Arles Camino planning 2025

[BombayBill]

For a number of years I've been considering the Arles route. Perhaps starting from Toulouse to Oloron and then down the Aragones on to Puenta La Reina. However I was put off by my research that seemed to indicate a lack of affordable accommodations. However once again I am considering the route for 2025.

I looked at all the usual sources of information. Miami Miam Dodo, Gronze etc etc. and was building some enthusiasm for the trip until I came across a Gronze trip diary written in 2023 (attached). It is very discouraging in regards to lodging. I am now thinking that perhaps I might shorten my route, starting in Oloron on to Puenta La Reina. I see that @peregrina2000 is also considering a similar route in this thread https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/urdos-to-somport-advice.85787/#post-1305184

So for those of you with experience on the Arles route, perhaps you could read through the attached diary (it's long) and comment on the availability of reasonably priced lodging? I am most interested in from Toulouse onwards.

 

[Susan Maria]

Sorry, there are 71 pages, too much for me to read. Can you summarise it in a few lines?

 

[BombayBill]

Sorry, there are 71 pages, too much for me to read. Can you summarise it in a few lines

Sorry, having never walked it myself I am reluctant to judge their experience. I am sure there will be Forum members who can offer a more experienced critique.

 

[Flog]

Sorry, having never walked it myself I am reluctant to judge their experience. I am sure there will be Forum members who can offer a more experienced critique.

I've only walked from Pau/Lescar through to Puente la Reina (about 10 days) and accomodation options were more than adequate.. and affordable. Others I've spoken to who walked from further back, said the same.. though with a little more planning and reserving in France..

 

[BombayBill]

Here is a list of websites I found to be useful.

Way of Arles – Via Tolosana – GR653 – Walking in France

walkinginfrance.info

Camino de Arles | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino de Arles, también conocido como Vía Tolosana por atravesar Toulouse, la capital de Occitania, es uno de los cuatro grandes itinerarios jacobeos de Francia. Mencionado ya en el Códice Calixtino (s. XII), con sus grandes hitos en Arles, Saint-Gilles, Montpellier y Toulouse, en la...

www.gronze.com

Itineraires | Agence française des chemins de Compostelle

www.chemins-compostelle.com

Chemin d'Arles

The southern-most French route through Montpelier, via Toulouse to cross the Pyrenees at the Somport pass, continuing through Jaca and onto join the Camino Francés at Puente La Reina.

www.csj.org.uk

Mapas del Camino - Vía Tolosana - Godesalco.com

La Vía Tolosana en Google Maps y Google Earth.

godesalco.com

https://americanpilgrims.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/route_arles.pdf

"a bit dated"

 

[Susan Maria]

Sorry, having never walked it myself I am reluctant to judge their experience. I am sure there will be Forum members who can offer a more experienced critique.

I have walked it and I was never without a place to stay.

 

[BombayBill]

I have walked it and I was never without a place to stay.

The diary I posted often quotes rates at 100e and more, but maybe for 2 people. What kind of rates were you paying? Were they with meals?

 

[domigee]

Hi @BombayBill
I stayed in the gîtes mentioned from Toulouse, always found room - I was mostly on my own! Prices in France are higher than in Spain but it was reasonable, probably around 30€ (I can’t remember), often less.
The problem was food as often the gîtes in the guide said they provided an evening meal but In fact they weren’t anymore… You have to carry stuff to eat at least for breakfast and lunch. It is better on the Spanish side.
(In Auch you are in the presbitary next to the cathedral and it’s donativo. )
Ps: I walked in 2019

Via Tolosana les hébergements

Forgot to say: in France you have to phone at least one day ahead so they know to expect you.

 

[Grahammac]

Hi. I walked from Oloron to Puenta la Reina, then all the way to Compostela in 2019. The only accommodation issue I had was the 2nd night from Oloron. Stay at the monastery the 1st night at S......... I managed to get a bed in Urdos, luckily. Otherwise, no problem at all and I did not pre-book. I received great advice and guidance from Jaca Tourist Office. A lot of walking on clay, so wet weather walking will be fun!

 

[jouffroy47]

Other French sites of interest for lodging include include Santiagooo https://www.santiagooo.com/chemin-de-compostelle-voie-arles/hebergements, the GR Dodo https://grdodo.fr/randonnee/76 and Les Haltes Pelèrins du Chemins d'Arles https://www.leshaltespelerins.org/les-haltes. There is also the downloadable list from Webcompostella https://www.webcompostella.com/down.../?wpdmdl=8447&refresh=672f6d5a153ae1731161434. Though I don't recommend it as a guidebook, the Guide Lepère for this route often has places that are not found in some other guides as well. I never had problems finding reasonably priced places, and I finished in September of 2023. It is important to rely on the local pilgrim network though, as sometimes they can recommend an accueil pèlerin [homestay] that you won't find in any guidebook, and the local tourist offices can be helpful when available. There's also a [mostly] anglophone FB group dedicated to this route https://www.facebook.com/groups/2087986454769678 which might be of interest.

