The French WayFrench Way / Camino Francés
The French Way is the most popular pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. It was established in the 11th century under protection and promotion of Sancho III the Greater de Navarra and Sancho Ramirez de Aragón, as well as Alfonso VI and his successors in Castile, León and Galicia. Furthermore the Benedictines built cloisters and hospitals along the route.
In 1135, the French Way was first described in detail in the Codex Calixtinus, an essential manuscript with background information and advice for pilgrims following the Way of St. James. Book V of the Codex is a travel guide about the pilgrimage to Santiago in the 12th century. It describes the different sections of the route, sanctuaries, accommodations, food, natural springs, people and their customs etc. Even today, pilgrims frequent the same locations as mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus. At the time of the Codex, the French Way reached its climax and maximum stream of visitors, and again today!
In the Middle Ages the monarchs of Northern Spain tried to colonize the French Way and privileged settlers, who basically arrived from France, by tax exemptions and special rights, the so-called “los fueros”. The name “Camino Francés” dates from this period.
Itineraries
There are four itineraries belonging to the French Way in France as described in the Codex Calixtinus. Three of them enter Spain in Roncesvalles, in Navarra, and continue to Pamplona, the first bigger city on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. The fourth route enters Spain crossing the Somport pass and continues to Jaca, in Aragon. Both routes, from Roncesvalles and from Jaca, meet in Puente la Reina, in Navarra.
From Puente la Reina onwards, the French way follows one single route passing the regions of Navarra, La Rioja, Castile and León, and Galicia. The route crosses diverse nature and legendary sites, monumental cities and pilgrimage villages, like Estella, Logroño, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Burgos, Castrojeriz, Fromista, Carrión de los Condes, Sahagún, León, Astorga, Cruz de Ferro, Ponferrada, Villafranca del Bierzo, and O' Cebreiro until reaching Santiago de Compostela and Cape Finisterre.
Tour Packages
From the Pyrenees to the Atlantic ocean