Must see sites along the Frances

[chrisinvermont]

What would you pick as the two or three best places to see along the Frances? June and I are planning to take the Frances from SJPP as “tour-grims,” (yup, by car). We walked from Oporto in 2010 and were in our early 70's then and now want to give our old bones a rest. But, we would like to visit the beautiful places along the way, at least those accessible by car or short walk. We know about the cities. They're easy to learn about on the net. And, we visited Burgos on our way from SDC to visit our daughter in France. We'd certainly appreciate your input!

Chris and June .. waiting for hurricane Sandy in Vermont, USA

 

[sulu]

I'd recommend Carrion de los Condes as one. Easy to get to, has several sites worth seeing and a good hotel in a great building.

 

[SabsP]

In Fromista the San Martin church is worth a visit I think, also a nice pension there.
The octogenal ( spelling ? ) church of Torres del Rio...
For the food experience : Logroño in La Rioja with the wonderful tapas ( also Haro , small town in neighbourhood on the Camino Vasco Interior ) is worth a visit. Very nice complex with appartments there.
And I preferred Leon to Burgos.

Stay safe with the hurricane!!!

 

[tyrrek]

Good luck with the storm, guys. I've asked St James to put in a word for you. He's a good friend of mine, you know.

I don't think there are any 'must sees' really. It all depends on the place, the weather, the time, the light etc. An ordinary looking place can become extraordinary sometimes.

I'm not being very helpful....so my two suggestions are the walk from Pamplona to the Alto del Perdon and the 10kms or so between Hornillos and Hontanas. One of those places will be my last thought when I'm on my deathbed, I'm sure. Not very accessible by car unfortunately, although if you walked out from Hornillos to the point where you can't see a single building, person, vehicle, road etc you'd have tasted the best of the Camino Frances!

Buen Camino!

 

[scruffy1]

Easy, don't leave town before seeing the Monastery of Las Huelgas in Burgos possible only by guided tour, the Basilica of San Isidoro in Leon the guided tour which must be taken in order to see the frescoes from 1000 years ago, the San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries, San Martin in Fromista and for the Romanesque sculpture on the capitals of the columns, the tiny mozárabe Chapel "Capila del Cipres" in Samos – a mosque masquerading as a church, Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey 60 kilometers south of Burgos accessible by bus for a most exquisite monastery and the heavenly Gregorian chants in the church-enough to keep you busy and there is much more just ask.
S

 

[CaminoJohn]

Do yourselves a favor and buy the book "The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago" by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. It is the 'bible" for the cultural and historical minded on the camino. If it is of historic or artistic merit, it will be in the book. Brilliant! All other guides reference this work. Might as well own the source. Have a blast!

 

[robertt]

I'd like to echo Sabine. I blundered upon San Martin in Fromista on a freezing morning, after some lousy weather kept me inside the previous day. I wasn't looking for the place, just crossing a frozen plaza and trying to keep my balance on the ice. Then I saw it! It's quite plain, more cute than grand, but it doesn't need elaboration or grandeur. Some things just work.

San Martin works!

Cheers all

Rob

 

[AJ]

Do yourselves a favor and buy the book "The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago" by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. It is the 'bible" for the cultural and historical minded on the camino. If it is of historic or artistic merit, it will be in the book. Brilliant! All other guides reference this work. Might as well own the source. Have a blast!

I second this: it is a wonderful book

 

[scruffy1]

"The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago"? Thirded and don't leave without it! A large cumbersome paperback not that heavy but priceless! Buy it new or used here http://www.abebooks.com

 

[ausmarko]

I can recommend staying in Foncebadon if only to sample the amazingly welcoming and amazing food in a tavern called "La Taberna de Gaia". An amazing oasis in a bombsite of a town on the mountain. I stayed in the Domus Dei albergue which was a small Albergue and met great people. I spent an amazing afternoon with great food and the company of a norwegan couple in this tavern. My first impressions on entering the town were less than complimentary but it turned out to be one of the most memorable days on the Camino for me.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I can recommend staying in Foncebadon if only to sample the amazingly welcoming and amazing food in a tavern called "La Taberna de Gaia". An amazing oasis in a bombsite of a town on the mountain. I stayed in the Domus Dei albergue which was a small Albergue and met great people. I spent an amazing afternoon with great food and the company of a norwegan couple in this tavern. My first impressions on entering the town were less than complimentary but it turned out to be one of the most memorable days on the Camino for me.

Foncebadon? Really? MAybe the fact that this is where our 6-year-old decided to lose the plot and we decided not to move on until she calmed down doesn't help our view of it (we spent an hour there!) Maybe the fact that we had planned to buy lunch there and ended up with just an orange and magdalena each didn't help either. Knowing we had emptied the "shop" gave us the guilties for those coming behind too. Sorry if it was you!
On the other hand, Pacabel's Canon in D was playing.........

