I have 5 rest days that I can take after we leave SJDPD and before Santiago De Compostela. I would appreciate any recommendations of your favorite rest towns and any accommodations you really enjoyed.
I normally plan on having a rest day about every 10 days, to which I add a sick day just in case. I now also plan to spend at least four nights in Santiago. This adds a week, which works better now that I have retired and there isn't that pressure to get back home.I like to have few just in case days, you can use them if you need them, or you can can go on to the coast.
One factor/question I don’t think that has touched yet is when you are walking?I have 5 rest days that I can take after we leave SJDPD and before Santiago De Compostela. I would appreciate any recommendations of your favorite rest towns and any accommodations you really enjoyed.
I agree, go with the flow, wing it and be surprised. You may find an afternoon/evening is more than enough to explore, so keep the spare days for when your body/mind asks for it.Without a doubt the best places to take a rest day is the towns when your body has told you it is time to rest.
This sounds absolutely amazing!In 2014 I stayed with the Benedictine monks at Monasterio Benedictino San Salvador del Monte Irago in Rabanal del Camino. If you stay with them they ask you to stay 2 nights and join them in chanting the Divine Office throughout the day; joining them for lunch also. Rabanal del Camino is a village in the hills a days walk beyond Astorga, and the albergue adjoining the monastery only sleeps 10 and has an inner atrium garden. I thoroughly enjoyed my "forced" rest day here. Apart from the chanting and prayers, I spent the day walking with other guests, taking photographs, journalling and reflecting on my Camino.
We will leave SJPDP on Aug 25 and arrive in SDC on Oct 5One factor/question I don’t think that has touched yet is when you are walking?
SometImes availability of accommodations can be a factor. If you walk in high season, there may not be spontaneous availability for a second night in the same place or even town, especially between SJPdP and Pamplona and then, Sarria to SdC. More than likely the cities will have availability (unless a festival is taking place), though not necessarily at the same accommodation. And do be aware of town festivals,where staying a second night if not prereserved may not be possible. Timing matters!
Thanks for the advice. That makes sense - just relax and take a break instead of sight seeing on day off. I did try the search function but I must be doing something wrong. I put in “best places to rest on Camino Frances” and unrelated topics came up.I think there have been numerous threads on this topic. Try using the search function to canvass that info, but generally people seem to use the larger towns and cities for these rest days, but it’s easy to be exhausted after sightseeing all day. A true rest day is best done (in my view) someplace where there isn’t a lot to do, or where the town is small enough to easily cover everything.
I’m a fan of Villafranca del Bierzo and Astorga.
We got great advice from our American Pilgrims on the camino group. They recommended an extra day in Pamplona. This would be about day 5. It is a great city to explore, great food, and a good place to simply rest after a few long days. After that - listen to your body. Our only other rest day (even though we had 6 alotted) was in Astorga. Such a fun town. After only staying in Municipal albergues, a bed, shower and bath tub were such luxury.I have 5 rest days that I can take after we leave SJDPD and before Santiago De Compostela. I would appreciate any recommendations of your favorite rest towns and any accommodations you really enjoyed.
Great places to restI normally plan on having a rest day about every 10 days, to which I add a sick day just in case. I now also plan to spend at least four nights in Santiago. This adds a week, which works better now that I have retired and there isn't that pressure to get back home.
I don't have favourite places to take rest days, but on the CF, both times I have stopped in Burgos, and then once in Leon and the other in Astorga.
Logroño . . Mmmm, pincho capital of Spain . .I really enjoyed my rest days in the 4 bigger towns. As others have pointed out, i would encourage you to not plan all of them just now. Maybe you need an extra or two due to illness or exhaustion. Or if you are in just a really nice group and spontaniously want to stay an extra day somewhere.
Last time around I did spend less rest days than i had in mind because people I liked wanted to continue on and I was rested enough to stay with them. Also I did lose a day or two due to stages shorter than planned.
So all in all, my advice would be: Maybe keep Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos and Leon in mind when considering rest days, but also keep yourself the option to adjust spontaniously in case you need or want to.
I never plan or take rest days. Instead, I take the bus near big cities like Burgos or Leon, so I have more time to explore them and to occasionally take a nap. In case of injury - so far I've been lucky - I would also take a bus or cab. Spending two days in one place would interrupt my Camino and I would also lose the people I am used to seeing on the way.I have 5 rest days that I can take after we leave SJDPD and before Santiago De Compostela. I would appreciate any recommendations of your favorite rest towns and any accommodations you really enjoyed.
We are beginning our pilgrimage out of SJPDP on Aug 25 and finishing Santiago on October 5One factor/question I don’t think that has touched yet is when you are walking?
SometImes availability of accommodations can be a factor. If you walk in high season, there may not be spontaneous availability for a second night in the same place or even town, especially between SJPdP and Pamplona and then, Sarria to SdC. More than likely the cities will have availability (unless a festival is taking place), though not necessarily at the same accommodation. And do be aware of town festivals,where staying a second night if not prereserved may not be possible. Timing matters!