Via Gebennensis

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Geneva (Notre-Dame Basilica, near Cornavin Station) → Le Puy-en-Velay (Notre-Dame Cathedral)
• Length: 347.6 km
• Ascent/Descent: ↗ 6,750 m / ↘ 6,496 m — about 400 meters of elevation gain per day, with some days reaching 1,000: not an Alpine trail, but a genuine low-mountain range
• Duration: About 15–18 days (17 stages; if you're in good shape, you can do it in 14 days by combining the three shorter days with the neighboring stages)
• Marking: The red-and-white GR markers of the GR 65, officially approved since 1998—the same trail number runs all the way from Geneva to Pamplona
• Access route: Via Jacobi, Switzerland's National Route 4 from Lake Constance, ends exactly at the starting point at the Basilique Notre-Dame; Geneva has an airport and a TGV station, both 300 meters from the starting point
• Connection: In Le Puy-en-Velay, the Via Podiensis takes over—the GR 65 retains its number and changes only its name; at the same time, the Trier–Le Puy trail joins it there
• Character: The quiet bridge between Switzerland and France—Roman roads, customs stations, vineyard terraces, volcanic landscapes; in May 2025, a hiker counted four other pilgrims over a distance of 220 kilometers

Overview

“Via Gebennensis” sounds like a name that has appeared in historical documents for 850 years. But it hasn’t: The chain of documentation for this route begins in 1987, not 1187—and that is precisely what makes it authentic. The French Wikipedia states without any hesitation that the new secondary routes were established only after the 1987 designation as a cultural trail“plus ou moins arbitrairement tracés et balisés” — drawn and marked more or less arbitrarily. The sequence of this path is therefore not a legend, but a record: 1987 the Council of Europe designates the Compostela Routes as the first European Cultural Route on March 16, 1993 The Association Rhône-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques is incorporated in Lyon (first president: Jacques Tollet), 1996 the file titled “Inscription aux itinéraires culturels européens de la liaison Genève-Le Puy”—the “birth certificate”—appears in the association’s archives, and 1998 The FFRandonnée certifies the trail as GR 65. And the Codex Calixtinus? Around 1135, it lists four routes to Santiago. Geneva is not one of them—Le Puy is. This route does not lead to Santiago. It leads to one of the four that do.

Beneath the new path, however, lie very old roads — The path is new, but the streets are old. On your 347.6 kilometers by Geneva according to Le Puy-en-Velay stands Yenne if Etanna on the Tabula Peutingeriana, the Roman road map — “road and port station”; Seyssel is the successor to the Roman port on the Rhône Condate (around 120 B.C.), and Chanaz It collected land duties, water duties, and salt taxes long before anyone here spoke of pilgrims. But its strongest anchor is an abbey: Bonnevaux, donated in 1117 by Gui de Bourgogne, Archbishop of Vienne, in the year before his election as pope — as Calixt II. In 1120, he elevated Santiago de Compostela to the status of an archdiocese, and his name appears in the first pilgrim's guide in history. The journey ends in Geneva Via Jacobi from Switzerland; the journey begins in Le Puy Via Podiensis — The GR 65 will keep its number and only change its name. In between: ↗ 6,750 meters of elevation gain, three landscapes, and a tranquility no longer found on the major Caminos — a hiker experienced exactly that over 220 kilometers in May 2025 four other pilgrims.

A Journey Through 400 Years of Religious History

No other Way of St. James begins in a city that has abolished pilgrimage. On August 10, 1535, one day after the iconoclasm, the Geneva Council suspended Mass at Saint-Pierre Cathedral “provisoirement”—temporarily. On the May 21, 1536 The Conseil général approved the Reformation by a show of hands; literally: “We want to live.”“voulant délaisser toutes messes et autres cérémonies et abus papaux, images et idoles” — renouncing all Masses, papal ceremonies, images, and idols. That "provisional" measure from 1535 lasted 486 years: It wasn't until 2021 that a Catholic Mass was celebrated again in Saint-Pierre. Calvin provided the theological justification for this in 1543, in the Traité des reliques, printed in Geneva: Instead of seeking Christ in his Word,“on s'amuse à ses robes, ses cheveux et ses drapeaux” — people enjoy their clothes, their hair, and their flags. That’s why this route doesn’t start at Calvin’s Cathedral, but at the Basilique Notre-Dame — a Catholic church that was not built until 1852–1857, 316 years after the Reformation.

