Camino de Santiago
Stage 1/5
8 days, 105 miles September 2025
Saint‑Jean‑Pied‑de‑Port to Logrono. More ascent and descent than we anticipated. From a steep climb (4,500+ ft) with animals roaming freely (with bells) and heavy fog to gentle rolling vineyard covered hills, wheat fields, charming towns, bridges and churches. Only one morning of light rain and countless interesting pilgrims along the way. This walk was already exceeding our expectations. As we completed this first stage we had our walking legs and only one blister, so we were good to go.
Day 1: Arrive Saint Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP)
Date: Mon, Sept 15, 2025
Weather: Cloudy 70s
Miles: 0
Time walking: 0
Difficulty: N/A
Easy travel day from San Sebastian to Saint Jean Pied de Port. Took a bus to Bayonne. Had lunch and walked around a little.
Pretty shuttered buildings along the river.
Train to SJPP was standing room only. All the pilgrims were discussing weight of packs, if they had accommodations booked or not, how far they were walking….
We arrived
Checked into our hotel.
Checked into our hotel.
Headed to the pilgrimage office (staffed with lovely volunteers) to get our passport (two euro each in cash) for our daily stamps (NOTE: Sarria onwards you need 2 stamps a day to get your certificate) and our shell to put on our backpack (cash donation). Historically, pilgrims picked up the shell when they reached the beach at end of their Camino, but now most hang a shell on their backpack from the start.
Bought our hiking sticks for a decent price.
Got a salad to go from L'etape gourmande and a bottle of wine from a store that agreed to open it for us, and we were good to go for an early takeout dinner. Restaurants don’t open until at least 7pm.
Hotel: La Villa Esponda ($105 no breakfast ) 👍Large clean airy modern room. Comfortable bed. Right in town 2 blocks from start. Weak WiFi .
Day 2: SJPP to Roncesvalles
Date: Tues, Sept 16, 2025
Weather: Cloudy 70s
Miles: 16
Time walking: 6 hrs 45 mins
Difficulty: Hard relative to other days on Camino (4,636 elevation gain), gradual ascent with some steep sections, more flat sections than we anticipated, downhill wasn’t too steep. Terrain really varied from pavement, rolling hills, mountain paths, forest … Encountered others, some not well trained panting heavily. Not overly crowded.
Decided to transfer a bag of weight this first day, given the amount we were going to be climbing. Easy process and only 8 euros. Great decision!
Found a good light breakfast across the street from our hotel and then grabbed a sandwich at the same place we got our salads the night before … and we were off before 9AM!
Decided to do the Napoleon route even though it is a higher altitude, more challenging path over the Pyrenees, but with spectacular views versus the other route (Valcarlos) with less climbing but on a busier road. Napolean route cannot be used for the winter months.
Walked on a road for a little over 3 miles amongst beautiful rolling farm lands.
At 3.3 miles in got off road for short steep section.
At 4.5 miles in found a welcomed rest stop. Enjoyed sitting on the deck at Refuge auberge d’Orisson having a cappuccino. They sold food as well and had a flush toilet, but no toilet paper. Lovely view. Water refill.
Fog rolled in very heavy for next 5 miles, so views were of animals within 20 yards.
Cows, horses and sheep just seemed to roam freely, although some of them had bells on, so farmers always knew where they were. Afraid we had stumbled into running of the bulls for a minute there.
We were obsessed with the sun rays shining through the fog and trees
Last part of day flat and downhill through the forest and out in the open
Made it to Roncesvalles. It is a town of 4 lodges (ours being the fancy one) and a church. We did not see any stores or houses.
Checked into hotel. Dinner served in their restaurant starting at 6pm. Choices from 3 courses with large portions, a good deal for 25 euro. Very reasonably priced Spanish wines. Talked with the folks next to us - a lovely couple from Portland.
Ended the evening at a mass right next to our hotel. Beautiful church and ceremony but for us a few minutes was enough.
Hotel: Hotel Roncesvalles ($137 +24 buffet breakfast) 👍. Big and beautiful remodeled but keeping the older charm. Huge room. Big comfortable bed. Good WiFi. Towel heater didn’t work as our room wasn’t cold enough at 24C. Right on Camino route.
Day 3: Roncesvalles to Zubiri
Date: Tues, Sept 17, 2025
Weather: 85, Sunny
Miles: 13.5
Time walking: 5.5 hours. Left ~ 10:45am arrived ~ 5:15pm
Difficulty: Moderate (1,700 ft). Passed through 4 charming towns. Towns are well maintained - white washed houses with beautiful stone work and flower boxes. Towns had drink/food options. Lots of wooded areas outside of towns. Last 4.5 miles was very tough as it was a hiking trail with uneven rock surfaces and very up and down. Lots of care in where to step to avoid a twisted ankle. Poles very helpful.
