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Stage 2 - Jaca - Arrés

CAMINO ARAGONÉS

STAGE 2

JACA - ARRÉS Km: 25.7

The Camino leaves Jaca through the valley of the river Aragón, and almost all the stage runs parallel to the N-240 road. There are several towns that are worth visiting, including the bridge known as Puente la Reina de Jaca, a name coined in order to differentiate it from the milestone and end of the stage by the same name that we will meet with later in the territory of Navarra.

Quite the most famous landmark of this stage is the monastery of San Juan de la Peña,the royal symbol of the Kingdom of Aragon and mythical custodian of the Holy Grail according to the medieval legends. The beautiful monastery with its imposing position under the shadow of a mountain, whose rocks serve as dome or cover to its cloister, is more than deserving of a visit.

Ciudadela de Jaca (Castillo de San Pedro), Commons Wikipedia, autor: ERGOGAR

Ciudadela de Jaca (Castillo de San Pedro), Commons Wikipedia, autor: ERGOGAR

Km 1.0 Jaca

The Camino leaves the town of Jaca, passing through the new suburbs that surround its historical centre, and then running alongside the Hermitage of Victory and the cemetery. It then follows a dirt road which, parallel with the N-240, takes us to a bridge over the Gas River, which we cross.
Detour to San Juan de la Peña.

From this point we recommend taking a very brief detour( which is well signposted) towards the monastery of San Juan de la Peña. The pilgrim should begin his ascent and will discover two mountains. By the first one the most modern architecture of the monastery is displayed, while a little further on stands the impressive old monastery hewed in the rock of the mountain.

More information of Juan de la Peña Monastery. Click here

From San Juan de la Peña the Way continues on to Santa Cruz de la Serós. Again, it runs parallel to the N-240, which it crosses on more than one occasion. On both sides of the Camino there are large areas of trees and also an old abandoned military camp and the well-known tower of the Moor..

12.2 Hotel Aragón

The Way passes next to the Hotel Aragón, after which it crosses a tributary of the river of the same name, Aragon, at which point it ends and meets up with the path that arrives from the detour to San Juan de la Peña.

Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña, Commons Wikepedia, autor: Ziegler175

Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña, Commons Wikepedia, autor: Ziegler175

Km 15.6 Santa Cilia de Jaca

The Camino now enters the heart of Santa Cilia de Jaca. The pilgrim can follow the signs or opt for the original route of the Camino that crossed his Main Street. Leave the centre through a recreational park, El Salazar, then continue along a dirt road in the direction of the N-240, along which runs along a narrow path towards the area known as the Pyrenees Holiday Center.

Km 19.5 Pyrenees Holiday Center

El Camino runs beside this holiday centre, consisting of a hotel and several adjacent buildings : a camp site, bungalows and a restaurant. In this centre there is also a shop where the pilgrim can find groceries.
We then continue parallel to the road N-240, now downhill and alongside the Aragon River.

Km 21.7 Puente la Reina (from Jaca)

We reach Puente la Reina after crossing the river Aragón, it is a town worth visiting for its history but also for its many services that make it an appropriate spot to end the stage or, alternatively, as a good place where replenish our forces.
The way out of the centre heads towards Huesca, on which the detour to Arrés is immediately signposted. The road runs uphill along a path, until reaching the town that we have marked as the end of the stage.

Km 25.7 Arrés

To the old centre lives thanks to the Camino and this has revitalized the town so that it and the surrounding villages have been restored to their original beauty, to say nothing of their historical importance.

Catedral de San Pedro de Jaca (capitel del rey David con músicos), Commons Wikipedia, autor: Ecelan

Catedral de San Pedro de Jaca (capitel del rey David con músicos), Commons Wikipedia, autor: Ecelan

WHAT TO VISIT?

Santa Cilia de Jaca

The centre of Santa Cilia presents a historical setting of great ethnographic value. Among the religious edifices stands out the baroque architecture of the church of Santa Cecilia, dating from the XVII-XVIII centuries, in which a beautiful Mannerist altarpiece of the XVI century is conserved. Among the civic architecture stands the Priory known as San Juan de la Peña, a palace that still retains much of its original sixteenth century architecture.

Arres

End of the stage of the Camino with good infrastructures for the pilgrim. Again it is a village that has managed to preserve and restore its traditional farmhouse. Highlights are the remains of the old castle or fortress of Arrés, late fifteenth-century architecture that preserves a tower once used for defensive purposes. Among its religious architecture stands out the church of Our Lady of the Conception, built in the sixteenth century, as well as the Baroque chapel of Santa Águeda.

Our links

Jaca Tourist Office

Plaza de San Pedro nº 11-13 (a few meters from the Cathedral) JACA Tel .: 974 360 098 | Fax: 974 355 165 e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Http://www.jaca.es/oficina.html

Albergues / Hostels

Hostel of Santa Cilia de Jaca

Calle del Sol, 8. Tel.: 646 880 279/649 768 676/974 37 71 68 (City Hall). Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web: www.santacilia.es

Arres Peregrinos Hospital

El Portillo, Arrés. Ayuntamiento de Bailo. Tel.: 974 34 86 43 (Bar). Ayuntamiento de Bailo - Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Camino de Santiago

General information hostels

Http://www.alberguescaminosantiago.com/

Stage 1 - Somport - Jaca

CAMINO ARAGONÉS

STAGE 1

SOMPORT - JACA Length 30,9 Km

The first stage of the Aragonese Way crosses the valley of the river Aragon in the heart of the Pyrenees. This is an adventure that demands some prudence, but that will leave the pilgrim deeply satisfied and full of wonderful memories because it contains some of the most beautiful panoramas of the Way.

