Stay in Cernex, Yenne, Valencogne, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Le Grand-Lemps, Saint-Genix-les-Villages, La Côte-Saint-André, Chanaz, Frangy, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bourg-Argental

Chemins de Compostelle : Genève – Le Puy

  • All-in
  • Itinerant
  • With luggage transfer
  • Pedestrian sports
  • Hike / walk
Hiking tour on the Ways of St. James, between Geneva and Le Puy. Set off for 19 days in freedom in the footsteps of pilgrims, from the shores of Lake Geneva to the Haute Loire. Accommodation in hotels, guest houses, inns or rooms in private homes.
Following in the footsteps of German and Swiss pilgrims, you take the Jakobsweg or the Via Gebennensis. You leave the shores of Lake Geneva in Geneva and quickly reach France to follow Mont Salève towards the Col du Mont Sion. The Pays de Seyssel shaped by the Rhône welcomes you and opens the doors to Savoie and the vineyards of Chautagne. The profile becomes more mountainous and joins Mont Tournier, before descending to Saint Genix sur Guiers. During the second week, the route descends into the Dauphiné plain passing through the Voironnais and Bièvre-Valloire regions. The landscape alternates between cereal valleys and wooded hills of chestnut trees, the differences in altitude are slight. Isère, in this part of the department, is set back from the large towns and not very touristy, the villages are beautiful (houses made of rammed earth or pebbles), the countryside peaceful. During your third week, you cross the Pilat Natural Park, then the wild plateaus of Meygal, to arrive at the end of your hike in Puy en Velay. This is where the Via Podiensis begins, one of the four great French routes to Santiago de Compostela.

Day 01: St Julien en Genevois (460 m) – Geneva (379 m) – St Julien en Genevois
You will be welcomed before 12 noon in Saint Julien en Genevois in France, not far from the border (for reasons of transporting luggage to the Swiss border). After a transfer by coach (regular line, approximately €3 at your expense), you will reach the start of the hike (bring your identity card or passport) on the banks of the Rhône in Geneva. After discovering the city and Lake Geneva, it is time to start the Way. We recommend a visit to the St Pierre Cathedral and its towers (beautiful view of Geneva and the surrounding area). After leaving the city, you will join the GR65 which you will now follow (perhaps to the Col de Roncevaux on the Spanish border…). You will find your accommodation in St Julien en Genevois. The evening meal is not included. You will find many restaurants in St Julien en Genevois.

If you only arrive late in the afternoon, it is still possible to reach Geneva by bus the next day to complete the first two stages.

Elevation gain: + 130 m, – 80 m Length: 12 km Time: 3 hours


Day 02: St Julien en Genevois – Mont Sion (785 m)
Today's stage runs along Mont Salève, passes the Roman military marker of Neydens, then the Chartreuse de Pomier and crosses the Col du Mont Sion. The hike offers beautiful views of Lake Geneva and the nearby Jura. You stop at the Col du Mont Sion. Accommodation possible in the small village of Charly (+ 2 km, + 30 mins).
Elevation gain: + 450 m, – 200 m Length: 16 km Time: 4 h 30 min


Day 03: Cernex – Frangy (320 m)
This stage takes you through a beautiful rural landscape of hills towards the West, to Les Contamines – Sarzin (marker and bas-relief of St Jacques). You enjoy a viewpoint over the gorges above the Barbannaz waterfall, before reaching Frangy, a stopover town. Accommodation possible in Chaumont (- 3 km, – 45 mins).

Elevation gain: + 350 m, – 650 m Length: 17 km Time: 4 h

Day 04: Frangy – Pont du Fier (260 m)
Heading south, in the agricultural valleys of Desingy, the path passes over the heights of Seyssel (possible variation), crosses beautiful villages and descends towards the Rhône at Pont du Fier, gateway to Savoie and its Chautagne vineyards. This stage is ecumenical since it takes the Sur Les Pas des Huguenots route between Drôme and Switzerland. Accommodation possible in Seyssel (the next day: + 3 km, + 45 mins) or in Motz (+ 2 km, + 30 mins).

Elevation gain: + 260 m, – 320 m Length: 17 km Time: 4 h 30 min

Day 05: Pont du Fier – Chanaz (230 m)
That day, you have time to stroll along the GR 65. Your path passes the Pont de la Loi and joins the GR 9 (Jura – Mediterranean) for a short shared path. Your journey then takes you to Chanaz, a village crossed by the Canal de Savières between the Rhône and Lake Bourget (beautiful boat trip possible). The architecture of the village and the proximity of the canal will charm your end of the day.

