Le Puy route during Easter Week?

Hello,

Beginning of April would not be a problem with the gites : a fair number opens in March or April. Not all, but the number of pilgrims is also lower. More details in the MiamMiamDodo.

Snow might be still present in Aubrac, but not predictable.

Mass schedules are here : http://www.messes.info/

Starting your walk in Holy Week puts you the week before Easter; about half the gites are only open from Easter to All Saints. So plan your itinerary carefully, and use MMD to book in advance by email. Don't rely on being able to just show up and get a bed. Even the "one day ahead" normal calling for reservations won't work if Ma and Pa Gite-owner have decided to take a few days away because they have no bookings.

TL;DR Just because the season says the gite will be open, doesn't make it necessarily so.

It will be the Spring Break! To keep it simple, it will last from April 1st to April 24th. 1/3, 2/3 or all of France will be off at a time, depending of the week.
Le Puy-Conques is the most popular and crowded stretch of Le Puy route (nothing like the CF though), so this plus Spring break plus Easter...
Saugues could be an interesting place to be on the eve of Good Friday: there's a procession of penitents on Thursday's evening.
There is an association dedicated to Christian-related matters on the French Caminos: Webcompostella. They list churches, Mass schedules, events, Christian accommosations and hosts, etc. in a small booklet you can buy at the shop of Le Puy's cathedral. May be handy! They have a website mostly in French (only 1 page in English) but here's a link to a useful clickable map...
Buen Camino!

Walker54321 said:

I am thinking of beginning my Camino in Le Puy at the beginning of April. Is there anything I should know about walking at Easter season? Do gites shut down, or are they harder to book? Is there any place near the beginning of the route that I should spend Easter? Are there any Catholic masses for Easter week that I could attend in the first 150 Kms or so of the route? Thank you!

Click to expand...

We walked in that season - it was absolutely beautiful with wildflowers all along the way! Gorgeous! We didn't have any trouble with accommodation although we did need to book one day ahead, because the French are out in force as general hikers.

So is the accommodation all private alburgues then ? because you cannot book in Spain.
Does this route have a Camino feel to it ?