Accommodation

[miratur]

I shall be walking the Camino Frances in late April 2009 arriving in Santiago in mid June. Will I have problems finding accommodation during that period? Do I have to book ahead for the accommodation every day? I intend to start my walk slowly so I shall be stopping at Orrison for the first night. Can I use my Visa card for payment.

[antonian]

Hi miratur,
You will have no problems finding accommodation in April/May/June. There are pilgrim shelters/hostels all along the route from Roncesvalles to Santiago that offer accommodation. They are called Albergues or Refugios. Some are municipal while others are privately run and the accommodation and services range from the very basic to the very comfortable. These usually cost between €3-€10 and for the most part Visa is not an option. Also it is usually not possible to book a place in the albergues - just show up and take a bed.

There are also a large number of hostales along the way. It is possible to book these but again usually not necessary outside the peak season.

The exception is Orrison - you must have a booking to stay here and I recommend that you confirm the booking a couple of days before arriving.

Buen Camino
A.

[miratur]

Thanks antonian. How Can I book ahead for Orrison? Do they have an email address?

Miratur

[antonian]

Hi Miratur,

See http://www.refuge-orisson.com/auberg...ue_contact.php

--

[miratur]

Thanks antonian

[toledo]

I walked from St Jean to Leon in May. I stopped at Arrison for coffee which is only a few miles walk. I think the best option is to keep walking because by staying the night at Orrison you are only delaying the majority of the walk to Roncesvalles. I had read all the reports of how hard the first day was and was very apprehensive but found it much easier than anticipated. In fact I found the second day from Roncesvalles more difficult,( lots of undulating tracks through woods.) The second night, all hostals being full, cost me E60 for a hotel room. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to find lodgings in June through to September. Some people queue for hours outside albergues waiting for them to open and that is probably the reason so many people are up and out before 5.30am
To give you some idea of how difficult it might be to find a bed; I believe the albergue in Roncesvalles holds 150 people. This was full in May and the other accomadation in the village was also full. From this you could reckon that there are approximately 200 people looking for lodgings every night. One night I slept with about 15 others on the floor of house belonging to the owner of a bar. The two albergues in the village were full.
Some people are better organised and arrange hotels and hostals along the way in advance but this could prove very costly over a period of several weeks.
I'm sorry if I paint a disappointing picture, but this is how it is.

[miratur]

Thanks Pepe and Toledo. I am now a bit worried about the accomodation on the Camino.

Miratur

[spanishlancer]

Thanks Pepe and Toledo. I am now a bit worried about the accomodation on the Camino.

Miratur

Hi Miratur, Pepe and Toledo paint a picture that is not the same as I found. I was on the Camino in April and May earlier this year and had no problems with accommodation, whether Pilgrim Alburgues or Hotels.Just note that the 1st May is a public holiday in Spain which means there will be lots of locals doing a part of the Camino around that time. Maybe Toledo was in Roncevalles around that time. Remember that the first step is the most difficult one you will take,enjoy your Camino.

Buen Camino Ron

[miratur]

Thanks for your comments spanishlancer.

miratur

[CJT]

Hi Miratur,

I wouldn't worry too much about accomodation. I walked SJdP to Finisterre late May/June this year and for the most part had no issues with accommodation. There were a few times (but not many) when the Alberques were full but something always worked out and indeed some of my fondest memories are of those times and the people I met then. I noticed there were sometimes surges in the numbers walking but in my experience many people were following similar guides in respect of distances /destinations each day so if you noticed pressure on accomodation just walk a few kms further or less the next day and you would take yourself out of the bulge. I wouldn't let accomodation bother you too much just get some good footwear, keep your rucksack light and go.

Buen Camino

[miratur]

Thanks CJT.
With regards to keeping my rucksack light, from your experience, do I need thermal underwear for the camino?

[CJT]

Hi Miratur,

personally I would go with lightweight layers so you can layer up or down over the course of a day rather than thermal underwear and may be more flexible with a limited "wardrobe". This a personal view as I am ok with the cold (heat is a different story). If you are starting off in late April some parts will be cold in the especially mornings and evenings. Again just my view and I am sure there are many more experienced walkers and camino pilgrims that can advise as well, maybe have a look on the Equipment section for some thoughts as well.

[miratur]

Thanks CJT. The suggestion of more layers makes more sense.

[lesliermt]

I plan in travelling with my daughter on a real tight budget, I was reading that many accom. are free, is this true??? I will be travelling from mid march to mid april. Leslie from Canada

[Covey]

There are two types of albergue along the Camino Frances.

The Official Albergues are mostly owned by the local or state minicipal districts and almost without exception charge a fee per night per person. The charge varies from ?3 to ?6 for which you get a bunk with a mattress and pillow. You do not get any bedding, except a lot of albergues will have a blanket if you ask for one. Most official albergues do not offer any food, although may offer cooking facilities of highly variable quality.

The Private Albergues are now quite frequent and generally offer better quality accommodation than the minicipals. The nightly charge varies from ?5 to ?10 and some offer an evening meal for ?6 - ?10

When you cross into Galicia for the last 7/10 days before Santiago, the official albergues are "donativo" ie, they have no fixed fee and just ask for a donation. Most of us tend to give a ?3 - ?5 "donation" to make sure the Big Man In The Sky sends sunshine and not rain tomorrow!

A couple of years ago the general rule was that you needed ?25 a day to do the Camino Frances, excluding air fares. Given that the cost of living in Spain is going up fairly quickly, I would now allow ?30 -?35 minimum.