And then you dive into the episodes, one after another, all dated. Twenty kilometers past Geneva lies the Chartreuse de Pomier, whose Carthusians survived the decades of the Reformation only because they paid —“moyennant une taxe aux protestants”, in exchange for a donation to the Protestants: praying for a fee. On the second day, you'll pass through Frangy — in November 1590 burned to the ground by Geneva troops after their attack on Chaumont failed; you're running through a town that soldiers from your home city reduced to ashes, with the month and year on record. In Chavanay was stuck 1567 Jean de Fay, the local lord who had converted to Protestantism, set his own parish church on fire—the current roof dates from 1672. And in Montfaucon-en-Velay Is the Notre-Dame Chapel even standing only because of the Calvinists? 1585 took over the town, and someone made a vow that the occupation would end.

But this path does not end with the indictment—it turns the story on its head. The final stages lead through the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon, a Huguenot region since the Reformation. Between 1940 and 1944 The Protestant farmers of this highland region hid Jews from persecution: Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, six kilometers away from your leg of the journey, was chosen for this purpose 1990 collectively honored by the State of Israel as “Righteous Among the Nations”—explicitly including the neighboring communities through which you pass; about 40 people from the area have received the honor individually. To be honest, the number of people saved is a matter of debate—estimates range from about 1,000 Jews to 5,000 refugees. In the municipal area of Tence That is how André Chouraqui, who later became a Bible translator, survived. The same Protestantism that banned the pilgrimage in 1536 and set Frangy ablaze in 1590 hid people in barns in 1943 — A Journey Through 400 Years of Religious History, along the same 347 kilometers. And in 1993, the final twist came: pilgrims returning from Compostela founded the association that re-marked this very corridor as a pilgrimage route. Since then, pilgrims have been walking here again—through Calvin’s city, past the Chapel of Vows, and across the Plateau of the Righteous.

Other Names

"Via Gebennensis" simply means Geneva Approach — Gebenna is the Medieval Latin form of Geneva, as in comes Gebennensis, the Count of Geneva. So the adjective is truly medieval; the It's not a street name: The sponsoring association shaped it in the 1990s so that the new route would fit into the familiar naming scheme of the French Way of St. James—and we’d rather tell you that than make up a certificate. In French, the route is called Voie de Genève or Chemin de Genève, known in German as the "Geneva Route" or the "Way of St. James: Geneva–Le Puy." Its official trail number is GR 65 — the same route that runs from Geneva to Pamplona and is called the Via Podiensis starting from Le Puy. And the official guidebook refers to it by its full name“Via Gebennensis par Yenne, La Côte-St-André et Chavanay”: Because there were different routes, the main route had to be officially designated—these three locations will let you know that you're on it.

Who It's Ideal For—and Who It's Not So Ideal For

This trail is for you if you plan to keep going anyway: If you're coming from Konstanz, Zurich, or Einsiedeln via the Via Jacobi has fallen into disrepair; it hasn’t achieved anything in Geneva, but has merely brought Switzerland to an end—these 347.6 kilometers are the stretch that turns a Swiss hike into a journey to Santiago. It’s also the perfect choice for you if you’re looking for peace and quiet—and I mean that literally: In May 2025, a hiker counted 220 kilometers four Other hikers—in the Isère section, you might go two days without seeing a single person with a backpack. And it’s a good fit if you like low-to-mid-range mountains: 6,750 meters of elevation gain works out to about 400 meters per day, with some days reaching around 1,000—challenging, but never technically difficult, with no climbing sections or exposed passages.

