Getting to Europe (and Back)

ASSISTANCE – 03: GETTING TO EUROPE (AND BACK)

From Canada, it is a night flight that will take you to Europe with an arrival the next day in the morning.

HOW DO I GET TO THE START OF MY HIKE IN THE REGION?

From your arrival airport, reaching the start of your tour in the region will certainly be done by train and/or bus depending on your final destination.

Europe has an extensive rail network with many departures on major routes, usually well connected to bus stations and scheduled coaches to complete the trip.

However, you should know that the time allowed for a connection between two trains and/or coaches is generally quite short, possibly very short, which often surprises a traveller not used to travelling in Europe.

In this sense, it is advisable to have exchangeable tickets for some flexibility in schedules and a plan B to ensure that you reach your final destination the same day.

You will therefore have taken the precaution of booking your tickets before your departure.

If you are not comfortable with the transfer times between airports and train stations, the choice of routes, schedules and connections en route, it will probably be very useful for you to use the services of a travel agency that will be able to give you the best advice.

HOW DO I GET TO MY DEPARTURE AIRPORT AT THE END OF THE TRIP?

At the end of the hike, you will have to go back to an airport and the same remarks and recommendations apply as mentioned above.

ATTENTION: The return flights generally leave Europe in the middle of the day for an arrival in Canada the same day, so you will need to find accommodation near this airport the day before departure in order not to miss your flight the next day.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.nicolevoyage.com 450-455-0991 Toll Free: 1-877-455-0991

www.euro-rando.com 514-386-1704

Jean-Paul Bordus

Towards Compostela in Spain

THE PATHS – 04 : TOWARDS COMPOSTELA IN SPAIN

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ROUTES TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA IN SPAIN?

In SPAIN, three main roads converge towards Santiago: the CAMINO FRANCÈS, the CAMINO DEL NORTE and the VIA DE LA PLATA.

WHAT IS THE CAMINO FRANCÈS?

Distance: about 800 km. In the past, most of the pilgrims from France took this route, hence its name “The French Way”. It begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, crossing the Pyrenees, and goes inland through the regions of Navarra, Castilla y León and Galicia. It is the best known route and therefore the most frequented, especially in season.

WHAT IS THE CAMINO DEL NORTE?

Distance: about 850 km. It officially starts in IRUN and at the border, but many walkers start this route in Bayonne and in France. To the north of the Camino Frances, from where it takes its name, it follows for the most part the Atlantic coast before joining the Camino Primitivo in LUGO which leads to Santiago. It is a route between the sea and the mountains with very beautiful panoramas on the Atlantic but also with strong unevenness which makes it a less frequented way than the Camino Frances.

WHAT IS VIA DE LA PLATA?

Distance: about 1000 km. It starts in SEVILLE in the south of Spain. It joins the Camino Frances in ASTORGA but there is also, a little before this city, a fork towards the West and OURENSE by the Camino Sanabrès. An ancient Roman road, it is a superb historical route, also marked by solitude in certain sectors, still very little frequented but in the making. If you like less crowds and are ready to complete some long stages, it might be for you. Warning: it is not really recommended from mid-May to mid-September because of the excessive heat.

As in France, there are many other paths that join these great itineraries.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.nicolevoyage.com 450-455-0991 Toll Free: 1-877-455-0991

www.euro-rando.com 514-386-1704

RESERVE OR REQUEST A QUOTE

Jean-Paul Bordus

Choose and Go

THE PATHS – 02 – CHOOSE & GO !

GO ON A PILGRIMAGE ? OR A TOURISM ADVENTURE?

On the whole European pedestrian network, there would be more than 80,000 km of marked trails “Compostela”! And in 2019, before the pandemic, nearly 350,000 people have applied for a validation of pilgrimage to Santiago!

If these figures leave you dreaming, they suggest that the craze for these paths has largely exceeded the notion of “strict pilgrimage”! It is true that today we still meet authentic pilgrims, but nowadays it is rather a large majority of new walkers who travel on these roads and for many different reasons.

In this sense, initially a “Catholic pilgrimage”, walking to Compostela is no longer reserved solely for a religious approach but has become over time and for most a “discovery experience”: for some “spiritual” to take stock of oneself and find oneself again, “sporting” for others who are looking for the challenge of a long hike, or “tourist” for those who love walking and appreciate the cultural and historical aspects and the reception facilities.

GOING TO COMPOSTELA OR MAKING COMPOSTELA ?

The motivations for leaving for Compostela are therefore numerous and varied. Since the motive for leaving is no longer only “religious” in the strict sense of the term, we can therefore claim that nowadays “leaving for Compostela” or rather “doing Compostela” has in reality become above all an invitation to set out, far from the framework of one’s usual environment, to live “something else” and for some time!

AND WHY NOT SHARE THE ROAD?

Pilgrimages, individual challenges, tourist adventures — all these paths are open to everyone. They are above all an invitation to hike, to travel on foot and at your own pace, to meet people and to share. No matter what your motivation is! It is a matter of choosing an itinerary and setting off. To each his own path!

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.nicolevoyage.com 450-455-0991 Toll Free : 1-877-455-0991

www.euro-rando.com 514-386-1704

RESERVE OR REQUEST A QUOTE

Jean-Paul Bordus

Hiking in Europe

THE PATHS – 01: HIKING IN EUROPE

WHY A HIKING TRIP IN EUROPE?

Although Canada offers a vast network of trails of great interest to hikers, hiking in its various regions for several days or longer on a linear route of good distance is quickly akin to an expedition because the transport of a minimum of equipment and food becomes essential, as well as a good mastery of orientation and a taste for camping. This is not for everyone!

If EURO-RANDO has turned to Europe to share its passion for hiking, it is also because the vast majority of European countries also have a vast network of trails, but with one fundamental difference: the presence of well-established reception structures, a wide choice of accommodation and refreshment points that are never far from each other, and an omnipresent historical and cultural heritage, all of which are within reasonable walking distance and generally on well-marked paths.

ARE YOU READY FOR AN ADVENTURE?

Thanks to a long tradition of walking in Europe, a multitude of trails, paths and discovery routes have been and continue to be revived, forming a veritable spider’s web linking the main routes of the ancient pilgrimage routes of the Middle Ages. In short, a real paradise for linear hiking, whether it is for a few days in the region or several weeks from one country to another.

From Canada, EURO-RANDO has chosen to offer hiking tours in FRANCE and SPAIN.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY A WALKING TRIP?

Nos itinéraires et nos services s’adressent aux marcheurs en général, qu’ils soient débutants ou non, en route dans un but religieux et de pèlerinage ou avec un objectif plus profane, celui de la découverte touristique, historique et culturelle en voyageant à pied. À chacun son chemin !

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.nicolevoyage.com 450-455-0991 Toll Free : 1-877-455-0991

www.euro-rando.com 514-386-1704

RESERVE OR REQUEST A QUOTE

Jean-Paul Bordus