Rest days...

[joecamino]

I've a few questions about rest days on the CF, and am curious to hear people's experiences

1. If you took rest days, were they on any kind of schedule (say, every 6th day)? Based on how your body was feeling? Driven by how much you liked a town? Or did you plan beforehand to spend extra time in particular towns?
2. If I do want to plan on particular stops, what suggestions do you have on places you loved? My initial thoughts would include Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon, but my only certainty is how much I don't know now

Thanks!

 

[HighlandsHiker]

I've a few questions about rest days on the CF, and am curious to hear people's experiences

1. If you took rest days, were they on any kind of schedule (say, every 6th day)? Based on how your body was feeling? Driven by how much you liked a town? Or did you plan beforehand to spend extra time in particular towns?
2. If I do want to plan on particular stops, what suggestions do you have on places you loved? My initial thoughts would include Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon, but my only certainty is how much I don't know now

Thanks!

Hi Joe. I didn't plan rest days in other than to sightsee, but if was dragging (as it seems most find themselves at some points), would hike a shorter day, rest longer at cafe stops, or send my pack ahead on a few of the more physically demanding stretches. As far as planned sightseeing, I did the same as you have thought of, and made a detour at Azofra to Canas and then reconnected at Ciruena as well. I would not have wanted to miss Pamplona and was able to spend the first evening there after taking the ALSA from the airport in Madrid. Then I had another evening in Pamplona on the way back through from SJPP, which was nice because by then I'd scouted out the town and was able to have dinner at Cafe Iruna on Plaza del Castillo. I planned a day in Burgos and was very glad I did because the Cathedral is beautiful and so was the Cartuja de Miraflores (out the riverwalk to the east). Then there's Las Huelgas, another interesting church compound to visit there. I had an afternoon in Leon both times, which was enough. The Cathedral is kind of dark and brooding with wonderful stained glass (there a museum there too) whereas the one in Burgos is very light and airy and has an especially good museum. Then both times, I planned at least one extra day in Santiago because it's a great town with several museums and wonderful food. Happy planning!

 

[Robo]

Your body will tell you when you need to rest Joe!
Just make sure you are listening

Some people might walk without rest days, but I think most people need 2 or 3 along the way.

I actually felt very restless on my rest days, but recognised that I actually needed them. I resisted the temptation to keep walking.

Next time I might do 'short' days instead of or in addition to rest days. 10 kms or less. Almost as good as a rest day.

Personally I found Pamplona too early to stop, and rested in Burgos and Leon. Bigger places give you a few things to see on your rest day.

But if I needed to, I would have stopped anywhere. When you need a rest....you need a rest.

 

[evanlow]

No rest days for me unless unable to walk. Plan short distance to major places arriving no later than 12 pm if it is of interest. Too restless if I have them.

 

[trecile]

I took one rest day - in León, mostly because some people who I had been walking with at the beginning were a day behind me, and I wanted to see them again, which was fun. However, they also took a rest day in León, so they remained a day behind me, but we caught up again in Santiago.

To me, it was weird to have a day without walking, and I didn't really enjoy it that much. I think that next time before getting to a city that I'd like to spend more time in I'll just walk shorter stages into and out of the city.

And it was really weird to sleep in the same place two nights in a row!

 

[nycwalking]

I never planned rest days. But, when I sprained an ankle, camino number four, I took eight rest days. On second camino, I carried in my right hand, a medium carton of Orange juice from SJPP over Pyrennes to Roncesvalles. Needless to say, next morning I awoke with a huge knot on shoulder and needed a rest day in Roncesvalles. In 2014, when I arrived in Santiago, I stayed two days to enjoy city before walking to Fisterra. 2002, a group of us so loved albergue in Negreira with its nice single beds and heated floor we stayed two nights and would have stayed another if hospitalero hadn't booted us out. If you become part of "camino family", your linger days will be determined somewhat by the group. Upon finding a true need for rest due to exhaustion, illness, etc, ask hospitaleros for a second night, they may allow it, especially if albergue isn't too full. Oh and, if you really want a rest, filter out the "true pilgrim" chatter, and do so. It is your camino and nobody elses.
Buen camino.

 

[joecamino]

I haven't always listened very well to my body...but I think it may be speaking a bit louder on a 500-mile walk. Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses!

