Overview
The Camino Frances is the most famous Camino route, walked by millions of pilgrims from all over the globe since the Middle Ages. More than just a pilgrimage, the Camino is a unique social and cultural experience and a truly memorable adventure.
Follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims, walking the third stage of the French Way. Starting from the medieval city of Burgos, with its impressive Gothic cathedral, this section takes you across the vast, wide-open spaces of the Meseta, dotted with hamlets, picturesque sleepy villages and Romanesque churches. You will finish in the elegant León, with its impressive cathedral and Roman walls, the Romanesque Royal Basilica of Saint Isidoro and the neo-Gothic Casa de Botines, built by Gaudí. Treat yourself to the exquisite local cheeses and cured meats.
- The majestic town of Burgos, home of El Cid
- The historic city of Sahagun
- Santa María de León Cathedral, also called Pulchra Leonina in León
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Burgos
Arrive in the town of Burgos. Take some time to explore Burgos: admire the beauty of its historic centre, enjoy a stroll along the magnificent promenade by the river and taste delicious local tapas in the old town. Burgos has been referred to as the Gothic capital of Spain, and the city’s cathedral is probably one of the most impressive in the country.
- Accommodation: Hotel Centro Los Braseros or similar in Burgos
Day 2: Burgos to Hornillos del Camino | 21km
After your night in Burgos, your Camino will continue along earthen tracks, among the immense crop fields of the region. On your way to Hornillos del Camino, you will cross small woods of holm oak and conifers, but in general, there is little shade along this stretch of the Camino de Santiago, so make sure you take enough water with you, as well as hat and sun cream. Hornillos del Camino, with only 70 inhabitants, is a classic Camino village of medieval origin.
- Walking for the day: 21km, 5h
- Accommodation: Casa rural la casa del Abuelo or similar in Hornillos
Day 3: Hornillos to Castrojeriz | 20km
From Hornillos del Camino, you will continue walking in the peaceful vastness of the Meseta, with only nature and huge crop fields around you. After leaving Hornillos, the Camino de Santiago gradually climbs up a plateau before descending to the valley of the River Bol and the pretty town of Castrojeriz. In Castrojeriz, you can visit the 9th-century hilltop castle, recently reopened to visitors.
- Walking for the day: 20km, 5h
- Accommodation: Hotel La Posada de Castrojeriz or similar in Castrojeriz
Day 4: Castrojeriz to Frómista | 25km
From Castrojeriz, your Camino will leave the plains of the Burgos region and reach the highest point of the Meseta: Alto Mosterales. After crossing the Pisuerga River, you will enter the Palencia province and the vast plains of ‘Tierra de Campos’, the Land of Fields, and you will soon understand why. Stop to visit the 14th-century church ‘La Asunción’ in Boadilla, famous for its Gothic architecture and gorgeous carved baptismal font. Approaching Frómista, you will walk along a stretch of the Canal de Castilla, an 18th-century canal.
- Walking for the day: 25km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hotel San Martin or similar in Frómista
Day 5: Frómista to Carrión de Los Condes | 19km
Visit the beautiful 11th-century Church of St Martin in Frómista. After your night in the town, your Camino trail takes you along a track parallel to the road, but you can take an alternative, more scenic route at Población de Campos, via Villovieco, along the peaceful banks of the Ucieza River. You will rejoin the Camino at Villalcázar de Sirga and finish your day’s walk at Carrión de Los Condes.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 5h
- Accommodation: Hostal Plaza Mayor or similar in Carrión de Los Condes
Day 6: Carrión to Calzadilla de la Cueza | 17km
After your night in Carrión de Los Condes, visit the impressive San Zoilo Monastery. For 13km, your Camino will follow natural tracks along the old Roman road called ‘Via Aquitania’ and also along a stretch of the original paved road. The ‘Via Aquitania’ used to link Bordeaux and Astorga and was frequently used by French pilgrims on their way to Santiago.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 4h
- Accommodation: Hotel Camino Real or similar in Calzadilla de la Cueza
Day 7: Calzadilla to Sahagún | 22km
After your night in Calzadilla de la Cueza, your Camino today is full of ‘cuezas’ or little valleys, so parts of the walk may be slightly tougher than the previous days. The Camino route moves away from the road and continues along nice peaceful oak woods before emerging to cereal fields. You will cross the river Valderaduey into the León province and head to Sahagún, where the church of San Lorenzo is well worth a visit.
