the meseta and busy everywhere.

Where does the Camino Francés start and finish?

It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela, a total of 780 km.

Does the Camino Francés count towards the Compostela certificate?

Yes. You need the last 100 km on foot, so starting at Sarria, which leaves 115 km to Santiago, or anywhere earlier on the route, qualifies. Collect two stamps a day over that final stretch.

Other routes

Compare all ten routes side by side