To be honest, though, this isn’t for you if you’re looking for the hostel community along the Camino Francés—it doesn’t exist here; it doesn’t start until Le Puy. It’s also not for you if you want to set out on a whim: The club guide lists over 75 places to stay, but spread across 17 stage destinations, that’s not a selection—it’s a chain. In several villages, there’s exactly one place to stay—often private lodging that requires advance booking and includes half-board, because there’s nothing else in town. You plan around such gaps in advance, not while you’re on the road. And anyone expecting a medieval pilgrimage atmosphere—hospices, scallop shell finds, historical documents—will be disappointed: you’ll find those starting in Le Puy. Here you’ll find Roman road stations, customs posts, and a history of religious denominations that’s stronger than any invented tradition.

Route & Landscape

You'll start at the Basilique Notre-Dame, less than 300 meters from the Genève-Cornavin train station, you walk through Carouge and after just a few kilometers, you'll be in France. The first climb leads up the Col du Mont Sion at the Carthusian monastery Pomier (around 1170) — on a clear day, Mont Blanc looms behind you. Across Frangy and the valley of the Usses you'll reach the Pont du Fier and the The Rhône near Seyssel, where the suspension bridge from 1840 rests on a medieval central pier that once supported a Black Madonna. For two days, you'll follow the river and Canal de Savières until Chanaz, then it goes under the Dent du Chat through the vineyards of Jongieux according to Yenne, the Roman station Etanna. The Col du Tournier takes you across the Guiers — until 1860, the state border between Savoy and France — after Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers.

The central section belongs to the Isère: the cool, wooded Terres froides, the ridge trail above the Lac de Paladru — the most scenic stretch of these past few days —, then the vast grain-growing plain of the Bièvre-Valloire with La Côte-Saint-André and the medieval village Revel-Tourdan. At Chavanay You cross the Rhône, and from here on it’s all mountains: through the terraced vineyards of the Condrieu up into the Pilat Regional Nature Park, about the Col du Tracol to the plateau of the Velay, where the path leads into the Massif du Meygal reaching its highest point at about 1,285 meters. The last day is the best: a descent through a landscape of extinct volcanoes over Saint-Germain-Laprade into Bassin du Puy, featuring the cathedral and the cliffs of Aiguilhe like finger-like peaks jutting out. ↗ 6,750 m, ↘ 6,496 m — you climb 254 meters net, but in reality you’re walking through three distinct regions: the Alpine foothills, the Isère hills, and the Velay volcanic region.

Stages, Terrain & Difficulty

Stage 17 The actual pace is a good 20 kilometers on average—official sources estimate 18, commercial providers estimate 19, and there’s little room to go lower, because in the Isère and Velay sections, there’s often only one house available for rent per village. So plan accordingly 15 to 18 days; anyone who merely 14 days links the three short days (stages 1, 5, and 9) to the adjacent stages. The distances listed below are taken from the clubs’ stage lists and are therefore marked as “approx.”; the track measurement from our route database gives a total distance of 347.6 km. Technically, nothing is difficult; the challenging parts are the passes—Col du Mont Sion, Col du Tournier, the climb from the Rhône Valley into the Pilat, and the Col du Tracol, with about 1,000 meters of elevation gain per day. When wet, the rocky descents in Pilat and Velay are slippery. The real challenge, however, is finding lodging: Your destination for the day isn't determined by your fitness level, but by where there's a bed.