Hit outskirts of first town at one mile in.
In between towns, shaded dirt trails with some farmland in between.
Day 4: Zubiri to Pamplona
Date: Thurs, Sept 18, 2025
Weather: 90, Sunny
Miles: 13.5
Time walking: 5 hours. Left -8:15am - 1:45pm
Difficulty: Moderate (1,430 ft) mostly dirt trails and along river. A couple of steep ascents and descents. Good 3 mile slog at end thru suburb and city walking to get to hotel.
Started early as we wanted to ensure we got into Pampolona by 2pm / 2:30pm. Realized yesterday we didn’t see many people due to our late 10:45 start. Saw lots of people this day in groups. Thinned out along the way.
Hiked through tall grass along the roadside leaving the industrial section (quarry town).
Passed through a couple of sleepy pretty little towns
Quite a bit of today’s walk was along a river.
Took a break at a lovely bar around 5.75 miles in, on the river -very popular. Hikers already had beer flowing.
An upstairs section from a valley with lovely views.
At 10.5 miles hit suburb on outskirts of Pamplona, but still had another 3 miles walking along residential streets to get to our hotel.
Encountered stumbling stones, similar to what we’ve seen in other cities. In other cities they were for the Jewish people that died in the concentration camps, and who were taken from their homes where the stones are now placed. In this case the stumbling stones represent people that were taken from their homes and killed during the Spanish Civil War and subsequent Francoist repression. They are stumbling stones (slightly raised) so you "trip" on them and don't forget the people.
Hit nice parks before finally getting into old town area.
In the center of old town.
Walked the running of the bulls route before seeking out pintxos, vermouth, wine and gelato.
Amy got first blister and Larry’s shoulder was hurting from his pack. Didn’t fully have our walking legs yet but coming soon.
Hotel: Maisonnave ($176 no breakfast) 👍. Large room, large comfortable bed, great location on Camino and old town. Good WiFi. Lacking charm after last night’s place. Modern, sterile and expensive. Reminded us of work hotels.
Day 5: Pamplona to Puente La Reina
Date: Fri, Sept 19, 2025
Weather: 80s, Sunny
Miles: 15
Time walking: 5 hours and 40 minutes. Left - 10am, arrived -4:30pm
Difficulty: Moderate. Elevation gain 1,900 ft. After the 7 mile mark there was a tough 1.5 mile climb up to the top of the wind mills and a fairly steep difficult rocky descent with great views. Most of the day was exposed to strong hot sun!
Started the day with breakfast at Taberna. Wonderful avocado toast, tortilla espana, cappuccino and of course chocolate napolitana. And a huge slice of banana bread -fully fueled.
Took us 2 miles to get out of Pamplona. Trail very well marked.
And another 2 miles to get out of the suburbs. At 4 mile mark, started a gentle climb in the open freshly harvested hay fields.
Got a bit of shade for half a mile at the 5 mile mark, then back into the open. Fairly consistent breeze to keep us somewhat cool.
Stopped in San Anders at the second small store and got 2 sandwiches to eat outside on a bench in the sun, as no seats in shade.
1.5 mile fairly steep hike to the ridge of windmills. With gorgeous views along the way
Finally made it to the line of windmills that we have been seeing from the distance all morning.
At the top, a stone memorial recognizing 92 people assassinated by Francoist repressive regime....
... as well as iron silhouettes of pilgrims on the Alto de Perdon ridge.
Then another 1.5 mile steep descent with nice views, when we dared to take our eyes off the trail.
Walked through a ghost town before we missed a Camino sign and had to hoof it up through a field to rejoin the trail. You know who wasn’t happy.
Saw and heard a noisy group of mujeres on the trail ahead.
Town before ours had a raised Camino shell every few feet showing us the way. We began noticing that each town had their own distinctive Camino shell design
Ran into our hotel right on trail before entering town. It was THE spot for pilgrims, so we had a quick shower before joining for a refreshing drink in the garden with new friends from Ireland and other new friends.
Had dinner at the hotel with other new friends Dan and Ruth.
Hotel: Jakue Hotel and Hostel ($98 no breakfast) 👍👍. Right on the Camino trail. Outdoor garden for drinks, indoor bar and a restaurant with good food. Two washers and dryers available at entrance to the garden. Room was good size. Beds comfortable. WiFi not the best. AC worked well. Shower didn’t get hot - luke warm. Sheets a little rough but giving it 2 thumbs up for all in one location with good beds.
