Room at the Inn/Albergue? Should I be booking a bunk in advance?

[TamaraOlivia]

Hello! I am planning to walk CF through June to early July this year and I have read about the crowding that occurs during those months.

Will it be a smart/good/safe choice to be booking a bunk at private albergues in advance?

I was hoping to go with the flow, but I'm not much for sleeping under the stars - I'm not sure I flow that way.

Any advice or words of wisdom you could give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If it will give you peace of mind, reserve ahead. Buen camino.

 

[Mark Lee]

Yeah, I agree. Sleeping under the stars is fun on a back-country backpacking trip, but not so much on a jaunt through northern Spain.
I did the Camino Frances last June-July. Up until I reached O'Cebreiro I did not encounter full albergues, private or municipal. In fact two or three times I stayed in private albergues where there were less than ten fellow peregrinos staying there at the same time, and one of the times there was only two of us.
Past O'Cebreiro it was a different matter. A lot of crowded albergues, but I always found somewhere to stay without having made reservations ahead.
If it is a concern to you, bring a cell phone and make your reservations beforehand. If you already know which towns you want to stop in, do some research and decide which private albergues you want to stay in and write down the contact information (telephone number, address) and bring that with you on the Camino, or you could just write it down or annotate it in your guidebook.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I suggest you book your first night in SJPP, book your second night at Orisson.
Then just play it by ear.
If you get into a wave of pilgrims and find yourself short on beds, then drop back half a stage and get into the wake of the wave.
If you get into a situation where the inn is full, you can always taxi or bus to the next village, or if it is warm, sleep outdoors or in a church.
Just go... you'll figure it out there.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Go with the flow til the flow won't go. Then phone ahead. Don't worry too much in advance. Usually you can phone the day before, or even the same morning, to assure you have a place to lay your head.
Under the stars is not so bad now and then. It makes for great stories later on!

 

[Elllie]

Hi,

I'm planning to walk the CF in June too starting out from sjpdp. What dates are you starting out? I'm looking to meet up with people for the first few nights. I'm a little nervous about doing this as have never done anything like this alone before. At the same time I am really excited and ready to go!

 

[november_moon]

I think that the key is to be open to different possibilities - municipal or private albergues, hostels, casa rurales, the occasional hotel, then you'll be fine. Like others have said, if you start having issues, then you can book ahead.

 

[Thornley]

Hi,

I'm planning to walk the CF in June too starting out from sjpdp. What dates are you starting out? I'm looking to meet up with people for the first few nights. I'm a little nervous about doing this as have never done anything like this alone before. At the same time I am really excited and ready to go!

In the albergue you stay in @ SJPdP there will be 30-50 people commencing the next day.
You will not be short of company

 

[mike archer]

Hello! I am planning to walk CF through June to early July this year and I have read about the crowding that occurs during those months.

Will it be a smart/good/safe choice to be booking a bunk at private albergues in advance?

I was hoping to go with the flow, but I'm not much for sleeping under the stars - I'm not sure I flow that way.

Any advice or words of wisdom you could give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

I recommend the Michelin Guide as it is not heavy and has good maps with symbols for what you can expect to find at your destination for the day. Accommodations aren't problem if you get up early enough and get to your destination before 2pm. Depending on the location you will find all the beds taken if you arrive later than that. It may mean walking to the next town, cabbing it, or sleeping on a hard floor. June is very busy and ther will be several hundred people leaving St Jean the same day you are. Do not walk the alternative route from St Jean, it is worse than going over the top. If you like to sleep take a nap at your destination rather than sleep in. The people I met that couldn't find beds were always people that slept in and arrived way to late.

 

[TamaraOlivia]

Thanks for your advice! I'm going to bring an unlocked phone, and just wait to see how my pace is/how late I sleep. If I'm a slow walker or late sleeper then I'll book ahead. I'm very lucky in that my time restraits are relaxed, and I'm going to have between 35 and 40days to complete my journey (plus a couple days on either end for traveling to and from).

Hi, I'm planning to walk the CF in June too starting out from sjpdp. What dates are you starting out? I'm looking to meet up with people for the first few nights. I'm a little nervous about doing this as have never done anything like this alone before. At the same time I am really excited and ready to go!