 

[CactusTrail]

Thanks for posting the diary. A friend and I are going to be walking from Arles in May/June 2025 - although we're not worried about accommodation, the information included is helpful for food planning and getting an idea of the terrain.

 

[jouffroy47]

Thanks for posting the diary. A friend and I are going to be walking from Arles in webMay/June 2025 - although we're not worried about accommodation, the information included is helpful for food planning and getting an idea of the terrain.

For terrain, have a look at Gronze[.]com, which includes this route. For English use Google Translate's website tab or the translation feature on your browser if available. There are elevation profiles, rating of difficulty and descriptions of each stage.

 

[oursonpolaire]

For a number of years I've been considering the Arles route. Perhaps starting from Toulouse to Oloron and then down the Aragones on to Puenta La Reina. However I was put off by my research that seemed to indicate a lack of affordable accommodations. However once again I am considering the route for 2025.

I looked at all the usual sources of information. Miami Miam Dodo, Gronze etc etc. and was building some enthusiasm for the trip until I came across a Gronze trip diary written in 2023 (attached). It is very discouraging in regards to lodging. I am now thinking that perhaps I might shorten my route, starting in Oloron on to Puenta La Reina. I see that @peregrina2000 is also considering a similar route in this thread https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/urdos-to-somport-advice.85787/#post-1305184

So for those of you with experience on the Arles route, perhaps you could read through the attached diary (it's long) and comment on the availability of reasonably priced lodging? I am most interested in from Toulouse onwards.

I do not think that I have much in the way of spêcifics to contribute; I walked this in 2005 (almost 20 years ago!!) and much seems to have changed. In almost three weeks, I only met two other pilgrims (in Auch) as well as my Australian companion, whom I met by chance in the forest outside Pibrac in the western outskirts of Toulouse. We could find almost nothing in terms of pilgrim accommodation, and relied almost entirely and references from each innkeeper or gite-keeper along the way. I have only read pp 50-60 so far, but it appears that there is more pilgrim accommodation now. Pilgrimage in France is a costlier proposition than in Spain.

The Camino was poorly/sporadically marked most of the way, and as this was before the era of GPS and effective cell phone coverage, we had to rely almost entirely on local assistance--- mercifully I spoke fairly fluent French, although my Ontario accent did excite much comment; her Australian bushwhacking and trail skills kept us from getting very lost (getting the scent of kangaroo scat is not a useful skill in the south of France). Mairies and turismes were very helpful indeed, especially as many of the villages along the way no longer had functioning cafés, restaurants, or grocery stores. And this is really important-- those of us who know Spain were astonished that rural France is very different and seemed at time to be depopulated (note that in many Spanish pueblos there is a bar kept open primarily by means of a local government subsidy). We were fortunate in that the French think well of Canadians and Australians, and often we benefitted by the kindess of villagers and farmers.

 

[BombayBill]

@oursonpolaire "rural France is very different and seemed at time to be depopulated (note that in many Spanish pueblos there is a bar kept open primarily by means of a local government subsidy" Very interesting, I didn't know that. I noticed that the tiniest of Spanish villages always have a bar to get a drink and tortilla patata.

I have walked the route from Le Puy and thought the services along the way were outstanding. There always seemed to be a place for lunch. The demi-pension Gites were quite affordable in 2018. However Le Puy route is very popular with the French and the villages seemed to be tourist destinations in their own right. They were not depopulated. Perhaps the Arles route just doesn't have enough regional tourism to support the same level of services.

 

[domigee]

In almost three weeks, I only met two other pilgrims

Same! (In 2019)

 

[CactusTrail]

For terrain, have a look at Gronze[.]com, which includes this route. For English use Google Translate's website tab or the translation feature on your browser if available. There are elevation profiles, rating of difficulty and descriptions of each stage.

Thanks, I've been using Gronze for a while and it's very useful. I do find the guides helpful for a general and overall idea of what to expect but what is in this diary is from experienced hikers - which my friend and I are - and how they felt about the terrain, how easy it was to find markers, problems with getting accommodations to reply to their messages and his problem with eating suitable food. Their description of walking to Oloron-Ste-Marie in particular was very insightful.