General Description: The Le Puy Route, the old Vía Podensis, is one of the four medieval pilgrim routes through France described in the Codex Calixtinus in the 12th century. 736 km starting in Le Puy-en-Velay then passing through Conques, Cahors and Navarrenx to Ostabat, the small town where three of the French routes converge a short distance north of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Waymarking: The route is well marked throughout with small yellow and blue shells.

Terrain: The Le Puy route generally crosses river drainages, resulting in continual climbs and descents. Much of the route passes through forest.

When to go: April through October is the recommended window. Climate table for Le Puy.

Accommodation: Accommodation is generally in hotels, chambres d'hôte and gites d'étape although there are an increasing number of pilgrim-oriented albergues.

Guidebooks: Confraternity of Saint James: Le Puy to the Pyrenees (2006). Le Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle: La Voie du Puy, Miam-Miam-Dodo, Editions du Vieux Crayon. Very comprehensive guide to accommodation and services, updated annually. Its schematic presentation makes it easy to use for non-French speakers. Also available from the Confraternity of Saint James bookshop. (French)

Internet links: The Confraternity of Saint James has an overview page for the Le Puy route. Godesalco has a most interesting and useful route planner for the Le Puy (Vía Podensis) route. One can download an elevation profile as well as a customized file containing stages. Backpack45 has a huge amount of information including spreadsheets with towns, distances and elevations. The four original routes to Santiago de Compostela through France have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. For further information, visit UNESCO's site.

Other remarks:The Le Puy route extends back to Geneva, Switzerland as the Vía Gebennensis as the GR 65. This in turn makes connections into Germany and Central Europe.