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Via Francigena - Section 1
From Canterbury to Wisques - "Across the Channel"
Walking: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - Guided: 16 - Cycling: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
The first section of the Via Francigena is spanning two countries, England and France, from Canterbury to Wisques/St Omer. The county of Kent, “The Garden of England” will be the first landscape you will pass through. This nickname refers to the large number of orchards and hop gardens you will see. After three days walking, you will cross the Channel and arrive in Calais. There, after a day walking along the Cote d’Opale, your walk towards the hinterland will be scattered with small villages within a very rural landscape until Wisques/St Omer. Highlights of this trip are the Cathedral of Canterbury, the Castle and the cliffs of Dover, the Chanel Strait and the Abbey Notre Dame of Wisques.
Your way on the Via Francigena is made easy by sign posting. In England, you will look out for pilgrim sign, whereas in France you have to check the red and white strips. Also, in our holiday pack is included detailed walking notes and maps making navigation even easier.
Following the footsteps of centuries of pilgrim, you will stay in 1,2,3 star hotel, and farmstead accommodation all en-suite. We transfer your luggage from hotel to hotel so you can travel comfortably with just a small backpack.
How to get there? Click here
Day by Day & Hotels
Hotels & country cottages have been carefully selected for their location, comfort, character, food, and friendliness of the staff. They are subject to availability and if the hotel described is not available, we will provide you with one of the same standard of comfort & price. Please click on hotel information below.
There are 9 days
Day 1: Canterbury
You will be booked in an en-suite hotel room in the centre of the town. Canterbury has a h ... .. read more >
Meals: N/A Luggage Transfer: No
You will be booked in an en-suite hotel room in the centre of the town. Canterbury has a huge history, closely linked with religion. Its one thousand year old Cathedral, an amazing building that you can’t miss in Canterbury, has been chosen as one of the outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as the St Martin Church and the ruins of the Augustine’s Abbey.
Town Facilities: ATM, internet, shops, all facilities. http://www.thanington-hotel.co.uk/
Day 2: Canterbury to Shepherdswell
17km, +247 m / -150 m: Your first day walking will see you make your way along the North D ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Luggage Transfer: Yes
17km, +247 m / -150 m: Your first day walking will see you make your way along the North Downs Way, a historic way used by pilgrims travelling to holy shrines. Your stage today is easy, with gentle hills, passing through orchards, fields and hamlets.
Day 3: Shepherdswell to Dover
15km, 158 m / -267 m: This day first continues its route on the path of the North Downs Wa ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Luggage Transfer: Yes
15km, 158 m / -267 m: This day first continues its route on the path of the North Downs Way before following minor roads into Dover, “The Lock and Key of England”. In there, you can’t miss the Dover Castle, which has a vast military history, as the first place to repel invaders from mainland.
Day 4: Dover to Calais
Today is a break in you walking holiday because you will spend it on the ferry to Calais, ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast Luggage Transfer: Yes
Today is a break in you walking holiday because you will spend it on the ferry to Calais, crossing the Channel. Almost the entire town of Calais was been destroyed by heavy bombardments during world War II, and you can beside visit the war museum, located in the former German wartime military headquarters.
Day 5: Calais to Wissant
19.5km, +285 m / -276 m: Today, you will walk along the Cote d’Opale, with its long sand ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Luggage Transfer: Yes
19.5km, +285 m / -276 m: Today, you will walk along the Cote d’Opale, with its long sandy beaches and high white cliffs. This route offers you magnificent views of the coast. Wissant, the end of your stage, has long been a fishing village. You will find there all the facilities you may need.
Day 6: Wissant to Guines
20km: +280 m / -278 m. Today you will follow the GR128 on farm tracks and small road until ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Luggage Transfer: Yes
20km: +280 m / -278 m. Today you will follow the GR128 on farm tracks and small road until Guines. You will walk along the game reserve “Mont de Couple”. From the summit of it you can have a beautiful view of the Chanel strait.
Day 7: Guines to Licques
18.5km, +232 m / -163 m: Today the route follow farm and potentially muddy forest tracks a ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Luggage Transfer: Yes
18.5km, +232 m / -163 m: Today the route follow farm and potentially muddy forest tracks and minor roads. Even if Licques, the end of your stage, doesn’t have as many facilities as the other stages, you can find some en route. It is funny to know that Licques culinary speciality is the turkey and the town organise some events involving them, like the Fête de la Dinde.
Day 8: Licques to Wisques
24.5km, +444 m / -426 m: Your day walking will be a very pleasant day on small country roa ... .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast Luggage Transfer: Yes
24.5km, +444 m / -426 m: Your day walking will be a very pleasant day on small country roads, through a number of small villages and woodlands. In Wisques you can see the two abbeys St Paul and Notre Dame, but only 4km from the village is St Omer, a middle town where you can find all the facilities you need.
Day 9: Wisques
This is the end of your holiday after breakfast. .. read more >
Meals: Breakfast Luggage Transfer: No
This is the end of your holiday after breakfast.
Prices & Booking
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There is no intermediaries when booking with us, so feel free to contact us for advice, customisation or if you wish to combine several sections together. If you just wish to make a quick payment, submit your credit card and reference on our booking page. |
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Classic |
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Note:
Options: We can upgrade your holiday in 4, 5* and Paradors. We can also offer extra nights and airport transfers. Ask us!