1. Geneva → Beaumont — approx. 16 km — Short warm-up day: Start at the Basilique Notre-Dame near Cornavin Station, through Carouge and across the border at Bardonnex. From here on, French prices apply.
2. Beaumont → Frangy — approx. 23 km — The first serious climb over the Col du Mont Sion, past the Chartreuse de Pomier (around 1170); on a clear day, a view of Mont Blanc. Destination in the Roussette de Savoie wine region.
3. Frangy → Seyssel — approx. 21 km — Through the valley of the Usses, about the Pont du Fier and the Fier Gorge to the Rhône. Arrival at the Seyssel suspension bridge (1838–1840) with the statue of the Virgin Mary on the medieval central pier.
4. Seyssel → Chanaz — approx. 22 km — Rhône stage; hot and with little shade in the summer (one pilgrim recorded a temperature of 41 °C). Destination: Chanaz in Canal de Savières, the “Little Savoyard Venice”—bed availability is limited in the summer, so be sure to make reservations in advance.
5. Chanaz → Yenne — approx. 16 km — The shortest day, but with vineyards: Jongieux, then under the Dent du Chat according to Yenne, the Roman road station Etanna. Notre-Dame Church (12th–14th centuries).
6. Yenne → Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers — approx. 23 km — Via the Col du Tournier, wooded and rugged, with about 800 meters of elevation gain and loss. At the Guiers, the old border, is where Savoy ends — and the Gâteau de Saint-Genix Wait.
7. Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers → Valencogne — approx. 19 km — Entrance to the Terres froides the Isère: cornfields, hamlets, rolling hills; near Les Abrets and Saint-Ondras Templeland, circa 1124.
8. Valencogne → Le Grand-Lemps — approx. 23 km — a high-altitude trail along the ridges above the Lac de Paladru, the most scenic day in Isère. Destination at Bévenais: the hometown of the painter Pierre Bonnard.
9. Le Grand-Lemps → La Côte-Saint-André — approx. 14 km — The shortest leg to the wealthiest town: Halle from the late 13th century, Saint-André Church (1088–1102), Hector Berlioz's Birthplace.
10. La Côte-Saint-André → Revel-Tourdan — approx. 21 km — Through the Bièvre-Valloire near Faramans; close to the route was the Abbaye de Bonnevaux (1117). Destination: the medieval village overlooking the ancient site Turedonnum.
11. Revel-Tourdan → Saint-Romain-de-Surieu — approx. 18 km — A quiet day in the countryside, featuring the Chapelle de la Salette (core dating from the 11th–12th centuries). Small towns, limited accommodations—be sure to book in advance here.
12. Saint-Romain-de-Surieu → Chavanay — approx. 25 km — The longest day: Crossing the Rhône near Saint-Alban-du-Rhône/Chavanay, where the Isère flows into the Loire. In Chavanay the Church of Sainte-Agathe with its pilgrimage statue, surrounded by the vineyards of Condrieu and Saint-Joseph.
13. Chavanay → Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette — approx. 21 km — Ascent from the Rhône Valley through the terraced vineyards of Condrieu into the Pilat Regional Nature Park. From here on, low mountain range.
14. Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette → Les Sétoux — approx. 23 km — The toughest day: about 1,000 meters of elevation gain, Col du Tracol (1,062 m), coniferous forest, sudden changes in weather; alternatively via Bourg-Argental with its Romanesque portal (12th century). There are only a few beds available in Les Sétoux.
15. Les Sétoux → Montfaucon-en-Velay — approx. 19 km — “Montagnes russes du Velay”: a constant series of ups and downs around 1,000 meters. Destination: the Chapel of Vows, built in 1585, featuring twelve Flemish panels; Tence (6 km) as an alternative lodging.
16. Montfaucon-en-Velay → Saint-Julien-Chapteuil — about 26 km — A long day across the Massif du Meygal, at about 1,285 m, the highest point along the trail; can be broken up with a stop in Saint-Jeures. Destination among the basalt columns of the Suc de Chapteuil, in the town where Jules Romains was born.
17. Saint-Julien-Chapteuil → Le Puy-en-Velay — approx. 18 km — volcanic landscape, descent via Saint-Germain-Laprade into the Bassin du Puy. Inlet to the Notre-Dame Cathedral and to the Chapelle Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe (consecrated in 961, 268 steps).

The route is determined by the lodging options: The association’s guide lists over 75 places to stay—Accueils jacquaires hosted by association members (some on a donation basis), municipal and private gîtes, chambres d’hôtes, campgrounds, and simple hotels—but 75 locations spread over 347 kilometers do not constitute a network, but rather a chain: There’s actually a house in Saint-Romain-de-Surieu or Les Sétoux. Making a reservation here isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a requirement. Some sections of the route still work well, though, since there are train stations along the way in Culoz (near Seyssel/Chanaz), Les Abrets, Le Grand-Lemps, and Les Roches-de-Condrieu—and if you only have two weeks, you can combine short days 1, 5, and 9 with their neighboring days.

