For Stunning Churches (and a Wine Fountain!): Navarra: Pamplona to Logroñoīeginning in Pamplona, Hemingway’s famed stomping ground, the Camino climbs and descends between open plains, high ridges, and steep ravines into wild and dynamic landscapes where early humans built dolmens and medieval masons created enigmatic and beautiful churches reflecting a mix of influences (pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim), including Eunate, Torres del Rio, Cirauqui, Puente la Reina, and Estella. Especially from fall through spring, the weather can be prohibitive. This initial stretch is one of the most challenging on the Camino and includes the second-highest peak of the entire way. Throughout you are immersed in ancient Basque and Navarran culture, its hospitality, and its celebrated, colorful cuisine. Both ascend green-gray mountain peaks capped with snow and speckled with grazing sheep, leading to breathtaking views before descending to the huddled monastic hamlet of Roncesvalles. You have two traditional options here: the popular Route Napoleon or the Route Valcarlos, which is used in winter and bad weather. The Camino de Santiago today officially begins at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a stunning threshold at the Pyrenees and the border with France and Spain. For Mountains and Huddled Hamlets: Basque Country and Navarra: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona Whatever your goals, plan your pilgrimage with this breakdown of Camino routes: The view from Rue de la Citadelle in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where the Camino officially begins. Even a three-day walk on the Camino is profound and transformative, and there are no right or wrong ways to walk it. While plenty of people walk the whole thing, many often walk the trail in sections, returning a year or more later to pick up where they left off. It can take anywhere from 31 to 45 days to walk the entire Camino de Santiago, from the French border at the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, plus up to 7 days more to continue onward to the Atlantic coast.
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