Le Puy Camino (France)

Le Puy en Velay

Spectacular Le Puy-en-Velay is the gateway to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage trail. Explore the historical and well-preserved old town with its delightful maze of small cobbled streets flanked by tall, pastel coloured houses. Le Puy’s famous cathedral is well worth a visit. It houses a Black Madonna statue that is believed to have miraculous powers. Pilgrims and visitors come to pay their respects to this revered religious icon.

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St Privat d’Allier

On the way to St Privat d’Allier you will pass by the first of many ancient stone crosses marking the way of the original pilgrimage route. Once you are through the spruce forest of La Baraque there is a steep decent into the small village.

Saugues

Sauges is the meeting point for pilgrims coming from the Auvergne region. This town features in the history of the Hundred Years War and as a marshalling point for hunters of the legendary Beast of Gevaudan, which terrorised this region in the mid-1700s.

Les Faux

On the way to the small village of Les Faux you will pass the Fountain St-Roch and rest stop, followed by the St-Roch Chapel founded in 1198 as a hospital for pilgrims and travellers. After the chapel, the track commences a gentle descent into Les Faux.

Aumont-Aubrac

Gateway to the mythic Aubrac high plateau, Aumont-Aubrac has always had strong links to the Camino. Back in medieval times this is where pilgrims coming from the East on the Le Puy route rested before tackling the upcoming bleak and isolated lands of the Aubrac.

Nasbinals

Nasbinals is a herding village that marks the beginning of the Aveyron region. From here, the route takes you through the heart of the Aubrac plateau, which has a tough reputation for being windy, cold and remote. This can be an exhilarating day and includes an ascent to the the highest point (1368m) of Le Puy Camino.

St-Chely-d’Aubrac

The pretty village of St-Chely-d’Aubrac is in a secluded valley. It’s a great place to explore, relax and reflect. The early 15th-century church is steeped in history, and the pilgrims’ bridge has a beautiful stone cross that bears a bas-relief representing a pilgrim, with its large cape, staff and rosary.

Espalion

The small village of Espalion has several sites of interest and the area along the riverfront and is lovely. The-16th century Veiux Palace and 11th-century Pont Veiux arched bridge connect the ancient tanner’s houses lining the River Lot. High above the town are the ruins of the 10th century Chateau de Calmont d’Olt.

Golinhac

Golinhac is known for its church, which preserves the Roman foundations of a Benedictine priory, and an original stone cross with a small-sculpted pilgrim erected on it – a replica greets you at the entrance of the village.

Conques

Conques is a superb and bewitching medieval village and one of the finest hill-towns in France. The views of the lauze stone-roofed cottages and dominating towers of the Romanesque Abbey Church Sainte Foy are breathtaking.

Figeac

This medieval town was founded in 830 AD around its Benedictine abbey and became a thriving city in the 13th century thanks to agriculture and commerce. It contains a substantial and interesting medieval historical centre.

Cajarc

In the peaceful town of Cajarc, on the banks of the Lot River, you can see part of the original 13th-century castle in the main street, The Boulevard du Tour de Ville, which forms a ring road around the town. The river is crossed by a 19th century suspension bridge, which replaced a medieval stone bridge.

Limogne-en-Quercy

Limogne-en-Quercy is famous for its truffle fair, usually held on Sunday mornings from December to March and summer.

Lalbenque

Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Lot region, Lalbenque is a delightful village with timeless charm.

Cahors

The medieval town of Cahors is the largest town on the Le Puy Camino. The famous 14th-century fortified Valentre bridge, an emblem of the city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO and a well-known pilgrim milestone, crosses the Lot on the west side of town. It has three towers each with large arched gateways due to its historical role as a defensive bridge during the Hundred Years War. Discover the legend of the pact that the bridge builder made with the devil.

Montcuq

The quaint medieval and alluring village of Montcuq (officially Montcuq-en-Quercy-Blanc) is full of charm and offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside and the Quercy Blanc region. The Saint-Hilaire church in the heart of the village was built in the 14th century and has large Gothic windows and an octagonal bell tower. There are some top-notch foodie spots, too.

