Relive our Camino de Santiago French Way Trek

We recorded Relive videos on our fall 2023 pilgrimage from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. The trek took 38 days (including some rest days); the videos will give you a glimpse of what each day looked like, I’ve also added some thoughts about some of the days: lessons learned and things we’d do differently next time. The distance numbers are what we tracked on All Trails and will include any distance spent being lost and exploring (I sometimes started the Relive videos late so the numbers you see there might be different).

Day	From	To	Distance (miles/KM)	Where we stayed	Cost per Night (USD in 2023)	Relive Video
1	St. Jean Pied de Port	Roncesevalles	16 / 24.1	Casa de los Beneficiados	$107	https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9JE7WEL6 This is a tough hike for day one with the hardest part being between St. Jean Pied de Port and Orrison. Next time we’d consider staying at either Orisson or Burda to break this into a two-day hike.
2	Roncesvalles	Zubiri	12 / 19.3	Pension Zubiaren-etxea	$60	https://www.relive.cc/view/v36Axn5JjGO
3	Zubiri	Pamplona	14 / 22.5	Hostal Navarra	$109	https://www.relive.cc/view/vXvL1nB4Y1O
4						Rest day in Pamplona
5	Pamplona	Puente de la Reina	15 / 24.1	Hotel Jakue	$77	https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj9XJgWJq
6	Puente de la Reina	Estella	16 / 25.7	B&B Zaldu	$64	https://www.relive.cc/view/v8qkpxL7E3v The final walk into Estella seemed to go on forever. Also, this is the day we learned the importance of getting accommodations not too far off the Camino. Once we got to Estrella it was still a long walk (uphill) to our B&B.
7	Estella	Los Arcos	14 / 22.5	Pension los Arcos	$60	https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj9XJgWJq
8	Los Arcos	Logroño	17 / 27.4	Aniana Alojamiento Boutique	$125	https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO78owDeK6
9	Logroño	Nájera	17.4 / 28	Royalty, vivienda turística	$84	https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj9LYGWJq
10	Nájera	Santo Domingo de la Calzada	14.3 / 23	Parador de Sto. Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda ♥	$78	https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqoPeDXKKv Santo Domingo de la Calzada has two Parador hotels with reasonable prices compared to their counterparts in Leon and Santiago. We stayed at the Parador de Sto. Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda, a beautifully restored monestary. The other Parador, Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada, is a restored hospital and located in the main plaza. Only the Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada has a restaurant but there are plenty of dining options in this lovely town.
11	Santo Domingo de la Calzada	Belorado	15.2 / 24.5	Hotel Jacobeo	$88	https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOd8LyyR4O
12	Belorado	Villafranca Montes de Oca	8.4 / 13.5	Hotel San Antón Abad ♥	$98	https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvrVe2z8xv This was a short day to due being unable to book a private room in San Juan de Ortega. Villafranca Montes de Oca is a charming town and we had a great stay at the Hotel San Anton Abad, but the next day’s walk to Burgos was much too long. We recommend adding another stop before Burgos if you are staying in Villafranca Montes de Oca. If you hear loud voices outside the church in the late afternoon it might be the church members bowling in the parking lot.
13	Villafranca Montes de Oca	Burgos	26.3 / 42.3	Palacio de los Blasones Suites	$128	https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8gEy8XPq There are two ways into Burgos – the shorter way takes you through the industrial area and by the airport. We chose the longer route which brings you into town along the river. We regret this decision as the route still takes you buy the airport and we do not know that walking along the river was worth the extra miles.
14						Rest day in Burgos (thank goodness!). Don’t miss the Burgos Catherdral and the tomb of El Cid.
15	Burgos	Rabé de las Calzadas	9 / 14.5	Hostal-Bar Restaurante “La Fuente” ♥	$59	https://www.relive.cc/view/vXvL1rwmR7O Our visit to the Ermita de la Virgen del Camino where we each received a blessing and a medal from the nuns was a trip highlight. Rabé de las Calzadas is a lovely town and we recommend staying at Hostal-Bar Restaurante “La Fuente”, a family run hostel with great service and food.
16	Rabé de las Calzadas	Castrojeriz	18 / 29	Iacobus	$64	https://www.relive.cc/view/vJOKZPnVdwv
17	Castrojeriz	Frómista	16 / 25.7	Hotel Rural Oasibeth	$85	https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXwj58wL6 Today’s highlight was hiking up Alto de Mostelare where the Guarda National was set up to stamp pilgrim passports and the Meseta views are spectacular.
18	Frómista	Carrión de los Condes	13.5 /21.7	Hotel Real Monasterio de San Zoilo ♥	$98	https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmXPJ24xq Our stay at the Monasterio de San Zoilo was a real treat: history, comfort, and good food.
