This carefully designed walking vacation assists you as you walk the final stage of the most famous Camino is the “classic” route of 115 km to Santiago — typically taken as a 5 or 6-day walk.
However, you can tell us how long you would like to take and we can customise your Camino for you. This degree of customisation is what sets us apart from other Camino tour operators. If you’d like to see what a more relaxed version of this Camino looks like, consider our Gentle Steps version of the French Route. Otherwise, get in touch to tell us what you’d like from your Camino!
However long it takes you to walk the French Way of El Camino, you will be eligible for the “Compostela” certificate emitted by the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. With Walk the Camino, you can also choose the exact date of your Camino, choosing when you arrive in Santiago to receive your certificate. We will sort everything out for you.
This is the classic Camino French Way experience and it’s our most popular tour with newcomers — especially for those who are new to long distance walking.
Often, guests choose this shorter Camino tour with us and then come back a year or two later on one of our longer Camino tours. We are extremely proud of how many guests come back for a second and third Camino with us.
This French Way Camino experience has short to medium daily walks (4-6 hours on foot). The famous camaraderie of the Camino means you’ll enjoy the company of walkers from all over the world; you’ll feel part of something ancient and meaningful alongside many other pilgrims and walkers.
This final stage of the Camino Frances is 115 km / 74 miles, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. Typically, it’s booked as a 6-day / 7-night walk, averaging 10-12 miles a day (16-20 km). We can also tailor the route if you prefer to have shorter daily walks.
Take a look at our Gentle Steps and Via de la Plata camino itineraries of between 4-8 miles per day (6-13 km). It is not the speed or the distance that matters; it is the dedication and the taking part that elevates the spirits of everyone who takes part in a Camino.
The Way from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela is dotted with hamlets, villages and towns — all waiting to offer a warm welcome to travellers. You will stay in small, family-run Camino lodgings, always with private en-suite rooms.
You can choose to stay in town or in the tranquil Galician countryside. Upgraded accommodation is available in some centres, by request and we have excellent partnerships with first-class accommodations and restaurants along the way.
Breakfasts and daily baggage transfers come as standard.
B&B is recommended but we can include dinner if you prefer.
We take pride in our high level of personal service, making sure you feel confident and well prepared before you set out. Before you leave home, you will get a Camino Travel pack with maps, walkers notes, guidebook and your credential — AKA your pilgrim’s passport.
Your Pilgrim’s Passport is the all-important document to have stamped along the Way, recording your journey and qualifying you for the “Compostela”.
You will receive the Compostela certificate of accomplishment, eligible to all those who complete the minimum 100 km to arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Single Supplement
£120
Discover the very best of this last leg of the Camino Frances. We can mention a few highlights here, but you will experience hundreds more as you slow down your pace and take in the views and talk to the people you meet along the way. This isn’t just a walking vacation along a beautiful route; it’s an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Certificate of Distance
For many, the Pilgrim’s Reception Office is as much a finish line as the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It offers the new Certificate of Distance, which certifies the number of kilometers you have travelled, regardless of the starting point of his pilgrimage.
This new document details additional information such as the starting point of your pilgrimage and the total of miles you have covered. It is printed on a parchment paper and beautifully ornamented with a Latin phrasing and decoration from the Calixtino Codex.
You will be asked to donate a few Euros for both certificates.
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
This is one of the most iconic cathedrals in the world, and its fame may be due to its status as the end point of the most famous Christian pilgrimage in the world, but its beauty and architecture are deserving of admiration in their own right.
As with all great European cathedrals, we think it’s best to imagine gazing up at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela with the eyes of someone in 1211, when the Romanesque cathedral was built, or in 1738, when the Baroque facade was completed.
This cathedral is spectacular in the 21st Century, but its historical context adds a sense of grandeur and wonder right at the end of your challenging Camino.
Galician Gastronomy
This is an area that still preserves a traditional way of life. Galicia is the green corner of Spain and its lush meadows support many family-run dairy and beef farms. Galician cooking is simple and hearty, using mainly fresh local produce.
Those with a sweet tooth will love Tarta de Santiago, a type of almond cake dusted with sugar outlining the shape of the cross of Santiago. A gastronomic point — in Melide look out for the local speciality “Pulpo Gallego” — octopus sprinkled with paprika and served with potatoes.
The wines, cheeses and seafood are all renowned Galician specialities. Unlike the red wine-producing rest of Spain, Galicia’s climate is better suited to whites. Albariño is a straw-coloured wine with a distinct peach flavour that’s now highly respected outside Spain and the perfect companion to fish and seafood.
For any traveller on the Camino, nourishment and refreshment is an important part of the daily routine. There are many places to enjoy good local dishes to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. We also aim to cater for those with particular dietary needs.