 

[ratherbefollowingflechas]

Our first rest day occurred after walking 2 30k+ days to hang with our first Camino family. My husband had 7 blisters by the time we reached Estella and we decided a rest day was in order. Our 2nd rest day occurred in Burgos - not by design, but definitely a happy circumstance. We ran out of cash in Ages and were faced with the issue that we had enough money for dinner or beds for the night, but not both. We decided to taxi to Burgos and our taxi driver took us to the closest ATM so that she was assured of her fare. We awoke in Burgos the next day to a massive downpour so we headed to the tapas bar and had 3 orders of pimientos de Padron and other numerous goodies. After a great day visiting the Cathedral, enduring a viscious massage, and spending way too much money to have everything laundered, the following morning we took a taxi back to Ages and continued our Camino to make sure we didn't miss a kilometer. Our last rest day was in Leon, where we ate too much meat at the Ren Fair, bought new shoes, and spent a decadent night at the Parador. Rest days are like the rest of the Camino, they just kind of occur at exactly the right time.
Buen Camino!

 

[Trevor Batley]

We are also in the no rest days (except in Santiago, before heading on to Finesterre), but did a number of short days. Mainly into and/or out of Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos & Leon and when we were feeling less enthusiastic.
This gave us time to look around and be tourists without getting too restless.
We had planned to have some rest days, if we felt like it, but never did
Just enjoy your walk!
Trevor B
PS. We had a short day out of Logrono, after staying up and enjoying Tapas night (every Thursday). Great evening wandering from bar to bar and enjoying the tapas and beers/wines.

 

[notion900]

Good advice above. I planned and took no rest days. I didn't walk mad fast (sometimes only 15km, usually 22-25km) and did one really short day of about 9km when I was very tired. I agree that rest days could feel 'weird'. It's hard to flip from being a pilgrim to being a tourist and back again, it's a different mindset. I struggled with this on the Cd Norte.

You actually have plenty of time to sightsee and socialise in the afternoons and evenings every single day if you want to and are organised, because of the way the Spanish day is structured - it's not like everything closes at 5pm. (That's why I tell people not to bother taking books). @trecile gave great advice on taking shorter days in and out of cities, rather than a rest day. I have seen all the cathedrals, many churches, some great museums, walked the Roman walls of Lugo, visited the excavations at Atapuerca, and I go swimming every afternoon I possibly can - all without an official rest day, because I am not on a rushing schedule in the first place. I have also been very ill on the VDLP and had to stop for 4 days.

I therefore think it's better to think of a flexible contingency allowance of 4 or 5 days, rather than planning where you will take a rest day in advance. Worst that can happen is you arrive early and have to go to the beach.

 

[wayfarer]

We took planned rest days in Burgos and Leon. I found that after what was close to a day and a half of doing very little, other than strolling around, my muscles felt stiff and sore the first day back walking. If I were to do it again I would probably opt for two early finishes and two late starts instead. Everyone is different and you will know what to do yourself when you are walking.
Buen Camino.

 

[Saint Mike II]

I've a few questions about rest days on the CF, and am curious to hear people's experiences

1. If you took rest days, were they on any kind of schedule (say, every 6th day)? Based on how your body was feeling? Driven by how much you liked a town? Or did you plan beforehand to spend extra time in particular towns?
2. If I do want to plan on particular stops, what suggestions do you have on places you loved? My initial thoughts would include Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon, but my only certainty is how much I don't know now

Thanks!

I have penciled in two rest days - one in Burgos and the other in Leon. The Burgos one should be around day 12 and Leon day 20. There's nothing special about when you take a rest day (if you even take a rest day) - its just that I have been to both of these cities and would like to spend a day in each. Plus it gives me a chance to spend more than one night in a room by myself. About Pamplona - I sort of have planned a half day here - get in around 2.00 pm and leave around lunch time with a plan to overnight at Zariquiegui - as a way to get off the Brierley schedules. Cheers

 

[Saint Mike II]

.... Our last rest day was in Leon, where we ate too much meat at the Ren Fair, bought new shoes, and spent a decadent night at the Parador. Rest days are like the rest of the Camino, they just kind of occur at exactly the right time. Buen Camino!

No night in the Parador at Leon is decadent - for me its almost a Camino requirement. Where else can you actually stay in an "albergue" that was there 500 years ago??