Highlights Along the Way

• Notre-Dame Basilica, Geneva — Starting point and junction: explicitly the endpoint of the Via Jacobi and the starting point of the Via Gebennensis. Built 1852–1857, a minor basilica since 1954 — the only Way of St. James in Europe that begins at a church that did not even exist at the height of the pilgrimage boom.
• Chartreuse de Pomier (c. 1170) — the Carthusian monastery 20 kilometers outside Geneva, which survived the Reformation years of 1536–1557 because the monks paid “moyennant une taxe aux protestants” — praying for a fee.
• Seyssel Suspension Bridge (1838–1840) — it stands on the medieval central pier of the old wooden bridge, which once spanned the Black Madonna carried by the Rhône boatman; the statue now stands in the church in Seyssel (Ain). Since 1760, the river has formed the border here—which is why there are two towns named Seyssel, one on each bank.
• Chanaz and the Canal de Savières — The “petite Venise savoyarde” was a hotbed of tolls: land tolls, water tolls, salt taxes, bridge tolls, and a customs post—anyone who crossed here had to pay. Also worth noting is the nut oil mill from 1868; Pope Innocent IV passed through here in 1244, and Count Amédée VII’s funeral barge in 1391.
• Yenne — if Etanna on the Tabula Peutingeriana Recorded as “station routière et portuaire”: The town appeared on a Roman road map before the pilgrims on the Way of St. James existed. In 1215, Thomas I of Savoy made Yenne the first free commune in Savoy.
• Gâteau de Saint-Genix — The brioche with the pink pralines dates back to Saint Agatha of Catania; its current form was created around 1880 by pastry chef Pierre Labully. And the journey itself provides the punchline: In Saint-Genix, you eat a martyr—six days later, you pray in her church, because the parish church of Chavanay is dedicated to Saint Agatha.
• La Côte-Saint-André — A hall dating from the late 13th century, the Church of Saint-André, built between 1088 and 1102 (older than the Codex Calixtinus), Cherry Rocher Distillery since 1705 — and the birthplace of Hector Berlioz, a museum since 1935. Here is what he himself said about the place: “Je suis né le 11 décembre 1803, à La Côte-Saint-André, très petite ville de France”—and he never walked the Way of St. James, which was right on his doorstep.
• Abbaye de Bonnevaux — Donated in 1117 by Gui de Bourgogne, who later became pope Calixt II., who elevated Compostela to an archdiocese in 1120. Plundered in 1789, sold as a quarry around 1830: A cross from 1933 remains from the monastery—and a signpost from 1998 marks the trail.
• Revel-Tourdan — a medieval village overlooking the ancient settlement Turedonnum, including the Prieuré Notre-Dame de Tourdan and the Église Saint-Roch, with its 12th-century painting. The site’s most significant find has been gone for over 160 years: the Roman silver vase, unearthed by workers on June 11, 1842, was purchased by the British Museum in 1859.
• AOC Condrieu — Terraced vineyards overlooking the Rhône, saved by Georges Vernay, “le pape du Condrieu”: In 1960, there were still 6 hectares of Viognier planted; today there are about 210. The vineyard was revived 40 years before the trail was.
• Pilat Regional Nature Park and Col du Tracol (1,062 m) — the toughest day of the hike: coniferous forest, sudden changes in weather, about 1,000 meters of elevation gain in one stretch.
• Chapelle Notre-Dame, Montfaucon-en-Velay — Built as a votive offering after the Calvinists captured the town in 1585. It contains twelve Flemish panels by Abel Grimmer (16th century): stolen on June 27, 1995; recovered intact on December 8, 1995; reinstalled on July 23, 1999 — “la place qu'elle n'aurait jamais dû quitter”
• Plateau Vivarais-Lignon — the Huguenot Highlands of the final stages: Between 1940 and 1944, the residents hid Jews; in 1990, Israel honored them Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and collectively designated the neighboring communities as “Righteous Among the Nations.” The Lieu de Mémoire (2013) is located six kilometers from this stage.
• Notre-Dame du Puy Cathedral and the Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe Chapel — The goal: UNESCO World Heritage status, a daily pilgrim's blessing, the Black Madonna (the original was burned in 1794 and replaced in the 19th century) — and this brings us back to the Madonna of the Seyssel Bridge Pillar. Next to it stands the volcanic rock of Aiguilhe, with its chapel—consecrated in 961 by Bishop Godescalc—accessible via 268 steps.

