French Way
Way of St. James pilgrimage route in France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The French Way (Galician: Camiño francés, Spanish: Camino francés, Basque: Frantses bidea) follows the GR 65 and is the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. It runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles on the Spanish side and then another 780 km on to Santiago de Compostela through the major cities of Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and León. A typical walk on the Camino francés takes at least four weeks, allowing for one or two rest days on the way.
| French Way | |
|---|---|
| Native name Camino Francés (Spanish) | |
The French Way[1] | |
 Interactive map of French Way | |
| Type | Pilgrims' way |
| Location | From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 1993 (17th session) |
| Part of | Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain |
| Reference no. | 669bis-003 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
Paths from the cities of Tours, Vézelay, and Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. A fourth French route originates in Arles, in Provence, and crosses the French–Spanish frontier at a different point, between the Pyrenees towns of Somport and Canfranc. This fourth route follows the Aragonese Way and joins the French Way at Puente la Reina, south of Pamplona, in Navarre, about 700 kilometres from Santiago de Compostela.
In 1993, the French Way, along with the Spanish route of the Camino de Santiago was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its historical importance in Christianity as a major pilgrimage route and its testimony to the exchange of ideas and cultures across its length.[2]
Statistics
The Pilgrim's Office in Santiago publishes data regarding pilgrims who got the certificate. In 2024 about 47% of pilgrims (over 235,000) took the French Way. 65% of the pilgrims on the Camino Frances started in Sarria while 14% started in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. 49% of the pilgrims had a Spanish nationality, followed by US-Americans (8.3%), Italians (5.4%) and Koreans (2.8%). The nationalities differ regarding the starting point: In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port the vast majority of pilgrims (91%) is neither from France nor Spain. In contrast the majority of pilgrims using Sarria as a starting point is Spanish (64%).[4]
94% of pilgrims did the journey on foot and 2% by bike. About 300 pilgrims travelled on a horse and 170 in a wheelchair. Most pilgrims finish their journey in a month between May and September.[4]
Example itinerary
Though there is no set itinerary for this route, daily stages from major town to major town could be walked as follows:
Films
- The Way (2010)