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We took two rest days (in Burgos and Leon) but perhaps they are better classified as touring days since if they were small towns we probably would have kept going. We averaged only about 15 km per walking day and so didn't need the rest as much as the faster people. However there were an additional eight recovery days with no walking to take care of food poisoning and foot injury problems. This was from St. Jean to Santiago (where there were more days off.) The trip to Finesterre and Muxia is a bit long to describe. Some recovery days were in Astorga and we probably would have spent a day there anyway. We went back through Pamplona heading home and that is when we toured it.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

No such thing as "reat days" in laege cities because you will spend all day walking aroind visiting them. Short walking days when your body needs them is what I prefer. Now, if you want a break from walking to do some siteseeing, then your plan is a good one.

 

[tillyjones]

I got myself so preoccupied with not getting to Sarria on a weekend (or some such thing) that I took a day off just to hold myself up and I felt very antsy all day and regretted it so much that I picked up the pace from there on out and got to Sarria before I would have had I not taken the day off. Ha.

 

[Mckarash]

The only blisters i got was on my rest day in Logrono from walking around the bars and shops!

 

[John Sikora]

I'll take a different take on rest days. I was 66 when I did my first Camino and play to do another at 70, so I needed some rest days to get acclimated. My better point is that when you walk the Camino, there is a good chance that you might not walk that way again. A lot of people talk about getting to Santiago, but the true joy in my view is the cities and people between the two end points. My recommendation would be that you take as long as you can to walk the Camino. Unless your desire is just to walk, make the sacrifice to take more time out of your life to make the trip last as long as possible. This may eliminate the need for rest days or alternatively allow you to take more rest days to see the sights, food, culture, and music of each town that you visit. Somedays, when you arrive places that you want to see may be closed and free days help with that. Someone mentioned that Pamplona was too early for a rest day. It probably is but it is a great city to spend a day in nonetheless. I'm against "rest" days but I'm certainly on board with "exploring days" I'd even go so far as to suggest that if you can't spend more than a month walking the Camino, split it up into two years worth of trips. You won't regret it other than not having bragging rights about walking in one swoop. There is a downside, however. By walking slower than most, you will only be able to walk a couple of days with any one group or individual that you meet. That's a sad part but by walking slower than others, you'll also meet more people. Always tradeoffs on the Camino.

 

[Joziane]

Hi Joe. I didn't plan rest days in other than to sightsee, but if was dragging (as it seems most find themselves at some points), would hike a shorter day, rest longer at cafe stops, or send my pack ahead on a few of the more physically demanding stretches. As far as planned sightseeing, I did the same as you have thought of, and made a detour at Azofra to Canas and then reconnected at Ciruena as well. I would not have wanted to miss Pamplona and was able to spend the first evening there after taking the ALSA from the airport in Madrid. Then I had another evening in Pamplona on the way back through from SJPP, which was nice because by then I'd scouted out the town and was able to have dinner at Cafe Iruna on Plaza del Castillo. I planned a day in Burgos and was very glad I did because the Cathedral is beautiful and so was the Cartuja de Miraflores (out the riverwalk to the east). Then there's Las Huelgas, another interesting church compound to visit there. I had an afternoon in Leon both times, which was enough. The Cathedral is kind of dark and brooding with wonderful stained glass (there a museum there too) whereas the one in Burgos is very light and airy and has an especially good museum. Then both times, I planned at least one extra day in Santiago because it's a great town with several museums and wonderful food. Happy planning!

thankyou for posting this.... please clarify ...from canas there is a well marked road to ciruena or does one have to backtrack to Azofra? my map does not show this and it has been a main ? that I needed an answer to...

 

[HighlandsHiker]

thankyou for posting this.... please clarify ...from canas there is a well marked road to ciruena or does one have to backtrack to Azofra? my map does not show this and it has been a main ? that I needed an answer to...

No, you don't have to go back to Azofra, but the road is more public and populated between Azofra and Canas, so it might be a good idea to just do it that way if you're hiking alone.

Just so you know what to expect on the way TO Canas, pass through Azofra on the Camino and continue to the far edge of the little town to a paved road running perpendicular. There are signs there (LR-206). Make a left and follow the roadside (it's not bad - not much traffic, out in the open) through a small collection of businesses and housing (Alesanco) and continue on to Canas. On the road, there's a large pink/fuschia sign for the monastery/abbey, but you can't miss it. It's a nice visit.

When you leave Canas (I think there is some lodging available there), follow the town's Calle Real westward onto LR-327 (straight on). Eventually the road forks, but stay to the right on LR-327 and in a couple of km, it will take you out to a main road into Ciruena. Make a right there (LR-204). The hike between Canas to Ciruena is lovely, but I'm not sure I'd do it alone because those roads are much more isolated. I was hiking on LR-327 and a van stopped for no discernible reason about 50 ft ahead on this deserted road (I'm a female) and seemed to be waiting for me to pass. I got on my cell phone and started pointing it toward them as if taking a picture and pushing in numbers, and they took off quickly.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Not a bad idea to build in a few rest days. Most us only have so many days we can be away from our 'real' life. You may never use your rest days, but good to have a few built into your plan in case you do have an injury that needs to be rested.
If you end up walking every day, a few more days in Santiago is certainly good.

 

[Joziane]

No, you don't have to go back to Azofra, but the road is more public and populated between Azofra and Canas, so it might be a good idea to just do it that way if you're hiking alone.

Just so you know what to expect on the way TO Canas, pass through Azofra on the Camino and continue to the far edge of the little town to a paved road running perpendicular. There are signs there (LR-206). Make a left and follow the roadside (it's not bad - not much traffic, out in the open) through a small collection of businesses and housing (Alesanco) and continue on to Canas. On the road, there's a large pink/fuschia sign for the monastery/abbey, but you can't miss it. It's a nice visit.

When you leave Canas (I think there is some lodging available there), follow the town's Calle Real westward onto LR-327 (straight on). Eventually the road forks, but stay to the right on LR-327 and in a couple of km, it will take you out to a main road into Ciruena. Make a right there (LR-204). The hike between Canas to Ciruena is lovely, but I'm not sure I'd do it alone because those roads are much more isolated. I was hiking on LR-327 and a van stopped for no discernible reason about 50 ft ahead on this deserted road (I'm a female) and seemed to be waiting for me to pass. I got on my cell phone and started pointing it toward them as if taking a picture and pushing in numbers, and they took off quickly.

Duly noted and muchas gracias for all info.....now in my map book!

 

[Mark Lee]

I did the rest day thing a couple of times, and it was okay, but now I'm more an advocate for a short day. Say 10-12 k. You can start out a bit later, still get to the town early, find yourself a bed, and relax. Gives your body a chance to recover a bit, yet you are still moving. I found it odd to stop while on the Camino. ha ha

 

[trecile]

I did the rest day thing a couple of times, and it was okay, but now I'm more an advocate for a short day. Say 10-12 k. You can start out a bit later, still get to the town early, find yourself a bed, and relax. Gives your body a chance to recover a bit, yet you are still moving. I found it odd to stop while on the Camino. ha ha

I remember waking up in the middle of the night of my second night in a hostel in León. I was so confused, because I had been there the night before, and wasn't used to sleeping in the same place two nights in a row. It seemed to take me a few minutes to figure out what was going on.

 

[november_moon]

I took 2 rest days. One was in Leon - we thought about taking a rest day there to do some sightseeing and as it turned out, my plantar facititis was really acting up in the days before Leon (my feet HATED the Meseta), so the rest day was definitely needed. My 2nd rest day was completely unplanned - I contracted some sort of stomach virus or got food poisoning and was laid up for a day and a half.

 

[NicMen]

I've a few questions about rest days on the CF, and am curious to hear people's experiences

1. If you took rest days, were they on any kind of schedule (say, every 6th day)? Based on how your body was feeling? Driven by how much you liked a town? Or did you plan beforehand to spend extra time in particular towns?
2. If I do want to plan on particular stops, what suggestions do you have on places you loved? My initial thoughts would include Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon, but my only certainty is how much I don't know now

Thanks!

Hi Joecamino. I walked from Lourdes to Santiago. It took me 40 days, including 1 day rest in Burgos because of shin splints. All the cities you mentioned are worthy of another day exploring them. I particularly liked Pamplona and Burgos, but it is a matter of personal choice, time availability and your physical situation as well as weather conditions I guess...
Buen Camino!

 

[joecamino]

Thanks again for the feedback- many great ideas here.

Main themes I'm hearing are "Listen to your body," "Don't overplan," and "Go with the flow!" (Guess it's mere coincidence these are each areas in life where I have room to grow, right?)

I'm fortunate enough to be going in with no time constraints on my Camino (other than the 90-day Schengen "clock," and a desire to cycle in France and Germany after) Should be time to take things in. That "end early / start late" alternative to full rest day sounds good.

Anyhow, thanks again!

 

[ratherbefollowingflechas]

Well... I might go a bit contrarian again and suggest that the term "rest-day" seems to falsely connote weakness, when after-all, the Camino is all about slowing down and enjoying life as it occurs. I can totally get behind the "short-day" concept, as some cities are too big to absorb in one day, and some are so quaint they deserve more time than the "roll-in, roll-out" mentality allows.

