This route was notably documented by Archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric the Serious who made the trip to Rome and back again in the 10th century.

Note that there is also a walking trail called the Via Francigena which follows Sigeric's route from Canterbury to Rome more closely.

From the ancient city of Canterbury which was the historic starting point of Sigeric's Via Francigena, the EV5 then travels to the coast and the port of Sandwich and ends at Dover, where a ferry can take you to France to continue the ride.

One is in the north: it begins as it arrives from England at Calais before leaving France after Lille to head over the Belgian border towards Brussels.

The second section is in the east of the country when the EV5 re-enters France from Luxembourg at Sarreguemine (next to Strasbourg) and makes its way to Basel, Switzerland.

From Namur to Dinant, it passes through the Meuse Valley and its steep cliffs before stumbling on small villages, pretty rivers and various forests of the green Wallonia before crossing into Luxembourg.

In Italy, the EV5 goes through Milan, Pavia, Fidenza, Piacenza (EV8) Parma, Berceto, Aulla, Florence (EV7), Siena, Bolsena, Rome (EV7), Fiuggi, Cassino, Benevento, Ariano Irpino, Candela, Gravina in Puglia, Taranto and Brindisi.