The Basque town of St. Jean Pied De Port is nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains in southwest France. In fact, its name literally means “Saint John at the foot of the mountain pass.” It’s an ancient town, and the traditional start of the French Way or Camino Francés of the Camino de Santiago. The French Way travels 800 kilometres, or 500 miles, to Santiago de Compostela in the west of Spain. Other routes from points in France join the French Way in St. Jean Pied de Port, most notably, the one from Le Puy which travels 740 kilometers. The Caminos through France are far less utilized than the French Way.
Before I began my journey on the Camino de Santiago, I had a wonderful afternoon and evening in St. Jean Pied de Port. If you read A Walk In Biarritz France, Part One, I discussed how I arrived to St. Jean, and included links to the schedule for the train that departed the station in Bayonne. I left my last post, The Cathedral, Cathédrale Sainte-Marie de Bayonne, Bayonne, France, showing the train station, just before I boarded a bus to St. Jean. At that time, the train tracks were undergoing maintenance so the bus was the only choice. The trip from Bayonne was picturesque through valleys, villages, deciduous forests, and farmland. The train ride will take you about 1hr 20min.
The city gate, Porte St-Jacques, is the start of the French Way, and leads to the Rue de la Citadelle through the old town. In 1998 these gates were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Here, I’m standing outside the Pilgrim Office where I picked up my pilgrim passport or Credencial, and a scallop shell.
Traditional bakery/shop on Rue de la Citadelle.
The church in St. Jean was very modest. Facing the church and the portal which leads to the Nive River.
This statue of whom I believe is Mary and Child, sits in the outside walls of the church.
In St. Jean Pied de Port, the Nive River flows gently. For years, it has been an inspiration to artists such as in The Bridge at St. Jean Pied de Port by Louis Dewis. The Nive flows into the Adour River in Bayonne.
Next, I wanted to visit the Citadel on the hill overlooking St. Jean. I walked to the east side of the town, along the Chemin de la Porte Saint-Jacques, to this portal in the fortified walls. Chemin de St-Jacques is French for Camino de Santiago.
Construction of the citadel began in 1628. Because of its close proximity to the French/ Spanish border, St. Jean Pied de Port has long been contended among kingdoms, and the countries of France, Spain, and England. According to the St. Jean Pied de Port Wikipedia page, the town’s current site was located by the Kings of Navarra shortly after the original site was razed to the ground in 1177 by troops of Richard the Lionheart.  The main citadel building was classified as a historical monument in 1963, and now houses a school.
The stone walls of the citadel and viewpoint.
St. Jean Pied de Port, the valley, and the Pyrenees from the viewpoint. This is one of my favourite photos, with the contrast in colours between the homes and the surrounding landscape.
The Porte du Roy outside the main building.
I finished the evening with a wonderful communal dinner alongside fellow pilgrims at the albergue or pilgrim hostel. This Basque quiche was the highlight of the dinner. The Diabetic Gourmet has a Basque quiche recipe.
I hope you enjoyed this post because on my next one, On the Camino de Santiago: St. Jean Pied de Port to the Pyrenees, I’ll begin my journey on the French Way with a definite sense of nervousness and excitement. Please join me.
If you have my book, Camino de Santiago In 20 Days, or have ordered it, I really appreciate your support. It’s also out on Kindle and Kobo. My Goodreads and Amazon pages have reviews and more information. Please share this post, and thanks for your time.
About Randall St. Germain
Randall St. Germain, author of Camino de Santiago In 20 Days, is a middle-aged Canadian Boy who is passionate about nature, photography, hiking, music, and self-improvement. After the death of his mother, he chose to walk the famous pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago, across the north of Spain, despite knowing little about it. He certainly didn’t plan to write a book until the latter days of his Camino. Similar to walking the Camino, writing and publishing a book was a learning experience. It was also very rewarding, and part of his ongoing journey. Please join him as he takes you along on his journey in Camino de Santiago In 20 Days, and on his blog Camino My Way.
Great photos. Continued happy traveling. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much, Marie. All my best to you.
I love the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great content.
Thank you very much. Yes, this blog has taken a lot of time. Especially, the earlier ones when I fought with photos that didn’t display, and text that didn’t go where I wanted it. I’m getting a little better now, but have a lot to learn. I also hope to have a new blog layout this year.
We have friend doing a long camino from Germany now nearing Leo . We enjoyed your book and it helped us to imagine where she was and what she had been seeing
Thanks so much, Lee. It always makes me happy to hear kind words about my book. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope your friend is having a safe and pleasant journey.
Hi Randall, I am walking the French route alone as from 1 May this year. I have only come across your blog now and I love it. I am going to try and get a copy of your book – but I am leaving South Africa in two weeks. Is there an outlet at St Jean that stocks your book?
With best wishes
Hans
Hans, first of all, I want to wish you a safe and rewarding journey. I started my French Way on April 29th, so you are going at the same time of year. I wish you the best of weather too. As for my book, I don’t know of any stores in St. Jean that have my book. It is available at the Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Camino-de-Santiago-20-Days-Randall-St-Germain/9780987709004 with many parts of the world having free shipping. You may want the Kindle edition instead. There are free Kindle apps for smart phones. Let me know if I can help with anything else and thanks for stopping by. Buen Camino
In the last several days I decided that this, the camino, is exactly what I’d like to be doing with my time off… I arrived in Biarritz by chance and then read your blog and it solidified my plans to do a small portion of the camino… iI had already spent the last three days hitchhiking/walking 900km down from Paris as a bit of a warm-up… Im just looking for a little advice: How does one find a list of hostels, along the camino and how does one prepare food wise?
Hi Michael. Sorry to take so long. There should be an alberque guide given to you at the Pilgrim Office in St. Jean. There are also up to date ones online. I know the Camino de Santiago forum has one that you can print out or download to your smartphone. As for food, you should have read my book
Seriously, there are stores, bars, and restaurants along the way. The larger centers have supermarkets. It depends how much you want to spend. You can eat at restaurants two or three times a day, or buy something at a store and either eat it during your breaks, or after you arrive at the albergue. I hope that helps a little. Thanks for stopping by 