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Camino de Santiago: our answers to your main questions

2023-05-04T07:15:57.054Z


Where do the Compostela routes begin and end? What are the steps? Here is everything that future hikers or confirmed backgammoners need to know to set off on the Via Podiensis or the Via Tolosana.


To meet up, to discover, to share, for the faith... Every year, tens of thousands of French people set off on the Camino de Santiago to follow all or part of the routes which all lead to Galicia.

To discover

  • Stays in France: weekends, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners

Aspiring backgammoners, seasoned travelers... Everyone is wondering about the organization of such a trip, as the choice seems so wide.

We have selected the main eleven.

To read before setting off on your turn on the paths... This year 2023 is marked by the 25th anniversary of the classification as World Heritage of Humanity of part of the paths of Santiago de Compostela in France, and by the 30th anniversary of the classification of the Spanish portion.

Read alsoHow to prepare for the Camino de Compostela: budget, physical condition... What you need to know

Where does the Camino de Santiago begin and where does it end?

A backgammon on the Place de l'Obradoiro, opposite the cathedral of Saint-Jacques de Compostelle.

Some still extend to Cape Finisterre.

Soloviova

In the Middle Ages, it traditionally began... at your doorstep, in front of your home.

The steps ended up leading to one of the four main routes of the road to Santiago de Compostela in France: the route of Tours, or

via Turonensis

;

the Puy route, or

via Podiensis

;

the Vézelay route, or

via Lemovicensis

;

and the Arles route, or

via Tolosana

.

All these roads lead to Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia (Spain), where the supposed tomb of the apostle Saint James the Greater is located, in the crypt of the cathedral.

Many pilgrims continue as far as

Cape Finisterre

, a vast granite promontory facing the sea. A recent ritual is that people burn their worn-out clothes there.

As for the purists, they end their journey in

Padrón

where, according to legend, the boat which transported the body of Saint James from Judea

landed

.

This was moored to a

pedrón

(a stone), from which comes the toponym of this town located 20 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela.

Read alsoChemins de Compostela, on the royal road from Puy-en-Velay

When is the best time to walk the Camino de Santiago?

From April to October, when the paths are clear.

In winter, some may be covered in snow.

Two months are particularly popular: June and September, with pleasant temperatures, without risking suffering from the heat.

Read alsoWhere to travel according to the season?

The best destinations to visit month by month

How long are the Compostela routes?

The magnificent village of Vézelay, in the Yonne, starting point of the via Lemovicensis, 1,100 km long to Saint-Jean-Pied de Port, in the Basque Country.

JFL Photography

It all depends on the starting point in France but also, why not, from Norway or Poland... In France, the longest route is that of Vézelay: it extends over 1,100 kilometers from Burgundy, to in Saint-Jean-Pied de Port, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, where the three other main French axes converge, which measure between 750 and 1000 kilometers.

It remains to cross Spain.

The busiest route remains the Camino Francés, which stretches over nearly 800 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela.

Read also“By far my most beautiful trip”: on the roads to Compostela, more and more walkers

What are the main stages of the Camino de Santiago?

The Château d'Estaing, in Aveyron.

This village is a recognized stage.

cavalry

The best known in France remain those of Conques and Estaing in Aveyron, Cahors in Lot, Moissac in Tarn-et-Garonne, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in Hérault, Saint- Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques…

On the Spanish side, backgammon travels along an area classified as a World Heritage Site since 1993 as a "continuous linear cultural landscape that goes from the passes of the Pyrenees to the city of Santiago de Compostela", punctuated by prestigious regional capitals such as Logroñes in La Rioja, Le

ón

in the eponymous province, Bilbao in the Basque Country or Oviedo, in Asturias.

How long should you plan to embark on the Camino de Compostela?

The path can be done in one go or in successive sections of a week, year after year.

We can thus leave the time of a May bridge and travel 90 kilometers between Le Puy-en-Velay in Haute-Loire and Aumont-Aubrac in Lozère, in four days.

Or follow the steps for 50 to 75 days according to your rhythm from Puy-en-Velay to Santiago de Compostela.

Can we travel the Compostela routes by bike?

Yes, even if only 1% of French pilgrims saddle up, according to a study carried out in 2021 by the Agence française des chemins de Compostelle*.

On the other hand, 9% of foreigners ride a bike on the same path as walkers or on a specifically cycling route, like part of the marked V56 road between the basilica of Vézelay in Yonne and Limoges, in Haute -Vienna.

Read alsoRoads to Compostela: cycling between Vézelay and La Charité-sur-Loire

From Paris, where to set off on the paths of Compostela?

The Saint-Jacques tower in Paris, the starting point of the via Turonensis in the capital.

Bogdan Stamatin

The via Turonensis or route of Tours starts at the foot of the Saint-Jacques tower, listed as a World Heritage Site as part of the Compostela routes, in the fourth arrondissement of Paris.

Shortly after leaving the capital, this route splits into two branches, via Chartres or Orléans, which converge before Tours.

Its route follows a natural and historical circulation corridor between Northern Europe and the Pyrenees.

What is the Voie du Puy called?

The Puy-en-Velay route, also called Via Podiensis, is the best-known and busiest of the age-old routes in France: it welcomes between 15,000 and 20,000 walkers a year.

Legend has it that it dates back to 951, when the bishop of Puy Godescal opened the way by making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Its route, the GR 65, is the oldest redeveloped route in France, marked from 1970 by the French hiking federation.

Is there a way to Compostela in Brittany?

Beauport Abbey, in Paimpol (Côtes-d'Armor), starting point of one of the main routes to Compostela in Brittany.

Kevin Guillois

Yes.

Four main routes leave from the coast of Brittany, where English pilgrims disembarked: from Beauport Abbey in Côtes-d'Armor and, in Finistère, from Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Moguériec and Locquirec.

Thus, in Tremeven, in the Côtes-d'Armor, a 14th century chapel is dedicated to Saint-Jacques.

A granite statue represents the apostle near an outdoor pool, recognizable by the shells placed at his feet...

Read alsoOur five most beautiful beaches in northern Brittany

What is the most beautiful part of the Camino de Santiago in your opinion?

On the French side, 71 monuments were listed as World Heritage Sites in 1998, 25 years ago, as well as 7 sections of the paths.

The crossing of Aubrac is one of the last, between Nasbinals (Lozère) and Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac (Aveyron): this 17-kilometre stage in the middle of a lunar setting remains a striking memory for the great majority of walkers

Read alsoChemins de Compostela, on the royal road from Puy-en-Velay

What are the dangers on the Camino de Santiago?

Single women generally feel safe in this separate space where everyone is moving in the same direction.

Among the main dangers: being injured on the first day by overestimating your physical condition, being bitten by a dog, being confronted with bed bugs, being deceived by false signs put up by accommodation providers or restaurateurs who seek to attract customers away from the high-priced itinerary… It is up to everyone to remain vigilant while journeying in confidence, in a friendly spirit.

*(1) Survey carried out from May to November 2021 via questionnaires distributed online or in the field in around 500 places spread over all the Caminos de Compostela in France.

Of the 3,640 testimonies collected, 3,565 were retained for the investigation.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-05-04

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