Overview
The Chemin du Puy, also known as the Via Podiensis, is one of four ancient routes through France that eventually join up with the Camino. Covering an epic 750km, this segment is from Barcelonne-du-Gers to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the former home to the UNESCO Church of St Quiteria and the latter at the foot of the Pyrenean Roncevaux Pass. Walk between 13- 31km per day with views of the snow-capped Pyrenees, pass through medieval villages, visit ancient places of worship and taking plenty of paysan pauses for thought. Stay in small, comfortable accommodation, with your bags transported for you, and enjoy fine French fare en route.
- Camino Le Puy from Barcelonne-du-Gers to French Basque country
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Stelle de Gibraltar
- Navarrenx: the first place in France to be fortified with Italian style ramparts
- Church of Saint-Quitterie
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers
The town of Barcelonne-du-Gers is a quiet market town by the River Adour. A settlement has existed here since Roman times although only a trace of the name that still exists. The Roman name was Atura, which later gave rise to Adour. The town extends south from here along Rue Gambetta and Rue Carnot, where you can find many small boutiques.
- Accommodation: La Bastide du Cosset or similar in Barcelonne du Gers
Day 2: Barcelonne-du-Gers to Miramont-Sensacq | 20km
Your walking day to Miramont-Sensacq takes you through lush green countryside with hamlets and ancient buildings such as medieval chapels and wash-houses. Today is a demanding walking day, mainly due to its length rather than the difficulty of the trail. You also get your first view of the snow-capped Pyrenees today. Pass the magnificent 11th-century Miramont-Sensacq church, formerly dedicated to Saint James and Pimbo, one of the oldest villages in the Landes where you will stop for the night.
- Walking for the day: 20km, 5-6h, ↑416m ↓253m
- Accommodation: La Maison du Bos or similar in Miramont-Sensacq
Day 3: Miramont-Sensacq to Fichous-Riumayou | 27km
You have plenty of time to take in the magnificent scenery today, with the Pyrenees to the south. The route takes you across rolling hills and past ancient villages such as Louvigny and Larreule, the latter home to a 10th-century Benedictine monastery.
- Walking for the day: 27km, 7-8h, ↑481m ↓437m
- Accommodation: A Mi-Chemin or similar in Fichous-Riumayou
Day 4: Fichous-Riumayou to Arthez-de-Béarn | 20km
Today your walk takes you you to Larreule with its Benedictine Monastery followed by Uzan where you can visit the rural church of Saint-Quitterie. From Pomps you will almost arrive in Arthez-de-Béarn (with its distinctive Basque architecture) where you will spend the night.
- Walking for the day: 20km, 5h, ↑230m ↓271m
- Accommodation: Domaine de la Carrère or similar in Arthez-de-Béarn
Day 5: Arthez-de-Béarn to Sauvelade | 21km
For this stage, the route passes through woods, churches and chapels before reaching the small village of Maslacq. Later the trail passes a sanctuary and a former monastery – La Sauvelade.
- Walking for the day: 21km, 4-5h, ↑361m ↓390m
- Accommodation: Dessine-moi un chemin or similar in Sauvelade
Day 6: Sauvelade to Aroue | 31km
Today’s trail takes you through quiet rural scenes to reach the town of Navarrenx, the first in France to be fortified with Italian style ramparts. Another great day’s walk through the last of the Béarnais countyside on this route, crossing small streams and ascending fields and wooded trails. En route you pass a pâté producer (Jean Haget) and the Mongaston Castle, before reaching the small village of Lichos, the birthplace of Saint-Grat, Bishop of Oloron. You have now crossed over into the Basque region of France.
- Walking for the day: 31km, 6-7h, ↑431m ↓552m
- Optional scission at Navarrenx: 11km to Navarrenx, 20km from Navarrenx to Aroue
- Accommodation: La Maison Mourénia or similar in Aroue
Day 7: Lichos to Saint-Palais | 26km
Stop at the Romanesque church of Saint-Etienne in Aroue, taking a detour off the path to see the church of Saint-Just in Olhaiby. Note that your accommodation in Saint-Palais is slightly off the main track. Saint-Palais is about 4.5km north of the GR65 long-distance trail, included in your total distance today.
