Camino Aragonés

Villatuerta to Los Arcos

24.8 km, 376 m up and 360 m down, through 6 places, 4 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.

24.8km
Distance
376m
Climbing
360m
Descent
6
Places you pass
4
With a bar or cafe

The ground between

Villatuerta · 440 mLos Arcos · 456 m
Climbing 398 mDescent 382 mHighest 670 m · Villamayor de MonjardínLowest 413 m · Villatuerta

What you pass through

Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Villatuerta. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.

  1. start
    Villatuerta441 m3 to stayFood

    You'll cross the Río Iranzu on a double-arched Romanesque bridge to enter the old part of Villatuerta. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is worth a visit for its Romanesque elements and the carved capitals ins…

  2. 3.7 km
    Estella426 m40 to stayBar · food

    The camino exits Estella along the river, crossing to the west bank. If you stayed in one of the albergues on the east side, cross back over the river to rejoin the route. The path passes through Ayegui and continues to the Fuente de Vino and Monasterio de Irache — about 3 km of easy walking.

    Public bathrooms and a drinking fountain are at the entrance to Estella, just past the first albergue.

  3. 5.7 km
    Ayegui490 m2 to stayBar · food

    Watch for the arrows at the second roundabout, which direct you off the road and onto a track running uphill to the right, behind the commercial zone. At the end of town, blue arrow signs point downhill to the left — follow them, cross the main road, and continue toward the Fuente de Vino.

  4. 5.7 km

    Sponsored by the Bodegas Irache, this is a fountain that dispenses both water and wine. Yes, really. A plaque on the wall reads: "If you want to go to Santiago with strength and vitality, of this great wine have a drink …

  5. 6.7 km

    The Monasterio de Irache is a large monastic complex set among vineyards, its documented history reaching back to 958. It was the site of Navarra's first pilgrim hospital, and its buildings span Romanesque through Baroqu…

  6. 11.2 km
    Azqueta579 m1 to stayBar · food

    Azqueta is a tiny village with a handful of houses and no reliable services. The Fuente de los Moros — a medieval cistern with a double-arched entrance and a long stone staircase descending to the water — sits just off t…

  7. 13.1 km
    Villamayor de Monjardín674 m4 to stayBar · food

    The 12 km between Villamayor de Monjardín and Los Arcos is one of the more tedious stretches on this section of the Francés. The terrain is open and exposed, with long straight tracks through farmland and almost no shade. Stock up with water and food before leaving. The walking is flat but the monotony and heat (in summer) make it feel longer than the distance suggests.

  8. 24.8 km
    Los Arcos450 m13 to stayBar · food

    The camino exits through the Arco de Felipe V and crosses the Río Odrón. A few albergues are on the west side of the river. From here the route heads through rolling country toward Sansol and Torres del Río — about 7 km with some ups and downs that earn this stretch the local nickname 'The Knee Wrecker.'

Villamayor de Monjardín or Luquin?

The path splits here and rejoins before Los Arcos. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.

Via Villamayor de Monjardín

Adds
5.9 km
Climb
95 m
Places
2
Beds
5
  1. Azqueta579 m1 to stay
  2. The 12 km between Villamayor de Monjardín and Los Arcos is one of the more tedious stretches on this section of the Francés. The terrain is open and exposed, with long straight tracks through farmland and almost no shade. Stock up with water and food before leaving. The walking is flat but the monotony and heat (in summer) make it feel longer than the distance suggests.

Via Luquin

Adds
4.9 km
Climb
0 m
Places
1
Beds
1
  1. Luquin1 to stay

Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 386 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 24.8 km.

Programa MOVES IIIMinisterio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico — IDAEXunta de GaliciaInstituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA)Financiado por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEUPlan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia

Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.

Más información sobre la financiación recibida →