The French Way walking holiday, Sarria - Santiago
Description of The French Way walking holiday, Sarria - Santiago
Perfect for newcomers to walking the Camino de Santiago, the French Way is the most popular route of them all, with some 225,000 people from all over the world following it every year to the Cathedral of Santiago.
Although the French Way is very well-signposted, there’s no better approach to it then a tailor made tour designed by experts in Camino walking. All of your accommodation will be arranged in advance, as well as luggage transfers between. You’ll be provided with detailed maps and route notes, and have the confidence that there is 24-hour support available if you need it. That means you can concentrate on the walking and enjoying the company of your fellow pilgrims, while all the logistics are taken care of on your behalf.
Every afternoon, you’ll be welcomed into a pleasant guest house for a comfortable night’s stay, with a good breakfast waiting to help you start the next day right too. Your tour operator will also be happy to provide recommendations on excellent restaurants to eat in the evenings – Camino travellers are immensely important to the economy of the communities the routes pass through, and travelling responsibly means staying, and eating, at locally owned businesses throughout. Happily, that also means you can explore a little of Galician culture too, making for a very satisfying experience.
During the Middle Ages, the French Way was among the most significant of Christian pilgrimages, taking in the Pyrenees, the vineyards of Rioja, the richly coloured oak and chestnut forests of Galicia. This French Way holiday, spanning just eight days, sees you cover 115 kilometres in stages that are carefully planned to make sure they’re very manageable for regular walkers. Given how popular this route is, it is lined with restaurants and cafes where you can pause for refreshments.
And you’ll never be short of entertaining company, with new walking companions to encounter every step of the way. Not all who tackle the Camino do it for the spiritual aspect. But everyone who has completed it and collected their Pilgrim’s Passport in Santiago finds it one of the most memorable walking holidays of their lives.
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5 Reviews of The French Way walking holiday, Sarria - Santiago
Reviewed on 19 Sep 2023 by Barbara Palmer
The walk in the gorge in the pico mountains was the most awesome walk we have ever had, it was brilliant that this was the last day. The experience just got better each day... Outstanding. Read full reviewReviewed on 15 Aug 2023 by Steve Humphery
5 stars. The tour operator gave really excellent, knowledgeable and friendly service. Would definitely recommend them. Read full reviewReviewed on 21 May 2023 by Beata Horoszko
For all of who consider Comino way, this is the best option. All the logistics on the camino, high quality accomodation, contact with nature - all is provided. Read full reviewReviewed on 02 Apr 2023 by kerry phillip
Mindful walking and brilliant to reach Santiago de compostela. Excellent trip, good hotel selection, well marked trail. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
We focus on selecting local suppliers who are committed to preserve the environment. The taxi companies we hire use modern vehicles with low CO2 emissions. We also ration transport so we minimise the number of vehicles in use.When sending our 'Camino Information Pack' and 'Detailed Itinerary Pack' to our clients, we use electronic format only, not paper. Our paper use is restricted to the Pilgrim's credential as this is necessary for them to collect their stamps in the different towns where they are staying.
Travellers are briefed on local environmental considerations including appropriate waste disposal. They are asked to be considerate not only with the local customs and culture but with the Camino trail they will use.
To reduce international travel:
- We encourage clients to consider taking the train to get to the start of their Camino, when possible.
- We provide details of public transport options to clients for all our trips.
- We use family run accommodation providers and hire local guides.
We ask our clients to:
- Not waste running water
- Not to litter and dispose of rubbish in the appropriate bins
- Pick up litter they encounter on the trails to help keep these beautiful environments clean
- Use ecological re-usable bags in supermarket, not plastic bags, or to put items directly inside their rucksack when possible
- Reuse materials where possible
- Take a reusable bottle and fill it up at the numerous fountains along the Camino,
- Respect all animals that they encounter along the Camino
- Respect all flora and fauna along the trail
- Stay on the sign posted path at all times.
People
Our business model supports suppliers at a local level so the majority of your money goes directly towards helping local businesses and their families in the Galicia region. We believe this is the best way to benefit the local economy. For example, we work primarily with small family run/owned hotels in these regions instead of large hotel chains.For transport, we work with local taxis/drivers who are self employed and receive a fair price as regulated by the regional Government instead of large transport companies which tend to pay low wages to their drivers.
These type of hiking packages offer a greater contribution to the local economy and help create more jobs in the local community compared to traditional holidays packages that concentrate the money spent by tourists in one single location. According to researchers, 65% of your money as a hiker stays in the community on Hiking/Walking holidays compared to 15% for traditional beach-resort holidays.
In each town where they spend the night, we recommend three local restaurants so that clients can enjoy the regional cuisine as well as benefiting the local community, avoiding large franchise restaurants. For example, in this package clients can dine in local seafood restaurants in Santiago de Compostela or the specialised octopus restaurants in Melide.
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