Camino Francés from Roncesvalles to Logroño
The French Way (Camino Francés) from Roncesvalles to Logroño is the first part of the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela.
The French Way (Camino Francés) is the most traditional and the most traveled one, by which pilgrims from all over Europe have walked since the Middle Ages. They used to converge precisely from their different points of origin in Roncesvalles. From this point, the first in Spanish territory, they kept on the Camino de Santiago all together. Goethe already said that Europe was made by the pilgrimage to Compostela.
Our Route.
The beginning of this part of the Camino from Roncesvalles to Logroño starts in a very hilly area. We are in the heart of the Navarrese Pyrenees. Good news are that we will start walking at a high point on the route and the first stages will be downhill.
Many of the cities through which the Camino de Santiago passes owe much of their development to the pilgrims. This is the case of Roncesvalles, our starting point. Its architecture, born from the functionality applied to the reception of pilgrims, gives us interesting monuments, such as the Church of Santa María, the “Casa de los Beneficiados” or the old Hospital de Itzandegia.
Other towns of Jacobean importance on the route are Puente la Reina, with its magnificent medieval bridge with five arches, or Larrasoaña. In this section we will also ascend to Alto del Perdón, with great views of the area and where we will find the Monument to the Pilgrim.
This part of the Camino Francés from Roncesvalles to Logroño ends in the capital of La Rioja, the land of the wine. Leaving the town of Estella, between the fifth and sixth stages, we will find the popular “Fuente de Vino” (wine fointaine), which announces our entry into wine-growing lands.
Once we have completed our tour, we can enjoy a well-deserved rest. The last night in the city of Logroño, we highly recommend you a walk through the famous Laurel street. There you can enjoy tasty tapas accompanied by a good Rioja wine.
The arrival in Logroño is not the end, but rather a pause on the Camino, which we must continue until we reach Santiago de Compostela.
¡BUEN CAMINO!