Families: We are now offering 40% off prices for children aged between 3-9 years old, and 20% off prices for children aged between 10-17 years old. Children under 3 come free.
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Price € pps |
Single Room |
Extra Nights |
Split Walking |
Airport Transfer |
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High Season |
889 |
1096 |
Single: 95 |
N/A |
Ask us |
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Mid Season |
869 |
1049 |
Single: 90
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N/A |
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Low Season |
799 |
953 |
Single: 90 |
N/A |
Note: N/A
Currency Converter by OANDA |
General details
Difficulty: 1 2 3 4 5 What is this?
Distance: 115Km
Duration: 8 Nights
Activity: 
Walking
Comfort: In Style
Meals: Half Board
Available: All year round
Price: From €799
10 reasons to book with us
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(1,2) Leisurely (3,4) Stimulating (5) A Challenge
Our holidays are graded by 3 categories of difficulty: Leisurely, Stimulating and A Challenge. This grading system will allow you to select the ideal holiday for yourself or your group. We aim to offer you the best experiences and unforgettable memories on a holiday where your desire for a challenge, comfort and safety are our priority. As the abilities of everybody are different, it’s important that you decide on a holiday which best suits your own needs and capabilities. You should take some time to look over our grading system so you can decide which holiday is best for you!
How do we grade?
When grading our holidays we take 3 main factors into consideration: Distance, Gradient and Trail Type (i.e. mountain track, forest road, surfaced road, etc.)
Our Easy walking and cycling holidays are best for families with young children. With older children, experience and fitness level should be considered when deciding on a holiday.
Leisurely(1,2)
• Time: Under 5 hours per day on average.
• Gradient: Gentle, no steep climbs
• Trail Type: Walking path, easily accessible
• Suitable for: Everybody. Some easy preparation walks should increase your enjoyment.
Stimulating(3,4)
• Time: 5 to 7 hours / less than 20km per day on average
• Gradient: Up to 1000m ascent per day on average, possibility of some steep climbing
• Trail Type: Walking paths, mountain trails, not technically difficult
• Suitable for: Moderate level of fitness required. Some weekend walks of around 3-4 hours should help your preparation.
A Challenge (5)
• Time: Days can be over 7 hours / 20km
• Gradient: Days can be more than 1000m, some steep climbing
• Trail Type: Walking paths, mountain trails, can be technically difficult
• Suitable for: Good level of fitness required. Previous experience would be best. Regular weekend walks of 4-5 hours or more are advisable in the months leading up to your holiday. These should include some mountain walks.
Please find below information on how to get to your destination and back. You can also look at our "Camino flight Finder" page, and our airport guide.
Flight to Kent’s International Airport: from Belfast, Edinburgh, Jersey, Dubrovnik, Naples, Oporto and Verona.
From the Kent International Airport to Canterbury
1 - By train: from Ramsgate station (8 minutes away from the airport with a taxi) to Canterbury : 30+ minutes, £4.60 off peak single £6.90 anytime single.
2 - By bus: Stage coach bus, line 11 from the airport, with www.stagecoachbus.com
3 - By taxi, 14.5mi (23km), ask us for more details.
Flight to London: With all its international airports, London is served by all the air companies. You just may arrive in airports which are out of the town, so you may need to take a bus, a train or a taxi to reach London. Depending on which airport you arrive, you would use one of those different coach companies: http://www.greenline.co.uk/ (Luton Airport), http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/ (Gatwick, Stansted or Heathrow airports).
From London to Canterbury: The bus takes roughly 2hours, £14pp. (http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/). High speed train is only one hour but costs £30pp, from London St Pancras (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/).
Flight back from St Omer
1 - Flight from Paris: You have to go in Paris if you want to fly with Aer Lingus (Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport) or EasyJet (Paris-Orly Airport). Check out this website for more information. To go to Paris from St Omer, the train is once again the best solution. It will take you around 2h and a half. A cheaper but longer way is to take a 30mn long bus until Hazebrouck, and there take a high speed train until Paris. When you are in Paris, you can reach your airport with the RER, which is a rapid transit system in Paris. The line B goes directly to Charles de Gaulle Airport, and you just have to make one change to go to Orly.
2 - Paris-Beauvais Airport: The Paris Beauvais Airport is served by Ryanair and so offers cheap flights to a lot of different destinations. To get there from St Omer, you can take the train, which is around 4h long, with a stop in Paris, so you can spend some times in the beautiful French capital.
3 - Lille Airport: From Lille, you can directly fly to some low-cost destinations in Europe. To get there, the train is the fastest (less than 1h) and cheapest (roughly €10 pp) way.
4 - Flight from Charleroi: From St Omer you can take a 2h15 train to Charleroi (http://www.raileurope.com/index.html), Belgium and its international Airport (you would have a connecting train in Lille). The Charleroi International Airport (http://www.charleroi-airport.com/) mainly serve South and East Europa destinations, but offer cheap flights with low-cost companies, as Ryanair.
Included:
Luggage transferred from hotel to hotel
Rooms en-suite in nice hotel with character
Half Board during the hike
Holiday Pack: inc. notes & map(s) & pilgrim passport, what to bring, language book
Emergency number 24/7. On the ground support
Not Included:
Flights
Insurance (recommended)
Drinks
Dinner first and last nights
Transfer from/to airport
