The Camino de Santiago Routes, from Conques to Cahors

Easy to moderate. 4 to 7 hours of walking per day, with no technical difficulties.
The entire trail is waymarked with GR markings (white and red) and/or scallop shells.

No heavy bags to carry: you carry only a small backpack with your picnic lunch and everything you need for the day. Your luggage will be waiting for you each evening at the end of the day’s walk. Your luggage is transported by vehicle and is limited to one bag per person, weighing no more than 10 kg.

A minimum of 2 people.

8 days, 7 nights, 7 days of walking.

Depart on a date of your choice from April to mid-October.

We will send you a travel pack containing all the documents you need for your walking trip: a route guide and maps, luggage tags, and an itinerary with contact details for your accommodation.
1 travel pack per booking. Additional travel packs are available as an option at an extra charge (35 € / additional pack)

Half-board accommodation except in Figeac, Conques and Decazeville if you are staying there on day 2
Two options to choose from:

• In walkers' hostels: these hostels cater exclusively for walkers on multi-day routes. Sleeping accommodation is in dormitories or, at best, rooms with 4 to 8 beds; in both cases, you share with other guests. Blankets are provided, but sheets and towels are not (these can usually be hired on site — not included, payable locally). Shared bathroom facilities (showers, washbasins and toilets) are located outside the rooms. For a sociable atmosphere, meals are served at set times and eaten together.

• In hotels of various categories or in guesthouses, depending on availability (usually with a shower or bath and toilet in the room). You will stay in rooms for 1 to 3 people, depending on your request and availability.

In France, a growing number of hotels and guesthouses choose not to have an official rating, including establishments that were still rated a year or two ago. This does not mean their quality has declined — far from it. Many guesthouses offer charming rooms.
If, for example, we indicate a comfort level of “2* or equivalent”: this means that the establishment may not have an official rating, but offers a level of comfort equivalent to a 2* hotel.

• Dinners: served from 19:00/19:30; most often, these consist of the day’s pilgrim menu (starter, main course and dessert). During your walk, you will discover regional specialities.

• Breakfasts: served from 07:30, either at the table or as a buffet. They usually consist of a hot drink, bread and/or pastries, butter and jam, and sometimes fruit juice, yoghurt and sweetened cereals.

• Picnics: most accommodation providers offer packed lunches (not included, payable locally). The route guide included in your travel pack gives details of where you can buy supplies in shops at your overnight stops and/or along the route.

For practical reasons, including cleaning, stocking up on supplies and allowing the owners time to rest, arrival and check-in at walkers' hostels and guesthouses are not possible before 16:00/16:30.

Please let us know about any food allergies or special dietary requirements when booking; we will do our best to adapt your meals.

Precautions / hygiene

All our accommodation has been selected for its hospitality, comfort and cleanliness. Even so, some accommodation providers have reported a resurgence of bedbugs, which are most often carried by walkers. To help accommodation providers eradicate this problem and reduce the risk of bites, you should spray the inside and outside of your luggage (both your daypack and your transferred luggage), as well as all your clothes and shoes. Sprays are available from pharmacies and some accommodation providers; some products are 100% natural and ECOCERT-certified. To reduce the risk of spreading bedbugs, we ask you to follow the accommodation providers' instructions carefully and understand that these are necessary precautions (for example, a ban on taking luggage and backpacks into bedrooms or dormitories). Once you return home, if you have any doubts, we recommend washing all your belongings at 65°C or, alternatively, placing them in a freezer for 2 days (bedbugs cannot survive temperatures below 0°C).

On Day 1 in the late afternoon at your accommodation in Conques

On Day 8 in the late afternoon in Cahors

To reach the meeting point: Saint-Christophe-Vallon SNCF railway station (Paris–Rodez line via Brive) or Rodez SNCF railway station.

• From Saint-Christophe-Vallon: LAMPLE taxi (Tel.: 0471499555/ 0607759332 – email: taxi-lampleorange.fr gnkv-ynzcyr@benatr.se) provides an on-demand service to Conques. Please note that this service is only available for long-distance trains arriving from Paris. Booking is required at least 48 hours in advance.

• From Rodez: scheduled VERBUS coach service – Tel.: 0565771055. There is no service between Rodez and Conques during school holidays, at weekends or on public holidays. Rodez bus station – Tel.: 0565681113. Rodez SNCF railway station – Tel.: 0565773330.

During the school holidays in April, July and August, Lample taxi (Tel.: 0471499555 / 0607759332 – email: taxi-lampleorange.fr gnkv-ynzcyr@benatr.se) offers a transfer from Rodez to Conques, with advance booking required.

At the end of the trip: Cahors SNCF railway station (Toulouse–Paris line via Brive)

Check your route on Via Michelin

You can leave your vehicle in the main car park (250 spaces) at the top of the village of Conques, next to the town hall, for approximately 4 € per vehicle (unlimited stay). A free car park is located approximately 2km from the village in the direction of Rodez. For more information, visit the Conques Tourist Office website. Tel.: 0565728500.

Vehicle transfer: La Malle Postale offers a service to transfer your vehicle from your starting point to the end of your route. For more information (current terms and prices), contact La Malle Postale, Tel.: 04.71.04.21.79 or 06.67.79.38.16.

