Preparing for the Camino de Santiago from the Basque Country: credencial, Compostela, Napoleon Route

Before walking the Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Irun: the credencial, Compostela rules, the Napoleon Route winter closure, pilgrim office and lodging.

Setting off on the Camino de Santiago from the Basque Country means starting with one of the most beautiful stages… and one of the hardest. Here’s what you need to know before you lace up your boots.

1. The credencial, the ‘pilgrim passport’

The credencial is the pilgrim’s ‘passport’, heir to a medieval tradition: you get it stamped all along the way, and it serves as proof of your pilgrimage.

Where can I get one?

In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Donibane Garazi), at the pilgrim office (Maison Laborde, 39 rue de la Citadelle), open every day from 07:00 to 22:00, which also gives you the town’s stamp.
From Friends of the Camino associations, at some hostels and parishes, or at the International Pilgrim Welcome Centre (Centro Internacional de Acogida al Peregrino) in Santiago de Compostela.

2. Getting the Compostela

The Compostela is the certificate issued on arrival by the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago. To get it, you must have covered at least:

100 km on foot or on horseback,
or 200 km by bike,
or 100 nautical miles by boat, followed by the last section on foot.

You don’t have to do it in one go, but the route must be geographically continuous. Over the final stretch, your credencial must carry at least two stamps a day. Since 2014 the office has also issued a certificate of distance showing your dates, kilometres and route.

3. The first stage: the Napoleon Route

From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles, the Napoleon Route (GR 65) is a difficult stage:

24.2 km, +1,351 m of ascent and -532 m of descent,
about 7 hrs 50 mins of walking,
white-and-red waymarks.

Warning: from 1 November to 31 March, the Spanish section of the route is closed for safety reasons. You then have to go via Valcarlos.

For full details of this stage and the ones that follow: the Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, stage by stage. See also our town guide: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

4. Where to stay

In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the pilgrim hostel (55 rue de la Citadelle) is open all year round, no booking needed: €12 a night, breakfast included.
The pilgrim office has a list of places to stay and can help with bike repairs and luggage transfers.

5. Choosing your route

The Camino Francés, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, via Roncesvalles and Pamplona (Iruñea). See The Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, stage by stage.
The Camino del Norte, from Irun, along the coast: its Basque section is the hilliest. See our guide to the Camino del Norte.
To understand how the French routes reach the Basque Country: the routes through France.

Our tips

Start gently: the first stage is one of the hardest on the whole Camino.
Check the weather before crossing the Pyrenees, and respect the winter closure.
Keep your credencial dry: no credencial, no Compostela.

Sources

Buen Camino!