The French Way Map

The French Way links Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Santiago in 769.3 km and 33 stages through Navarre, La Rioja, Castile and León and Galicia. The map shows its stages, the elevation profile, the sections with few services and where to start, from Saint-Jean to Sarria.

Here is the map of the French Way, the best-known and most walked route of the Way of Santiago. It links Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, on the far side of the Pyrenees, with Santiago de Compostela, crossing the north of Spain from east to west. In our proposal for the French Way it is 769.3 km in 33 stages.

How do I read this map of the French Way?

The map starts in Roncesvalles, in the heart of the Navarrese Pyrenees, and runs all the way to Santiago, marking the towns where each stage ends: Zubiri, Pamplona, Puente la Reina, Estella, Logroño, Nájera, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Burgos, Frómista, Carrión de los Condes, Sahagún, León, Astorga, Molinaseca, Villafranca del Bierzo, O Cebreiro, Sarria, Portomarín, Palas de Rei, Arzúa and O Pedrouzo, among others. From Roncesvalles it is 745.3 km in 32 stages; if you set out from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, add the first stage of 24 km, crossing the Pyrenees.

The route crosses 4 autonomous communities and 7 provinces: Navarre, La Rioja, Castile and León (provinces of Burgos, Palencia and León) and Galicia (provinces of Lugo and A Coruña).

At the bottom you will find the elevation profile. The highest point is the Cruz de Ferro, at 1,504 m, in the Montes de León, and, right at the gates of Galicia, the climbs to O Cebreiro (1,300 m) and Alto do Poio (1,335 m) await you. Between Burgos and León you have eight stages of Meseta, with much gentler terrain and open horizons. And if you start in Saint-Jean, the first day climbs up to the Lepoeder pass, at 1,430 m.

Sections with few services: keep them in mind

The French Way has the most infrastructure of all: you will normally find villages with bars and accommodation along almost the whole route. Even so, there are long sections without any settlements where it is wise to set out with water and some food in your backpack:

• Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port – Roncesvalles: from Orisson there are hardly any services until Roncesvalles. In addition, from 1 November to 31 March the Napoleon Route is closed and you have to go via Valcarlos: we explain it in the winter closure of the Napoleon Route.
• Estella – Los Arcos: after Villamayor de Monjardín there are no villages until Los Arcos.
• Belorado – San Juan de Ortega: from Villafranca Montes de Oca, the crossing of the Montes de Oca has no services.
• Carrión de los Condes – Sahagún: at 37 km it is the longest stage of the route, and the stretch as far as Calzadilla de la Cueza has no villages at all.

Where do I start the French Way?

If you have time to walk it all, the classic starting points are Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles. You can walk the French Way from Roncesvalles, in 32 stages, or split it into several trips.

For example, from Roncesvalles to Logroño, from Logroño to Burgos, from Burgos to León and from León to O Cebreiro.

If you have fewer days, you can start closer to Galicia: from Astorga it is 11 stages, from Ponferrada 9 and from O Cebreiro 7, already in Galicia, to cross it from east to west.

And the most popular starting point of all is Sarria: the French Way from Sarria is 115 km in 5 stages. You can do it at your own pace, in an organised group, with your dog or in VIP hotels. If you are not sure how to get there, here we explain how to get to Sarria.

Remember that to earn the Compostela you must cover at least the last 100 km on foot to Santiago (200 km by bike), so you can get it both with the full Way and by setting out from Sarria.

If you are cycling, the French Way by bike from Ponferrada is 4 stages and exceeds 200 km. If you want more, there is the French Way by bike from León, in 6 stages, or from Roncesvalles, in 13.

The ideal Way for your first time

The French Way is the route most chosen by pilgrims: according to the Way of Santiago statistics, more than 240,000 people walked it in 2025. It has plenty of services, good waymarking and it is easy to find company, so if this is your first Way, keep this map handy: it is a safe bet.

If you have already done it and are looking for a different experience, take a look at the map of the Portuguese Way. For a quieter mountain Way, there is the map of the Primitive Way, and if you want to carry on to the sea after reaching Santiago, the map of the Way to Finisterre and Muxía. You can also browse all the routes of the Way of Santiago.

Once you are clear about where you want to start and how many days you have, calculate the price of your French Way here and get ready to live the most walked Way of all.