19	Carrión de los Condes	Calzadilla de la Cueza	10.3 / 16.6	Los Canarios	$57	https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8gxAXdNq There are no services or towns between Carrión de los Condes and Calzadilla de la Cueza but there is often a food truck around the halfway mark. Coffee Bar El Camino was amazing; it felt more like a restaurant than a food truck. We highly recommend stopping if they are out. They have a vending machine if they are closed. There are no restrooms, be prepared for a long walk. Calzadilla de la Cueza is a very small town with only Albergues (no hostels or hotels).
20	Calzadilla de la Cueza	Sahagún	15.4 / 24.8	Hostal San Juan	$71	https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5eppww8q Sahagún is the halfway point of the Camino – be sure to walk into town past the Ermita de la Virgen del Puente where you will also pass through the statues marking the geographic center of the Camino. Do not be tempted by the shortcut that bypasses this stop! You can also stop by the Santuario Virgen de la Peregrina for your halway certificate.
21	Sahagún	Reliegos	20.2 / 32.5	Albergue Vive tu Camino	$60	https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5ep22rQq Don’t miss the Elvis Bar in Reliegos, a fun spot for visiting with other pilgrims.
22	Reliegos	Mansilla Mayor	8 / 12.9	Guest House Joaco	$80	https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqgKQw4LVq Another very short day due to not being able to finding accomodations elsewhere. Mansilla Mayor is 1 KM off the main Camino route. It is a very small town with only one restaurant and no markets. The short day did give us time to explore the museum in Mansilla de las Mulas and learn a bit about Leon, it’s a nicely done museum and worth a visit if you have time.
23	Mansilla Mayor	León	11.2 / 18	Hostal Albany Ancha ♥	$91	https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvrVx13gxv We recommend staying at Hostal Albany Ancha – it is very close to the Cathedral yet still quiet. They offer laundry service, it was only 6 euros to wash a fold a bag of laundry. This service is also available at the related Hostal Albany next door. Such a delight. Note: we reservered a room at Hostal Albany and the Hostel upgraded us to the Ancha property. This price listed is for Hostal Albany.
24						Rest day in León Don’t miss the Cathedral, the lighting from the stained glass is stunning.
25	León	San Martín del Camino	16.3 / 26.2	Albergue La Huella	$71	https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXwPPj5o6
26	San Martín del Camino	Astorga	15.2 / 24.5	Housingleón – Apartamentos Fauno	$76	https://www.relive.cc/view/vxOQQWR4Y2O
27	Astorga	Rabanal del Camino	13.8 / 22.2			https://www.relive.cc/view/v8qVQy1Wx76
28	Rabanal del Camino	Ponferrada	20.6 / 33.2			https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5e938L8q The trek up to Mount Irago and then down to Ponferrada was our hardest day on the Camino and we would stage it differently next time. First, we would start for Foncebadón so we don’t have the entire uphill climb in one day. Second, we would end in either El Acebo de San Miguel or Molinaseca – both towns are absolutely charming.
29						Rest day in Ponferrada We would have preferred to swap this rest day with two shorter hiking days. The Castillo de los Templarios (castle of the Knights Templar) is worth a visit if you have time.
30	Ponferrada	Villafranca del Bierzo	15.2 / 24.5			https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvrVPxRLLv
31	Villafranca del Bierzo	Las Herrerías	13.6 / 21.9			https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8gXDnpNq This stage started with a 6 mile stretch with no services, be prepared! Las Herrerías is a lovely town with a river running where you can cool off your feet after a long day of hiking.
32	Las Herrería	Tríacastela	20.2 / 32.5			https://www.relive.cc/view/vZqNLQPRVGO Another long stage, if we had it to do over again we would break hike this stretch over two days with an overnight in O Cebreiro where you can catch sunrise and sunset from this mountain top town. We also hear the evening Pilgrim Mass at Iglesia de Santa María is very special.
33	Tríacastela	Sarria	11.7 / 18.8			https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOnx3kPRBq There are two routes out of Tríacastela to Sarria – one is shorter with more hills the second is longer but flat. We chose the shorter route to save our feet. The Camino gets busy now; Sarria is the starting point for many as it is the minimum distance required (100 KM) to get your Composetela.
34	Sarria	Portomarin	14.8/ 23.8			https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj9nMXdYq
35	Portomarin	Palas de Rey	16.7 / 26.9			https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvrVZjJ1Lv
36	Palas de Rey	Arzúa	19.4 / 31.2			https://www.relive.cc/view/vdORQJRL1Kv This stage was a bit too long, we recommend staying in Ribadiso instead.
37	Arzúa	O Amenal	15.5 / 24.9			https://www.relive.cc/view/vQvxzGZkNB6 This small hamlet has only two hostels and one restaurant. For a better selection, we recommend ending this stage one town earlier in O Pedrouzo.
38	O Amenal	Santiago de Compostela	13.1 / 21.1			https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj94Y2WYq Monte de Guzo will be your first opportunity to see the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. If you want to see the pilgrim statues on Monte de Guzo, take the trail to the left, you should be able to see them off in the distance (they are not on the Camino) – we think it was worth the extra steps.