French Route: Luzaide/Valcarlos-Orreaga/Roncesvalles

From Luzaide/Valcarlos onwards you will face the most demanding stretches. The path ascends between chestnut, birch and hazelnut trees, rivers, meadows and a beech forest that leads to the Ibañeta Peak, where the legend sets the Battle of Roncesvalles, made popular in the ‘Chanson de Roldán’. 

Orreaga/Roncesvalles, the ideal haven  From the Ibañeta peak, we head down to Orreaga/Roncesvalles through a valley. We reach our fi nal destination via an exceptionally beautiful wooded trail. This major religious hub hosts genuine treasures. The most outstanding is the Collegiate of Santa María, a former pilgrims’ hospital, home to the remains of King Sancho VII the Great.