Difficulty: easy.

The first day of the French Way from Roncesvalles passes through a typical mountain route that, however, does not present great difficulties. Almost the entire stage is done downhill, although we find two uphill slopes that we must take into account, those of Alto de Mezkiriz and Alto de Erro. We continue pedaling downhill, on gentle slopes, leaving the mountain route behind. During today's stage, we will pass through an important medieval city, which grew up under the protection of pilgrims, Larrasoaña. We will also cross the Arga river several times on numerous bridges. Once in Pamplona, ​​it is inevitable to mention its famous S. Fermín festivals. But any time of the year is good to visit this city, with an important monumental complex dominated by its churches and medieval walls.

Difficulty: easy.

The most important milestone of this stage is the Alto del Perdón, although its ascent is quite affordable, since its 260 meters of unevenness are climbed very gradually. Perhaps the descent is somewhat more rugged, which is quite stony and therefore somewhat slippery. At the top, you have to take a short break to enjoy the views. It is a fairly windy area, so at the summit we will not only find the Monument to the Pilgrim, but also the company of the windmills of a wind farm. Once in Puente La Reina, it is worth visiting its large medieval bridge with five arches, the church of San Pedro, from the 14th century, and the convent of Comendadoras de Sancti Spiritus. After this, a gentle descent of almost 5 kilometers awaits us, to face the ascent to Mañeru, of short length, but with quite a slope. Next, we will pass through the town of Cirauqui, in which its medieval Gothic church and its Roman road stand out, of which some original sections are preserved. The last section of the stage, which will take us to Estella, is already descending.

Difficulty: medium.

Stage with very affordable slopes. Just as we leave Estella, we will find the famous “Fuente de Vino”. The last 12 kilometers, from Villamayor de Monjardín to Los Arcos, although easy, can be somewhat heavy, between farmland and secondary roads, with hardly any shadows, which, in the summer months can be uncomfortable if you do not go properly prepared for the hot. Then we will cross dirt tracks that will make the journey very pleasant. The olive and almond trees, but especially the vineyards, will accompany us at the entrance to the land of wine par excellence, La Rioja. The rest of the kilometers of the stage are much more abrupt and will offer us some difficulty. Before reaching the end of the stage, we will pass through the ruins of the Castillo de Clavijo. The final route is comfortable again, along pedestrian paths. Once in Logroño, we should not miss the opportunity to take a walk along Laurel Street, to taste some good local wines, accompanied by magnificent tapas.

Difficulty: medium.

In today's stage we will find two important climbs, those of Alto de la Grajera and Alto de San Antón. The good news is that both are quite progressive, so they do not represent great difficulties. We will walk between agricultural and asphalt tracks, so this section will be quite comfortable. The vineyards that have accompanied us in recent days will gradually give way to cereal fields. The end of the day will be in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, one of the towns with the greatest tradition and Jacobean footprint, whose historic center, with medieval streets and a magnificent wall, is a set of National-Historical Interest.

Difficulty: medium.

At this stage we will leave La Rioja to enter Castilla León. It will be, once again, a comfortable day on the Camino de Santiago, despite two stops, La Grajera and San Antón, since their ascent is very progressive. Arriving in Belorado, we will see the last mountains before entering the great Castilian plateau. Then we will go through natural trails and tracks. Upon reaching the Montes de Oca, we will find a drop of 200 meters with a simple connection. Shortly before reaching Atapuerca, we will pass through San Juan de Ortega, a jewel of Spanish Gothic.

Difficulty: high.

The Sierra de Atapuerca offers us good views of the area and a very pleasant and quite comfortable route. We will pass by one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Access to the city of Burgos by the river walk is recommended, much more pleasant than the option of entry through the industrial zone. Once in the city, a visit to its Gothic cathedral is essential. Despite the fact that we are already entering the Castilian plateau and that the sections that await us are flat and apparently comfortable, the weather difficulty now appears, since in summer the temperatures are usually very high, with few shady places, and in winter cold. The inclement weather will be rewarded by the medieval towns that we will find on the way. The last kilometers of the section run by road. Once in Castrojeriz we can visit the Collegiate Church of Santa María del Manzano and its interesting Museum of Sacred Art.

Difficulty: high.

Leaving Castrojeriz, we come to the top of Mostelares, with a drop of 145 meters in less than two kilometers ascent. This will be the greatest difficulty of this stage, which will give us, however, magnificent views of the entire plateau. Then we will pass through one of the main towns of the Jacobean tradition and capital of the Romanesque of Palencia, the town of Frómista. Afterwards, the profile of the stage is very flat, it crosses the plateau and does not present any difficulty. We will pass through the town of Villalcázar de Sirga where we must visit the monument to its innkeeper, who recovers the tradition of the way and the Jacobean gastronomy, as well as the church of Santa María La Blanca. Once in Carrión de los Condes, a visit to the San Zoilo monastery is essential.

