Why make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela ?

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The paths to Santiago de Compostela attract thousands of walkers every year

Whether you're on a spiritual journey or a religious pilgrimage, the aim of the Camino de Compostela is to reach the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
There are many routes to Santiago, including ... the one along the Atlantic coast !

Presentation

Santiago de Compostela ... a little history

According to popular tradition, Saint James was a close disciple and apostle of Jesus. He is said to have been one of the rare witnesses to the demonstration of Christ's divine nature. Legend has grown up around this particularly important figure in the Christian religion.
He is said to have been sent to the West, and in particular to Spain, to spread the sacred word...

The discovery of the relics of Saint James in Galicia in the 9th century was a major factor in the creation of the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela.

From the 11th century onwards, the pilgrimage to Santiago became one of the greatest pilgrimage routes alongside Jerusalem and Rome.

Note: in 2023, 446,000 pilgrims arrived in Santiago de Compostela.

The Jacobean routes

There are a great many routes in France to Santiago de Compostela.

The four main departure points are

Tours
Vézelay (in Burgundy)
Le Puy-en-Velay (the best-known but busiest)
Arles (the southern route)

But there are many other ways to walk to Santiago de Compostela, particularly along the coast to discover the riches of the Atlantic coast.

The Atlantic coast route: Destination Pornic

In 2020, the Haltes Pèlerines en Loire-Atlantique & Via Ligeria association "opened" the Atlantic coast route.
It is now possible to follow the ocean from Assérac (in the north of department 44) to Saint-Nazaire and cross the bridge to reach Saint-Brevin.
Pilgrims from Nantes can also reach the coast from Nantes by following the Loire.

In Destination Pornic, from Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef to Moutiers-en-Retz, the Camino de Santiago stretches for 41 km.
It follows the GR®8, the legendary path that runs alongside the Atlantic Ocean and offers hikers a total maritime experience.
From wild ochre-coloured cliffs to secret coves nestling in the rocks, passing through picturesque villages with red-orange brickwork and tiles,
This walk offers a diversity of landscapes that will delight all walkers.

Pilgrims leave the Loire-Atlantique region at the port of Le Collet.
There are still 1547 km to go before arriving in front of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

New : Destination Pornic stamps

The Destination Pornic Intercommunal Tourist Office wants to promote these pilgrimage routes and encourage people to discover the area in slow tourism mode, for a sporting, rejuvenating or spiritual experience.
In association with the Haltes Pèlerines, beautiful stamps have been created to record your visit...

So, pilgrims, take your booklet with you to 3 of our Tourist Offices: Saint-Michel/Tharon-Plage; Pornic (stopover town) and Les Moutiers-en-Retz.

Our local experts will give you advice and stamp your passport with your precious stamps.

And we don't do things by halves: each office has a unique, personalised stamp.

Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef

Pornic

Les Moutiers-en-Retz

Come and discover them all, and don't miss a single one !

Practical information if you want to set off on your pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

Pilgrim's booklet, advice, information... you can contact the association "Haltes Pèlerines en Loire-Atlantique & Via Ligeria".

This group of pilgrims, passionate about the pilgrimage route, wants to extend the number of departures from the Loire-Atlantique region.

They also want to help pilgrims travelling through the department by developing pilgrim stops: