Camino Francés:
Self-Guided Tour 1
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ⇒ Pamplona
Starting on the French side of the Pyrenees and continuing into Spain, this tour has it all! It takes you up the magnificent mountain range with breathtaking views and to Burguete, where Ernest Hemingway once sat down to write parts of his novel The Sun Also Rises. This stage of the Camino ends in Pamplona, capital of Navarra and famous for its festival San Fermín and the run of the bulls.
Tour Type: Self-Guided
Availability: April through October
Duration: 6 Days Total / 4 Days Walking
Total Distance: 67.4 km. (41.9 mi.)
Difficulty: moderate/challenging
Average distance: 16.9 km. (10.5 mi.) / Day
Prices (per person):
Double Room:
Starting from € 320
Single-Occupancy Room:
Starting from € 550
What’s Included:
5 nights in single / double room
En-suite facilities
English-speaking emergency assistance
Your full digital Travel Info Package
Details ⇒
We are proud to be working together with hand-picked, high quality and mostly locally owned and operated service providers.
Your journey will be booked through, and your Travel Package will include all the information you will need to access your lodging locations and to process your check-in.
Optional Add-ons:
Luggage transfer on walking days
Breakfasts (subject to availability)
Lodging for additional night(s) stays
Airport transfers (by taxi)
Details ⇒
If you wish to walk your Camino Stages with a light backpack, carrying only the basic necessities, we will be happy to arrange for your luggage to be forwarded from one hotel to the next on your walking days.
Breakfasts are not available everywhere, and they are often served late, starting around 8 am. However, if you wish to include brekfasts, we will be happy to do so, where possible.
Spending an extra night in a given town throughout your journey is often a good idea: you give your body a rest, relax and enjoy exploring the town. In Santiago, two nights are included in most of our Tours by default as we believe it’s the least a Pilgrim would need to enjoy the City; however, you have the option to opt out of it.
We will be happy to arrange for an airport shuttle transfer for you from your airport of arrival to the starting point of your journey. The same goes for the departure, unless you end your journey in Santiago and fly out of Santiago Airport. In that case, a taxi can be easily arranged for the time of your choice directly at the Reception Desk at your Hotel.
What’s not Included:
Flights
Travel Insurance
Tour guide
Meals
Details ⇒
We do not book flights, nor organize any rail or commercial bus-line travel. However, if you need assistance in deciding how to get to and back from your Camino Tour, we will be happy to assist you with tips and ideas!
We strongly recommend to all our travelers to get a Travel Insurance; however, we do not sell any such policies. For our international clients, it is best to get a policy in their country of residence, as some countries offer insurances only to their own residents.
This is a date-flexible tour; therefore, it is self-guided – no Tour Guide will be accompanying you. If you are interested in joining a Group Tour with a Tour Guide, please check our Guided Tours page. (Note: our Guided Tours take place on set dates that are planned ahead.)
Highlights
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, located on the French side of the Pyrenees, is the starting point of this pilgrimage tour. Many “modern” pilgrims start their pilgrimage in this beautifully decorated little town.
The Camino takes you into the magnificent mountain range that is the Pyrenees, from where you will have breathtaking views into the valleys below.
Read More about this tour ⇒
Passing the ancient monastery of the Augustinian order in Roncesvalles, you reach Burguete, where you spend the night in the same hotel Ernest Hemingway once sat down to write parts of his novel The Sun Also Rises and immortalized himself on the house piano with an engraved “autograph”.
This stage of the Camino ends in Pamplona, capital of the province Navarra, which gained world fame for its festival San Fermín and the run of the bulls. With your accommodation in the historic old town as a starting point, the city invites you to wander through the old and new Pamplona or enjoy the afternoon in a sidewalk cafe watching other pilgrims on their Camino through the city.
Impressions from the Camino
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Saint-Jean-Pied-d- Port
At last, your travels bring you to Saint-Pied-de-Port – the charming town on the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains and the starting point of the Camino Francés. Check in at your hotel, and enjoy the rest of the evening!
Day 1: Arrival in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
At last, your travels bring you to Saint-Pied-de-Port – the charming town on the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains and the starting point of the Camino Francés. Check in at your hotel, and enjoy the rest of the evening!
Day 2: Saint Jean Pied de Port – Huntto • 5.4 km. (3.7 mi.)
Take your time to enjoy your morning in Saint Jean. Visit the iconic sites of this scenic town and, if need be, take advantage of the option to make any last-minute purchases in one of the numerous Pilgrim gear shops. If you haven’t done so already yesterday, stop by the Pilgrims‘ Office and get your Credencial – your Pilgrim’s Document, which will entitle you to receive your Compostela (Certificate of Pilgrimage Completion) once you reach Santiago – as well as your very first stamp in it! Then, lace up your boots: your Camino is about to begin! Today’s first hike is a short one: out of town and up to Huntto. The elevation gained today will make tomorrow’s climb over the Napoleon Pass shorter and easier. Your accommodation here is in a historic Casa Rural in the mountains – check in, spend the afternoon and evening enjoying the beautiful Pyrenees and get good rest for tomorrow’s challenge.
Distance: 5.4 km. / 3.7 mi.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Day 3: Huntto – Burguete • 22.9 km. (14 mi.)
This is one of the most strenuous days of entire French Way – but also one of the most rewarding: the breath-taking panoramic vistas of this Napoleon Route make the physical challenge well-worth it! The total elevation gain of 950 m. (3117 ft.) is significant, but the ascent is steady and the terrain – passable. Across the Summit, the Camino descends steeply across forests toward the iconic Monastery of Roncesvalles. The remaining 3.5 km. (2.2 mi.) to Burguete are easy, and your accommodation is in the historic hotel, in which Hemingway once wrote parts of his novel „The Sun Also Rises“.
Distance: 22.9 km. (14 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Day 4: Burguete – Zubiri • 18.9 km. (11.7 mi.)
Compared to yesterday’s physically demanding trek, today’s hike is both a bit shorter and less strenuous. Across forested hills and past charming little villages and over the pass of Erro, the Camino unfolds the genuine beauty of Navarra. On entering Zubiri – today’s destination – you will walk over the medieval Bridge „Puente de la Rabia“ („Rabies Bridge“) – your first of many epic medieval bridges along the French Way, and with one of the uncountable tales and legends encoded in its name.
Distance: 18.9 km. (11.7 mi.)
Difficulty: Moderate
Day 5: Zubiri – Pamplona • 20.2 km. (12.6 mi.)
For much of the today’s hike, the Camino runs as a charming, forested path right alongside the River Arga, all the way to the village of Zabaldika. Here, the beautiful Romanesque church is home of the oldest bell in Navarra which – when open – the Pilgrims are allowed to ring: climb up the bell tower, make a wish and ring the bell, sending the echo across the picturesque valley below! From here, you can return to the path along the river, or go over the hills – both paths will eventually converge and lead you into the heart of Navarra’s Capital and your first city of the Camino – Pamplona. Walk its streets, and catch yourself imagining what it’s like here during the Running of the Bulls at the time of San Fermín.
Distance: 20.2 km. (12.6 mi.)
Difficulty: Easy
Day 6: Departure from Pamplona
Farewell, Pamplona; farewell, Camino – and safe travels on your journey back home or to your next adventure! Or, here is another option well-worth considering: to continue onto our next Part 2 of the Camino Francés, from Pamplona to Logroño.
¡Buen Camino!
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Tour Combination Options
Our Camino Francés: Self-Guided Tour 1 can be easily combined with:
Camino Francés:
Self-Guided Tour 2
Pamplona ⇒ Logroño