Day 6: Puente La Reina to Estella
Date: Sat, Sept 20,2025
Weather: 80, initially cloudy then sunny
Miles: 16
Time walking: Left -8am, arrived 2:45pm
Difficulty: Moderate. Ascent: 1,102ft / Descent: 778ft. Ascents and descents were fairly steep while rest of day was fairly easy.
Stopped for breakfast in Puente La Reina in at a Taberna for a quick coffee and pincho.
Stopped on the way out of town (go on the street to the right of the bridge) to get a picture of the famous bridge: a six-arched Romanesque bridge over the River Arg
Fairly flat first couple miles then a 450 ft climb
First town, Maneru, beautiful view from looking back into town.
Next town, Cirauqui, sits high on a hill.
Looks closer than it is but worth the walk to get there
Stopped for a coffee and croissant at the second coffee shop. No toilet access but at the top of the hill there are public toilets
Stopped for lunch in Lorca at a hole in the wall. 2 eateries across from each other. Both trying to pull us in. We chose on the right but don’t think it matters.
Saw our first vineyard. We have been thoroughly enjoying the rioja wine and officially in the wine region.
We passed through one more town, Villatuerta, felt fairly modern-looking. Once in Estella after laundry and showers, we walked round beautiful Estella.
Started with pinchos, vermouth and red wine, where we hung out with Nada from Australia and Ken from Maine
Then ended up outside at a fun wine bar. It started to rain so went inside where we met John, a landlord from Knoxville, TN. He bought us 2 rounds of drinks and shared his stories from doing 8 Caminos. The bar was buzzing the later it got.
Hotel: Apartamento medieval en el Camino De Santiago ($97 no breakfast) 👍👍. Right on the Camino. One bedroom apartment with large living room. Lots of character. Great WIFI. Very comfortable bed. Welcome change to be in an apartment
Day 7: Estella to Los Arcos
Date: Sun, Sept 21, 3025
Weather: Rainy for a little early, then cloudy. At night cold and windy
Miles:13.5 miles
Time walking: 5 hours. Left - 10am, arrived 4pm
Difficulty: Moderate but seemed like an easier day. Could be it wasn’t as hot. Ascent: 1,700 ft
Our first day of some rain
At 1.5 miles rain mostly done, and hit an interesting iron store
1.75 miles came across the wine fountain. Take what you want (at 9am for us), but it eventually cuts off at 100 liters per day -we didn’t take it all 🤪
Walked a couple of miles in a wooded section.
Walked a good part of the day with Lee from Miami
Beautiful views
Scenery then changed to harvested wheat fields.
Los Arcos seemed similar to other, but not a lot of restaurants -all pilgrims seemed to be at same place.
Had dinner in a plaza in-front of church around the corner of our pension. Pizza was a nice change of pace and sat with a large group of pilgrims.
After dinner went to the town’s church.
Hotel: Pension Mavi ($71 no breakfast) 👌. One block from Camino. Pizza bar around the corner. Room on 3rd floor. No elevator. Room felt like in an attic.
Day 8: Los Arcos to Logrono
Date: Mon, Sept 22, 2025
Weather: 60, windy, light jacket until about 10:30am. Great hiking weather.
Miles: 18.5 (longest so far)
Time walking: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate, some steep short ups and downs
Saw a partial rainbow at start
Fairly flat through wheat fields to start. This is us below thanks to a fellow pilgrim.
Walked a couple of miles with M&M (Marge and Marie) until we hit Sansol. After coffee and sandwich at Tienda Colmado (mini mini mart) let them move forward without us, as they had a very fast pace. Note: If you go just a little bit further to the next town 2 cafes and a proper market.
Lots of up and downs. Some pretty steep and beautiful views.
Ran into Ruth and walked with her until Viana.
Around 12 miles stopped at Cafe La Rue for lentils and vegetable stew in Viana. Viana is a fairly big town
Rest of walk not too bad. Last 2-3 miles on pavement. Beautiful entry to Logroño
Town similar to others
A big wine festival (San Mateo) happening right around the corner of our hotel. The scarf represents their wine region.
Dancing in the street around local musicians
Super crowded at night very hard to find some place to eat. So settled on a highly rated burger joint. It was okay.
Bingo, several music stages, and lots of wine drinking
Hotel: Hotel Sercotel Portales ($120 no breakfast) 👍. Right on the Camino and tons of restaurants around in a pedestrian only area. Sterile business hotel but clean, large room, comfortable bed. Slept well.