 

[tyrrek]

On the other hand, Pacabel's Canon in D was playing.........

Ha ha! That probably helped to calm things down. As they always trot out - 'The Camino provides!'

Buen Camino!

 

[SabsP]

How could I forget the Monastery in Najera! A must see I think....
http://www.santamarialareal.net/index.html

 

[nreyn12]

I'm a big fan of European architecture, so I'd add the following to your list:

1. The church in Los Arcos - looks like it was designed by mad scientists from several architectural periods. And it's only 30 km from Logrono, where, as mentioned, the tapas are top notch.

2. The Palacio de Gaudi in Astorga - perhaps the most exquisite building on the Camino, in my opinion. The cathedral is right next door, and well worth a look; smaller than the big-city cathedrals, but beautifully done inside and out. Plus if you have a sweet tooth, Astorga will provide.

3. Estella is full of great architecture, and the Plaza Mayor at 1700 hours is fine entertainment. Just for fun you could follow the Camino out of town to Irache, visit the monastery, and fill up a bottle with the free wine. (Although come to think of it, it's not a great walk, so maybe just drive out there!)

4. I second the Burgos recommendation, with an emphasis on the cathedral. It's like a museum, full of paintings and statues in a truly grand environment, and well worth a look. If you plan to overnight in Burgos, I recommend the La Puebla Hotel for 3-star comfort.

 

[Whalleyranger]

You haven't said what time of year you'll be going. If you're going in summer, I'd recommend a trip to see Las Medulas, close to Ponferrada, followed by an afternoon by the river in Molinaseca. The pension by the bridge is excellent value.

 

[sillydoll]

The best road map is by Everest - Mapa de carrateras (road map) Mapa Turistico de Camino de Santiago.

One side is from Huesca, Jaca Somport to Sahagun and the other side all the way to Finisterre.
It also has gorgeous photos of places of interest.

If I was doing the Camino by car, I would hire in Pamplona and drive to San Jaun de la Pena and Leyre and then take the Camino Frances' N120 to Burgos stopping along the way. Visit Santo Domingo de Silos south of Burgos.
From Leon I would drive up to Oviedo and visit the Camara Santa (Holy Chamber) which houses the second most sacred relic in Christendom - the Sudarium.

I would second Williams suggestion to view the Las Medulas which was the largest gold mining area in the Roman Empire. Only about 20km from Ponferrada.

From Sarria you could take a drive to Lugo where they have the best preserved walls in Spain. And, of course, you must drive down to the end of the world.

You could also check out my blog post - Detours on the Camino Frances http://amawalker.blogspot.com/2009/01/d ... ances.html

Have a safe trip.

PS: Do You Spain are about the cheapest when it comes to Car Hire.

 

[amancio]

uff, such a long list of places!!!!!

Pamplona for tapas
Eunate for magic
Estella is amazing
Torres del río is beautiful
Nájera
Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Monasterio de San Millán de la Cogolla
Atapuerca archeology site
Burgos
Burgos
Burgos
Rabé de las Calzadas
Castrojeriz for the atmosphere
Villalcázar de Sirga (the church is UNIQUE)
Carrión de los Condes
North of the province of Palencia for Romanesque churches and Picos de Europa
León
Astorga
Molinaseca
Peñalba de Santiago and Valle del Silencio
Las Médulas
Monasterio de Carracedelo
Wineries in Bierzo
Lugo city (It is a detour, but it is worth it)
Santa Eulalia de Bóveda near Lugo, AMAZING

Those would be a few hints, there is SO MUCH to see all over!!! And try the different foods of every place, the different wines, everything

 

[ouroboros]

Eunate the 13th Century Templar church, is very special...near where the Aragonese meets the French Way, before Puenta la Reine.

Samos Monastery

Burgos Cathedral

 

[Olivares]

Count in a FOURTH recommendation for the book "The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago" by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. An AMAZING reference, great details!

I actually think it would be close to impossible to narrow down to 2-3 best places to see on the Camino Frances without leaving out many magnificent sights. Who can clearly choose between Roncesvalles Medieval Complex, Puente La Reina, Eunate, or Samos Monastery? Come on, get real.... :wink:

For starters, I am doing the Camino in sections (better than nothing, right?). So far, I would had hate to miss SJPDP (wonderful town!), Roncesvalles medieval complex, Burguete, Obanos, Estella, Eunate, and definitely CIRAUQUI.

 

[Susan04046]

We visited the monasteries of Yuso and Suso on Apr 16. A spectacular place and well worth the detour. Tickets may be purchased separately at the center. The tours are in Spanish. The yellow and green bus at the top of the hill is for Suso.
My only regret is we were too ill to visit the convent at Canas. The taxi from Najera cost 22€. We stayed at Casa Rural, La Posada de San Miguel 941 373 161.

 

[codecables]

So much has been said already, but I really would like to underline Atapuerca and its archeological site.