Via Podiensis:
Self-Guided Tour 4
Barcelonne-du-Gers/Aire-sur-l’Adour ⇒ Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
During this stage of the Via Podiensis, you will first hike through green Gascony and the province of Béarn at the foothills of the Pyrenees. A highlight is certainly the arrival in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the last stage before the Spanish border and the crossing of the Pyrenees.
Tour Type: Self-Guided
Availability: April through October
Duration: 9 Days Total / 7 Days Walking
Total Distance: 156 km. (97 mi.)
Difficulty: easy
Average distance: 22.3 km. (13.9 mi.) / Day
Prices (per person):
Double Room:
Starting from € 790
Single-Occupancy Room:
Starting from € 990
What’s Included:
8 nights in single / double room
En-suite facilities
Halfboard (subject to availability)
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.
On the Via Podiensis, especially in the small towns, it is difficult to find places to eat by yourself if it is not booked in advance. For this reason, on the Via Podiensis we offer accommodation only in combination with the booking of half board.
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
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.
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
Additional 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
During this tour, you will first hike through green Gascony and the province of Béarn at the foothills of the Pyrenees, shapes by numerous river courses where lush pastures, fruit trees, and vines thrive in the mild, humid Atlantic climate.
Read More about this tour ⇒
Shortly after, you will reach the French Basque Country, whose most famous item is undoubtedly the beret. In the ever-moderate ascents and descents, further and further towards the mountain range of the Pyrenees, you will hike through shadowy mixed forests and go past lush pastures with cows and horses.
A highlight of the tour is certainly the arrival in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, shaped by the Gothic style, the last stage before the Spanish border and the crossing of the Pyrenees. It is considered the meeting point of many pilgrims on the last great stretch of the Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) through Spain all the way to Santiago de Compostela.
Impressions from the Camino
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers/Aire-sur-l’Adour
Independent arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers or Aire-sur-l’Adour, located in France, where your pilgrimage on the Via Podiensis on the French Way begins. Proceed to your room and prepare mind and body for the Camino.
Day 1: Arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers/Aire-sur-l’Adour
Independent arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers or Aire-sur-l’Adour, located in France, where your pilgrimage on the Via Podiensis on the French Way begins. Proceed to your room and prepare mind and body for the Camino.
Day 2: Barcelonne-du-Gers/Aire-sur-l’Adour – Miramont-Sensacq • 20 km. (12 mi.)
You will hike south of the Adour’s course, where vast cornfields stretch across the fertile plain. Your destination is Miramont-Sensacq, from whose church you can enjoy a wide panoramic view of the Pyrenees on a clear day.
Distance: 20 km. (12 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy
Day 3: Miramont-Sensacq – Louvigny • 18 km. (11 mi.)
Today, the first ridges join the landscape, on which the small historic villages of the area can be seen from afar.
Distance: 18 km. (11 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy
Day 4: Louvigny – Arthez de-Béarn • 26 km. (16 mi.)
Further on, you will reach the old French province of Béarn at the foothills of the Pyrenees. The diverse landscape is shaped by cornfields and vineyards, as well as pastures, meadows, and smaller forest areas on the slopes.
Distance: 26 km. (16 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy, but longer stage
Day 5: Arthez de-Béarn – Sauvelade • 18 km. (11 mi.)
Over ridges and streams, past the Gave de Pau, you will enter the region of the Pyrenean foothills. Today’s destination is the village of Sauvelade and its Cistercian abbey, whose floor plan has the shape of a Greek cross.
Distance: 18 km. (11 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy
Day 6: Sauvelade – Navarrenx – Lichos • 25 km. (16 mi.)
You will first hike to Navarrenx today. Originally built as a bastide, its structure, with all the fortified architecture, still remains an attraction today. Continuing through a gently wavy landscape with numerous streams, you will reach the French Basque Country.
Distance: 25 km. (16 mi.) | Difficulty: Moderate
Day 7: Lichos – Larceveau • 31 km. (19 mi.)
This stage will take you closer and closer to the Basque Country and its green pastures, forests, small hamlets, and farms. Enjoy the view of the pristine landscape.
Distance: 31 km. (19 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy, but longer stage
Day 8: Larceveau – Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port • 18 km. (11 mi.)
Although you continually approach the mountain range of the Pyrenees today, the Camino stretches smoothly. Your destination is Saint-Jean Pied-de-Port at the foothills of the Pyrenees, where only here the Camino starts to rise steeply.
Distance: 18 km. (11 mi.) | Difficulty: Easy
Day 9: Depature from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Farewell, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port; 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 first part of the Camino Francés, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona.
What’s gonna be your Camino?
Get your free quote
Fields marked with * are mandatory and may not be left blank.
Tour Combination Options
Our Via Podiensis: Self-Guided Tour 4 can be easily combined with:
Via Podiensis:
Self-Guided Tour 3
Moissac ⇒ Barcelonne-du-Gers/Aire-sur-l’Adour
Starting from € 930
Duration: 10 Days Total / 8 Days Walking
Distance: 166 km. (103 mi.)
Difficulty: easy
Camino Francés:
Self-Guided Tour 1
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ⇒ Pamplona
Starting from € 320
Duration: 6 Days Total / 4 Days Walking
Distance: 67.4 km. (41.9 mi.)
Difficulty: moderate/difficult
Full Camino Francés:
Self-Guided Tour
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ⇒Santiago de Compostela