Camino French Way Classic Self-Guided by Ultreya Tours Main Photo

Camino French Way Classic Self-Guided

Because sometimes you just can’t beat the tried and approved classics. Follow the last 112 km (70 miles) of the French Way from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela staying in luxury guest-houses and 2 to 4* hotels.

We shortened the walking days of the traditional stops to give you time to take in those wonderful and unique places. Our Classic Self-Guided tours include the best hotels or guest-houses available on the Camino on your dates, a John Brierley Guidebook so you won’t get lost, luggage transfers each day, breakfast and dinners and the award-winning Ultreya Tours service. So, follow the most popular section of the Camino de Santiago and discover true Galician hospitality and gastronomy in our best-selling self-guided tour.

Only €1.150 per person sharing!

  • CAMINO FRENCH WAY CLASSIC self-guided INCLUDES

    ⇰ En-suite accommodation in charming luxurious guest-houses & 2 to 4* hotels
    ⇰ An Ultreya Pilgrim Kit per person sent to your first hotel including an official Pilgrim Passport (Credential), luggage tags, a scallop shell, an extra light poncho, a bright bandana and other items to share between your room a vaseline / Aloe Vera / Camphor cream, a notebook and some Camino pins
    ⇰ A detailed John Brierley guidebook per room
    ⇰ Generous breakfast served at the hotel every day
    ⇰ Delicious three-courses dinners served in the hotel restaurant or in the best restaurant around
    ⇰ Emergency support from our local team
    ⇰ All taxes and gratuities for the accommodation
    ⇰ Transfers to/from the Camino and the hotels, if not directly accessible by foot
    ⇰ Luggage Transfers from hotel to hotel (1 piece of luggage per person of up to 20 kg)

    price & dates

    Can be organized on request for any number of participants including single departures on the date of your choice between April and November - subject to availability and price fluctuations.

    €1.150 per person

    • Single room supplement: + €350 per room
    • No dinners discount: - €210 per person
    • Private transfers in & out of Santiago Airport: + €180 up to 4 passengers
    • Extra night in Santiago: + €160 per room (dinner not included)
    • Extra night in the 5* Parador of Santiago: from + €300 per room (dinner not included - upgrade from + €140)

    Contact us for further pricing details including extra activities, shorter walking days, travel insurance, stop-overs and day tours.

    •   fact file

      Accommodation  Luxurious guest-houses & 2 to 4* Hotels
      Total Walking Distance  112 km
      Duration  8 days / 7 nights
      Starts  Sarria
      Stops  Portomarin, Lestedo, Melide, Arzua, Pedrouzo
      Ends  Santiago de Compostela

    • highlights

      Get your Compostela
      Experience Galician Hospitality by staying in luxurious guest-houses
      Get more time to experience Galicia with shorter walking days
      Walk by yourself with our award-winning support

Looking for a different journey? You can choose to cycle or horse-ride the French Way instead of walking or ask us to customize this tour.

what to expect on this tour?

Expect to have a wonderful time and to understand why Galicians are known for their hospitality! We designed this tour around personal experiences of the Camino, client feedback and recommendations so you will have the best experience possible along the Way. Take your time to travel through beautiful Galician green countryside, timeless villages and rediscover the pleasure of being in direct contact with nature.

Note: The stops, activities and distances detailed in the tour itinerary are subject to accommodation availability. Ask us for a final itinerary based on your dates and requirements! We will happily customize this itinerary by adapting the number of days and the distances to your specific interests and needs! Learn more about our Services here.

self-guided Tour with local emergency support

This tour does not have a guide so you will be walking at your own pace and making as much or little stops as you wish. The days have been shorten to ensure you are walking an average of 18 km a day (11 miles). As everyone will be walking in the same direction, take this opportunity to meet new people or introspect during your time alone.

Most people leave early in the morning to avoid the heat and to be able to indulge during the afternoon in a siesta, use the hotels facilities, visit the village and have a drink in a local terrace. But this is your Camino, you decide how you want to live it!

SLEEP IN CHARMING LUXURIOUS GUEST-HOUSES & 2 TO 4* HISTORICAL HOTELS

We take particular pride in the quality of our accommodation. We regularly visit and rate all our providers to ensure your group only stays in the best accommodation along the Way according to your budget and needs.

On this tour, you will sleep in charming luxurious guest-houses near the Camino (transfers to and from the houses included each day) & 2 to 4* historical hotels in town centers. But please note, that, due to the increasing popularity of the French Way, our favorite hotels might already be fully booked on your dates so we will be reliant on availability. In this case, we will try our best to find the best accommodation available which provide a welcoming, safe and authentic experience.

