Updated information for Via Francigena 2022?

[s80]

Hello, I'm reaching out to see how others have found the Via Francigena this year (2022)? I hope to begin in Lausanne at the beginning of September and then continue to Rome.
Have you found it easy to find accommodation?
Are there many people walking this route this year?
Is it safe to cross the alps in early September?
If you can cross the alps in September, do you need warmer clothing for that passage?
How long did it take you to walk from Lausanne to Rome?

Many thanks for any input

 

[roving_rufus]

I haven't been on the VF this year so this is from what I've seen in comments here and elsewhere.
If you are on Facebook there is an active Via Francigena group managed by Confraternity of pilgrims to Rome that has frequent updates and people's experiences. And it allows for quick answers if you are struggling to find somewhere to stay in a particular spot.
But the general sense is that is still a mixed bag, pilgrim accommodation is slowly reopening but not all has for numerous reasons (including Ukrainian refugees), so there is a need to budget for some more expensive private accomodation in places.
The official VF app is useful but so too is Gronze which has just added the VF from Lausanne (though in Spanish the accommodation listing should be clear)
And make sure to check the official VF app as there has been a significant rerouting on the Santhia to Vercelli section I believe.

 

[Rex]

Just finished walking from Canterbury Cathedral to Martigny three days ago. Don't know about the section from Lausanne to Rome, but in several sections across the northern part of France, there was a dearth of rooms available as COVID has put some folks out of business and the return of vacation/holiday travel in France has further squeezed room availability. I made good use of parochial/parish and abbaye/convent simple accommodations where possible and stayed with a few families along the Voie Romaine from Chalons to Brienne-le-Chateau. My average cost per day was still above 100 Euros, when food and lodging and miscellaneous expenses were included.
Note: several places in France and Switzerland have raised prices of food and alcohol by 10% in the past few weeks... inflation is real, but some of them are taking markups in anticipation of further price hikes from their suppliers. Bartenders and small hotel owners are great sources of local economic conditions (and they are the ones feeling the increases the most).
The pilgrims I met (only 12 total in 40 days of walking) were all expecting the accommodation game to be easier once they crossed over the Gr Saint Bernard Pass. Don't know if it's true, but wish you a wonderful trip.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Eye opening information.
A big thank you

 

[s80]

I haven't been on the VF this year so this is from what I've seen in comments here and elsewhere.
If you are on Facebook there is an active Via Francigena group managed by Confraternity of pilgrims to Rome that has frequent updates and people's experiences. And it allows for quick answers if you are struggling to find somewhere to stay in a particular spot.
But the general sense is that is still a mixed bag, pilgrim accommodation is slowly reopening but not all has for numerous reasons (including Ukrainian refugees), so there is a need to budget for some more expensive private accomodation in places.
The official VF app is useful but so too is Gronze which has just added the VF from Lausanne (though in Spanish the accommodation listing should be clear)
And make sure to check the official VF app as there has been a significant rerouting on the Santhia to Vercelli section I believe.

Thank you for the response! This is very helpful info.

 

[JamesM]

Hi all. Booking ahead for accommodations in France and not finding anything in Bapaume for Aug 29. If we walk Arras to Bapaume is it easy to skip ahead to Peronne once we arrive?

 

[mspath]

Hi all. Booking ahead for accommodations in France and not finding anything in Bapaume for Aug 29. If we walk Arras to Bapaume is it easy to skip ahead to Peronne once we arrive?

JamesM,
Peronne is roughly 21 km south from Bapaume. Since these places are infamous WW1 battle sites you might be interested in reading
Back to the Front: An Accidental Historian Walks the Trenches of World War 1 by Stephen O'Shea.

For other posts re walking across the poignant Ypres salient see this earlier thread

For more in French on Walking to Rome see this web.

 

[Rex]

It‘s possible, but there is much to see along this route. I found rooms along the VF on this web site: www.chambres-hôtes.fr It often had rooms not available on the major websites like PCLN or BKNG.

The WWI musée in Peronne is worth a 1/2 day visit; it is one of the best musées focused on the Great War. As with most of the VF route through this area, there are many military cemeteries along the way.
Bonne chance and bon chemin.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I came across this topic of discussion regarding places to stay while I was doing my own planning for next year as well.
As we all know there are many accommodations that are family run small businesses along the way, most of which do not have an internet presence and rely solely on word of mouth recommendation(s) and/or Pilgrims coming upon them once in town.
I have been trying to use as many (English printed) online sites as possible to make my plans and recently began using Google maps as a tool in this capacity.
While doing so I have learned (I am a dinosaur with computers) I found when researching a particular city on Google maps on the uppermost page there appears a prompt labeled "Hotels". I find when I click on the prompt a host of accommodations pop up with various prices and locations indicating to me that these accommodations are already on Booking, Priceline, Trivago etc... That is the obvious and easy part.
What I also found though is that, if you look closely at the attached photos, there are numerous small unlabeled dots in the photos. These are usually small accommodations within the area(s) of your initial search, which are NOT being represented by the big booking companies and can be reached usually by phone or by the owners personal Emails (My experience on at least two contacts thus far).
Yes, it is a lot of work pre-planning a trip of this duration, but as all things in life the sweat must be put in before we can reap the gold of our efforts.
(The city used in this example is Reims. The photo on the left illustrates the "Hotel" prompt at the top of the page. The photo on the right is the illustration found AFTER one has clicked on the "Hotel" prompt from th first page/search. Note the many unlabeled dots on the page. Hover your mouse over each and it will provide the name of the location/accommodation. Good luck!)