GR 65, the Le Puy Camino: Via Podiensis stages and sections

The GR 65 is the Le Puy route, the Via Podiensis: the way to Santiago de Compostela that leaves the cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay and crosses France on a diagonal to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, at the foot of the Pyrenees. It runs 755 km in 32 stages of 14 to 34 km, through eight départements, from the Haute-Loire to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, according to the Agence française des chemins de Compostelle, the French agency for the Santiago routes.

It was the first Santiago way laid out for walking, opened in 1970, and it is now the busiest in France: 35,850 pilgrims were recorded by the counter at the start of the route, according to the Agence's press kit (June 2025). Here is the route by its main sections, then what to sort out before you set off.

The route in five sections

The 32-stage split is the one the Agence and the FFRandonnée (the French hiking federation) give, but guidebooks don't all stop in the same villages: some count 29 stages, others 38. The one in the table follows the most used stage towns. The kilometres per section are measured on our trace and scaled to the official total of 755 km: treat them as orders of magnitude.

Section	From → to	Days	km, approx.
Velay, Margeride and Aubrac	Le Puy-en-Velay → Conques	9	205
including the Aubrac	Aumont-Aubrac → Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac	2	40
Quercy	Conques → Moissac	9	215
Gascony	Moissac → Aire-sur-l'Adour	8	170
Béarn and the Basque Country	Aire-sur-l'Adour → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port	6	165

There is no official figure for the climbing: estimates vary with the trace used. What matters is that the first part, as far as Conques, is the hilliest, and that the way flattens out in Gascony before rising again towards the Pyrenees.

Le Puy-en-Velay → Conques (9 days)

You start on the volcanic land of the Velay, then the way crosses the Allier and climbs onto the Margeride, through Saint-Privat-d'Allier, Saugues and Le Sauvage. Next comes the Aubrac, a high plateau above 1,300 m, between Aumont-Aubrac, Nasbinals and Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac. The stretch from Nasbinals to Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac is one of the seven sections of the Via Podiensis on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You then drop into the Lot valley at Espalion, then Golinhac, and on to Conques and its abbey church of Sainte-Foy.

Nine days, a station at the start and Conques at the end: a section that works well in one go.

Conques → Moissac (9 days)

After Conques, the way goes through Livinhac-le-Haut and Figeac, then opens onto the causses of the Quercy, where stone villages cling to the hills. Cajarc, Limogne-en-Quercy, then Cahors and its Pont Valentré. Lascabanes, Lauzerte, and the arrival at Moissac, with its abbey.

Two waymarked variants leave from this section. The GR 651 follows the Célé valley for 120 km and passes through Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. The GR 652, the Rocamadour way, links Figeac to La Romieu via Rocamadour and Agen, over nearly 300 km according to the FFRandonnée.

Moissac → Aire-sur-l'Adour (8 days)

The way follows the Garonne to Auvillar, then enters the farmland hills and orchards of Gascony: Lectoure, La Romieu, Condom, Montréal-du-Gers, Éauze, Nogaro. The ground gets gentler.

Aire-sur-l'Adour → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (6 days)

The last part runs through Arzacq-Arraziguet and Arthez-de-Béarn to Navarrenx, a fortified town, then into the Basque Country via Aroue and Ostabat. You enter Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port through the Porte Saint-Jacques. From there, the way crosses the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles and carries on into Spain.

Before you go

The credencial

The credencial is the pilgrim's passport: you get it stamped at each stage. In Le Puy, you can collect it at the end of the pilgrims' mass in the cathedral, or buy it at the cathedral shop. The Amis de Saint-Jacques du Velay also sell it at the café-garden "Le Camino", 2 rue de la Manécanterie, where they hold an afternoon desk from 1 April to 15 October.

The pilgrims' mass

Every morning, a mass is held in the cathedral of Notre-Dame du Puy, followed by a blessing of the pilgrims: at 7 am from 1 April to 31 October, at 7.30 am on weekdays from 1 November to 31 March.

The gîtes

On the Via Podiensis there is somewhere to sleep roughly every 4 to 5 km: gîtes d'étape (walkers' hostels), B&Bs, pilgrim hosts. The Le Puy tourist office reckons on 20 km of walking a day on average and about €40 per person per day for a bed and meals. According to the Le Puy tourist office, most open from 1 April to 15 October. Booking isn't compulsory, but the FFRandonnée recommends it, and the tourist office warns that at certain times beds go very quickly.

Some services carry bags from one stage to the next, or take walkers back to their starting point: book them a few days ahead.

The season

The FFRandonnée considers the way walkable all year round, with accommodation all year. But most gîtes close outside their season (see above), and the Aubrac is above 1,300 m: out of season, book your nights before you set off.

Getting there and back

Le Puy-en-Velay, Figeac, Cahors, Moissac and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port have stations. Buses also serve Nasbinals, Espalion, Conques, Cajarc, Lectoure, Condom, Éauze and Aire-sur-l'Adour, which makes it possible to walk the way in pieces, one section a year.

A poster of your way

From Le Puy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the GR 65 runs 755 km down France on a diagonal. On Map My Life, the GR 65 poster draws the whole way and puts a dot at the end of each stage. Instead of a time, you print the number of days ("32 jours", in the trail's language) or the dates you walked.

Walked it in several goes? Pick your section between two stage ends, or a ready-made section such as Le Puy – Conques: the poster keeps only that piece, with its distance. If you stopped somewhere other than our stage towns, take the dots off with the "A dot at the end of each stage" option. Because the way is much wider than it is tall, the poster opens in landscape; you can turn it back to portrait.

The A4 PDF is free. A print costs €40 in A4, €50 in 30 × 40 cm and €60 in 50 × 70 cm; framed, €75 in A4 and €85 in 30 × 40 cm. Delivery €4.90 for prints, €7.90 with a frame, once per order, to the whole European Union, Monaco, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, La Réunion, Guadeloupe and Martinique. Posters are printed to order. Ships within 4 working days, delivered within 8 working days in mainland France, 8 to 16 elsewhere in Europe, 8 to 15 in the rest of the world and 15 to 27 in the French overseas territories.

Looking for another way? The GR 653, the Arles route, and the GR 78, the Pyrenean foothills way, are in the catalogue too, with the other best GR trails in France. And for a present for a pilgrim, here are our gifts for hikers.

FAQ

How many days does the GR 65 take from Le Puy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port?

32 stages, according to the Agence des chemins de Compostelle and the FFRandonnée, each 14 to 34 km. That's a little over a month of walking, with a few rest days.

Where do you get the credencial in Le Puy-en-Velay?

At the cathedral, at the end of the pilgrims' mass or in the shop, and from the Amis de Saint-Jacques du Velay at the café-garden "Le Camino", 2 rue de la Manécanterie, from 1 April to 15 October.

What is the most beautiful section of the GR 65?

There's no official ranking. Le Puy – Conques, the first nine days, crosses the Margeride, the Aubrac and the Lot valley to Conques. Conques – Moissac goes through Figeac, the causses of the Quercy and Cahors.

Do you need to book gîtes on the Le Puy route?

It isn't compulsory, but it is recommended: at certain times, accommodation fills up fast. Most places open from 1 April to 15 October.

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