Elevation gain: + 60 m, – 90 m Length: 18 km Time: 4 h 30 min

Day 06: Chanaz – Yenne (240 m)
From Chanaz to the top of the Butte Saint Romain, the route leaves the banks of the Rhône to gain altitude and cross the vineyards of Jongieux, at the foot of the Mont du Chat mountain range. A short descent brings you back to the alluvial plain of the Rhône and leads you to Yenne (to see: the 12th century church).

Elevation gain: + 350 m, – 340 m Length: 17 km Time: 5 h

Day 07: Yenne – Saint Genix sur Guiers (223 m)
After this medieval stage, the profile becomes mountainous. The path overlooks the Chartreuse de Pierre Chatel and rises like a balcony above the Rhône. It joins Mont Tournier (877 m) before gradually descending to the plateau of St Maurice de Rotherens (650 m). The descent continues to the Truison river then goes back up to the Chapelle de Pigneux, which overlooks the village of Saint Genix sur Guiers, the land of red praline brioche.

Elevation gain: + 670 m, – 690 m Length: 24 km Time: 6 hrs

Day 08: St Genix sur Guiers – Valencogne (570 m)
You leave the mountains of Savoie behind and enter Isère. You discover the first Dauphiné houses made of rammed earth. The St Jacques path runs along the Guiers then plays “leapfrog” from bump to bump in this undulating landscape which leads you to Charancieu (393 m), then to Valencogne (triptych of St Jacques in the church). You can stay in Charancieu or Saint Ondras.

Elevation gain: + 460 m, – 120 m Length: 19 km Time: 5 h 30 min


Day 09: Valencogne – Le Grand Lemps (470 m)
This day welcomes you to the Bièvre-Valloire region. Your itinerary passes near the Lac de Paladru (at the height of Le Pin), crosses the old Chartreuse de Sylve Bénite (monastic site of the Chartreuse founded around 1116) and ends, after the climb to Soulier (702 m) on La Ferme de Futeau, in the heart of nature. A final steep descent allows you to reach Le Grand Lemps. You can stay in Virieu or La Côte St André, the host will pick you up and bring you back to Le Grand Lemps the next day.

Elevation gain: + 400 m, – 500 m Length: 24 km Time: 4 h 30 min


Day 10: Le Grand Lemps – La Côte St André (380 m)
The stage has very little difference in altitude. The path of Saint Jacques remains easygoing at the foot of Mont Avallon. You pass no fewer than three castles dominating the valley and it is that of Louis XI that welcomes you to La Côte St André. Hector Berlioz was born there and the town honors him with an autumn festival. The evening meal is not included.

Elevation gain: + 120 m, – 190 m Length: 15 km Time: 3 h 30 min


Day 11: La Côte St André – Revel Tourdan (394 m)
After this musical city, the GR65 invites you to take your pilgrim's staff again towards Balbins-Ornacieux. Behind Mont Cardon, a bocage landscape (canals, mills, pond) leads you to Faramans, then to Pommier de Beaurepaire where the orientation table shows you the path taken and your next destination. A shaded crossing in the Bois Favan takes you to Revel Tourdan. You can stay in Primarette (+ 3 km, + 45 mins) or in Moissieu sur Dolon (+ 6 km, + 1 h 30 mins), otherwise a transfer will be organized by the host of La Chapelle de Surieu.
Elevation gain: + 190 m, – 150 m Length: 22 km Time: 5 h 15 min


Day 12: Revel Tourdan – La Chapelle de Surieu (312 m)
It is on the hillsides, through fields and beautiful chestnut groves that you pass the villages of Moissieu sur Dolon (site of the former Hospice of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem), Bellegarde Poussieu (Chapel of Notre Dame de la Salette, 1,5th century) and reach your accommodation in La Chapelle de Surieu, 65 km from the GRXNUMX.

