Cost

[Arthursa]

How much should the walk cost per day?

[Covey]

It is rather like asking how long is a piece of string!!

There are three "economic groups" of pilgrim walking the Camino.

The first are usually young, and trying to walk the Camino as cheaply as possible. They will always use the official albergues because they are normally cheaper than the private albergues. They are very keen on anywhere that is "donativo" because often the donativo albergues are charities and often do an evening meal. If I see anywhere that is donativo then I will pay whatever it would have cost me to stay in a private albergue and whatever it would have cost me for a meal in a bar. Sadly, I am sometimes in a minority and last year watched one young German "hippy" explain to the volunteer Dutch team who were running the albergue in the church just after Santo Domingo, that he had little money and could not afford a donation, but apparently had enough to spend the evening in the gardens outside drinking and smoking The younger generation will usually try and self cater and avoid restaurants. This group will expect to walk the Camino on €20 - €25 a day max.

The main group are usually 30 -55 years old and have the funds to walk the Way without having to worry too much about how much they spend. They will take a number of days off along the trail to rest and will stand their round in the bar in the evenings. They will occasionally self cater, but will normally eat in a bar in the evenings and buy lunch from a bar along the way. This group will spend €30 -€40per day ON AVERAGE.

The last group are generally over 55, have money, and don't mind how much they spend as long as they can occasionally feel civilised. They will use a Casa Rural a couple of times a week or more so they can have a room of their own (and private bath!!!!). They will eat what they want and not what they are given. They will even drink Gin & Tonic in a bar in Logrono at €11 a throw! This group views 30+kms a day as frankly unhealthy and bad for the digestion! and will budget €50 -€60 per day ON AVERAGE.

The ON AVERAGE bit means that on some days out in the wilds we will all be in an official albergue at €5 a night and eating the "Pilgrim Menu" ( €9-€12 set menu, 3 courses but often of indifferent quality and energy value!!!) but wandering the village at night thinking "shall we eat Sushi or Thai" is a lost cause! Days like these and anyone is hard pressed to spend more than €20, but when in Burgos or Leon, a room in a private small hotel will be €40/night and good food and drink can be expensive.

Pamplona, Burgos, Leon and Santiago are major tourist centres so main square/city centre establishments are much more expensive than the smaller towns.

The numbers above are what you need per day EXCLUDING travel to and from the Camino, and buying any kit you need along the way. There are Camping/Walking shops in places like Pamplona, Burgos and Leon, but they are not cheap!

Bus fares in Spain are very cheap. €2-€3 takes you a long way on a bus. As a rule of thumb, 15 minutes in a bus = one days walk!!

If one is doing a budget, then you also need to allow €100 for medical items from the Pharmacy along the Camino Frances. Some items like Ibruprofen are cheap (€2.50 for 48 x 600mg tablets), but Compeed is expensive as are the various sun burn creams and insect bite ointments.

All in all, you pays your money and takes your choice. If you decide which group fits your inclination and multiply the daily amount by the number of days you plan being on the trail, you will end up with a fairly accurate total, to which you add the cost of your flights and travel and medical insurance.

The average time spent on the trail from St Jean to Santiago is around 35 days plus another 4-5 days if you tack on Santiago to Finesterre. If you factor in a rest day at Burgos, two days at Leon, and two days in Santiago then St Jean to Santiago is 40 days and St Jean to Finesterre is 45 days.

You can do it faster, but the faster you go, the greater the risk of stress injuries, and few walking the Camino are used to walking 20-30kms each day for 30 consecutive days with a pack on your back.

The one thing missing from the above is the cost of kitting yourself out before you even climb on a aeroplane! The two most important items are your footwear and your pack. You need good footwear, either boots or proper walking shoes and in Europe boots will cost from €60 - €150. A good pack will cost €100+ - €160, but if you have a friend who has a good pack that is light and has a waist belt, then borrow that! A reasonable rain jacket will cost €60 to €250, but you might never use it!

A rough budget for kit would be €350-€400

[4JennP]

I agree that there are many ways to walk the Camino. Some people where walking very "comfortably" while others were living "minimally".