Lauzerte

The charming village of Lauzerte marks the halfway point from Le Puy to Saint-Jean- Pied-de-Port. It dominates the surrounding valleys and hills of the Quercy Blanc from its lofty position atop a spur of land. It has one of the best preserved village centres in the region. Many of the shops and cafes have traditional wrought iron signs representing their trade, which adds to the authentic medieval feel. The side streets that radiate off from the square also contain a large number of attractive medieval houses.

Mossaic

Moissac is famous for its Abbey Saint-Pierre – one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in France. It has a perfectly preserved cloister (an enclosed garden used by the medieval monastics for walking meditation and contemplation) dating back to 1100 and is reputably the oldest in the world.

Lectoure

This attractive historic walled town sits on a rocky promontory above the Gers River. The Cathedral of Saint Gervais and Saint Protais is impressive, and nearby is the ancient Fontaine Diane, a natural spring inside a little gothic building that provided the source of water for the tannery industry. Lectoure is known for growing one-third of all of the garlic in France, and in spring the surrounding slopes are covered with rows of rose-green garlic shoots.

La Romieu

This lovely village was founded at the end of the 11th century by a German monk returning from a pilgrimage to Rome. Its collegiate church of Saint-Pierre, classified as a World Heritage Site, is an architectural gem and the setting for a large chapel, a charming Gothic cloister and a double-spiral staircase that allows you to climb the 33m of the bell tower. The legend of Angelina’s cats gives the village a unique charm.

Condom

This quiet and relaxed town was once an important stopping point on the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela, around which the town developed. Its wealth in more recent times is based around the production and export of armagnac (brandy). As well as an imposing cathedral there is a small medieval old town to explore.

Montréal-du-Gers

Perched on a rocky outcrop, on the banks of the Auzoue River, this town has remarkable medieval heritage and is home to the biggest vineyard of Armagnac, the famous brandy.

Éauze

Éauze is a beautifully presented town with a fascinating history. This Roman town is the capital of the Armagnac region and offers one of the liveliest and biggest agricultural markets in the Gers. Almost everything of interest in Eauze is on and around the main square, the Place d’Armagnac, where you can also visit the tourist office for a leaflet that explains the highlights in the village. The area is famous for Armagnac and and duck foie gras.

Nogaro

Nogaro is a busy but inauspicious service town. The town contains a bullring, a 12th-century Romanesque church and is also home of the Circuit Paul Armagnac, a purpose built motor race track opened in 1960. It was here that four-times Formula One world champion Frenchman Alain Prost started his career in 1974.

Aire-sur- l’Adour

This extremely ancient town was the residence of the king of the Visigoths in the 5th century and in the middle ages became established as a major pilgrimage centre on the route to Spain. Today it is known as a gastronomic centre and its economy is largely dependent upon the production of ducks and geese. Its twice weekly market is one of the busiest in France.

Arzacq-Arraziguet

This town used to mark the boundary between France and the then independent country of Bearn. It is another fortified town and has two main squares.

Arthez-de-Bearn

This regional town built on a ridge top has stunning views of the Pyrenees. As you slowly approach Basque Country you will notice the language beginning to change from French to more Basque words, for example, the spelling on menus.

Navarrenx

Sitting above the river of Gave d’Oloron, this beautiful village is one of the oldest in the Bearn region. The town was the first in France to be fortified with Italian style ramparts, successfully defending it during the Wars of Religion. Bastions and military buildings within the walls remain today.

Lichos

Lichos is the first Basque village that you will encounter. Note the distinctive architecture of the buildings which are built with white painted stone, dark red half-timbering, shutters and red roof tiles.

Saint Palais

On your way to Saint Palais you will come across the Stele de Gibraltar, a stone cross erected in 1964 to symbolise where the three French Camino routes converge. Many signs are written in the Basque language and in every town and village there is a pelota court (a traditional Basque game).

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

St Jean is a small border town on the river Nive and is always busy with Camino pilgrims, as it is the starting point of the French Way to Santiago. Walk up cobbled rue de la Citadelle and visit the citadel, which is now a local school, or stroll around the Basque region’s capital and try some of the gastronomic specialities in the many cafes and restaurants. It’s a treat to sit and watch the stream of pilgrims starting or finishing their epic journey.