Elevation gain: + 190 m, – 330 m Length: 19 km Time: 5 h
Day 13: Surieu Chapel – Condrieu (149 m)
After passing St Romain de Surieu (249 m) and its magnificent Carmelite monastery, the Carrefour du Grand Chêne welcomes you in the Bois de Limone before reaching Assieu. With the Monts du Pilat on the horizon, you then cross the orchards of Auberive and Clonas sur Varèze to emerge into the Rhone plain. You reach the river that separates the departments of Isère and Loire at the Roches de Condrieu or Condrieu, located on each bank of the Rhone. You discover the vineyards of the Condrieu appellation at the foot of the Monts du Pilat.

Elevation gain: + 250 m, – 330 m Length: 22 km Time: 5 h 30 min


Day 14: Condrieu – Bourg Argental (530 m)
After having skirted the Rhône by the Via Rhona, we leave the Rhône valley by taking the height from the start. The passage near the Chapelle du Calvaire offers a beautiful view of the meanders of the river. We then meander through the apple orchards of Bessey, St Appolinard. The last climb allows you to reach the highest point of the day at the Croix de Sainte Blandine (690 m), before descending to St Julien Molin Molette. After a balcony climb, your route descends to Bourg Argental (530 m). Don't miss the XNUMXth century St André church whose portal is listed as a Historic Monument.

Elevation gain: + 890 m, – 520 m Length: 32 km Time: 8 h

To cut this long stage, it is possible to add an extra day by stopping in Roisey or the surrounding area. The breakdown will then be as follows:

Condrieu – Roisey: 14 km, Roisey – Bourg Argental: 20 km

You will find the price of this additional step in the Dates and Prices section.

Day 15: Bourg Argental (530 m) – Les Sétoux (1125 m)
After leaving the village, head to the heights of St Sauveur en Rue by taking an old railway line, before climbing to the Col du Tracol (1062 m), on the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Then you reach the perched hamlet of Sétoux. You can stay in Lhermet (+ 2 km and – 200 m).

Elevation gain: + 790 m, – 370 m Length: 18 km Time: 4 h 30 min

Day 16: Les Sétoux (1125 m) – Montfaucon (918 m)
After two more sporty stages and the ascent of 1000 meters in altitude in two days, you are now moving on the plateaus of the Massif Central with softer relief. We cross the agricultural hamlets of Lhermet, Coirolles before reaching the undergrowth of the Viallou forest. We arrive at Montfaucon by the beautiful hamlet of Chomats.

Elevation gain: + 340 m, – 470 m Length: 18 km Time: 5 h 15 min


Day 17: Montfaucon – St Jeures (1050 m)
No village to cross for this first part of the stage surveying the granite plateau of Montfaucon, but the route passes many isolated farms. We cross Tence, heading towards St Jeures, a small town where we stop. Accommodation possible in Tence (- 8 km, - 2 hours).

Elevation gain: + 250 m, – 120 m Length: 20 km Time: 4 h 30 min


Day 18: St Jeures – St Julien Chapteuil (821 m)
It's time to head to the highest point of this hike, Raffy and its 1276 meters. The route then offers beautiful views of the volcanic juices of the Pays du Meygal. After the village of Queyrières under its rock and that of Monedeyres and its "false" church, the path joins St Julien Chapteuil and its beautiful church of St Julien with a comb bell tower.

Elevation gain: + 580 m, – 810 m Length: 21 km Time: 5 h 30 min

Day 19: St Julien Chapteuil – Le Puy en Velay (640 m)
We end this "path of Puy" with a stage connecting St Germain Laprade and its magnificent church, then Brives Charensac before immersing ourselves in this beautiful and large city of Puy en Velay with in its center, the historic district and the cathedral, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
End of stay in the afternoon.

Elevation gain: + 250 m, – 450 m Length: 20 km Time: 4 h 30 min

Admission fees

Adult: from €1 (885 people €2/pers
3 people €2/person
4 people and + 2160 €/pers

Without transport of luggage by vehicle €1/person
Supplement for a departure between 27/06 and 27/08/2025: + €20/person).


Single room: + €525
Supplement for a single participant: + €390
Does not apply for the formula without baggage transport

Additional day with stopover in Roisey or St Appolinard:
Half board in a double room: + €95
Half board in a single room: + €130
Supplement for a single participant (in addition to the single room): + €19

Additional nights:
Overnight stay + breakfast in a double room in St Julien en Genevois: + €80.
Overnight stay + breakfast in a single room in St Julien en Genevois: + €120
Half board in a double room in Le Puy en Velay: + €70.
Half board in a single room in Le Puy en Velay: + €95

Return transfer Le Puy en Velay – St Julien en Genevois by taxi: €570 (for 1 to 4 people – supplement €280 on Sundays and public holidays)


Reservations for additional services must be made upon registration and specified on the reservation form.


