I hope this blog can supplement the wealth of existing resources already available on the French Way of the Camino de Santiago.

These are resources that helped me before and during my Camino:

Ivar’s Camino de Santiago forum
Ivar started this forum in 2004 and since then it has become an amazing trove of resources and a record of the experiences of others from all over the world. You are encouraged to list your starting date to get together with other pilgrims, and you can try to coordinate ride shares to starting points to share costs. I think it’s an amazing community.

Aprinca
Aprinca was an invaluable resource finding open albergues during winter. If it looks empty now, don’t worry, it’ll populate during winter season. Do note that Xunta albergues in Galicia are not listed, but will all be open on weekdays.

Gronze
Serving a similar function to the apps listed below, Gronze proved to be very accurate and up-to-date. However, it requires an internet connection. I saved a shortcut to it on my phone homescreen for quick access.

John Brierley’s guidebook
The go-to English guidebook for most pilgrims. I’m not someone who usually uses guidebooks, but after I read a preview of the first few pages, I was struck by the spirit and approach of the author. Beyond practicalities, there is emphasis put on motivation and the inner journey you’ll undertake alongside the physical. The most affordable one I could find was on Book Depository. It was an enjoyable read before the Camino, but I ended up not using the book during my walk as I was learning from my surroundings and it was faster to check things on my phone. I would say it is not needed for the walk, and would not bring it again.

SY’s De-bed-bugging guide
I have never encountered bed bugs in my life and luckily, did not encounter any on my trip. However, the Camino de Santiago is notorious for it, so it’ll be good to know what to do should you get into such a situation.

The Camino Frances is a welcoming and well-marked trail, and you technically do not need apps to navigate it. However, these tools can help provide more certainty.

I used these apps on the trail.

Buen Camino (free) iOS | Android
This app has both historical and logistical details for every town you’ll stop by and comes highly recommended. There is also a route map in the side menu. However, I did find some details on open/closed albergues during winter not up-to-date.

Gaia GPS (free/subscription) Website
This app has been invaluable for other hikes I’ve done. You need a subscription to use some of their tools offline, but I’ve always used the free version—it just means you require a bit more preparation. You’ll need some time to familiarise yourself with the app, but once you’ve done so it will be a useful offline GPS map on your phone. I downloaded the GPX route of the Camino Frances from this forum post which you can load into the app.

Camino Santiago by Xunta de Galicia (free) iOS | Android
If you’re doing the route extension to Fisterra and Muxia, Xunta has designed this app with a helpful route map.

Camino Ninja (no longer available) Website
This app lets you put your starting and end points to show distances and available amenities in the towns for that day. It was very useful on my Camino. However, Andy Jensen, the developer of Camino Ninja, sadly passed away on July 28, 2022, and the app stopped being available.