For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
It depends on your interests and on your walk. By the latter, I mean where the wear and tear of walking every day gets to you and makes a rest and recuperation day advisable. But all that aside and pandering to my own interests, I'd say: Atapuerca (if you can arrange to see the site), Burgos, Leon, Astorga. Another option would be Logrono (if you like wine and tapas). And if you are budgeting extra days, Santiago de Compostela is a good place to budget them as well.
Burgos, Leon, and Astorga all have great architecture. Atapuerca is well known for its prehistoric cave art. Ponferrada has the best castle on the CF route. If you can fit that into your day's walk (as we did), I'm not sure that it merits an extra rest day, though. Similarly, the monastery at Samos is worth a visit but may not require a rest day. For a completely different type of architecture, along with great views, you may find O Cebreiro attractive. In my experience, however, the great nature tended to be something you walked through rather than rested at.Thanks! I'll definitely spend a couple of days in Santiago. Setting unexpected rest days aside, I'm interested in places that have great nature and/or have historical or architectural stuff to see. I love history, so castles, old monasteries, etc are all stuff I like.
@SamarkandIf you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
León Culture, history and good food and wineIf you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
We stayed an extra day in Pamplona, Burgos and Leon. Mainly because there is lot to see/visit in these big cities. And I would certainly advise to stay a couple of extra days in Santiago after you finished! You need to slowly get used to idea that you have done it! YTou don't want to rush back into your "normal" life Buen CaminoIf you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
I agree with you. The most imprrhing you can do is listen to your body. Walk when it tells you to go and rest when it tells you to stop. If you are walking as a pilgrim it will be the best way to insure your health and spirit.Pamplona (but not on a weekend - too much party ;-), Grañón (just to relax), Atapuerca (to see the excavations) and some of the little places in between there and Santiago - but then, I am not a big city peregrinsa ;-) In short, rest where you feel called to rest and walk when you feel called to walk.
Buen Camino, SY
Well, you got a lot of info here. Here is some more: I chose the larger places to take a rest day or at least have a shorter day before or after. I really loved Pamplona, lively, colorful, made it to the amazing museum in the Cathedral. Wished I would have spent the night, but went on. Burgos is charming. Wouldn’t miss it. Loved León! Amazing things to see and great food. Little places I loved and thought how nice it would be to stop a day: Rabanal del Camino, Samos (!!), Molinaseca, Villafranca del Bierzo. And that may be just scratching the surface!If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
Burgos is a lovely town with an beautiful historic center. It also has an excellent Museum of Human evolution that runs tours to Atapuerca. There' a river running through the town and a large park on the NE side to provide some nature.Thanks! I'll definitely spend a couple of days in Santiago. Setting unexpected rest days aside, I'm interested in places that have great nature and/or have historical or architectural stuff to see. I love history, so castles, old monasteries, etc are all stuff I like.
If you are starting in st Jean, you may want to rest by Pamplona, a fabulous city. I also recommend Najera, Astorga, again, great cities with plenty to see and do. I wished i had taken the time to stay over at Leon, and in the interesting city of Villagranca de Bierzo. Buen Camino!If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
Last year my friend joined me for the first part of the Camino and we spent her last day in Logroño. Together with another pilgrim we had a great tapas crawl!Logroño, just so that you can have two nights sampling the joys of Calle Laurel! This place is an absolute joy. I missed it on my Camino but caught up with it this week. The street is just Tapas bars. One of them specializes in just selling mushrooms grilled with olive oil, absolutely delicious. Try the vino del año, (this years wine at a about 1€ a glass) and then compare it with a crianza ( one that has been aged in oak casks) for about 2.50€. Try the caldo, a thin broth, served hot with bread. If you're walking in winter you'll appreciate it. If you see a sign saying "Hay Caldo" it means, "we've got Caldo". Give it a go!
Go online and look up the Campo Viejo website. Email them and book a tour. Share a taxi with other pilgrims that you can rope in. Costs 12€, takes a couple of hours and it is worth every penny! Your guide will speak excellent English.
If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
I spent two nights there - it was amazing. I was probably the only pilgrim there. During the day I stolled the hills and farms and rested. Attended three mass services... The two days spent there was a turning point on my Camino...it was as if all the emotions just settled...I cried , I laughed, was in awe of life....and then continued my Camino with a skip in my walk@Samarkand
I would recommend taking the bus from Burgos to Santo Domingo de Silos, where there is a wonderful monastery where the monks sing the Divine Office in a traditional style. Spend a couple of days there to see the monastery and hear the monks sing their worship: a wonderful experience. But be sure to book accommodation ahead of time if you plan to be there on a weekend, as it is a popular place for a weekend away for residents of Burgos, and can be booked up.
Any hilltop village rest and get fresh air into lungs and good bottle or 2 of vino buen camino
Rick, how many days did you take to complete your Camino, including rest days?Peg had to take about three days for rest/recovery in both Sahagun (at about the halfway point of the CF) and Astorga. I enjoyed the stay at both. They were big enough to have a number of sights yet small enough to feel like they might be the "real Spain." We also had a sightseeing day each in Burgos and Leon. I liked Leon better. We just passed through Pamplona on the way but spent a few days there on our way back. Loved our stay but probably to close to the start of your camino to spend rest days there.
[Edit: If you don't know at least some Spanish you may not want to spend too many days in Sahagun. If you can mingle a bit then it is worth more time.]
If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
Actually I have a terse synopsis on hand and here it is:Rick, how many days did you take to complete your Camino, including rest days?
Actually I have a terse synopsis on hand and here it is:
From St. Jean Pied de Port to arrival in Santiago de Compostela:
Guide had 33 days
We took 58 days
48 walking days
2 tourist days (Burgos, day 18 and Leon, day 34)
1 sick day (Villalcaza de Sirga, day 24)
7 recovery days (2 Sahagun, days 29 & 30, 1 Villar de Mazarife, day 36, 4 Astorga, days 37-40)
From St. Jean Pied de Port to arrival in Finisterre:
We took 63 days (additional 2 tourist days in Santiago and additional 3 walking days)
(Peg stayed 2 more days in Santiago and took bus to Finisterre the next day.)
From St. Jean Pied de Port to arrival in Muxia:
We took 66 days (additional 1 tourist day in Finisterre and additional 2 walking days)
8 weeks, 2 days to get to Santiago (58 days)
9 weeks, 3 days to get to Muxia (66 days)
Total trip: 66 days
Hiking days: (Rick: 53, Peg: 50)
Days of no hiking: (Rick: 13, Peg: 16)
The average distance each walking day was about 10 miles (16 km)
Ok. So there is the where question as far as timing. But what towns/cities are most awesome is another question. My favorite of all time is logrono. I’ve done frances 4 times and always is the best. Plus it is so active for locals. 3 year old kids are out at 10 pm. True Spain. If you like good wines and good tapas. Pamplona is cool because it is Pamplona. They have a tapas street too. Leon is a great historic and party town. Great bars and restaurants. You can go to this one ham bar - forget the name - bit you get a full meal with a 2$ glass of wine. Smaller towns - Estrella and Astorga are great. But then you have super small towns with great experiences like bar Elvis in reliegos and many more. What makes a stop over the best is the people and albergue. Places like hospital orbigo you would not necessarily stay a full day, but they have amazing albergues like Verde.If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
There is a bus that takes you to the site from Atapuerca. You can't go independently - it's a tour. When I went, the tour was in Spanish.I spent the night in Atapuerca, which was a nice stop, but my understanding was that visits to the archaeological site need to be arranged via the museum in Burgos, and that you needed to take the shuttle from themuseum. I didn't think they allowed independent visitors. Maybe I must understood - it sounds like some of you did visit while in Atapuerca.
I met one pilgrim who splurged on a two-day break at a casa rurale. That sounded like a wonderful idea.
El Acebo or Molinaseca I concur!Assuming by “rest day” you mean dont walk far but still see stuff days, I recommend Pamplona old town, Burgos & Leon where both Cathedrals and downtowns are vibrant, Astorga smaller but still stuff to do, Ponferada templar castle and area is fun. Lots of others I know liked Logrono, but it was too noisy for my taste and not as strong historic sites. Viana outside of Logrono was better in my opinion. If you want pure rest and quiet Los Arcos, Navarette (lovely little town with over the top church, Castrojeriz (La Posada Meson nice), El Acebo or Molinaseca. My small town recommendations are based on they have lots of modest places you can stay for multiple days, plenty of places to get food and supplies, and enough to see that they would interesting if you go out for a walk.
I stop when my body tells me it’s time to stop. Many pilgrims aggravate minor injuries by walking three or four more days to take a day off in a pre-planned location in order “to stay on schedule.”
I didn’t take any rest days when I did the CF in 2014, which I regret, but if I did it again and took rest days they would certainly include Pamplona, Leon and Burgos - all lively and beautiful cities worth spending more time in. If I had to nominate a fourth rest day location it would probably be Astorga. O’Cebreiro was my favourite place on the Camino - the night I spent there was a wild and windy one, and the place had a strange, elemental feel to it - but I don’t think there’s enough to do there to warrant a day’s rest.If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
I needed a rest day, but I wanted it to be in Astorga, so I took the train to Astorga. Took my rest day, then bussed back to pick up the skipped stages. Then I got to spend the night in Astorga again! LOLI stop when my body tells me it’s time to stop. Many pilgrims aggravate minor injuries by walking three or four more days to take a day off in a pre-planned location in order “to stay on schedule.”
Depends on where you are starting. If you are starting in France, Pamplona is a great first rest stop. A fabulous city full of charm. I also agree with Astorga. Both have plenty of sights to see, good food, stores with supplies, etc. and are fun!If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
If you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?
Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos and Leon for meIf you want to take 4 rest days during the CF, where would they be? Which sections are historical or beautiful enough to make you stop and take a 0km day? Why would you stop there?