- Walking for the day: 22km, 6h
- Accommodation: Hostal Domus Viatoris or similar in Sahagún
Day 8: Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero | 18km
From Sahagún, the Camino continues across cereal and grain crops, taking pilgrims to the plateau of León. Today, you will pass the pretty village of Reliegos on your way to El Burgo Ranero. Also, on this section of the Camino, you will have the opportunity to take the ‘Vía Traiana’, another trail to Santiago, starting in Bordeaux.
- Walking for the day: 18km, 4-5h
- Accommodation: Hotel Piedras Blancas or similar in El Burgo Ranero
Day 9: El Burgo to Mansilla de las Mulas | 19km
From El Burgo Ranero, an easy walk awaits you today. Your path continues through the village of Reliegos before descending slowly into the town of Mansilla de las Mulas.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 4h
- Accommodation: Hotel Rural La Casa de Los Soportales or similar in Mansilla de las Mulas
Day 10: Mansilla to León | 19km
From Mansilla de las Mulas, you will walk past crop fields before spotting the first signs of industrial activity further on as you approach the city of León. From Portillo Hill onwards, you will be able to spot the beautiful city of León ahead.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 4-5h
- Accommodation: Hotel Rincón del Conde or similar in León
Day 11: Departure
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before heading back to the airport. We highly recommend booking additional nights in Leon to explore this great city.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in simple but comfortable hotels and guesthouses, located close to the route of the Camino. All of them have private or en-suite facilities and offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food. We have carefully hand-picked all places and regularly monitor their quality. We have tried to choose accommodations that offer friendly service, clean and comfortable rooms and local flavour.
Important: We aim to book you into each town listed on the itinerary. However, in case of low availability, we may book you two nights in the same town with provided transfers. Also, on some occasions, your accommodation can be located a few kilometres away from the trail, so we organise transportation to/from this accommodation.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel Centro Los Braseros (Burgos)
- Casa rural la casa del Abuelo (Hornillos)
- Hotel La Posada de Castrojeriz (Castrojeriz)
- Hotel San Martin (Frómista)
- Hostal Plaza Mayor (Carrión de Los Condes)
- Hotel Camino Real (Calzadilla de la Cueza)
- Hostal Domus Viatoris (Sahagun)
- Hotel Piedras Blancas (El Burgo Ranero)
- Hotel Rural La Casa de Los Soportales (Mansilla de las Mulas)
- Hotel Rincón del Conde (León)
*Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal or higher 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. Where no dinner is included, most places serve hearty pilgrim menus – you can get a 3-course dinner including wine and water for about GBP 10-15 pp.
Difficulty and terrain
This walk is graded moderate and includes walks of 4-7 hours, and up to 25km a day (21km on average); the terrain is mostly flat, rarely undulating with some occasional steeper ascents (read more about difficulty grades). You will follow a mixture of farm/dirt tracks, minor roads and footpaths. The routes are perfectly waymarked with yellow painted arrows and a yellow shell on a blue background, and the itinerary is very easy to follow. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime.
When to go
This trip is available to depart from 1 March till 15 November; the best months to visit are April – June and September – October, as in the summer months it may become too hot (and crowded). 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.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Bilbao. The alternative airports are Santander and Madrid.
By train or bus
Arrival in Burgos: Burgos is easily reachable by train from Madrid with Renfe, which takes around 2.5 h. Alternatively, you can take the bus with Alsa, which takes around 3 h.
- Bilbao Airport 159km by train (3h), check Renfe or use the Omio planner above
- Madrid Airport 249km by train (2.5h), check Renfe
Departure from Leon:
Inclusions
Included
- 10 nights in private en-suite rooms
- 10 breakfasts
- Maps
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (1 pc up to 20kg per person)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches and dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes & entry fees (payable on the spot)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- Supplement applies to members of a group who require a single room / single use of a double room
- 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)
- Airport transfers
- Extra nights
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