How Pilgrims Find Their Way Here

The most natural way to get there is on foot, because this path is the end of a chain: In Geneva, the Via Jacobi, Swiss National Route 4—446 kilometers in 20 stages from Lake Constance to Lake Geneva; the entire network stretches 645 kilometers. Anyone who has walked it ends up at the Basilique Notre-Dame — and right there, at that very church, the Via Gebennensis begins: the endpoint of one, the starting point of the other, with not a single meter in between. The Le Puy tourist office describes the purpose of this route rather matter-of-factly as “le lien avec la Suisse, l'Europe de l'Est et les chemins du Sud de l'Allemagne”—the link to Switzerland, Eastern Europe, and the trails of southern Germany. Everything coming down from Lake Constance along the Via Jacobi converges here.

If you don't want to travel all the way across Switzerland, just head to Geneva—there's no more convenient way to get to the Camino de Santiago: The airport Genève-Cointrin is located six kilometers from the main train station Cornavin, the train takes just a few minutes, and Cornavin Station itself has direct trains from Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lausanne, as well as TGVs from Paris and Lyon. It’s less than 300 meters from the train station to the starting point at the Basilique Notre-Dame: You can arrive in the morning and walk the first 16 kilometers to Beaumont in the afternoon. Your Pilgrim's Passport It's best to order it online in advance from one of the Jakobus clubs so that it arrives on time.

Continue the pilgrimage?

This trail does not end in Le Puy-en-Velay—it retains its trail number and simply changes its name: The GR 65 runs from Geneva to Pamplona; from Le Puy onward, it is called Via Podiensis. This brings you to the oldest and most-traveled of the four paths that the Codex Calixtinus around 1135 mentions—in the same city from which the bishop Godescalc set out for Galicia as early as 951 as one of the first known French pilgrims by name. To this day, the pilgrim’s blessing is given in the cathedral every morning; afterward, the “Portes du ventre” open, and kilometer zero begins just beyond them. Here are some honest statistics on the matter: About 25,000 people set out from Le Puy each year, but in 2019 only 3,180 of them reached Santiago—most walk in stages, not all the way to the end. Anyone coming from Geneva has a head start on all of them: a 347.6-kilometer head start.

From Le Puy, the route runs through Conques, Figeac, Cahors, and Moissac for about 750 kilometers to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port—where the Camino Francés and leads over the Pyrenees to Santiago in just over four weeks; in total, you still have about 1,500 kilometers to go from Le Puy. And Le Puy isn’t just your destination, but a gathering point: several routes converge here Trier–Le Puy one — whether you’re from Switzerland, the Eifel, or the Moselle, you’ll end up at the same cathedral entrance. Starting the next morning, both will follow the same path.

Preparation & Practical Information

The season runs from May through early October. There are two weather hazards you should be aware of: In the height of summer, the section of the Rhône between Seyssel and Chanaz is hot and offers little shade—one pilgrim recorded a temperature of 41 degrees there; be sure to stock up on water in the small towns along the way. Conversely, snow lingers on the Velay Plateau well into May, and the gîtes there often don’t open until after Easter. The best times to go are late May through June and the second half of September. As for gear, standard low-mountain equipment is sufficient; trekking poles are recommended for the 6,750 meters of elevation gain, and when wet, the rocky descents in Pilat and Velay can be slippery.

