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Cycle the Camino Frances from Burgos to Ponferrada

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Stage 2
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282.8km
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7 days
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Starting From
€850
Jan
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Cycle the Camino Frances 2/3 Map
Starting from Burgos, medieval city and home of a UNESCO World Heritage cathedral, this section of the French Way by Bike offers some of the best historical and cultural vestiges of the whole Camino Frances. It passes through Leon and the vast Castilian Plateau (Approx. alt. 900m) before reaching another medieval bastion – the buzzing city of Ponferrada. The mostly flat and gentle terrain makes it accessible to any cyclist with an average level of fitness.

Highlights

Castilian Plateau

Whizz across the mighty Castilian Plateau.  Enjoy the speed and wind in your face on this relatively flat section, as the blur of green and yellow fields rush by.  Take time to escape the sunshine and explore the small towns and villages along the way, like Fromista with its beautiful Church of San Martín.

Leon

A major city in the north of Spain and on the Camino, Leon is worth an extra night stopover so you have time to explore this fascinating city. From the many historical sights to visit during the day to the lively nightlife this city provides experiences for all age groups and interests. Within the Roman walls of the city, you will find a magnificent gothic cathedral and the Basilica of San Isidoro with its ‘Sistine Chapelesque’ frescos. Wander the streets to discover many cafes and restaurants with local food, accompanied by the local El Bierzo wine.

Astorga

Surrounded by medieval walls, Astorga is a vibrant and attractive city. From Roman ruins to neo-Gothic Episcopal Palace designed by Gaudi there is a wealth of different architecture to take in. Be sure to visit the cathedral with its Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. Learn more about the Camino in the Pilgrim Museum located in the Episcopal Palace. When the clock strikes on the hour be at Plaza Mayor to witness the chimes on the Bell Tower where two small figures of a man and woman in traditional dress strike the bell. Finally, try some of the local cuisines in the many cafes and restaurants. For those with a sweet tooth, visit the Museum of Chocolate!

Burgos to Ponferrada
Camino Frances
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From €850
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Services

Included in this package
  • Specially hand-picked accommodations
  • Bed & Breakfast
  • Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel
  • Mountain Bike BH Over-X 27V
  • Bike Breakdown Insurance
  • Repair kit
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Our Holiday or Pilgrim Pack
Add-On
  • Premium Accommodation
  • Airport Pick-up
  • Additional Night
  • Dinners
  • Day Tours Available
Not included
  • Flights/trains
  • Insurance
  • Drinks/Lunch

Itinerary

Day 1

BURGOS (Arrival)

Burgos, which was the capital of the unified kingdom of Castilla-Leon for five centuries, boasts a masterpiece of Spanish Gothic architecture; the Cathedral of Burgos (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Apart from a visit to the historic quarter, you can take quite an interesting walk along the banks of the Duero and Arlanza rivers. Discover the delicious and varied local cuisine in one of the city’s restaurants.


Day 2
65.85km

BURGOS
to
FROMISTA

All day long, you will notice the influence of the Camino de Santiago as there is not a single village we cross that does not have obvious references to it.


Day 3
58.24km

FROMISTA
to
SAHAGUN

During this stage, we have a good understanding of the popular meaning “Castilla es ancha” (castilla is wide). Crop fields give patches of beautiful colour to the agricultural landscape all year round. The first half of the day is mainly flat and it gets a bit more undulating on the second half to Sahagun.


Day 4
55.16km

SAHAGUN
to
LEON

Today we cycle through the colourful Castilian meseta or plateau. The landscape here seems endless as we pass over the flat terrain of the area, affording great views over the surrounding agricultural area. We finish the day in the vibrant city of Leon.


Day 5
52.33km

LEON
to
ASTORGA

This is probably one of the flattest cycling days of the entire Camino Frances, but as we are on a high plateau, it still offers some great views and you will see Astorga down in the valley long before reaching it! In Astorga, take some time to visit the Episcopal palace, the cathedral, and the old city walls.


Day 6
51.19km

ASTORGA
to
PONFERRADA

The last day of this section is definitely the most difficult, but also, the most rewarding one! We can enjoy spectacular views as we climb up to 1500m above sea level to reach the famous Cruz del Hierro (the Iron Cross). The natural scenery and towns with rich history make this the best way to finish the section, before reaching Ponferrada: a city with a lively, and very pretty, medieval centre.


Day 7

PONFERRADA

After breakfast we bid you farewell.


Cycle the Camino Frances 2/3 Elevation


How to Get There

Getting to Burgos, Spain

There are several options to fly to and back from Spain on this section. Madrid may be the best option if you prefer flying to and back from the same airport.

Fly into Bilbao

A large amount of the passenger traffic at Bilbao Airport comes from internal flights and you can fly from Bilbao to any of the following Spanish Airports: A Coruna, Alicante, Barcelona, Badajoz, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Jerez, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife, Valencia and Vigo. European flights to Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Milan, Munich, Paris, and Stuttgart are also available.  At the moment, EasyJet, Iberia and Aer Lingus fly from the UK and Ireland to Bilbao. EasyJet offers daily flights to Bilbao from London Stansted Airport, Iberia flies from Gatwick or Heathrow via Madrid and AerLingus operates out of Dublin.

From Bilbao to Burgos, by bus or train.

Fly into Santander

Ryanair is the only low-cost airline that currently offers direct flights to Santander. They offer flights from London Stansted and now Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan and Rome, as well as Reus and Madrid in Spain. Iberia offers a good selection of internal flights from Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia.

From Santander to Burgos, by bus or train.

Fly into Madrid

Virtually every company flies to Madrid. See Spanish national company. See Spanish low-cost.

Getting home from Ponferrada, Spain

Fly from Santiago de Compostela

The bus from Ponferrada to Santiago takes 3h40.

Fly from Madrid

The train from Ponferrada to Madrid takes 6h.



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