From Roncesvalles to Zubiri, Camino Frances Stage no. 2

Basic Information

• Starting Point: Roncesvalles – A historic village in Navarre, famous for its medieval monastery and its role as a key stop for pilgrims after the crossing of the French-Spanish border. One big albergue and all basic facilities for the pilgrims.
• Ending Point: Zubiri – A small town in the Basque Country, known as the “town of the bridge” due to its iconic medieval bridge over the Rio Arga. 430 inhabitants, many albergues and hotels. Small shop as well. The town basically lives from the pilgrimage.
• Availability of an alternative route: No, there aren’t any alternative routes available, at least not routes worth taking that would not prolong your hike significantly.
• Distance: Main route: 21.5 km (download GPS here)
• Online Map: View the route here
• Elevation Difference: +330 m ascent, -770 m descent
• Difficulty Score: 3/5
• Beauty Score: 5/5
• Terrain/Asphalt Walking Ratio: 90% trails, 10% asphalt/paved roads.
• Next stage: Camino Frances Stage no. 3, Zubiri – Pamplona.
• Previous stage: Camino Frances Stage no. 1, St. Jean Pied de Port – Roncesvalles.

Elevation profile for the stage

– As you can see, it is mostly going down today :). Do not get fooled by the chart though. You will still have to deal with a few sharp climbs with gradient over 14%, especially after the first 7 km of today’s walk. These climbs are steep but short. But because you’re still getting accustomed to the heavy backpack, they can feel quite hard. Right before Zubiri you’ll find yourself on a steep descent with gradient over 20% on some sections. Walking poles come handy here.

Advanced Info About the Stage

• Trail Marking: Just like on the first stage, the trail marking is excellent. A pro tip: if for any case you’re not sure which route to take on a crossroad, follow the napkins. With no public toilets available along the camino routes, and hundreds of pilgrims, it is just natural that people go to toilet and leave the napkins behind. On a couple of occasions it helped me find my way ;).
• Natural Places Worth Seeing:
  • Lower sections of the Pyrenees. While you aren’t so high (at least altitude-wise) anymore, you are still surrounded by the beautiful Pyrenees on today’s walk. There are more trees and forests and trails today, and some people (me including) consider this stage even more beautiful than the first one. The air is fresh, and the colors are often extremely vibrant after the storms of the night. Just enjoy this beauty, because it won’t last long, and you’ll soon leave the mountains.
  • Rio Arga: The beautiful river that runs through Zubiri, offering a refreshing sight at the end of the stage. It will also accompany you for the better part of tomorrow’s walk.
• Historical, Architectural, and Culinary Places Worth Seeing:
  • The small colorful Basque (originally) villages along the route: It is a pure pleasure walking through these beautiful small villages with big houses of granite, where several generations used to live together. The infrastructure, the colorful flowers they put everywhere, but also the pride Basque people have, with the flags and signs visible everywhere (even though geographically they belong to Navarra province, and not Basque country, most people in the region are Basque, and they speak Euskera). Again, no need to take any detours here, just enjoy what the villages have to offer.
  • Puente de la Rabia (Zubiri): A medieval bridge over the Río Arga, said to have healing powers for animals. View on Google Maps.
• Camping/Bivouac Options on the Stage: Wild camping is definitely possible, even though there’s a lot of private property and fences along this stage… Your best chance is close to crossroads a few kilometers above Zubiri, in a nicely wooded area, roughly here. There is also one organized camping place along the route:
  • Camping Urrobi, 1.6 km away from the Camino, location and reviews on Google maps here. Well maintained, great reviews, good restaurant on site, everything super clean, affordable prices, dog friendly.
• Dog-Friendly Score: 5/5. A really nice stage for dogs, with plenty of shade, water, and a good terrain (you walk on asphalt only for about 10% of today’s stage). There is one albergue in Zubiri that accepts dogs, called Hostel Rio Arga. You can check the location and reviews on Google Maps here. If you want to stay there for a night with your lovely dog, I recommend you making a reservation in advance on one of the following phone numbers: +34 948 30 42 43/ +34 680 104 471.
• Special Remarks:
  • There are a lot of albergues in Zubiri, but the capacity is still not enough for the high time on the pilgrimage, such as May, June, September, October. The municipal albergue has some mattresses they put on ground in a gym, and you can sleep there, but also this has its limits… If you’re a slow walker, or simply prefer being stress-free when it comes to accommodation, I recommend you booking something in advance (almost all places in Zubiri accept reservations nowadays).

My picks for accommodation on this stage

1. Albergue Municipal de Zubiri (km 21.5): Located right at the end of the stage, this albergue is a favorite among pilgrims for its affordability (14 euro) and central location. It has 72 beds,and a decent communal dining area with some wending machines, microwave, etc. Do not count on real cooking facilities though, even though they advertise having a kitchen. Check-in from noon to 8 pm, you can make a reservation through their website here, or call to +34 621 150 718. Location and reviews on Google maps: here.
2. Albergue Suseia (km 21.5): Location and reviews on Google maps here. The best place in Zubiri, following reviews across different platforms. Nice garden, communal dinner with vegetarian and vegan options, very clean, with a wonderful host and a small garden where you can chill on a nice day. Just 12 places (6 in dorms and 6 in three double rooms), book in advance at +34 679 667 603 to get a place. Price from 18 euro for the night, extra costs for dinner/breakfast, private room, etc.
3. Albergue Rio Arga (km 21.5). Location and reviews on Google maps here. Unbeatable location right on the beautiful bridge over Rio Arga. 22 beds, 18 euro/bed, well equipped kitchen, the only albergue in Zubiri that accepts dogs, nice people running the place. Highly recommended. You can make reservations on +34 680 104 471, +34 948 304 243, check-in from 1pm, open all year round.

Pictures from the stage

– The beautiful colorful bushes accompany us for the big part of today’s walk as well. Enjoy them while you can.

– We aren’t so high anymore, but there are some viewpoints on today’s hike that offer great sights into the country ahead of us.

– With German and American pilgrim friends close to Zubiri, September 2014. I was a young guy back then, and had no idea whatsoever that 10 years on, I’ll be living in Spain, running an albergue, and also a website about Camino de Santiago. Well, life is full of surprises :).

– When the municipal albergue in Zubiri is full and there’s not more capacity in town, they place some mattresses on the ground in the gym. It was also my ordeal, and I will never forget the hailstones hitting the metal floor at night during the storm. It made so much noise that earplugs were of no help whatsoever. Still, I was grateful for not having to sleep outside on that night–which was a close possibility…

Few tips at the end

• Avoid sleeping outside if you can, night storms are common in this zone. This region is famous for frequent weather changes, and for storms that arrive at night, often after a day of beautiful weather. These are powerful storms often accompanied by hail, and certainly not something you want to experience on the camino, unless you have an equipment of a professional mountaineer with you. Make reservation in Zubiri in advance, and if you don’t, accept whatever they offer to you, including a mattress on the floor.
• Unless you really want to reach Pamplona super early the next day (for example to get a bed in some albergue that does not accept reservations), I recommend you starting after sunrise the next day. The path near Zubiri, passing along the river Arga, is super nice. But you won’t have nothing of it if you walk there in pitch dark with your headlamp only, as many pilgrim do, rushing their way to Pamplona…

Next/Previous Stage

• Next stage: Camino Frances, Stage no. 3, Zubiri – Pamplona.
• Previous stage: Camino Frances Stage no. 1, St. Jean Pied de Port – Roncesvalles.