The most important part of the preparation is the lodging. Over 75 accommodations sound comfortable, but they are spread across 17 stopover locations—and many of the addresses are Accueils jacquaires, private accommodations provided by club members, sometimes on a donation basis, almost always requiring advance reservations, and often including half-board, since there are neither restaurants nor stores in the village. Book early, especially for Saint-Romain-de-Surieu, Les Sétoux, and the summer weeks in Chanaz. Luggage transport can be booked (La Malle Postale, based in Le Puy since 2009). And plan your daily stages in advance, because the available beds dictate your route—the easiest way to do this is directly in the Camino Ninja app, where you can put together your stages and plan suitable accommodations at the same time.

One Pilgrim's Passport (Credencial/Créanciale) You’ll need it as soon as you want to stay at gîtes at the pilgrim rate—and at the latest starting in Le Puy, if you’re continuing on and want to receive the Compostela at the end. Order it online in advance; in Le Puy, the cathedral shop issues it immediately after the morning pilgrim blessing. As a companion on your journey, the bilingual practical guide from the Association Rhône-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques (“Via Gebennensis par Yenne, La Côte-St-André et Chavanay” 2024–2025 edition, in French and German)—the only regularly updated directory of addresses, published by the association that created this trail in the first place back in 1993. You won’t find a more reliable guide to the trail.

What the journey will cost you

The most expensive day is the first one—and that’s even before you take the first step, because In Geneva, you pay in Swiss francs, and Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in Europe: A basic hotel room can easily cost several hundred, and even a trip to the supermarket costs many times more than in France (as of August 2026). The practical tip, therefore, isn’t about saving money but rather about strategy: arrive early, start exploring right away, and spend the first night in Beaumont on the French side—16 kilometers that could save you a three-digit sum. Once you cross the border, things go back to normal: The club leader estimates about 40 to 50 € per day, Pilgrimage reports cite prices ranging from 30 to 50 € for overnight stays and 40 to 45 € for half-board in private accommodations (as of August 2026); a realistic estimate would be 45 to 60 €, if you stay in gîtes and do your own grocery shopping. Keep in mind, though, that on this route you might occasionally opt for half-board not out of convenience, but because of a lack of alternatives—in several towns, there simply aren’t any restaurants or stores. For 17 stages, depending on your style, you’ll end up with about 750 to 1,050 € Not including travel to and from Geneva, plus that one expensive night, if you decide to treat yourself to it in Geneva.

Getting Here

To begin with: Geneva is the most convenient starting point for all the French routes of the Way of St. James. The airport Genève-Cointrin (GVA) is located six kilometers from the main train station Genève-Cornavin, and the train connects the two in just a few minutes with frequent service. Cornavin is a long-distance rail hub with direct trains from Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lausanne, as well as TGV connections from Paris and Lyon—and the route begins less than 300 meters from the station at the Basilique Notre-Dame. Arrive by night train or morning flight and head to Beaumont the same day: It really works here.

About the goal: Le Puy-en-Velay has a train station but no high-speed service. The standard route takes about two hours by regional train to Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux and from there on to Lyon-Part-Dieu; alternatively, there is the line to Clermont-Ferrand. From Lyon, you can reach Paris by TGV and then by Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS) an international airport. Allow some extra time—the regional trains in Velay don't run every hour. If you're arriving on foot, you'll reach the Via Jacobi through Switzerland—and anyone who continues on doesn’t need to make the return trip anyway: Kilometer zero of the Via Podiensis is located at the cathedral.

• Getting to the starting point: Fly to Geneva-Cointrin (GVA), then take the train to Cornavin Central Station—just a few minutes away; direct trains from Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lausanne, as well as TGVs from Paris and Lyon—the Basilique Notre-Dame is 300 meters from the station.
• Return trip from Le Puy-en-Velay: Take a regional train via Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux (about 2 hours) to Lyon-Part-Dieu, or alternatively, head toward Clermont-Ferrand; from Lyon, take the TGV to Paris and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport. Those continuing their pilgrimage will be returning later anyway.
• Intermediate boarding for partial routes: Train stations in Culoz (near Seyssel/Chanaz), Les Abrets, Le Grand-Lemps, and Les Roches-de-Condrieu; luggage transport via La Malle Postale.