Le Puy to St. Jean ...

[lunna]

Folks, I'm thinking of walking this one in September. Flying in from the United States, what would be the best way to get to the starting point at Le Puy? Fly in to where, and then train or bus it down to Le Puy?

I have a French guide and just ordered the German Rother guide - are there any English guidebooks anyone can recommend?

Also, I've heard that the first couple of hundred kms are great, but then the remainder is okay, but not quite great. Thoughts?

And I'm still playing with the idea of another Spanish walk - maybe something different that the four I've done already (frances/norte/via de la plata and portugues from lisbon) any suggestions? The only 'biggie' I haven't done yet is the Primitivo, but it is a bit short for the time I plan to take (about five or six weeks). This year, I'm kind of looking for a walk that is not quite as solitary as the Via de La Plata in fall time, but I also don't need a mob scene either.

Thanks!

 

[TMcA]

Lyon is closer, but Paris is usually less expensive because so many airlines fly there and this creates somewhat more competitive air fares. From either of these cities you will continue by train or train and bus. But your train ticket will include any bus segment.

If you fly into the main Paris airport (CDG - Charles de Gaulle), you can catch the train right from the train station at the airport.

Bon Chenin!

 

[lunna]

Merci bien!

 

[intrepidtraveler]

There is an English language guide called The Lightfoot Guide to the Via Podiensis (another name for the LePuy route). Before I decided to do the Norte I picked up a copy. To me it looked pretty good.

 

[Doogman]

It was in 2011, so things may have changed by now, but I flew to Paris and then took trains from CDG to Lyons, Lyons to St-Etienne, and St-Etienne to Le Puy. I did it all in one day, probably 8-9 hours in total. I used the Cicerone guide by Alison Raju. It does not seem to be much of a favourite on this Forum, and while I found the route descriptions fairly detailed, the maps were not detailed enough. However, the route was so well marked, maps or the guidebook were rarely used. I thought the entire route was wonderful, especially the first ten days or so into Conques and the last 6-7 days into SJPdP.

 

[madame_shepard]

Hi, I'm on this route now. I walked from Le Puy to Cahors in 2015 and started in Figeac this year, in order to do the Célé variant. Like any route there are some days that are more stunning than others, but in terms of natural beauty, I think many of us find that this one takes the cake! If you decide to do this route, make sure to do the Célé--it's incredible!

 

[MichaelC]

Flying in from the United States, what would be the best way to get to the starting point at Le Puy? Fly in to where, and then train or bus it down to Le Puy?

Between Paris (5-8 hours by train to Le Puy, $65-$95) and Lyon, I ended up picking Lyon (2.5 hours, $25-$40) to fly in to. For me, airfare was the same. It was a hard choice, but the final deciding factor was that if I started in Lyon I'd reach Le Puy in the late morning, and have a nice afternoon to explore.

But I also have a soft spot for Lyon. If you're resting for a few days before the Camino, it's a great base.

 

[Magnara]

We had a few spare days at the beginning so decided to go via Bern in Switzerland, then by train to Lyon, then train to St Etienne and bus to LePuy. The stops in Bern and Lyon were both lovely.

 

[cecelia]

Folks, I'm thinking of walking this one in September. Flying in from the United States, what would be the best way to get to the starting point at Le Puy? Fly in to where, and then train or bus it down to Le Puy?

I have a French guide and just ordered the German Rother guide - are there any English guidebooks anyone can recommend?

Also, I've heard that the first couple of hundred kms are great, but then the remainder is okay, but not quite great. Thoughts?

And I'm still playing with the idea of another Spanish walk - maybe something different that the four I've done already (frances/norte/via de la plata and portugues from lisbon) any suggestions? The only 'biggie' I haven't done yet is the Primitivo, but it is a bit short for the time I plan to take (about five or six weeks). This year, I'm kind of looking for a walk that is not quite as solitary as the Via de La Plata in fall time, but I also don't need a mob scene either.

Thanks!

Hi lunna,
Another option would be to start back at ways and walk the Geneva to Le Puy stretch. I haven't walked that section yet but there are, no doubt, folks on the forum who have.

