The Camino de Santiago from Le Puy-en-Velay to Aumont-Aubrac

Easy to moderate. 3 to 6 hours of walking per day, with no technical difficulties. Low to moderate elevation changes, with 1 day involving +550m and 1 day involving -690m.

Easy to moderate paths and trails; the entire route is waymarked with GR markings (white and red) and/or scallop shell symbols.

No luggage to carry: you carry only what you need for the day in a small backpack. 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. Avoid suitcases and choose soft-sided bags.

If you choose the option without luggage transfers, you carry everything you need for the trip yourself.

From 2 people.

7 days, 6 nights, 6 days of walking.

Choose your own departure date from April to October.

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

Accommodation

Choose from two options:

• in walkers' hostels: you will sleep in dormitories or, at best, in rooms with 4 to 8 beds; in both cases, you will 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 outside the rooms. To encourage a friendly atmosphere, meals are served at set times and eaten together.
• in private rooms in hotels of various categories, guesthouses or pilgrim accommodation (such as inns or walkers' hostels), depending on availability (usually with a shower or bath and toilet in the room).

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

Hotel ratings

In France, more and more hotels and guesthouses are choosing to remain unclassified, including establishments that still held an official rating one or two years ago. This does not mean their quality has declined — far from it. Many guesthouses offer charming rooms.
If we indicate, for example, a comfort level of “3* or equivalent”, this means that the establishment may not have an official rating, but offers a level of comfort comparable to a 3* hotel.

Meals

Half board, except in Le Puy-en-Velay, where accommodation includes breakfast only (there are plenty of pleasant little restaurants).
Dinners: served from 19:00/19:30; most often, these consist of the day’s pilgrim menu (starter, main course and dessert). During your walking holiday, you will discover regional specialities.
Breakfasts: served from 07:30, either at the table or as a buffet. They usually include a hot drink, bread and/or pastries, butter and jam, and sometimes fruit juice, yoghurt and sweetened cereals.
Picnic lunches: most accommodation providers offer packed lunches (not included, payable locally). The route guide in your travel pack provides information about places to buy supplies in shops at your overnight stops and/or along the route.

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. Despite this, some accommodation providers have reported the return of bedbugs, which are most often carried by hikers. To help accommodation providers eradicate this problem and reduce the risk of bites, you should spray the inside and outside of your luggage (your daypack and your transferred luggage), as well as all your clothing and footwear. 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 measures are necessary (for example, a ban on taking luggage and backpacks into bedrooms or dormitories). Once you return home, if you have any concerns, we recommend washing all your belongings at 65°C or placing them in a freezer for 2 days (bedbugs cannot survive temperatures below 0°C).

Start

On Day 1 in the late afternoon at your accommodation in Le Puy-en-Velay

Finish

On Day 7 in the late afternoon in Aumont-Aubrac

By train

Direct access to Le Puy-en-Velay’s TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes railway station.

By car

Plan your route on www.viamichelin.fr. From Paris, via the A71, in 5 hours 40 minutes. From Lyon, via the N88, in 2 hours. From Marseille, via the A7 and N102, in 4 hours 20 minutes

Parking your car

You can park your vehicle in the Breuil underground car park (open Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 22:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays). The town of Le Puy-en-Velay offers a particularly good-value “special hikers' rate” (2019): 7 days – approximately 25€, 14 days – approximately 45€, 1 months. Information and reservations: Breuil underground car park, Tel.: 0471020354. Reception open Monday to Saturday (except public holidays) from 07:30 to 20:00.

Returning to your car

Vehicle relocation: La Malle Postale offers a service to move your vehicle from your starting point to the end of your route. For more information (terms and current rates), contact La Malle Postale, Tel.: 0471042179 or 0667793816.
By train: Aumont-Aubrac SNCF railway station, Tel.: 0466428030
By minibus: Return transfer by minibus from Aumont-Aubrac to Le Puy-en-Velay, daily from April to October – departure from Aumont-Aubrac at 10:30 – arrival in Le Puy-en-Velay at around 12:15, or departure from Aumont-Aubrac at 15:30 – arrival in Le Puy-en-Velay at around 17:15 – fare 30€/person. Please take the distance of the final stage into account when choosing your return shuttle time if you are not booking an extra night at the end of your trip.
Book and pay for the transfer when booking your walking holiday.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either along the route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we stress that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; you therefore do so under your own responsibility and at your own risk.