Breakfast
Where available we always order a full breakfast spread for our clients. But it does vary between establishments. Whether you have a light or substantial offering, you can always top up mid-morning at cafe bars along the route. The Spanish habit is to have breakfast between 10 and 11 when cafes and bars fill with locals having their “desayuno”.
Lunches
Lunches on the Camino are often taken as picnics, and most places have local shops selling items of fresh local produce to purchased each morning before you set out on the trail. Certain lodgings will offer pre-ordered packed lunches. Or check your guide and plan to stop off in a cafe-bar or restaurant on the Way.
Dinner
Spanish people tend to have dinner from 9 pm. But on the Camino, dinner is usually served from 8 pm — so do take advantage of the habitual afternoon “merienda” to keep you going, once you have arrived at your daily destination. That could be cold beer “cerveza” and tapas or coffee and cake.
Hydration
Hydration is essential — carry between 1.5 and 3l of drinking water, depending on the season, temperatures and distance you plan to cover. Keep a sugary and salty snack handy in your pocket or daypack – this will give you that little extra burst of energy to keep you going.
Mid morning/afternoon snacks known as “merienda” are the perfect way to sustain yourself on the Way. Especially if you are not used to the later meal times which are the norm across Spain. It is customary for Spanish people to have a mid-morning stop for breakfast and late afternoon for a bite to keep them going until the traditional late dinner.
Earn the Compostela Certificate by Completing Minimum 100km of the Camino de Santiago
In practice, this usually means walking from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela in 6 walking days / 7 nights, averaging 10 – 12 miles (16 – 20km) per day.
We highly recommend spending a second night in Santiago, so you’re not under pressure to make it to Santiago and the main Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral which takes place daily at noon. Take your time on the last day in the knowledge you’ll be able to attend the main liturgical event without rushing.
You can also earn your Compostela by walking the last 100 km of other Ways to Santiago such as the Camino Portugues from Tui, or the Via de la Plata from Ourense.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like us to create a different, personalised French Way itinerary designed specifically around your needs and interests.
Located in the heart of Santiago de Compostela, this beautiful hotel is a tranquil place to complete your Camino journey. There are not only beautifully appointed rooms with galleried windows to enjoy, but there’s also a delightful garden full of trees, birds and flowers and it’s just a few steps away from the Cathedral and some of Santiago’s many wonderful restaurants.
We strive to offer our clients the best available experience of the Camino and accommodation plays an important part, together with the local food, culture and history. Our team visit all our accommodations annually, so we know them all personally.
Typical lodgings include a variety of family-run guest houses, historic homes, but mainly one to three-star equivalent pensions, hostals and hotels which all offer private en-suite facilities.
Accommodation on the Camino is geared towards the needs of walkers rather than traditional holidaymakers. Many hoteliers have many years experience on the Camino and have grown up in their area, their establishments passing down through the generations, even the small places catering for a large volume of pilgrims throughout the year.
When you receive your Camino quotation we include links to visit the hotels’ websites and get a feel for their quality. Most itineraries will have a range in the standard of accommodation, which is part of the Camino experience – and determined by availability when you book.
Upgraded hotels are available for roughly 30% of the Camino.
All our accommodations, the owners & staff are well known to us. Wherever possible we select small, comfortable, family-run establishments located on or very near to the Camino.
Most itineraries will have a range in the standard of accommodation, which is part of the Camino experience – and determined by availability when you book.
These establishments are used almost exclusively by travellers on the Camino and geared to meet the requirements of Camino travellers.
In the larger Camino centres, we regularly work with the top-end establishments. There are also some opportunities to book upgraded Hotels in rural parts of the Camino.
Sometimes these upgrades require transfers away from the Camino route, either provided by the hotelier or by local taxi.
If you are looking for a generally higher standard of hotel & dining we recommend you look at our Via de la Plata Last 100km, which features some lovely converted country mansions. And we also recommend our Rioja Gastronomical Camino.
We encourage you to explore and try local eateries in the immediate vicinity which offer a wider range of dishes. It’s also a great way to soak up the local atmosphere, rubbing shoulders with travellers and local people.
Half Board accommodation is available in most of our lodgings, including breakfast and dinner consisting of a set 3-course menu in the hotel restaurant.
Past experience shows that half board dining choices can become repetitive, with set menus featuring similar dishes along the route. You will be glad of more choice and the freedom to decide where, what and how much you wish to eat and spend each evening.
You can still enjoy the in-house dinner service without booking half board in advance.
The choice is yours.
We quote all our journeys with bag transfers as standard.
We heartily recommend that you book your main piece of luggage to be transferred between accommodations. It helps your enjoyment of the Way and keeps additional stress off your back and joints.
We work with dedicated professional companies who do this essential work day in, day out. The system works very well, with bags picked up between 8 and 8:30 am and delivered to the next hotel between 2 and 4 pm. All you have to worry about is carrying a day sack with your essential items.
If you do wish to carry your own bag that is fine with us. But you can always call us and request to add on the service if you change your mind.
