For many pilgrims, the Camino begins in France. Sometimes at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, where the Pyrenees await. Sometimes much earlier: in Le Puy-en-Velay, Vézelay, Arles or even Paris. For centuries, pilgrims simply set off from their own front door. Many of those old routes can still be walked today.
At first the routes look alike, but they feel very different. One leads through rolling countryside, another through mountainous country with small villages. On one path you share the day with plenty of fellow pilgrims, on another you walk alone for hours. Many routes eventually join up for the crossing of the Pyrenees. Do you want a long run-up or a short start? That decides which route suits you.