Between Somport and Jaca we flank the Sumus Portus surrounded by peaks and cliffs, areas of sparse vegetation or low mountain: supremely dramatic landscapes of great that will leave no pilgrim indifferent. Some areas of the Camino run very close to the N-330, but in general the whole route will be through trails and dirt tracks through the mountains and valleys of Aragon.

Most of the localities that we cross or glimpse from the Camino are linked to the tourism of snow and nature. At the end of the stage we reach Jaca, the most important locality of the area, an historical town with a past deeply marked by the pilgrimage.

Puente de los peregrinos, Canfranc, Commons Wikipedia, autor: Miguelheneres

Puente de los peregrinos, Canfranc, Commons Wikipedia, autor: Miguelheneres

Km 1.0 Somport

The Camino starts very close to the Candanchú ski resort. Its first section is downhill and takes the pilgrim to the ruins of the medieval hospital of Santa Cristina. After crossing the N-330, we find the steepest slopes, walking at the foot of the Coll de Ladrones and its fortification. The landscape is of low hills, firs and pines, trees that successive administrations have planted so as to stop the avalanches of snow. The Camino runs along the Aragón River until reaching the old train station of Canfranc.

Km 7.3 Canfranc Station

After reaching the beautiful pavilion of the station, today a luxury hotel, the pilgrim continues along the main street of Canfrac station, a built up area that leads on through numerous roads and tracks to the tunnels of the Somport. Next to the Tower of the Fusileros the river is crossed and then continues on beside it until reaching the old town of Canfranc. Old Canfranc was somewhat abandoned with the construction of the station and the creation of a new urban centre around it, but its old road route still forms part of the Camino de Santiago. The Camino leaves the village next to the cemetery, crossing a bridge of medieval origin, from which it continues along a path along the river to Villanúa.

Santa María de Iguacel, Castiello de Jaca, Commons Wikipedia, autor: Dirocris

Santa María de Iguacel, Castiello de Jaca, Commons Wikipedia, autor: Dirocris

Km 16.4 Villanúa

The Camino skirts the village of Villanúa without entering it, advancing by a stop that runs along the N-330. At some point the pilgrim must cross the N-330 and start a fairly tough climb up stony ground. At the end of the climb he will reach Castiello de Jaca.

Km 23.0 Castiello de Jaca

The road crosses the historical center of the village, descending a steep slope to the road. This road continues, passing a hotel and then crossing the river Ijuez. One step more will lead the pilgrim to a road which will finally give him access to the path that, parallel to the river, leads him to Jaca. The entrance in the capital and end of this stage is the Avenue of France, that takes the pilgrim to its historical center.

WHAT TO VISIT?

Somport

The peak known as Sumus Portus reaches 1,632 meters in height. Since ancient times it has been one of the most frequented passages across the Pyrenees, since good weather conditions prevail throughout almost the whole year.

We know of its use by pilgrims since at least the end of the eleventh century, as we know that in 1104 the Santa’s hospital was founded- one of the oldest and most emblematic pilgrimage hospitals in the Christian world. This hospital is cited in the Codex Calixtino as one of the three most important that existed in the twelfth century. We know that it ceased to function in the seventeenth century and today only its ruins remain, part of its foundations and some architectural remains that, fortunately, have been preserved.

Coll de Ladrones

We mention this port since it is a fort is constructed on a rock more than 1300 meters in altitude. This fortification is quite recent, dating from the 19^th century, when it was constructed with the purpose of watching and protecting the passage of walkers through the valley.

Canfranc Station

The Canfranc International Railway Station is a magnificent building that was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was inaugurated in 1928 by Alfonso XII. It was created to welcome the numerous foreign visitors who arrived in Spain by train. Its architecture is eclectic, comprising of many influences and styles, with a large central pavilion that has recently been converted into a luxury hotel. Among the many anecdotes that pepper its history, one is that some scenes from the film Doctor Zhivago.

In the modern town that arose around the station, a tower known as Espelenuca or the Fusiliers, probably built in the XV century, is now preserved and now houses an exhibition on the Camino de Santiago.

Ruinas del hospital de Santa Cristina de Somport, Commons Wikipedia, autor: Oroel

Our links

Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Jaca

Http://www.jacajacobea.com/#/

Canfranc Tourist Office

City Hall, 1. Canfranc Station. Tel. 974 373 141. e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web: www.canfranc.es

Jaca Tourist Office

Http://www.jaca.es/oficina.html

Albergues / Youth Hostels

Canfranc Station. Hostel Pepito Grillo

Fernando el Católico, 2. Tel .: 974 37 31 23/619 545 929. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Www.pepitogrillo.com

Pilgrims Hostel of Jaca

Conde Aznar, s / n. Tel .: 974 36 08 48 www.jaca.es

General information hostels

Http://www.alberguescaminosantiago.com/

Stage 2 - Jaca - Arrés

Stage 1 - Somport - Jaca

Berenguela. Praterias 8 Santiago

Joyas del Camino