Sadly, however, some people are so driven to knock off the designated stages, or to log 40-50K days, that they don't seem able to stop and smell the roses. But what is the point of that? I admit that I am totally anal about the weight of my pack, and scheduling in general, but I am more than willing to pull up short in a little lovely little town that feels right. This means having a little bit of flexibility in one's schedule, ie. rest days. We didn't know how our bodies would respond to our demands, and we conceded that it was quite possible that we just could not walk for 37 days straight. What's more, we decided that we didn't want to walk that far without a break. Sure, we lost folks along the way, but we were also able to meet that many more. Plus, we found that everyone had some stop time built in, and the next thing you knew, long lost friends were sleeping in the next bunk again.

Please don't feel that you must go a certain distance everyday. We met a lady who had 3 months to do the Camino. Her plans for the next day were to walk 4k,. She was also in her 70's, having a great time,. She was also journaling by hand, writing real-life post cards, and she was very happy!!! The Camino is supposed to be a spiritual journey, not a race to Santiago. Sometimes the best way to do the Camino (and yourself) the honor it truly deserves is to stop. For a mass, for a meal, for a quick chat with locals, to kick the soccer ball around with that group of school kids, to take off your shoes and soak your feet in that stream, to dip your head under that fountain, to have a beer with some new friends, to have a beer with some old friends from yesterday. Just occupy a bench in the shade and enjoy the world around you while you munch a bocadillo and air out your feet. It never fails to put a smile on my face, some joy in my heart, and some peace in my soul.

Happy resting!

 

[GPeachy]

We did a shortish day to Pamplona and spent the afternoon getting sim cards for our tablets and enjoying the goodies at a bakery in a very nice neighbourhood. We had two planned rest days in Burgos and Leon. We splurged on hotels both times and enjoyed the soft beds, showers, and real towels. We also spent time with new Camino friends trying various tapas restaurants.

 

[november_moon]

I think rest days are great. Our day in Leon was fabulous. Even taking time to rest my feet, we checked out quite a bit of the old town. We ate great food. We sat out with snacks and beer and watched the world go by. It was a very nice day.

We were very tempted to take a rest day in El Acebo - just after the Iron Cross. We stayed at a fabulous new albergue which even had a pool (oh-my-gosh). My husband had a cold and probably could have used a day of sleeping, and I know I could have used a day of reading by the pool, but we only had so much time to get to Santiago, so we decided to push on. I think that if we do it again at some point with no real time constraints, I would definitely take more rest days.

 

[Nanc]

I too am too restless to merely take a day off. I will confess to being a cultural slob as I got burnt out? overstimulated? to the numerous churches and cathedrals- so playing tourist in every town was not as pleasurable for me as for others on this forum

I took rest days only when ill, BUT Alex taught me a mode of travel that was quite restful. In the days that I traveled with him, we might have done up to 30 Km, but Alex made sure to stop every couple of hours and have some coffee, (or beer) and occasionally a bite. The beauty is I was rested as I went along, like a casual stroll despite our speed
On the extended days, obviously it was nice to have a reserved bed in an albergue so there was no bed pressure

 

[NicMen]

Well... I might go a bit contrarian again and suggest that the term "rest-day" seems to falsely connote weakness, when after-all, the Camino is all about slowing down and enjoying life as it occurs. I can totally get behind the "short-day" concept, as some cities are too big to absorb in one day, and some are so quaint they deserve more time than the "roll-in, roll-out" mentality allows.

Sadly, however, some people are so driven to knock off the designated stages, or to log 40-50K days, that they don't seem able to stop and smell the roses. But what is the point of that? I admit that I am totally anal about the weight of my pack, and scheduling in general, but I am more than willing to pull up short in a little lovely little town that feels right. This means having a little bit of flexibility in one's schedule, ie. rest days. We didn't know how our bodies would respond to our demands, and we conceded that it was quite possible that we just could not walk for 37 days straight. What's more, we decided that we didn't want to walk that far without a break. Sure, we lost folks along the way, but we were also able to meet that many more. Plus, we found that everyone had some stop time built in, and the next thing you knew, long lost friends were sleeping in the next bunk again.