Return minibus transfer from Cahors to Conques, daily from April to October, departing from Cahors SNCF railway station at 10:30 and arriving in Conques at around 10:30.

From Cahors to Aumont (departure from Cahors at 10:30, change of bus in Conques at 13:00, arrival in Aumont at around 15:30)

From Cahors to Le Puy-en-Velay (departure from Cahors at 10:30, change of bus in Conques at 13:00, arrival in Le Puy-en-Velay at around 17:00)

Book and pay when booking your walking holiday.

A number of our trips offer opportunities for swimming, either along the day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame not to make the most of them. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; you therefore swim at your own risk and take full responsibility for doing so.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector develop more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every one of our trips

We also share the values of the traveller’s ethical charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and enjoy meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises the concrete steps we take towards responsible tourism. We are actively continuing our progress towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in accordance with our sustainable development policy

For walking

• Waterproof hiking boots with ankle support, a sturdy heel counter and soles with good grip

• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)

• A fleece

• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)

• Shorts, T-shirts and technical underwear (quick-drying fabric)

• A long-sleeved shirt (quick-drying technical fabric)

• Walking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of not developing sweat odours! (Brands include Icebreaker, Ruka, etc.).

As a general rule, avoid cotton, which makes you cold when wet

For protection against sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection) and sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A windproof jacket
• A rain poncho or a “Gore-Tex” jacket

For your lunchtime picnic

• A plastic bowl, container or plate

• Cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)

• A water bottle with a capacity of at least 1.5 litre (required); an insulated bottle for winter

After the walk

• A pair of trainers for the evening

• A change of clothes and underwear

• A small toiletry bag and towel

• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, Elastoplast, Biogaze or “2nd skin”, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin for minor aches and injuries … (quite a list! But rest assured, the first-aid kit often comes home untouched after your week of hiking)

• A comfortable small backpack of 40 to 50 L with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day

• One bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, limited to 10 kg.

France

Travellers, including minors, must carry a national identity card or passport (EU nationals).

Conques Tourist Office
Le Bourg
12320 Conques-en-Rouergue
Tel.: 0565728500
Fax: 0565728703
Email: tourismeconques.f gbhevfzr@pbadhrf.sr

France: +33.

There may be no mobile reception on some sections of your walk.

No time difference: GMT +1.

From photography books and historical essays to travel accounts and novels, the route has inspired many authors.
General works:

• Les Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle – Bernard BRIAIS, Editions de Borée (October 2013), 240 pages. Through photographs, this beautiful book invites us to discover or rediscover the picturesque places, historic monuments and natural sites along the four historic routes of the Way of St James.

• Mille ans vers Compostelle: l’aventure des pèlerins sur les chemins de Saint-Jacques – Patrick HUCHET, Editions Ouest France - Album Collection (October 2012), 204 pages. This book traces the entire history of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, from its beginnings in the 9th century to its revival in the 20th century.

• The Pilgrimage – Paulo COELHO, Editions 84 - J’ai Lu Collection (April 2009), 256 pages. In this novel, the author, who undertook the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela himself, recounts his journey of self-discovery in a simple, flowing style as a universal experience.

Cultural and travel guides

• Gallimard SAINT JACQUES Guide

• Huchet / Yvon Boelle, Sur les Chemins de Compostelle, Patrick- Rennes, Ouest France - 1999 (covers both the French and Spanish sections).

• Pocket guides for hikers and pilgrims on the Way of St James

De Compostelle - F. Lepère. Ed. Lepère – February 2009.

Historical essays

• Yves BOTINEAU, Les Chemins de St-Jacques - - Ed. Arthaud. (Being reprinted).

• Xavier Barral, Compostelle, le Grand Chemin, Découverte Gallimard

• Les chemins de St Jacques de Compostelle In Situ Collection Ed MSM

• Jacques de Voragine, The Golden Legend -, Point Seuil 1998. This book is less concerned with history than with romanticising the lives of the saints: an illustration of how legends are created.

Internet

• Association of Friends of the Way of St James

• Routes to Santiago de Compostela

• La Croisée des Chemins

The pilgrim’s passport, or “credencial” or “créanciale”:

This document is well known to pilgrims and allows you to keep a written record of your journey. This passport is a powerful symbol of belonging to the community of walkers on the Way of St James. It should be stamped at each stage and confirms your status as a pilgrim. It is issued by Way of St James associations – website: www.chemindecompostelle.com/Associations/Associations.html – but you can also obtain one when setting off from Le Puy-en-Velay.

Environment

The Causses du Quercy Regional Natural Park has remarkably well-preserved and varied natural habitats that support particularly rich wildlife and plant life. To date, the following have been recorded: 198 species of birds, 58 species of mammals, 15 species of reptiles, 14 species of amphibians, 102 species of butterflies, 48 species of dragonflies, 51 species of orthopterans (insects). There are more than 1000 plant species, of which 150 are considered noteworthy. Several species are of national or European conservation interest: European pond turtle, yellow-bellied toad, white-clawed crayfish, large copper butterfly, otter, Eurasian eagle-owl, short-toed snake eagle, Eurasian stone-curlew and ocellated lizard. Noteworthy plant species include limestone sandwort and Guillon’s ironwort.