Towards Santiago de Compostela The Via Turonensis, from Tours

Walk the Camino de Santiago for thousands of years! Tours is one of the 4 historic starting towns indicated in the “Codex Calixtinus” (a manuscript dating from around 1140), along with Vézelay, Arles and Le-Puy-en-Velay.

Your departure from Tours to Santiago de Compostela

The day before you set off on your journey, arrive easily by train in the city centre of the Touraine capital thanks to the many rail links. This gives you time to enjoy the city’s historic districts, which are particularly well preserved and bustling with the many shops. Pass by the basilica, which houses the tomb of Saint Martin: as early as the 4th century, many pilgrims came to the Touraine capital to pay their respects, 5 centuries before the start of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela!

Of course, you don’t have to go all the way to Spain. For a first experience, opt for a few days’ walk that will take you to the Port-de-Piles station, south of La Celle Saint-Avant. Here are some guidelines for the distances involved:
– Tours => Veigné: 18 km (if stopping at Saint-Avertin: 12.5 km to Veigné)
– Veigné => Sainte-Catherine de Fierbois : 22 km (if stage in Montbazon: 19 km to Sainte-Catherine)
– Sainte-Catherine de Fierbois => Port-de-Piles: 24 km (if stage in Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine: 16 km to Port de Piles).

Sur les pas de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle en Centre-Val de Loire

GR®655

From Brussels to the Gibraltar stele (located in the Atlantic Pyrenees), via Paris, Tours, Poitiers, Bordeaux and Dax, the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre has marked out the Way of St James under the name GR®655.

Route of the GR® 655

Staying in Tours

The road to Santiago de Compostela from Tours to Châtellerault

So you’re off on the road, after a hearty breakfast! Head for the banks of the Cher, with the Ile Balzac at its heart, where the GR®3 (along the Loire), GR®41 (along the Cher) and GR®46 (along the Indre) also meet. After Saint-Avertin, walk through the Larçay forest before heading towards Veigné and the fortress of Montbazon, on the banks of the Indre. After crossing large cereal-growing plots, stop off at the Parc de Fierbois campsite, for example, before arriving in Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, where you can discover the Château des Rohan and the Bommiers dolmen. Want to continue along the route after La Celle Saint-Avant? Head for Dangé-Saint-Romain, Châtellerault and even Poitiers if you like!

The Jacquaires stops

Why do the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela?

Come and recharge your batteries, find yourself, challenge yourself, reflect, share the experience with fellow travellers… or simply hike to discover new horizons! There’s no shortage of reasons to walk the roads to Santiago de Compostela: everyone comes looking for what they want. Of the 4 historic routes, the “via Turonensis” or Tours route is considered to be the easiest. The temperate climate and low relief are two assets appreciated by hikers with shells and rucksacks, especially for a first time.

And while more than 500,000 pilgrims have been counted in 2024 in Santiago de Compostella, rest assured, the concentration of walkers is mainly in Spain. On the way to Tours, you’ll appreciate the peace and quiet!

Association of the Pilgrims' Way to Santiago de Compostela in Touraine

2027: the next Jacobean year!

When the feast of Saint James, 25 July, falls on a Sunday, it is known as the Compostellan Holy Year or Jacobean Year, during which sins can be fully forgiven by following certain rituals. On this occasion, the “holy door” of Santiago de Compostela cathedral remains open all year round and festivities are organised.