The GR 65: from Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port…
The via Podiensis (about 30 stages, 750 km, 1 month of walking), the oldest way of Saint-Jacques and undoubtedly the busiest, marked out by the French Hiking Federation, leads from Haute-Loire to Pays Basque.
In the footsteps of Bishop Godescalc, walkers cross the volcanic lands of Velay, the granitic massif of Margeride, the desert plateaux of Aubrac, the green valley of Lot, the causses of Quercy and the hills of Gascony leading to the Atlantic Pyrenees.
The religious monuments where you should plan a stop follow each other without looking alike: the cathedral of Le Puy, the abbey church of Conques, the abbey of Moissac, the collegiate church of La Romieu…
A few variants of this “royal road” exist, including the path to the abbey of Bonneval in Aveyron as well as the GR 6, passing through the regions of Ségala and Limargue, towards Rocamadour, a major place of pilgrimage in homage to the Black Madonna.
The GR 653: from Arles to Puente-la-Reina…
Linking the Mediterranean and Atlantic sides, the via Tolosana (within 700 km), which criss-crosses around ten departments, offers a wide range of landscapes and climates.
Among the most famous stopovers, between Provence and Languedoc: Arles (the arenas, the theatre, the ancient museum, the Saint-Trophime cloister, the Constantin thermal baths, the Montmajour abbey, etc.), Saint-Gilles-du-Gard ( the abbey church), Montpellier (Place de la Comédie, the Ecusson district, Saint-Pierre cathedral, the Castellane halls, the vineyards, etc.), Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Gellone abbey, the Saint-Laurent church, the Devil’s Bridge, the Hérault gorges, etc.), Castres (the museums, the bishopric garden, the Sidobre plateau, etc.), Toulouse (the Place du Capitole, the basilica of Saint -Sernin, the quays of the Garonne, the city of Space, the Canal du Midi…), Auch (the Staircase, the Sainte-Marie cathedral, the museum of the Americas, the banks of the Gers…) and Oloron-Sainte -Marie (the medieval garden, the Sainte-Croix church, the Symposium, etc.).
The other three trails…
Depending on your base region, three other paths can also be taken to reach Saint-Jacques, in Spain, via the Camino Francès: the Vézelay route (GR 654), the Tours route (GR 655) and the Piedmont (GR 78).
Practical information
Means of transport:
Carpooling, cycling, speed bumps, bus, train… Depending on your desires, time and financial means, there are many possibilities. It is nevertheless strongly advised to anticipate a minimum so that the journey goes as well as possible…
Accommodation and catering options:
Homestays, stopover lodges, hotels, campsites, bivouacs… Here again, the accommodation and catering options are multiple, but you will still need to remember to book them well in advance of departure…
Pricing idea: count on average 30 € per day for lodging and board.
Be careful, leaving on the way to Compostela cannot be improvised!
To properly prepare and schedule your itinerary, go to the website https://www.chemins-compostelle.com/