Full French Way by BikeSelf-Guided from Pamplona

Make your way to Pamplona by train from Madrid, or via Bilbao or Biarritz. The lively capital of Navarra is famous for the Fiesta de San Fermín and its connection with Ernest Hemingway, but its medieval streets, welcoming atmosphere and excellent food make it fascinating throughout the year. Explore the old town, enjoy pintxos in its atmospheric bars and stop for a drink at Café Iruña on Plaza del Castillo. Your e-bike awaits at a nearby bike shop, where you will collect it and have it professionally fitted for tomorrow’s adventure.

Your Camino begins beside Pamplona’s 16th-century Citadel before leaving the city through Cizur Menor and climbing toward Alto del Perdón. At the summit, the celebrated sculpture of medieval pilgrims stands where the “way of the wind crosses the way of the stars,” with magnificent views over Navarra. Descend toward Puente la Reina, with the option of visiting the Romanesque Church of Santa María de Eunate. ”

Shortly after leaving Estella, stop at the Monastery of Irache, where a fountain offers pilgrims a taste of local wine. Continue through Navarra’s vineyards, wheat fields and olive groves, passing Villamayor de Monjardín and the handsome town of Los Arcos, an excellent place to pause beneath its arcaded square. Cross the River Ebro into La Rioja before reaching Logroño, capital of one of Spain’s most celebrated wine regions and the perfect place to spend the evening enjoying pintxos along lively Calle Laurel.

Leave Logroño through Parque de la Grajera and ride among the vineyards and broad valleys of La Rioja. Discover Navarrete and the remains of the medieval Hospital of San Juan de Acre before continuing to Nájera, once a powerful royal city closely connected to the medieval kingdoms of Navarra and Castile. Your destination is Santo Domingo de la Calzada, one of the most emblematic towns on the French Way. Inside the Cathedral, a living rooster and hen recall the town’s most famous miracle and one of the Camino’s best-loved legends.

Cross into Castilla y León and enjoy a gentler stage through a succession of historic Camino villages. Leave Santo Domingo across its long stone bridge and ride through Grañón, Redecilla del Camino and Viloria de Rioja, traditionally considered the birthplace of the saint who transformed this section of the route. Around halfway, Belorado appears beside the River Tirón beneath the ruins of its medieval castle. Tonight, you stay in a characterful hotel created within a former pilgrim hospital.

The route climbs into the wooded Montes de Oca, once feared by medieval pilgrims for their mist, difficult terrain and hidden bandits. San Juan de Ortega built roads and refuges here to protect travelers, and his peaceful monastery remains one of the great historic landmarks of the French Way. Continue past Atapuerca, home to one of Europe’s most important archaeological sites, before following the recommended cycling route into Burgos. Its elegant streets, lively tapas bars and celebrated Castilian cuisine provide a wonderful reward at the end of the day.

Leave Burgos behind and enter the Meseta, the immense plateau at the heart of northern Spain. Its open horizons, cereal fields and remarkable sense of space create one of the Camino’s most distinctive landscapes, where distant church towers and isolated villages provide the only breaks in the sweeping countryside. After the initial climb, ride through Hornillos del Camino and Hontanas, an unexpected oasis hidden in the Castilian landscape. This historic town, stretched along the Camino, is your destination tonight.

Begin with the climb to Alto de Mostelares, rewarded by sweeping views across the Tierra de Campos. This rich agricultural region was once considered a breadbasket of the Roman Empire, and its seemingly endless green and gold fields create the beautiful feeling of solitude that defines today’s ride. Follow part of the historic Canal de Castilla before reaching Frómista, known for the perfectly proportioned Romanesque Church of San Martín. Tonight, stay within the former Royal Monastery of San Zoilo.

Today you follow the line of the ancient Roman Road XXXIV, which connected Bordeaux with Astorga almost two thousand years ago. Later known as the Via Aquitania, it was used by pilgrims traveling from France and eventually became part of the French Way linking the great religious and commercial centers of medieval Europe. The stage includes a memorable 17 km section through open farmland without villages, fountains or shade, so remember to carry sufficient water. Its distinctive brick churches reveal the Mudéjar architectural tradition that flourished in this region.

