The Camino Francés, the original Spanish pilgrimage route, leads from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French-Spanish border Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos, Léon, Astorga and Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela. The continuation of the path is this Camino a Fisterra to the Cape Finisterre and after Muxia.
background
According to legend, the apostle James the Elder proselytized. Ä. the Iberian Peninsula. After several years of failure, he finally returned to Israel, where he was martyred. His body was found on the coasts Galicia washed up where his tomb was discovered in Santiago de Compostela in 811. Shortly afterwards, the first people made a pilgrimage to Santiago, and a mass movement emerged. This ended in 1589 when, for fear of the English privateer Sir Francis Drake, the relics were hidden in a secret place and they could not be found afterwards.
In 1879 the bones were found again and Pope Leo XIII. declared to be real. Nevertheless, there was no renaissance of the pilgrimage, at the latest the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 put an end to it. Although the dictator Franco used Saint James for his own purposes and unceremoniously appointed him patron saint of Spain by decree, the pilgrimage to Santiago only started again after Franco's death in 1975 and the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1978.
While only 68 pilgrims found their way in 1970, there were 114,026 in 2007. The previous pilgrimage record dates from the "Holy James Year" 2010, when 272,135 arrivals were registered.
preparation
equipment
A detailed list of equipment can be found in the general information on preparation Way of St. James.
Pilgrim pass
The pilgrim's pass can be obtained either directly on site in one of the numerous hostels or from one of the James societies. The ID is required to be able to spend the night inexpensively in the numerous pilgrimage hostels. It also serves as proof of pilgrimage. Anyone who can use the stamp in their ID to prove that they have covered the last 100 kilometers on foot or the last 200 kilometers by bike or horse will receive the pilgrimage certificate at the pilgrims' office in Santiago.
condition
In principle, even inexperienced hikers can walk the Camino de Santiago. The height differences to be mastered are usually small and the many hostels along the way allow flexible stage planning and adaptation to the individual condition. However, pilgrims have to end their way prematurely or take longer breaks, as the hardships of a long hike are underestimated.
getting there
The best way to go to the airport Biarritz and then by train and bus via Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
accommodation
There are different options for staying overnight along the way, depending on your preferences and budget. There are pilgrim hostels, hotels, guest houses, campsites, etc.
Pilgrim hostels
There are public pilgrims' hostels where you pay a small price (around € 7 in 2016 plus a charitable donation) to cover maintenance and cleaning costs for accommodation in the dormitory. The public hostels are usually occupied first and hostel spaces cannot be reserved. The beds are allocated in the order in which they arrive, but hikers have priority over riders and cyclists.
Except in the case of illness, you can only spend one night in the hostels. They usually open at lunchtime and go to sleep between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. In the morning you have to leave the hostel between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. Breakfast is only included in some hostels.
When the hostels are overcrowded in the summer months and in the Holy Compostelan Years, there are emergency shelters in sports halls or churches in some places.
There are also private hostels that have to be paid for and are a little more expensive than the usual fee.
hike
1 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
- Roncesvalles
- Orisson is only about 10 km on foot from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port and the first port of call for pilgrims who have started in St. Jean. If you want to make the hike easier, you can stay here, as the ascent over the Pyrenees (the most difficult climb of the Camino and the first day of hiking) can be divided into two sections. However, pre-booking at the Albergue is a must as it fills up about a week in advance.
- 1 LE REFUGE, Orisson, 64220 Uhart-Cize. Tel.: 33 638269738. With a capacity of 28 beds in 6 and 10 bed dorms, the Orisson Refuge is open from April to October. It was converted from an old shepherd's house in 2004.
Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña
- Roncesvalles is the most popular starting point for Spanish peregrinos as it is the first capital of Spain on the French Way and only 27 km from St-Jean-Pied de-Port. Peregrinos who start here mostly regret it because they can't tell that they hiked over a pass in the Pyrenees, or that they hiked or bicycled all over Spain from France.
Larrasoaña - 2 Pamplona
Pamplona - Puente la Reina
Puente la Reina - Estella
Estella - Come on, Arcos
Los Arcos - Logroño
Logroño - Nájera
Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado
Belorado - Atapuerca
Atapuerca - 3 Burgos
Burgos - Hontanas
Hontanas - Frómista
Frómista - Carrión de los Condes
Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos de los Templarios
Terradillos de los Templarios - Sahagún
Sahagún - Mansilla de las Mulas
Mansilla de las Mulas - 4 Léon
Léon - Hospital de Órbigo
Hospital de Órbigo - 5 Astorga
Astorga - El Acebo
El Acebo - Ponferrada
Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo
Villafranca del Bierzo - Trabadelo
about Pereje
Camino duro - the hard way
Trabadelo - O Cebreiro
O Cebreiro - Triacastela
Triacastela - Sarria
via San Xil
above Samos
Sarria - Portomarín
Portomarín - Palas de Rei
Palas de Rei - Arzúa
Arzúa - 6 Santiago de Compostela
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- in the 1 Pilgrims office in the Casa do Deán In the Rua do Vilar, pilgrims receive the pilgrimage certificate after presenting the stamped pilgrim passport, the Compostela.
security
orientation
The risk of getting lost on the Camino de Santiago is extremely low. Yellow arrows and scallops as signposts are omnipresent.
theft
Normal precautions apply. Valuables should not be left lying open. Carrying large amounts of money is unnecessary as ATMs can be found in every city.
harassment
Unfortunately, it happens again and again that women wandering alone are harassed by exhibitionists, which is why it is recommended that you always leave a village or town with other pilgrims so that you don't get the impression that you are traveling alone when you meet an exhibitionist , be sure to report to the police.
Stray dogs
Stray dogs are now rarely found on the Camino de Santiago. However, one should be careful of the herding dogs that accompany the frequently seen flocks of sheep. These can become aggressive if you get too close to the flock of sheep they are protecting.
trips
home trip
The end of the world
Camino a Fisterra until Cabo Fisterrawhere the stone "kilometer 0" is
At the Cape is the Milestone 0 of the Camino de Santiago can be seen on a footpath past the lighthouse 1 Faro de Fisterra to be descended even further to the coast. The pilgrims burn their socks at a fireplace ...
literature
Hiking guide
- Cordula Raven: Spanish Way of St. James - From the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela. Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-76334-330-0
- Raimund Joos / Michael Kasper: Spain: Way of St. James Camino Francés. Conrad Stein Verlag, Welver 2008, ISBN 978-3-86686-023-0
Fiction
- Paulo Coelho: On the Way of St. James: Diary of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Diogenes, Zurich 1999, ISBN 3-257-23115-6
- Tim Moore: Two donkeys on the Camino de Santiago. Covadonga, 2005, ISBN 978-3-93697-318-1
- Hape Kerkeling: I'm off. Malik, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89029-312-7
