Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a commune in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department, situated at the foot of the Pyrenees on the Nive river. The town is the traditional gateway to the Camino Frances, the most-walked pilgrimage route to Santiago, and serves as the principal starting point for the great majority of contemporary pilgrims walking the Spanish Camino.

The town has a complete medieval circuit of walls with a citadel above and the Porte Saint-Jacques, a UNESCO World Heritage Site gateway. The rue de la Citadelle descends through the historic centre to the Porte d’Espagne, through which the route exits toward the Pyrenean crossing.

The crossing from Saint-Jean to Roncesvalles is one of the most demanding single stages of any Camino, ascending over 1,400 metres across the Pyrenean watershed. For pilgrims arriving from Le Puy and for those beginning their walk here, Saint-Jean is the emotional and geographic threshold of the great pilgrimage.