 

[Purky]

Another option would be to start back at ways and walk the Geneva to Le Puy stretch. I haven't walked that section yet but there are, no doubt, folks on the forum who have.

Davey Boyd walked the Geneva to Le Puy route. His account is in this thread. A good read.

 

[Kitsambler]

...in September. Flying in from the United States, what would be the best way to get to the starting point at Le Puy? Fly in to where, and then train or bus it down to Le Puy?

One can often fly into Lyon for the same fare as just getting to Paris, and if using miles, it's often easier to get seats into non-major airports like Lyon. It's a trade-off between the time for a layover at CDG or the time on the train.

I have a French guide and just ordered the German Rother guide - are there any English guidebooks ...

All you really need is Miam Miam Dodo, which has both complete lodging listings and a quite good set of schematic (non-topographic) maps. Since it's not coated paper, it's very lightweight. The route markings, while not as frequent as in Spain, are quite good.

... the first couple of hundred kms are great, but then the remainder is okay, but not quite great. Thoughts?

The section Le Puy-Conques is the best; Navarrenx-SJPP at the end is next best; the Cele variant from Figeac is reportedly excellent as well but I haven't walked that myself yet. From Condom - Navarrenx is rather dull in comparison.

This year, I'm kind of looking for a walk that is not quite as solitary as the Via de La Plata in fall time, but I also don't need a mob scene either.

The Le Puy route in September is extremely popular with French walkers, and you will need to book at least a day in advance, as is the French custom. Any given town tends to have 40-50 pilgrim beds all told, so that's the size of the daily group you can expect to see. Not all leave at the same time, of course, nor walk at the same pace, so it's not like you're walking with that many in a clump.

 

[lunna]

This is all fantastic info - thank you! Apropos starting in Geneva - any guidebook recommendations? French/German/English are all fine. And where exactly is Cele - this sounds great!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

This is all fantastic info - thank you! Apropos starting in Geneva - any guidebook recommendations? French/German/English are all fine. And where exactly is Cele - this sounds great!

It is a valley alternative route from Figeac.

http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Selection/CarteFrance.html

http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Selection/CarteCeleA.html

 

[Kitsambler]

The Association Rhone-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques has published several guides, bilingual in French/German. You can order here: http://chemins.amis-st-jacques.org/?page_id=6 or order the "yellow guide" from Dominique Montvenoux at guides@amis-st-jacques.org for 13 Euros. These have tables of available services, lodging listings including Association members who take pilgrims for overnight, and rough schematic maps. The website also has GPS route downloads available.

The French hiking association FFRP has published a color guide in French with topographic maps. You can order here: https://boutique.ffrandonnee.fr/topo-guide-sentier-vers-saint-jacques-de-compostelle-geneve-le-puy

 

[Steven B]

I am flying into Leon on the 26 Aug 17 and taking the train from there to Le Puy. Start walking to SJPDP on the 27 Aug. Trying to learn as much French as I can now. I walked the Camino Frances last September. I have yet to obtain any guide book. I used a phone app for the Camino Frances last year but there does not seem to be a similiar android app for the Via Podensis that I can find.

 

[Kitsambler]

I am flying into Leon on the 26 Aug 17 and taking the train from there to Le Puy. Start walking to SJPDP on the 27 Aug. Trying to learn as much French as I can now. I walked the Camino Frances last September. I have yet to obtain any guide book. I used a phone app for the Camino Frances last year but there does not seem to be a similiar android app for the Via Podensis that I can find.

For guidebooks on the Le Puy route, tiy have several choices.
Miam Miam Dodo has all the lodging info, associated services, and decent schematic maps. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/2916446494/?tag=casaivar-21 but is available more cheaply onsite.
FFRG, the French hiking association that marks the routes, has topo maps and route descriptions in French, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/2751407404/?tag=casaivar-21 and follow on volumes, again available more cheaply on site.
There is a guide in German, as well as Michelin maps, too.

 

[Kanga]

Just about all the guides in all the languages are available in the Cathedral shop in Le Puy. So if you want a paper guide and can't source it locally, you can pick something up when you get to Le Puy.