- Walking for the day: 26km, 5-6h, ↑370m ↓577m
- Accommodation: Hotel de La Paix or similar in Saint-Palais
Day 8: Saint-Palais to Ostabat-Asme | 11km
During your walk today, you pass the Stelle de Gibraltar, famous for being the place where all the Camino routes from France meet. Your walk then takes you across rolling countryside before reaching Soyarce chapel where you get amazing views over the Pyrenees. Next, you reach Ostabat, a small village that used to be an important stop for medieval pilgrims.
- Walking for the day: 11km, 3-4h, ↑380m ↓397m
- Accommodation: Gite Izarrak or similar in Ostabat-Asme
Day 9: Ostabat-Asme to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port | 23km
Your last walking day today takes you across rural Basque country before reaching Saint James’ Gate and entering the medieval villages of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, also one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. This village is a small border town on the Rver Nive but is always a hub of Camino pilgrims, as it is the starting point of the French Way to Santiago. The town has traditionally been an important point on the Way of Saint James, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the foot of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees. The routes from Paris, Vézelay and Le Puy-en-Velay meet at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
- Walking for the day: 23km, 4-5h, ↑397m ↓387m
- Accommodation: Maison d’Hôtes Simonenia or similar in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Day 10: Departure
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before departure. We recommend booking additional nights in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to explore this charming town.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of welcoming B&Bs and simple, comfortable hotels, with private rooms and en-suite bathrooms. The accommodation in Aroue has a shared toilet (with private bathroom). Accommodation along the Camino route are usually stopover places, and unfortunately, we sometimes have a limited choice. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. Extra nights can be booked at any of the locations along the way. If you choose a double or a twin room, we will do our best to book this, but it will not always be possible to confirm the requested room type.
Important: We aim to book you into each town listed on the itinerary. However, in case of low availability, we may book you at nearby places.
Click to view default hotels
- La Bastide du Cosset (Barcelonne du Gers)
- La Maison du Bos (Miramont-Sensacq)
- A Mi-Chemin (Fichous-Riumayou)
- Domaine de la Carrère (Arthez-de-Béarn)
- Dessine-moi un chemin (Sauvelade)
- La Maison Mourénia (Aroue)
- Hotel de La Paix (Saint-Palais)
- Gite Izarrak (Ostabat-Asme)
- Maison d’Hôtes Simonenia (Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included (usually a simple buffet breakfast/coffee and toast/bread/croissant) on all days. When no restaurant location is available on the route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. There are many local restaurants available near to hotels for dinners.
Difficulty and terrain
This walk is graded moderate to strenuous and includes walks of up to 31km (7-8h) a day, with some of the walks being fairly strenuous with steeper ascents/descents. A reasonable level of fitness is required. This route can be challenging for those with little walking experience (read more about difficulty grades). Le Puy Camino follows a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths. The route is marked with yellow painted arrows, but please take care at intersections. There are sections on the route where you will divert to follow the red and white stripes of the GR routes. There will often be other walkers around in case you are looking for help. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We provide you with maps, and you can call our local assistance phone number anytime.
When to go
This trip is available from the beginning of April until the end of October. The flexibility of self-guided walking holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
The weather in southern France is varied. In general, you can expect a mild warm climate and pleasant temperatures for walking from 19C up to about 26C in summer months. Summers in the south of France are hot, dry and sunny. Late spring and early autumn are less hot but usually still very pleasant and typically warm enough to spend your evenings eating outside.
For more information, please see our blog on the Best time to go to France.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
- Arrival in Barcelonne-du-Gers : Barcelonne-du-Gers does not have a train station but you can take a train to Mont-de-Marsan. From Mont-de-Marsan you can take a bus to Barcelonne-du-Gers. Be aware, bus departures are every 4 hours.
- Departure from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port: From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port you can take a train to reach Bayonne and on to various points in France or Spain. These are the TER regional trains. From Bayonne you can take a 30 minute bus to the airport in Biarritz and fly to points throughout Europe.
Inclusions
Included
- 9 nights in private en-suite rooms
- 9 breakfasts
- 8 dinners
- Digital route description and maps (Please note, that the information pack for this tour is digital only and will be emailed to you prior to departure. Printed documents can be delivered to your first accommodation at extra charge.)
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (one piece up to 13kg per person)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches, 1 dinner, drinks and snacks
- Additional luggage
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on the spot)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights
- Partial hotel upgrade
