The Way of St James in France: routes, GRs and the credencial

A network of routes to Santiago

The routes of Santiago de Compostela in France have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. They form a genuine network: many routes converge on the Pyrenees, but four major historic routes make up its backbone. All four are GRs, and FFRandonnée is responsible for waymarking the main pilgrim routes to Santiago in France.

The four major routes and their GRs

Where the routes meet

The Le Puy, Vézelay and Tours routes converge at Ostabat, in the Basque Country, some twenty kilometers from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where you cross the Pyrenees. The Pyrenean Piedmont route (GR78), which runs along the range from Montpellier, also ends there.

The Arles route takes a different path: it crosses the border at the col du Somport, the highest point on the Ways of St James, then joins the Camino francés in Spain at Puente la Reina. From Oloron-Sainte-Marie, however, a link via the Piedmont route lets you reach Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Other routes

Many routes complement these major ones, such as the Via Gebennensis, from Geneva to Le Puy-en-Velay, the approach from Namur to Vézelay or the route from Cluny to Le Puy-en-Velay. The Agence française des chemins de Compostelle publishes a complete map of them on its website.

Choosing your route

The Le Puy route, the backbone of the GR65, is the most famous. The other three cross very different regions, from the Paris Basin to Burgundy and the Mediterranean: the choice comes down as much to the scenery as to how easy it is to get there from home. Nothing stops you, either, from starting on a secondary route and then joining a major one.

There is no obligation to go all the way to Spain in one go. Walking a route in sections of a few days or a week, year after year, is perfectly possible: choose start and finish points served by train or coach.

The credencial, the pilgrim's passport

The credencial (also known in French as the créanciale) is the descendant of the letters that bishops once issued to pilgrims. Intended for walkers, cyclists and riders on their way to Santiago, it is issued in your name, is personal and, according to the Agence française des chemins de Compostelle, valid for life on all the routes leading to Santiago.

• What it is for: it gives access to accommodation reserved for pilgrims. It is compulsory in Spain and recommended in France. It also lets you obtain the Compostela on arrival.
• Where to get it: various pilgrim associations issue it, usually in return for membership, at very variable prices. The Agence also offers it to order online.
• The stamps: you get them at accommodation, tourist offices, town halls, churches or shops, anywhere that can certify you passed through.
• What it is not: it confers no particular rights and replaces neither your identity card nor your passport.

The Compostela

A Church certificate issued by the Pilgrim's Office of Santiago Cathedral, the Compostela rewards those who have covered at least the last 100 kilometers on foot or on horseback, or the last 200 by bike. Over these final kilometers, the credencial must bear two stamps per day. It is awarded for a religious or spiritual journey; walkers who set out for other reasons receive a different certificate.

Pilgrim accommodation

Accommodation providers on the Ways of St James are very diverse: private or public, run by associations or commercial, secular or religious. Alongside gîtes, B&Bs and campgrounds open to everyone, some accommodation is reserved for pilgrims carrying their credencial. The Agence française des chemins de Compostelle keeps a directory of accommodation providers and runs a label called “Accueil – Chemins de Compostelle en France”.

On the busiest routes, book ahead in high season. The Agence also publishes documents on preventing bedbugs: a subject to take seriously so as not to carry them from one stage to the next.

Waymarking: scallop shell and GR

Waymarking on the Ways of St James varies from region to region, and it is not unusual to come across two or even three different sets of signs on the same section.

• White and red GR waymarking is used on most French pilgrim routes to Santiago. It shows both continuity and changes of direction.
• The yellow scallop shell on a blue background is the European sign for the Council of Europe Cultural Route. It confirms that you are on the route, but does not give a direction: the orientation of the shell does not matter. It is a yellow arrow added alongside that shows the way to go.
• Yellow arrows are the main signs in Spain and Portugal.
• Waymarking by associations (shells, yellow arrows, yellow and blue marks) sometimes indicates variants that are more direct than the GR. It is not always maintained regularly.

In towns, some municipalities set studs into the ground; Toulouse even waymarks at height, level with the street name plates. In every case, keep a guide or a topoguide close at hand: some routes suggested by publishers are not waymarked.