Reservation modification :
ATTENTION ! A handling fee (€50) may be charged for any change to the reservation already made (room type, departure date, number of people, etc.).
Once you have started your hike, for obvious organizational reasons, you must follow the program as confirmed to you. It will then no longer be possible to modify your dates and places of accommodation.

Once you have started your hike, for obvious organizational reasons, you must follow the program as confirmed to you. It will then no longer be possible to modify your dates and places of accommodation.

What is included

The price includes

– Organization costs.
– Half-board food and accommodation (except dinner on Days 01 and 10).
– Provision of a complete hiking file.
– Provision of the FFRP topo-guide.
– Transport of luggage at each stage.
– Tourist taxes.

The price does not include

– Midday meals (except full board).
– Dinner on days 01 and 10
– Wine with meals.
– Drinks and personal expenses.
– Personal equipment.
– Possible visits.
– The bus ticket between St Julien en Genevois and Geneva.
– Shuttles or taxis to pick up your car or to shorten certain stages.
– Travel to and from the reception area.
– The different insurances: Cancellation and/or Search and rescue costs – Assistance – Repatriation – Interruption of stay.
– Anything not in “Price includes”.

Pratical information

Accommodation in ** hotels, * hotels, guest houses, hostels and rooms in private homes (artist's houses).
The shower and toilet may be located on the landing or upstairs in some accommodations.

Out of respect for the daily rest period of the hosts (available early in the morning and late in the evening), the rooms are not available before 16 p.m.

The contact details of the accommodation will be provided to you with your hiking file.
Dogs are not allowed.

The basic formula for this independent hike is in a double room (occupied by 2 people) with half-board (evening meal + night + breakfast).
Evening meals on Day 1 and Day 10 are not included. There are several restaurants in the stopover town.

Supplement for single room.

If you want a room with 3 beds, you should know that few accommodations are equipped with them. The third bed can be an extra bed, a child's bed or a sofa bed. For the stages where this is not possible, a supplement per night for a single room will be charged.

When accommodation is unavailable, we may have to make you spend 2 nights in the same accommodation and organize a transfer or change accommodation category (which does not change the content of your hike but may result in a supplement for which we ask your agreement). Program changes are indicated on your booking confirmation.

Meals:
Dinners are an opportunity to taste local specialties. They are generally served from 19:30 p.m. and are mostly composed of the menu of the day (no choice of menu).
Breakfasts are traditional (sometimes buffet style) and are served from 8am – 8:30am. If you would like to have breakfast earlier, check with your host the day before to see if this is possible.

Picnic :
They are not included in this package.
It is possible to buy a picnic (at your expense) in the accommodation. Just book it preferably the day before. You can also stock up at St Julien en Genevois, Geneva, Frangy, Seyssel and Serrières (near the route), Chanaz, Yenne, St Genix sur Guiers, Les Abrets, Le Grand Lemps, La Côte St André, Clonas sur Varèze, Les Roches de Condrieu, Condrieu, Chavanay, St Appolinard, St Julien Molin Molette, Bourg Argental, Montfaucon, Tence, St Jeures, Araules, St Julien Chapteuil, St Germain Laprade, Brives Charensac, Le Puy en Velay. There are other more random supply points, indicated in the topo-guide.
  • hikers
  • Pilgrims
  • Groups welcome

Book

The agency is open from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 13:30 p.m. to 17 p.m.
You can contact us by telephone 04 50 31 03 65 or by email [email protected].

We are closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Opening period

From 15/04 to 31/10/2025.
Dates: every day of the week from April 15 to October 31, 2025, subject to accommodation availability.

It is best to book as early as possible. We do not have reserved places in the accommodations and some of them are full sometimes several months in advance. This will allow you to follow the planned program, without transfer or supplement.
Please indicate on the booking form any other dates that would also suit you (for example, the possibility of postponing the hike by 1 or 2 days before or after...), in case one or more accommodations are not available on the chosen dates.

The ideal season to travel the route is from May to September. Before and after, weather conditions can be difficult (fog, possible low snowfall, etc.), especially when crossing Mont Tournier, the Pilat and Meygal Massifs.
19 days / 18 nights
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