When I first started the Camino I had my wallet stolen during the festivals in Pamplona with the majority of my money, Credit Card and an ATM. In the beginning there are only small villages with no ATM nor banks...so we had to live cheaply. We would live off fresh bought bread and find some cheese (sometimes some meat) for most of our meals (make our own sandwiches). I felt the Pilgrim Menu was WAY too expensive for my budget, but looked really yummy. At most of the places that sold the Menu you could also buy a sandwich, Tortilla de Espana, or maybe something else that is WAY cheaper.

If there was a market we could buy the cheap 1 EURO bottle of wine, some spaghetti and sauce and eat like kings! Sometimes we carried uncooked pasta with us to the next town in case there wasn't a market. Be careful though, not all places have a kitchen you can use or pots and pans.

I found that I put myself on a 10-15 EURO daily Budget.

[Covey]

One has to admire the courage of someone in a strange land who in the face of great adversity, carries on with her mission of getting to Santiago. Many/most would have given up there and then!

I spent Christmas this year in Barcelona and on the first day there, 3 of our group who were taking a guided tour had their bags picked, and the tour guide had his rucksack stolen when he brought the group back to the hotel. The Spanish authorities blamed the Romanians and gypsies’ and said it would not have been the Spanish. I was in the main Square of Pamplona last July on the first day of the bull running. I was not interested in the bulls, but was looking for some coffee and a ciggie shop. It was mayhem!! and I am not surprised that people use this as a cover for thievery.

Your post says "we" so I presume you were walking with a friend which helps a lot. Although on the Camino you are never really alone, it is times like that when you need a good friend.

Many congratulations on your success and for reminding me that a little humility is a good thing.

[Tanya Yaksich]

HI Covey,
If you had posted this costing before i left for the Camino i would have freaked out!!!

My pack was a 20+6 lt Berghaus hand me down, my sleeping bag was a 15year old down one, my shoes were my everyday runners, i bought a permethrin treated silk liner for $70 aussie dollars, and some compeed and bandaids. My total expenditure was about 100 euros, plus i bought my Altus Atmosferic raincoat in Madrid for 28 euros, as they are made in Spain and are reasonably cheap to buy there.

The balance of the money i saved on my kit i happily spent on gin and tonic!! I had forgotten that they don't measure spirits, they just pour them, JOY! The most i paid was 7 euros for a very generous serve.

But to everybody, TRAVEL LIGHT !!! My family group got together and parcelled uneeded stuff and posted it to Santiago. 9 euros for up to 10 kilos or 12 euros for up to 15 kilos. I wore my white skirt all the way with just a pair of capris for change. I had 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 t.shirt 1 shorts, 3 pairs socks and 3 pairs undies, small towel and a few toiletries and first aid. And my Crocs for the evening. I had to buy a fleece top as it was cold a few mornings.

Cheers and buen Camino
Tanya

[Covey]

Trouble with costings is that the Camino attracts all sorts of different folk, with all sorts of ideas about what works for them.

To equip yourself before you go is not cheap if you cannot borrow items from family and friends. Even those who read this Forum will start out with too much kit, and every year I promise myself that "next year I will carry a severely stripped down amount of kit" but when it comes to it, I never do, and end up taking what worked for me last year.

In theory, you need the clothes you stand up in, and a spare shirt, underpants and socks. But that means you have to wash clothes every night, and the weather might not allow you to dry them in time. So I carry what I stand up in, and three sets of shirt, pants etc. That way I only have to wash clothes every three days and have a better chance of doing laundry when I can dry it. Anyway, washing clothes etc impinges on G&T time!!

Glad you seem to have enjoyed yourself.

[Leslie]

I agree with covey it is really down to the person.

When I walked the camino in 2004 I was a mature student at Uni and I did not have much money. My rucsack was €13 on sale in a supermarket - but just as a comparison, (now that I work), I bought another rucksack earlier this year and paid over €100 - because now I can...

The first time I walked I really did have little money and so I ate out little during the day - I would buy food in shops and carry it with me, preferring to save my money to eat at night with people - as that was more sociable, though often it was pasta cooked in an albergue.

None of this bothered me and I don't feel like I missed on any experience. This was all part of my camino.

The only thing that I would push people to invest in is something good for their feet. I like walking shoes and have a certain brand that I now use all the time - my other half prefers her boots - whatever make sure these are comfortable and good for walking everyday.