Villafranca Montes de Oca

Villafranca Montes de Oca is a municipality in the province of Burgos, Castilla y León, situated at the foot of the Montes de Oca mountain range on the Camino Frances. The town was historically a significant pilgrim staging post before the demanding forest crossing, and the Hospital de la Reina, a medieval pilgrim hospice now operating as a hostel, continues that tradition.

The church of Santiago Apostol, with its fifteenth-century tower, stands beside the ancient road and marks the point at which pilgrims historically prepared for the crossing of the Montes de Oca, one of the longer forested mountain stages on the Camino Frances. The forest above the town is dense oak woodland.

For pilgrims, Villafranca is the last full-service stop before the long Montes de Oca crossing to San Juan de Ortega, a section of approximately 12 kilometres through forest with no services.