EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route (France): which way and when to ride

The best month for EuroVelo 3 – Pilgrims Route (France) is October: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.9 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).

ERA5 2006–2025 · OpenStreetMap · Methodology and sources

1,742 kmLength

September–October (peak October)Best months

eitherBetter direction in the best month

1.9 km/hAverage tailwind in the best month

76%Dry days with 10–30 °C

June · 66%Best summer month

Start: Jeumont · Finish: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port · Route geometry: OpenStreetMap / Waymarked Trails

Weather by month

Good days

Month	Good days	Rain days ≥ 1 mm	Rain, mm	Avg high	Days ≥ 30 °C	Days < 10 °C	Daylight, h
January	25%	25%	77	8 °C	0%	62%	8.9 †
February	41%	24%	62	10 °C	0%	45%	10.2 †
March	59%	27%	69	13 °C	0%	21%	11.8
April	71%	26%	62	17 °C	0%	5%	13.5
May	70%	29%	79	20 °C	2%	1%	15.0
June	66%	24%	71	24 °C	11%	0%	15.8
July	65%	16%	48	26 °C	21%	0%	15.5
August	65%	16%	51	26 °C	20%	0%	14.2
September	73%	18%	54	23 °C	9%	0%	12.5
October	76%	22%	75	18 °C	1%	2%	10.8 †
November	52%	27%	79	13 °C	0%	27%	9.3 †
December	32%	25%	79	9 °C	0%	53%	8.6 †

Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.

Wind by month

Wind Jeumont → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, km/h

Month	Wind Jeumont → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, km/h	Headwind > 15 km/h, Jeumont → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port	Headwind > 15 km/h, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Jeumont	Better way
January	−2.9	14%	4%	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Jeumont
February	−2.2	13%	6%	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Jeumont
March	−1.0	12%	7%	either
April	+0.4	7%	6%	either
May	+0.2	7%	6%	either
June	+0.1	6%	4%	either
July	−0.8	7%	2%	either
August	−1.0	6%	2%	either
September	−0.3	6%	4%	either
October	−1.9	10%	3%	either
November	−3.1	13%	3%	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Jeumont
December	−3.5	14%	3%	Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Jeumont

Stages

The route is split into 14 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.

Stage	km	Best month	Tailwind Jeumont → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in October, km/h
1. Jeumont → Guise	116	September	−4.7
2. Guise → Pont-Sainte-Maxence	126	September	−4.6
3. Pont-Sainte-Maxence → Évry	124	September	−3.4
4. Évry → Amilly	118	September	−2.2
5. Amilly → Orléans	136	September	−1.2
6. Orléans → Tours	134	September	−2.4
7. Tours → Chauvigny	124	September	−2.3
8. Chauvigny → Montbron	135	September	−2.2
9. Montbron → Clérac	125	October	−0.6
10. Clérac → Bordeaux	111	October	−0.6
11. Bordeaux → La Réole	118	October	+0.4
12. La Réole → Villeneuve-de-Marsan	142	October	−0.5
13. Villeneuve-de-Marsan → Port-de-Lanne	125	October	−2.3
14. Port-de-Lanne → Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port	105	October	0.0

How to read the numbers

Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.

OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: en.eurovelo.com