Continue across the vast cereal plains of the Meseta, where the level terrain and distant horizons create an enjoyable rhythm. Follow the official cycling route toward Mansilla de las Mulas rather than the rougher Roman-road alternative. This peaceful landscape offers few distractions and allows the atmosphere of the Camino to take over. Discover its magnificent stained-glass Cathedral, the Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro and the lively Barrio Húmedo, where you can end the evening sampling local wine and tapas.

Leave León and cross the open landscapes of the Páramo Leonés. We recommend the quieter and more scenic alternative through Villar de Mazarife, which avoids much of the busier roadside route. At Hospital de Órbigo, cross one of the Camino’s most memorable medieval bridges, stretching for more than 200 meters across the river. Continue through peaceful farmland and small villages before reaching Astorga, where the French Way meets the Via de la Plata. Astorga is also celebrated for its long tradition of chocolate making.

The mountains of León rise ahead as you leave the Meseta and climb through the traditional Maragato villages of Castrillo de los Polvazares and Rabanal del Camino. The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as you approach Foncebadón and the Cruz de Ferro, one of the most powerful symbols of the French Way. Pilgrims traditionally leave a stone here representing something they wish to release. Continue to Ponferrada, whose imposing Templar Castle recalls the knights once entrusted with protecting pilgrims.

Today the mountains give way to the vineyards and orchards of El Bierzo, one of Spain’s most distinctive wine regions and the home of the Mencía grape. Ride through Cacabelos before reaching Villafranca del Bierzo, the historic “City of the Franks,” with its handsome churches, palaces and riverside setting. The Church of Santiago contains the Puerta del Perdón, where medieval pilgrims too ill to continue could receive the same spiritual privileges as those reaching Santiago. Your day ends in Las Herrerías, a peaceful village at the foot of tomorrow’s climb to O Cebreiro.

A memorable mountain stage begins with the climb from Las Herrerías to O Cebreiro. use the assistance of your e-bike on the steepest sections. Your arrival in Galicia is rewarded with magnificent views, traditional stone pallozas and the ancient Church of Santa María la Real. Continue through highland villages before beginning the long descent toward Triacastela. The enormous Benedictine monastery that greets you on arrival was once among the wealthiest and most influential religious houses in medieval Spain.

Follow the River Sarria through the green Galician countryside before reaching Sarria, the busiest starting point on the French Way. From here, increasing numbers of pilgrims share the route toward Santiago, creating a lively atmosphere among woodland paths, small villages, stone walls and rolling farmland. Use the safer cycling alternatives shown in your route information. Its fortified Church of San Nicolás was dismantled and carefully reconstructed stone by stone.

Expect a varied day across Galicia’s rolling countryside, with frequent climbs and descents through woodland, farmland and traditional villages. Pass through Palas de Rei before crossing the beautiful medieval bridge of Furelos into Melide, where the French Way meets the Primitive Way arriving from Oviedo. Melide is famous for pulpo á feira, octopus seasoned with olive oil, salt and paprika, and makes an excellent lunch stop. This welcoming Camino town is known throughout Galicia for its mild, creamy cheese, traditionally served with local honey.

Only 40 km now separate you from Santiago. Ride through woodland and peaceful Galician villages, passing O Pedrouzo and Lavacolla before climbing to Monte do Gozo for your first distant view of the Cathedral towers. From here, the final kilometers carry you toward the city you have crossed northern Spain to reach. Enter Santiago’s historic center and continue onto Plaza del Obradoiro, where the Cathedral rises before you. Stop and enjoy the moment, you have completed the French Way from Pamplona. Leave your e-bike and accessories at reception for collection.

Your Camino journey ends after breakfast, but you may wish to extend your stay and discover more of Santiago. Explore the Cathedral and old town in greater depth, join a guided visit or continue toward Finisterre and the Atlantic coast. We would be delighted to arrange any additional nights or services for you. A wise pilgrim once told us: “The real Camino starts where the Camino de Santiago finishes, but I will not be afraid because the Camino will always be there for me.” We hope the journey has brought you whatever you were looking for and that the experiences, landscapes and people encountered along the way remain with you long after returning home.