We are facing the stage of the French Way in which we will find fewer intermediate towns, although we will walk along the Via Aquitania, the Roman road XXXIV or Ab Asturica Burdigalam (Astorga-Bordeaux). Leaving Calzadilla de la Cueza we will find a brief ascent of about two kilometers. We will also cross small valleys and cross the Valderaduey river, once we are in the province of León. We will continue the journey in the Mudejar town of Sahagun, one of the most unique on the Camino de Santiago, in which the churches of San Tirso and San Lorenzo stand out. We will leave Sahagún crossing the Cea river towards Bercianos del Camino to finally arrive at El Burgo Ranero. It is a comfortable route that runs between fields of cereals and grain.

Difficulty: easy.

A very flat stage that runs practically in a straight line. We will walk along comfortable dirt roads and through a wooded area that will provide us with a pleasant shade, especially in the summer months. Once in Mansilla de las Mulas, we can relax on the banks of the Esla river. When we have regained strength we will continue with the journey. This stage ends in one of the main capitals of the Camino de Santiago, so it runs close to roads with more intense traffic than the previous ones. The hill of Portillo, with its magnificent views, will anticipate our arrival in the city. Once in León, a visit to the Cathedral, Gaudí's Casa Botines and the San Marcos Hospital is a must. A walk through the historic center and a stop in the Barrio del Húmedo is also highly recommended, to recover from the walk with some good tapas.

Difficulty: easy.

Start in León, one of the major capitals of the Way of St. James. We start our route with a fairly simple stage as the route gradually becomes softer as we approach Astorga, the leader of one of the largest and oldest dioceses in Spain and the capital of the Maragatería region. It is also the point where the Camino Francés and Camino Vía de la Plata meet.

Difficulty: medium.

The terrain becomes more and more complicated in this second phase, as there are more climbs than descents. We will cross towns like Foncebadón, one of the most typical towns in the Maragata region, and approach the Cruz de Fierro on Mount Irago, the highest point of the Way of St. James, at about 1,500 m. Height. After descending from Cruz de Fierro we arrive comfortably in Ponferrada, the capital of the Bierzo region, where we can visit the Templar castle.

Difficulty: high.

In the middle of the Bierzo region, from Ponferrada, we start the ascent to O Cebreiro, the mythical French route. We will soon arrive in Villafranca del Bierzo, 24 km from Ponferrada. Arrived at the dreaded point of La Faba, we find two forks. It is usually recommended to take the direction to the hostel as the terrain is less complicated. We leave the province of León and drive via the province of Lugo to Galicia. When you arrive in O Cebreiro, you will be greeted by the pre-Romanesque church of Santa María La Real. The climb to the Cuesta de la Faba at almost 700 meters is one of the most feared on the Camino, but the arrival in O Cebreiro, a village with immense Jacobean tradition and the entrance to the magical Ancares, rewards the effort.

Difficulty: medium.

On our fifth day we cycle through the slopes of the Mount Area and face the ascent of the Alto do Poio (1337 meters). After these two ascending sections, the descent to Triacastela begins, where the path is divided into two routes: on the left the LU-633, which leads to Samos, where we pass the Benedictine monastery, the path that leads us to Sarria, or we turn right off, the route through San Xil, which is 6.5 km shorter in terms of distance, but more difficult to master. Once some of these two sections are over, there is little left to reach Sarria.

Difficulty: medium.

This stage has some challenges. Divided by the Sierra de Ligonde, we will cross the cities of Portomarín and Monterroso. During this phase we can make some interesting stops to visit places like the Santa María church in Portomarín, the chapel of San Marcos and the cruise of Lameiros in Ventas de Narón or even the pilgrim cemetery in Ligonde. The Church of San Tirso will greet us in Palas de Rei, and then we have only a few kilometers to reach today's destination of our stage, Melide.

Difficulty: medium.

This is the last stage and Santiago is closer than expected. We will cross cities like Arzúa and Pedrouzo on an easy route that does not pose any further complications. The route becomes a little more difficult as we approach Santiago Airport, a section where many pilgrims get a bit tired due to their difficulty. A stop at Monte do Gozo is also essential, where we can enjoy a wonderful and encouraging panoramic view of the towers of the cathedral. A few kilometers separate us from our long-awaited goal. The trip from Monte del Gozo to Plaza del Obradoiro will fly by in order to share with other pilgrims the illusion that the apostle's feet have been erected.

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