I'm planning on beginning from SJPdP on either May 30th or June 6th depending on how my work scheduling works out. Maybe we'll cross paths .

 

[yeewun]

Seems like booking accomodation in advance is not necessary for the months of june and july. What about for the week priot to easter? I am planning to start my walk on 29 march 2015 from sarria and to complete the walk on easter sunday. Is that a busy period? Would i need to pre- book accomodation?

 

[Mark Lee]

Seems like booking accomodation in advance is not necessary for the months of june and july. What about for the week priot to easter? I am planning to start my walk on 29 march 2015 from sarria and to complete the walk on easter sunday. Is that a busy period? Would i need to pre- book accomodation?

That being within the last 100 km, and during Holy Week, sure there is a chance that section of the Camino will be busy, but impossible to predict whether or not you will have trouble finding accommodations.
Whether or not you will need to pre-book depends upon you. What kind of accommodations do you plan on staying in? Private or municipal albergues? Hotels, pension houses or hostels?
You can't make advance reservations at municipal albergues. Most private ones you can. Of course you can make them at the hotels and pension houses. If you plan on staying only at those, I would say plan your trip. Decide which towns you want to stay in and make reservations at the hotels, pension houses, etc. Bring a cell phone you can use.
If you plan on only staying at municipal albergues, always have a sort of backup plan in the event they are all full.
Either way, don't get overly concerned about it, and don't let it effect your Camino experience negatively. On both my Caminos I remember shaking my head as the throngs of peregrinos raced out the albergues while it was still dark, due to worries of not finding accommodations. Walking in the dark and missing the sights. The few times I left in the dark was so I could see the sunrise on the Camino. I never sweated it, and always had a place to crash at the end of my walking day.

 

[dandagenais]

Hi,

I'm planning to walk the CF in June too starting out from sjpdp. What dates are you starting out? I'm looking to meet up with people for the first few nights. I'm a little nervous about doing this as have never done anything like this alone before. At the same time I am really excited and ready to go!

Hi Ellie,
No worries my friend, you will meet people right before you start, especially if you start in St-Jean. Stay at the municipal Albergue there, the one recommended by the Pilgrim office when you get there. You will be dipped in the Camino spirit right away with a large majority of people just like you, solo and a bit nervous!! In June, you probably have a full house there, so just chat with people in the bunks beside you, of even with the people registered at the Pilgrim office arriving on the bus with you... have dinner with them that evening and then early morning,everybody has breakfast together (older nice women there taking care of breakfast) and then everybody just starts walking more or less together. All of this will be natural, pleasant and you'll be surprised of the new firends you'll make right from the getgo. For a list of albergue and all, I took the John Bierley guide and it was awesome and all you really need - but I also took the PDF that is on this site somewhere with a list of all the accomodationa along the route. It is a real precious resource. I kinda planned around this. If you can't find it let me know I'm sure I have it somewhere on my computer... Take care and enjoy!!!

Dan

 

[Kerstinh47]

Tamara-
What a joyful and heart wrenching proposition; going out of your comfort zone but into what your heart desires! I did my camino frances mid-may through June last year and never booked ahead. That said, I had only one occasion when I arrived and could walk no further - and the muni beds were full. I got a room at a hostel - private- shower & BATH! It was more $ but probably perfect for my mind and heart at that point. The Camino will always present you with what you need. Don't worry.

Buen Camino

 

[LookingFor42]

Thank you for asking this question. Now I too have an answer. I will be walking in June-July. I haven't booked my flights from Australia yet because I need to save for the airfares. But the Camino is calling and I am grateful other people are asking / answering these questions because it is helping me with my planning.

 

[terillp]

Hi,

I'm planning to walk the CF in June too starting out from sjpdp. What dates are you starting out? I'm looking to meet up with people for the first few nights. I'm a little nervous about doing this as have never done anything like this alone before. At the same time I am really excited and ready to go!

I commend you for going alone! I'm walking alone in July but only from Sarria to Santiago. I've never traveled alone so I'm nervous but mostly excited. Hearing about other brave women going at it alone is inspiring!

 

[Annette london]

Hello! I am planning to walk CF through June to early July this year and I have read about the crowding that occurs during those months.