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 – walking, cycling and on snow – to encourage everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

With a seat on the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the tourism sector move towards more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we are committed to:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

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 make meaningful connections with others.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has held Travelife Partner status, 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 our concrete actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

For carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• A 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

Read our Mag to find out how to pack your hiking backpack properly.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top) such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration) + a sweatshirt or fleece jacket + a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. As a general rule, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to the body (and takes a long time to dry), and choose suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a well-treaded sole, a heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• Technical T-shirts or base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article or how to choose your hiking poles

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 resisting perspiration odours!

For your lunchtime picnic

• Your “kitchen” kit: a plastic bowl, container or plate, and cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – essential –; an insulated flask for winter

For protection from the sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly waterproof trousers

After your walk

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and a small towel
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (Please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs.)

You can find this advice in our article #"what to take on a hike".

This list is intended as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

France

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

Le Puy-en-Velay Tourist Office

2, place du Clauzel

43000 LE PUY-EN-VELAY

04.71.09.38.41 / 04.71.05.22.62

France: +33.

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

No time difference: GMT +1.

With its undulating terrain and high elevation, Haute-Loire also owes its climate to its geographical position. It can be described as a mid-mountain climate, but it is complex and highly varied. Oceanic and continental influences take turns shaping this same landscape, alongside mountain and Mediterranean influences, creating a very broad range of climatic conditions, from the sweltering heat of the Brivadois plains to the icy blizzards (known as “la burle”) that bring the plateaux to a standstill. Far from being a drawback, this diversity has an undeniable appeal that can become a major asset.

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

• The Routes to Santiago de Compostela – Bernard BRIAIS, Editions de Borée (October 2013), 240 pages. Through photographs, this beautiful book invites us to discover or rediscover the beautiful places, historic monuments and natural sites along the four historic routes of the Way of St James.

• A Thousand Years Towards Compostela: The Adventure of Pilgrims on the Ways of St James – Patrick HUCHET, Editions Ouest France - Album Collection (October 2012), 204 pages. This book traces the entire history of the pilgrimage to 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 initiation in a simple, flowing style, presenting it as a universal experience.

Works more specifically about the Le Puy route

• The Routes to Santiago de Compostela – Frantisek ZVARDON, Editions Signe - EnVol Collection (March 2013), 432 pages. This book contains magnificent photographs of the routes starting in Le Puy-en-Velay and Vézelay, and then of the Camino Francés. Over more than 5000km, we discover landscapes of breathtaking beauty that will inspire readers to go there or allow them to relive the experience.

• Express Pilgrim: Running the Routes to Compostela: 1950km in 40 Days, GR 65 and Camino Francés - Sylvain BAZIN, Editions Outdoor (July 2013). This travel account tells the story of journalist Sylvain Bazin’s journey along the Via Podiensis (the Le Puy route) and the Camino Francés.

• The pilgrim’s passport, or “credencial” or “créanciale”, and “La Compostela”: The “credencial” or “créanciale”, well known to pilgrims, 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 at accommodation, certain churches, tourist offices… and confirms your status as a pilgrim. It is issued by your local Way of St James association or through your diocese’s pilgrimage service, but you can also obtain it in the main stopping places along the route (information is available from tourist offices). These stamps, which document your itinerary, will allow you to obtain the pilgrim’s certificate, “La Compostela”, on arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

IGN map at a scale of 1/25000 (Blue Series): no. 2735 East (Le Puy), no. 2736 West (Monistrol), no. 2636 East (Saugues), no. 2637 East (St-Amans), no. 2637 West (St-Chely), no. 2537 East (Fournels), no. 2537 West (Nasbinals).