Which stage of the Camino Frances should I walk? Your guide to the French Way

The Camino Frances is the most popular route of the Camino pilgrimage network, stretching roughly 790km from St Jean Pied de Port across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Loved for its historic towns, varied landscapes, and well-developed walking infrastructure, it’s often considered the classic Camino experience. Pilgrims choose it for its strong sense of community, clear waymarking, and flexibility — you can walk the full route or complete just one section depending on your time and goals.

The stages of the Camino Frances route

With a handful of recommended rest days, the full Camino Frances route would take the average person around 6 weeks to complete. It’s fair to say not everyone has six weeks spare to take off and go and walk the whole pilgrimage route.

With a limited time frame to work with, the inevitable question arises: which section, or sections of the Camino should I walk? The automatic response would be, how long is a piece of string? Like most things in life, the answer to this is dependent on your point of view and what’s important to you. Based on this, we’ve summarised what to expect from each section in the hope of clearing the muddy waters and helping you decide which section or sections are best for you.

Stage 1: St Jean Pied De Port to Logrono

This section has a bit of something for everyone, but it kicks off with a bang! Day 1 is arguably the most strenuous day’s walk of the whole Camino. But, you are rewarded with some of the most spectacular scenery of the whole Camino. You start off with a straight-up climb out of St Jean which doesn’t really ease off until the final descent into Roncesvalles.

Along the way, subject to clear weather (which is by no means a given), you will see spectacular scenes across the Pyrenees mountains. Roncesvalles itself is an almost mystical mountain village with little more than a couple of accommodation and eating options, and a population of, wait for it, 20! The lovely scenery continues on down into Zubiri and through to the outskirts of Pamplona. Pamplona is a buzzing, vibrant city and is a perfect first rest day.

Coming out of Pamplona you cross one of the most iconic sights of the Camino, Alto del Perdon, with its cast iron pilgrim cutouts and wonderful views. Puente La Reina (The King’s Bridge) is another familiar Camino scene followed by the delightful town of Estella. More highlights of this section include the wine fountain of Irache (yes, free wine on tap!), the quintessential Camino towns of Los Arcos and Viana, and finishing in the capital of La Rioja province in Logrono.

What to expect: spectacular scenery, iconic Camino sights, mountains, lovely Camino towns, some arduous walking.

Our trips: St Jean Pied De Port to Logrono – Self-Guided

Stage 2: Logrono to Burgos

This section is dominated by vineyards as you enter into the wine growing region of La Rioja. Starting off in its capital, Logrono, you might like to take a day off here and do a wine tour. Logrono itself is nice enough but probably not interesting enough to warrant a rest day unless doing a tour.

Although there are no real mountains in this section, there are a few fairly steep climbs. And if you’re unfortunate enough to walk this section in the wet you will undoubtedly discover the region’s identifying feature- sticky, clinging, clay-like mud!

What to expect: vineyards, clay, some ascents.

Our trips: Stage 2-5 Pamplona to Santiago: Mountain Bike

Stage 3: Burgos to Leon

Known as the Meseta, this is undoubtedly the most underrated of sections. Flat, boring, featureless, shadeless… sounds great doesn’t it?! Although this description is accurate, it is also the section where you could have some of your biggest breakthroughs, your true epiphanies and break through some of your biggest conundrums.

With little to distract you, your thoughts take centre stage.  If self-discovery and introspection is your Camino goal then this section is a must. For more details, you can read more on this section here.

What to expect: long lonely walking days, hot and sunny in summer, featureless, almost dead flat, great for introspection.

Our trips: 

• Stage 3-5 Leon to Santiago – Self-Guided
• Camino by E-Bike: Leon to Santiago

Stage 4: Leon to Sarria

Arguably the pick of the sections, with Camino moments and towns aplenty. Starting in the fascinating and scenic city of Leon, once you make it past the suburbs you will stay in such superbly Camino towns as Astorga and Villafranca del Bierzo. Next up are delightful mountain towns like Rabanal del Camino and O Cebreiro.

Mountains and stunning scenery abound with some very steep climbs. But the true highlight of this section is the poignant Cruz de Ferro, or Iron Cross. This is where you lay a stone brought from home at the foot of the cross to symbolise the shedding of a burden. It can be a tribute to a passed loved one, or anything you wish it to symbolise.

What to expect: Mountain scenery, some steep climbs, delightful towns, iconic Camino moments.

stage 5: Sarria to Santiago

Although not packed with highlights like some sections, the final 115km from Sarria to Santiago is by far the most popular section due to it being the final section walking into Santiago de Compostela, as well as being the minimum amount of kilometres needed to walk to obtain a Compostela, or certificate of completion.

The walking isn’t difficult on this section with just gradual inclines as opposed to sharp climbs. Due to its popularity, there is a real community feel. It’s a cultural melting pot and you will make friends with people from all walks of life (excuse the pun!) and countries. And of course you get to experience the crowning glory of walking into Santiago de Compostela as the pinnacle of this section, and potentially all sections!

What to expect: Relatively easy walking, increased numbers walking, few iconic Camino towns or experiences, receive Compostela.

Our trips: 

• Sarria to Santiago Slow Walk
• Sarria to Santiago 9-Day Walk
• Sarria to Santiago 11-Day Walk
• Sarria to Santiago Group Trip
• Sarria to Santiago Women’s Parador Trip
• Sarria to Santiago The Essentials Trip

The difficulty levels on Camino Frances

The Camino Frances is generally rated moderate, making it achievable for most people with reasonable fitness. The terrain includes rolling farmland, forest tracks, village paths, and occasional steep ascents, especially in the Pyrenees and parts of Galicia. 

The biggest challenge is usually endurance rather than technical difficulty, as walking day after day can be physically demanding. We recommend training for at least 3 months before your trip to make sure you can enjoy your pilgrimage. Read more from our Camino training guide. 

Also read: How difficult is the Camino de Santiago?

The history of the Camino de Santiago

The Camino dates back over a thousand years to the medieval pilgrimage tradition honouring Saint James the Great, whose reputed remains are said to be buried in Santiago de Compostela. By the 9th century, it had become one of Christianity’s most important pilgrimage routes, drawing travellers from across Europe who followed a network of paths leading west across Spain. During the Middle Ages it flourished with monasteries, bridges, and hostels built to support pilgrims, then declined for centuries before experiencing a major revival in the late 20th century.  Today it blends ancient spiritual heritage with modern adventure travel, and you don’t have to be religious to walk the route. 

The best time to walk the French Way

Spring (April-June) and autumn (September-October) are widely considered the best seasons to hike, offering mild temperatures, blooming landscapes or golden countryside, and manageable pilgrim numbers. Summer brings long daylight hours but can be hot and crowded, especially in July and August. We don’t recommend walking in the middle of summer.

Need help planning your Camino adventure?

RAW Travel is Australia’s leading walking tour operator for walking the Camino de Santiago. We offer options for all of the Camino routes in France, Portugal and Spain. Whether you want to take the inland route via Camino Frances, walk through France on Le Puy Camino, take the coastal Portuguese Camino, or walk to Santiago along Camino del Norte, designing the perfect self-guided walking holiday is what we do best.