Camino Francés
31 km, 686 m up and 426 m down, through 9 places, 5 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Puente la Reina. 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.
The camino crosses the bridge and turns left, crossing the main road and picking up a footpath. Almost immediately it begins a short, steep climb on terrain that gets slippery when wet — a common sight here is cyclists pushing their bikes up. The footing improves quickly and the route continues through pleasant agricultural land toward Maneru, about 5 km ahead.
Mañeru is a small village whose labyrinthine streets seem designed to confuse. Every turn leads uphill, and the coats of arms carved into the facades of the larger houses suggest this was once a wealthier place than it a…
Cirauqui is perched on a conical hill and seems to go uphill in every direction. The camino enters through a medieval archway and climbs steeply to the Iglesia de San Román at the top, where the plaza and a small albergu…
A well-preserved Roman bridge sits below Cirauqui where the ancient road crosses a small stream. The paving stones of the Roman calzada are visible on the approach, giving a tangible sense of walking the same route that …
Lorca is a small village where the two bars are clustered at the far end near the main plaza and frontón court. It's a practical stop for a drink and a rest, but there's not much reason to linger unless you're interested…
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…
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.
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.
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 …
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…
Luquin is a small village about 3 km south of the main camino, accessible by a variant path that branches off between Villamayor de Monjardín and Los Arcos. It has a couple of bars and a basic shop, but most pilgrims won…
The path splits here and rejoins before Luquin. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
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.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 384 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 30.1 km.
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.