Camino Stage 1 - St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Logroño

This is the most difficult stage of the Camino Frances, crossing the Pyrenees from St Jean Pied de Port to Logroño. This itinerary is ideal if you are looking for a challenge or are on the start of your Camino journey with 7 days of consecutive hiking. You have the benefit of overnighting in the famous Spanish town of Pamplona and ending in the Rioja wine region of Logroño. We recommend adding extra nights in these towns if you wish!

Pilgrimages | For those looking to follow a path of self-discovery. Our Pilgrimage and Camino routes take you on a journey through diverse landscapes and local flavours, while meeting like-minded adventurers along the way.

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This stage of the Camino is graded moderate overall and includes daily walks of 14-27km. You will follow a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths. Section 1 from St Jean Pied de Port is the most strenuous part of the walk with some steep inclines/declines as you travel through The Pyrenees and it should be noted that the grading of this day in particular is Moderate-Strenuous. 

Although the route mostly leads along wide, relatively easy-to-walk paths, the unpaved sections and the daily distances of between 9 and 30 kilometres require a good basic level of fitness and a certain amount of hiking experience. The first section from St Jean-Pied-de-Port with steep ascents and descents in the Pyrenees is the most difficult. The entire 40-day Way of St James naturally requires a great deal of stamina. But the longer you are on the road, the fitter you will become. Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and León are fascinating cities that you must visit and the smaller towns are also very charming and often offer wonderful regional delicacies.

Our Camino Tours include small rural hotels and hostals (a word used to describe small Spanish hotels and guesthouses) close to the route of the Camino. You will always have a private room and en-suite (attached) bathroom. When staying in Leon, Pamplona, Sarria and Santiago, you will stay in 3* hotels, the other nights will be in a mixture of rural hotels and hostels.

Single Rooms

Single rooms are available, although a supplement is payable. The price for a single room is available on the included tab of this tour and in the booking engine.

Meals

A light continental breakfast is included each morning, which can sometimes just be coffee, bread and orange juice. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Every place you stop will have evening meals available, you can get a pilgrims menu for about 10 Euros which includes 3 courses, wine and water!

Extra Nights

We can add extra nights if you wish, allowing you to have rest days in between the longer hiking days.

The Camino is very easy to follow. The route is marked with yellow painted arrows and a yellow shell on a blue background. The detailed travel pack we supply includes a detailed information pack for planning and preparing for your Camino, detailed instructions of how to find your overnight accommodation and everything you need for your Camino.

In addition to the printed route notes, you will receive in your travel pack, you will also have access to our Macs Adventure App, allowing you to follow the route on richly detailed mapping on your smartphone.

Recommended Reading

Although not essential, if you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:

• A Guidebook to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierly

You can start your Camino anytime between April and Mid-October.

San Fermín Festival in Pamplona

Please be aware that should you wish to travel during the San Fermín Festival in Pamplona, then accommodation at this specific location is normally very difficult to secure and the hotels may charge a premium. We will always do our best to make arrangements for you, however, at busy times a supplement may be payable for transfers or superior accommodation.

The best time to walk the Camino depends on your personal preference! 

Spring (April to June) is a fantastic choice. Expect pleasant temperatures, blooming landscapes, and fewer crowds than summer. Be prepared for the potential of spring showers.

Summer (July and August) brings sweltering heat to much of Spain, but the northern regions remain refreshingly mild thanks to their coastal climates. If you're a social butterfly, this is your season! The trails are buzzing with fellow pilgrims, creating an unbeatable atmosphere for meeting people, local festivals, and sharing stories.

Autumn (September to early November) is another excellent time to go. You'll enjoy milder temperatures, stunning autumn colors, and quieter trails as the summer crowds dwindle. But, much like spring, there's still a chance of rain—because nature loves keeping us on our toes!

The best place to fly into to get to St Jean is Biarritz airport. You can get here easily from the London and Manchester with Ryanair or if you are travelling internationally it is often a good idea to fly into Paris and either take the train down to Bayonne with SNCF, or to take an internal flight with Air France or Easyjet to get to Biarritz. From Biarritz, you simply take the bus from outside the airport to Bayonne rail station (20 mins) and then from there take the mountain railway up to St Jean (1.5 hours) which you can book in advance with SNCF.

We can also arrange private transfers from Biarittz Airport straight to St Jean for a hassle-free start to your journey! 

If you are starting or finishing your Pilgrimage in Logrono (La Rioja wine region) then the best way to reach here is to get the train from either Madrid (3hrs 20) or Barcelona (4hrs) or the bus from Madrid (4hrs) or Barcelona (6hrs). The closest airports are San Sebastian which you can reach by local bus (2hrs 15 mins) : (Check  La Estellesa) and also Bilbao airport which you can reach by bus (2hrs). (Check Termibus). Please note that on these websites it is often the case that tickets cannot be reserved until it’s at least less than 3 months, or sometimes even 1 month, before your departure.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Baggage transfers are included (max 20kg / 44lbs per person). Your main bag will be transferred each day between your overnight accommodation so that you only need to hike with a day backpack.