Will it be a smart/good/safe choice to be booking a bunk at private albergues in advance?

I was hoping to go with the flow, but I'm not much for sleeping under the stars - I'm not sure I flow that way.

Any advice or words of wisdom you could give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Annette london]

When we first walked the caminotravel we had a book called miam miam do do it was invaluable and lists all the accommadition along the way - public and private. Sometimes we used it to call ahead but mostly just stopped when we felt tired. The book is available on Amazon. I have just bought one today for our trip in June.

 

[SYates]

Go with the flow, the bed race isn't half as bad as people make it out to be! Buen Camino! SY

 

[Elllie]

Thank you Dan

After reading this i feel much more relaxed about the whole thing. I haven't had time to prepare so i am just going to jump right in with both feet!!!

So excited right now

 

[nathanael]

Yeah, I agree. Sleeping under the stars is fun on a back-country backpacking trip, but not so much on a jaunt through northern Spain.
I did the Camino Frances last June-July. Up until I reached O'Cebreiro I did not encounter full albergues, private or municipal. In fact two or three times I stayed in private albergues where there were less than ten fellow peregrinos staying there at the same time, and one of the times there was only two of us.
Past O'Cebreiro it was a different matter. A lot of crowded albergues, but I always found somewhere to stay without having made reservations ahead.
If it is a concern to you, bring a cell phone and make your reservations beforehand. If you already know which towns you want to stop in, do some research and decide which private albergues you want to stay in and write down the contact information (telephone number, address) and bring that with you on the Camino, or you could just write it down or annotate it in your guidebook.

I have done 7 Camino's and I find bringing a cell phone objectionable. Yet that is me and I will continue to do the Camino with as few distractions as possible, plus one less thing you need to worry about being stolen. Yes last year that seem to be the thing stolen cell phones. Buen Camino...let's keep it simple.

 

[Mark Lee]

I have done 7 Camino's and I find bringing a cell phone objectionable. Yet that is me and I will continue to do the Camino with as few distractions as possible, plus one less thing you need to worry about being stolen. Yes last year that seem to be the thing stolen cell phones. Buen Camino...let's keep it simple.

yeah, different strokes, different folks.....

 

[Deleted member 3000]

with as few distractions as possible

Responsibilities for parents and children are not distractions to me, so I turn off the phone when I don't want to be distracted in the short term (actually, I declare a time window when I will turn it on to save the battery). When I need a favor from someone that requires a phone call, I consider having the cell phone a courtesy. Why should they bear the burden of my purism? Helping me on the phone is enough of a burden, but I am grateful for the consideration. I have never forced anyone to take a phone, and I hope for the reverse!

 

[nathanael]

Responsibilities for parents and children are not distractions to me, so I turn off the phone when I don't want to be distracted in the short term (actually, I declare a time window when I will turn it on to save the battery). When I need a favor from someone that requires a phone call, I consider having the cell phone a courtesy. Why should they bear the burden of my purism? Helping me on the phone is enough of a burden, but I am grateful for the consideration. I have never forced anyone to take a phone, and I hope for the reverse!

never the less they aredistractions

 

[Deleted member 3000]

never the less they aredistractions

So are bibles and rosaries.

 

[Annette london]

I have done 7 Camino's and I find bringing a cell phone objectionable. Yet that is me and I will continue to do the Camino with as few distractions as possible, plus one less thing you need to worry about being stolen. Yes last year that seem to be the thing stolen cell phones. Buen Camino...let's keep it simple.

For

yeah, different strokes, different folks.....

For whom do you find the phone objectionable --yourself or others. You must feel very self satisfies. I carry a phone to keep in touch with children and grandchildren and certainly do not find it a distraction. Also for women on their own I do think a phone is a necessity. You sound extremely judgemental re this phone business so I had better not mention that I also carry an I pad. Shame on me. And horror of horrors my husband and myself listen to music on our I pods as we walk,certainly not a distraction for ourselves or anyone else. Even worse we don't stay in albergues any more. Does this make us less of a pilgrim than yourselves. On our camino at present we met a man who never carries a phone but he was not averse to using mine on 2 occasions. Certainly he was keeping it simple!! Don't judge nathianal and you shall not be judged.