Please don't feel that you must go a certain distance everyday. We met a lady who had 3 months to do the Camino. Her plans for the next day were to walk 4k,. She was also in her 70's, having a great time,. She was also journaling by hand, writing real-life post cards, and she was very happy!!! The Camino is supposed to be a spiritual journey, not a race to Santiago. Sometimes the best way to do the Camino (and yourself) the honor it truly deserves is to stop. For a mass, for a meal, for a quick chat with locals, to kick the soccer ball around with that group of school kids, to take off your shoes and soak your feet in that stream, to dip your head under that fountain, to have a beer with some new friends, to have a beer with some old friends from yesterday. Just occupy a bench in the shade and enjoy the world around you while you munch a bocadillo and air out your feet. It never fails to put a smile on my face, some joy in my heart, and some peace in my soul.

Happy resting!

Wonderfully said! And, there are plenty of roses to smell, plenty of rocks, hay bales and grassy fields to lay on and see the clouds go by, plenty of beers, wines and tapas to be savoured and plenty of new and old Camino friends to talk to about the little and big things of LIFE!

 

[Satírico]

I've a few questions about rest days on the CF, and am curious to hear people's experiences

1. If you took rest days, were they on any kind of schedule (say, every 6th day)? Based on how your body was feeling? Driven by how much you liked a town? Or did you plan beforehand to spend extra time in particular towns?
2. If I do want to plan on particular stops, what suggestions do you have on places you loved? My initial thoughts would include Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon, but my only certainty is how much I don't know now

Thanks!

I can remember rest days in Cizur Menor (injury) and Burgos. I should have given more time to León but was chasing a girl and moved on when she did. (Hope I don't get a rep. This was just how things worked out.) My suggestion is to not get suckered into the social competition, stop as often as you need or want. On the Norte I took extra days in Donostia, Bilbao, Santillana and Lugo, and hung around SdC for the better part of three weeks.

Buena viaje.

 

[Hutton24]

I took rest days in Burgos and Leon. I walked around the towns and had a good look at everything. Ate the BEST tapas in Burgos and it was so good my walking buddy and I went back for dinner. We went to a bar after dinner to listen to some Flamenco guitar playing, drank Pacharan with the locals and were a bit hungover the next morning. It was a fun time. I am planning this next time to do some shorter days and really listen to my body this time.
Buen Camino

 

[Jan de Kaper]

No night in the Parador at Leon is decadent - for me its almost a Camino requirement. Where else can you actually stay in an "albergue" that was there 500 years ago??

How much a night ?

 

[mspath]

How much a night ?

Happy dreaming--
http://mobi.parador.es/en/paradores/parador-de-leon.

 

[SabsP]

How much a night ?

Take a look at their website. If you become a friend of the Paradores I think you can get a discount and also when your are above a certain age.

http://www.parador.es/es/paradores/parador-de-leon

Ha @mspath ...Great minds think alike

 

[mspath]

I have never stayed there but did walk in one past winter camino to see the inner courtyard/cloister garden; the very correct concierge was most hospitable! No winter visits will available in the near future since the Leon Parador will soon be closed for major renovations

• From 01/10/2017 till 28/02/2020.

 

[Saint Mike II]

How much a night ?

In Sep 2015 the pilgrim rate was E107 including breakfast - private room, free wifi, multi channel TV. Best to check with them - say 2 or 3 days before you arrive in Leon to confirm the rate and room availability. Also if you are there after 31 Oct 2017 - gone, closing for a 2 year renovation. Cheers

 

[Saint Mike II]

Take a look at their website. If you become a friend of the Paradores I think you can get a discount and also when your are above a certain age. http://www.parador.es/es/paradores/parador-de-leon
Ha @mspath ...Great minds think alike

Hola Sabine - you might have something there - re age & also being a Parador Amigo - I am a senior citizen and also an Amigo. But they seemed to imply that the pilgrim rate applied to all with a pilgrim passport. As I advised Jan its best to contact them in advance to confirm rates etc. Cheers

 

[Saint Mike II]

I have never stayed there but did walk in one past winter camino to see the inner courtyard/cloister garden; the very correct concierge was most hospitable! No winter visits will available in the near future since the Leon Parador will soon be closed for major renovations

Hola MS - yes they really were most hospitable. When I arrived on the bike - cold, very wet (dripping in fact) there was someone to help be store the bike and carry my panniers. He was there again when I left a couple of days later. If I recall correctly - judging by the dress code of those having breakfast at least 30-35% of the guests were pilgrims. Some left with their mid-morning snacks!!! (if you get my drift?)