Everyday, as you change accommodation, you will find your suitcase, left with your hotel receptionist in the morning, will travel with you to the next accommodation and you will have different facilities to enjoy including swimming pools, spas, huge gardens...

Eat fresh, delicious & traditional meals

Galicia is proud to have a few Michelin star restaurants and is known all over Spain for the quality of our products and our cooks' skills. So, expect mouth-watering three-course dinners made out with fresh, local ingredients served either at your hotel or at a local nearby restaurant, whichever offer the best quality meals according to your specifications. Local wine or beer can be included at dinner on request!

Lunch is usually not included to allow you to stop whenever you feel you need a break and to enjoy quality time with the new friends you will make along the Way.

We cater for vegetarians, vegans and any special dietary requirements or allergies. Just let us know beforehand so we can advise the chefs.

Add extra days or activities for an unforgettable adventure

Why not take advantage of the fact you are in Spain to do some tourism and visit Madrid, Barcelona, Grenada or any European city on your bucket list? The closest International airport to your Camino is Santiago de Compostela but you might want to change the airport pickup town to Vigo, La Coruña or Porto or add nights there on your way to Santiago.

We can help you choose and book those extra nights before or after your tour and organize day tours around Galicia to, for example, the beautiful Cies Islands, or to Finisterre or extra activities during the tour (wine-tasting, Balneotherapy, guided City tours or much more. Check out our selection of Day Tours in Galicia and European Stop-Overs or let your imagination run wild and let us know let us know how you would like to make this tour unique.

French Way Classic DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

This 7 nights route brings you along the last 112 km (70 miles) of the Camino Frances - French Way into Santiago de Compostela.

Map and elevations of the last 112 km of the Camino de Santiago from Sarria to Santiago

day 1 - Making your Way to your starting point of the Camino

Make your way to your first hotel in the iconic town of Sarria, a lovely 3* Boutique hotel in the old town (if available) or a modern 4* just on the other side of the river.

In the afternoon, take some time to visit the Old Quarters, go for a walk by the river and soak in the unique atmosphere of the staircase on which the old town of Sarria has been built. Then, stop at one of the many terraces by the river for your first taste of Galician beer or wine before enjoying a traditional 3 courses dinner.

day 2 - 22 km - Walk from Sarria to Portomarin

Finally, this is the day you start your pilgrimage! Head up the medieval staircase to start making your way to Portomarin. Walk along easy paved trails through beautiful countryside, meadows and oak woods, charming villages with slate roofs and a huge medieval bridge. Don’t forget to take a picture of yourself in front of the 100 km marker and witness those who have walked hundreds of kilometers get emotional.

Tonight, you will stay in a 3* hotel in the heart of the village of Portomarin and stroll through the impressive archway village with it’s memorable church. This town is very unique as great battles that took place in the valley below and the town you visit is only a replica of the Medieval town relocated in the 60s rock by rock to avoid floods.

day 3 - 20 km - Walk from Portomarin to Lestedo

Leave the village of Portomarin on a bridge over the artificial lake of Belesar. The next kilometers will then be uphill through woodlands into the hamlet Gonzar. Near Castromaior, the path borders the ruins of a 2200 years old Celtic Castro, and in Ligonde, you will find a hospital which received the emperor Charles V and his son Philip II, the most famous pilgrims of the sixteenth century.

You will be staying tonight in a beautiful and luxurious Guest-House/ Galician Manor (if available) just outside the Camino 4 km before Palas de Rei. The hotel owner will pick you up from the Camino and bring you back to the same point the next day.

day 4 - 18 km - Walk from Lestedo to Melide

After a short drive back to Lestedo, continue your way to the hamlet of Portos, where if you wish you should leave the Camino Francés and take the Via Ferradal Novo (2,5 km detour) to the Romanesque church of Vilar de Donas, one of the most striking examples of Galician Romanesque Architecture and the burial place of several knights of the Order of Santiago, the protectors of the road since 1184.

Walk the remaining kilometers into Palas de Rei, where you should stop to visit the town church and maybe enjoy a coffee in one of the many bars. You then have about 4h left to walk before reaching Melide. Make sure to arrive in time for lunch (2pm in Spain) as Melide is renown for having the oldest surviving cruceiro (calvary) in the world and for the best "Pulpo a la Gallega" (Octopus) in Galicia.

Tonight, you will stay in a 17th-century mansion (if available) converted into a beautifully guest-house directly based on the Camino between Melide and Arzua. A taxi will pick you up from Melide to bring us to the guest and back the next day.

day 5 - 14 km - Walk from Melide to Arzua

After a transfer back to Melide, continue your journey through the peaceful Galician countryside. You will find by now, the way you live the Camino is changing. As your body and feet are getting used to the activity, the path becomes gentler. Take it in and enjoy this time-off from your busy life to think, relax and interact with fellow pilgrims.

