From Los Arcos to Logrono, Camino Frances Stage no. 7

Basic Information

• Starting Point: Los Arcos, Spain – A small town with roughly 1,200 inhabitants, 4 pilgrim hostels and other accommodation options, and all services for pilgrims.
• Ending Point: Logroño, Spain – The capital of La Rioja (today we cross the border of provinces La Navarra and La Rioja), famous for its wine culture, historic old town, and vibrant tapas scene. With over 150,000 inhabitants, it offers all services you may expect from a big town. Six pilgrim albergues and many other accommodation options for every budget.
• Availability of an alternative route: Not really, except of a long distance cycling route EV3, which again follows the same course as we do today, from Los Arcos to Logrono. It is a big longer though, avoids some chapels and historic monuments, and you spend more time on paved roads. Both the camino and the cycling route always connect after a few kilometers following separate ways, so opting for it on some section is a nice way of avoiding the crowds. If you want, you can check it on the map here.
• Distance: 28.5 km (Download GPS here). The cycling route has 30.5 km.
• Online Map: here.
• Elevation Difference: +435 m ascent, -500 m descent
• Difficulty Score: 3/5
• Beauty Score: 2/5 – In general not the nicest stage, with industrial zones close to Logrono and rather dry landscape especially in the first part, but there are some nice surprises too, such as the water reservoir before Logrono.
• Terrain/Asphalt Walking Ratio: 65% trails, 35% asphalt/paved roads/right next to the road.
• Next stage: Camino Frances Stage no. 8, Logrono – Azofra.
• Previous stage: Camino Frances, Stage no. 6, Estella – Los Arcos.

Elevation profile for the route

– The first six kilometers are maybe the flattest so far we had on the Camino (but there are even flatter sections ahead :)). Then a bit more eventful section starts, between Sansol (km 7) and Viana (km 18.5), with the gradient of the climb/descent sometimes surpassing 10%. The end of the stage is rather flat as well.

Advanced Info About the Stage

• Trail Marking: Once again, the way marking is excellent, and there aren’t any problematic spots on today’s walk. In Logrono, another little known camino way called “Camino Jacobeo del Ebro” merges with Camino Frances. Hence do not get surprised seeing some pilgrims walking from a different direction.
• Natural Places Worth Seeing:
  • Water reservoir Las Canas, a nature reserve with places for bird-watching, and a nice peaceful surroundings. There is a path around the entire reservoir, an info point, and even a small chapel. 400 meters detour from the Camino, location on Google maps here. As you can likely imagine, due to the climate change the reservoir doesn’t have as much water as it once had. But it is still a nice spot and definitely a must see for bird watchers.
  • Monte Cantabria: A small hill near Logroño with panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside. Popular by both tourists and locals, for picnics, sunsets, etc. There is an archeological site as well. Definitely worth a visit, 800 meters detour from the Camino, location on Google maps here. In good weather (which means not too warm), some pilgrims opt for this spot also as an alternative for an afternoon stroll in Logrono.
• Historical, Architectural, and Culinary Places Worth Seeing:
  • Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro (Torres del Río): A unique octagonal church with Moorish influences and Templar associations, dating back to the 12th century. Location on Google maps here. Open from 9am to 1pm and 4:30pm to 7pm every day. Sometimes they ask 1 euro for entrance, which some pilgrims may not like. In my opinion though, it is rather a symbolic sum of money and a nice gesture to support the village.
  • Couple of small chapels and churches along the way, such as Ermita del Poyo (location on Google maps here). On this stretch of the camino, the chapels offers also a nice place to sit in shade for a while, which can be priceless on a hot day.
  • Cathedral of Logrono – Concatedral de Santa Maria de La Redonda, famous for painting of Michelangelo and for overall beauty. Open every day from 8:30am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm, with a pilgrim mass with pilgrim blessing every day at 8pm. Definitely worth a visit. Location on Google maps here.
  • Local Cuisine: You can try specialties like patatas a la riojana (potatoes with chorizo) or pimientos asados (roasted peppers) in Logroño. Sampling some of the region’s world-famous wines also isn’t a bad idea–of course in moderation :). Rioja is the famous wine province of Spain, and once you’re in the capital of Rioja, it is your best chance of having some of those wines.
• Camping/Bivouac Options on the Stage: There is one organized camping place in Logrono, called Camping La Playa, location and reviews on Google maps here. As the name suggests, it is rather a party place then a pilgrim place, with silence at night hardly respected. However, they accept dogs, prices aren’t bad (8 euro for a tent and 8 euro for a person, so you can sleep there for 16 euro with electricity and everything). However, due to the nature of the place I would avoid it in summer and during weekends. The stage isn’t really good for wild camping, with open landscapes and lot of private property and vineyards. Of course in big city like Logrono wild camping is close to impossible. You can try your chance with some spot near the reservoir before Logrono, somewhere here, but it is really just for the cases of emergency. Be sure to pitch your tent only shortly before sunset.
• Dog-Friendly Score: 2/5. Slowly but surely, things are getting worse for dogs with more flat terrain, less shade (on some stretches no shade), less water. Logrono has many green areas though, and one albergue in town accepts pilgrims with dogs. It is called Albergue Logrono Centro. Check location and reviews on Google maps here.
• Special Remarks: Today we leave the province of Navarre and enter the province of La Rioja. It is our second province of Camino Frances, with another two (Castilla y Leon and Galicia) still waiting ahead. La Rioja is famous mostly for wine and you will certainly spend a lot of time walking amidst vineyards the following days.

My picks for accommodation on this stage

1. Albergue Karma (Sansol, km 7): A nice and peaceful place with communal dinner. Small place, only 10 beds in 2 rooms, very welcoming host, great reviews across all platforms.  It is 10 euro/night plus 9 euro/dinner. Accepts reservations on +34665170116, open all year long except of December. Location and reviews on Google maps here.
2. Albergue Parochial Santiago El Real Logroño (km 28): A nice donation based albergue, with 30 beds, open all year round. Communal dinner and breakfast, also donation based. Nice location at the edge of Park Rio Ebro (the green part of Logrono) and at the same time close to the very center of town (less then 10 minutes walk to the Cathedral). Definitely my favorite place to stay in Logrono. Location and reviews on Google maps here.

Pictures from the stage

– Early morning on the camino isn’t always as romantic as it sounds

– The first part of today’s walk passes through a rather dry country. It still has its charm tough.

– Things get better later on, with more shade and trails, at least in the middle part of today’s stage. Notice the pair of shoes pilgrims left on the tree. You will see dozens of those, if not hundreds, until you reach Santiago.

– One of the water reservoirs, back in 2014. You can bet it isn’t as big anymore today…

If you find any information on this page incorrect or outdated, or have a suggestion how to improve it for fellow pilgrims, please let us know. Thank you for helping the pilgrim community, and buen Camino

Few Tips at the End

• Visit Monte Cantabria either while entering Logrono, or in the evening: When you reach Logroño, climb Monte Cantabria for panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside. It’s a perfect spot for having a bottle of La Rioja wine with your pilgrim friends while enjoying the views and sharing stories from the first week of your Camino Frances. Being there for a sunset isn’t a bad idea either…
• Explore Logroño’s tapas scene: The Calle Laurel is the most famous street in town for tapas and wines. Of course it is a bit of a tourist trap when we talk about prices, but the food quality is good and if you’re into a town evening with fellow pilgrims, you can start here and see where the evening will eventually take you…

Next/Previous Stage

• Next stage: Camino Frances Stage no. 8, Logrono – Azofra.
• Previous stage: Camino Frances, Stage no. 6, Estella – Los Arcos.