You have done more than half of your journey but the best parts are still to come. You will be walking into Arzua, which is famous for its peculiarly shaped cheese, and staying, if available, in the town’s newest hotel in the town center.

day 6 - 19 km - Walk from Arzúa to O Pedrouzo

After breakfast, you will be leaving directly from the hotel to walk to O Pedrouzo. With only 40 km left before Santiago, you will notice the atmosphere along the Way is changing as people plan to celebrate their arrival and start realizing it will soon be time to part with people they might have been walking with for a month. The countryside itself changes as you enter forest with totally symmetric rows that produce curious visual effects. The villages you pass virtually have no name and seem stuck in time.

In O Pedrouzo, the owner of the XVII century Galician Manor you are staying in (if available) will pick you up. Take time to visit the guest-house's 64.000 m2 of land including it's own functioning water-mill, orchard, horreo and a small chapel.

day 7 - 20 km - Walk from O Pedrouzo to Santiago

This is it! Only twenty kilometers separate you from your goal. Leave early to reach Santiago before twelve, if you wish to see the midday pilgrim mass (also at 7:30 pm). On your journey today, you will cross Lavacolla’s river, where traditionally pilgrims would bath and clean their clothes - and hence purifying their soul - before stepping into the Cathedral.

You will then climb up to Monte do Gozo (Mount of joy) which offers stunning views on the City before walking into the Medieval Town, which you will enter via the “Camino Door”. A few minutes later, you will finally pass the Azabachería Door, the official entrance to the Cathedral on a non-Holy year (in 2021 you will be able to enter through the Holy Door on the Quintana Square), and continue down to the Plaza del Obradoiro. You have finally finished the Camino de Santiago!

Enter now if you wish, we recommend continuing down to the Plaza del Obradoiro and simply stopping there. Breath in and truly live this moment, do whatever feels right.

You still have a few things to do today, after you check-in at your 4* hotel a few minutes away - get your pilgrim certificate, attend Pilgrim Mass & marvel at the architecture of our beloved City.

day 8 - Start of your next adventure

A wise pilgrim once told us “the real Camino starts where the Camino de Santiago finishes but I will not be afraid because the Camino will always be there for me.”

We hope the Camino has brought you whatever you were looking for and wish to see you again soon!

Happy Customers

"A wonderful trip to Santiago and I shall return. Thank you Nellie for organizing my trip at such notice and I look forward to booking with you again. I am hooked on the Camino. " Una from Cork, Ireland - August 2015

"Nellie absolutely handled everything beautifully. My accommodations, meals, ground transport and luggage transfers were flawless. I was absolutely delighted by the country pensiones accommodations--intimate, charming and exactly what I wanted--she exceeded expectations. She also chose the remote locations to be sure that the dinners and breakfasts were up to her standards--and they were--I was so surprised by the food--fresh and excellent. What a treat! As we planned the trip she answered every question quickly and completely. The package of information that she provided was so helpful and left nothing to doubt. My Spanish is virtually nonexistent so her planning is what made the trip work." Maggie from Boston, USA - October 2016

"Thank you for finding these great places! The walk was magical- we especially loved the trees - oak, chestnut and eucalyptus! And the granaries of course! We are glad we have chosen this path with you! Love," Lauri and Joani from Albuquerque, USA - September 2016

"They say the best gift of the Camino is the wonderful person or persons you encounter, and you were no exception even though we had met online several months before my Camino began. Thank you for ALL the arrangements you made for us." Victor from Edmonton, Canada - September 2016

Read more reviews on Trip Advisor

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Step 1   After you have filled in our inquiry form and clicked 'Submit', a Camino Planner will get back to you with a personalized quote within 24h or contact you over the phone for further details

Step 2   Once you are satisfied with the Terms & Conditions of your tour, we will invoice you for a non-refundable 50% deposit of the total price to process the booking - we currently offer two modes of payment: bank transfers & credit card payments via a secured page of our website (we will add an extra 1,50% if paying with American Express - VISA & MasterCard free).

Step 3   Ultreya Tours Reservations Team will start booking your accommodation, meals, activities, guides and other services immediately after receiving the initial deposit and send you your hotel vouchers as soon as they are ready

Step 4   30 days before the departure, we will request the 50% remaining deposit and we will send your pilgrim kits directly to your first hotel along with printed versions of your vouchers, your scallop shells and guidebook

To make sure we constantly meet your expectations, we will regularly follow up with you and keep you updated throughout the whole process and until you come back home.

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