Advice On Accommodation Please

[Anthony Wellman]

Hi everyone
My partner and I are hoping to walk from the start of Camino France for about 8 days in June. We were wondering whether we can book rooms in advance separately or whether we have to go through a trekking company who do it for you.

If we can book ourselves, where do we go for that or rather which website is best?

Any other tips would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for your time. I am very new to this!

Tony

 

[SabsP]

Hi everyone
My partner and I are hoping to walk from the start of Camino France for about 8 days in June. We were wondering whether we can book rooms in advance separately or whether we have to go through a trekking company who do it for you.

If we can book ourselves, where do we go for that or rather which website is best?

Any other tips would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for your time. I am very new to this!


Tony

Hi Tony and welcome here.

A good start is this Gronze webiste. Just click on a certain etapa and it will give you an idea about the accomodation of that day. You can call in directly to the hostal/ pension yourself or the owners of the hotel day before will be more than happy to call for you in advance if you feel more comfortable with this.

https://www.gronze.com/camino-frances

You can book also through booking.com but do not forget that you most probably pay more than when you book directly.

Of course take into consideration that when you prebook for every night you will have to stop there. You will not be able " to go with the flow " and walk further or shorter. But if you are ok with this then prebooking is a good way if you like security.

PS : Really no need to do this through a commercial company! You can do this perfectly by yourselves!

Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

The handy Gronze.com list in Spanish mentioned above by Sabine offers both pilgrim albergues and regular tourist accommodation. Cited by location progressing along the camino the pilgrim albergues are printed first in one ink and the tourist accommodation below in another. Tap each citation for further info such as address/web/email/cost etc. Booking.com links are also provided.

 

[Kanga]

@Anthony Wellman welcome to the forum. You definitely don't have to use a commercial outfit to organise your walk - in fact most of us don't bother booking accommodation at all, we just "walk up" to it when we get to a place where we think we'd like to stop for the night.

Get a pack, throw in a few clothes (very very few - one set on, one to wear while that is being washed), and start walking - just follow the yellow arrows and the other pilgrims.

It really is that simple.

If you want to be super-organised, you can buy a guide book (click on "services in Santiago by Ivar" at the top of the page, he sells them). And you can book accommodation. But it is not necessary.

All the information, far more that anyone needs, is on this forum. Just use the search button.

 

[Mark McCarthy]

Also try http://wisepilgrim.com/camino_frances_in_navarra. Booking directly will save you a lot of money but more importantly give you a wider choice of places to stay.

 

[Sue Kranz]

Hello Caminitos,

I have a list of albergues in St. Jean. Any recommendations for a inexpensive, smaller one?

Also, I have applied to my certification papers so when I arrive in San Sebastian I can stay at an albergue as well and meet some other peregrinos. Any suggestions for a place there?

Muchas gracias!
Sue

 

[SabsP]

Hello Caminitos,

I have a list of albergues in St. Jean. Any recommendations for a inexpensive, smaller one?

Also, I have applied to my certification papers so when I arrive in San Sebastian I can stay at an albergue as well and meet some other peregrinos. Any suggestions for a place there?

Muchas gracias!
Sue

So are you going to walk the Frances or the Norte?

 

[Mark Lee]

Get a guidebook that lists all the private accommodations that you are interested in. Pick which cities/towns you want to stop in. Pick the private accommodation you want there, and look them up on the net. Quite often they have their own website where you can contact them via telephone or email and make reservations.
I don't recommend going through one of those trekking companies.
ultreia

 

[Sue Kranz]

Hello Caminitos,

I have a list of albergues in St. Jean. Any recommendations for a inexpensive, smaller one?

Also, I have applied to my certification papers so when I arrive in San Sebastian I can stay at an albergue as well and meet some other peregrinos. Any suggestions for a place there?

Muchas gracias!
Sue

So are you going to walk the Frances or the Norte?

I understand the confusion

I am walking the Frances route, but am staying one night in San Sebastian on the way

 

[Sue Kranz]

Get a guidebook that lists all the private accommodations that you are interested in. Pick which cities/towns you want to stop in. Pick the private accommodation you want there, and look them up on the net. Quite often they have their own website where you can contact them via telephone or email and make reservations.
I don't recommend going through one of those trekking companies.
ultreia

Why private? What are the municipal ones like? Actually, what are the real differences between the different varieties?

Thanks!

 

[SabsP]

I understand the confusion

I am walking the Frances route, but am staying one night in San Sebastian on the way

Gronze has these links for albergues in San Sebastian.
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/san-sebastian/zarautz

 

[Mark Lee]

Why private? What are the municipal ones like? Actually, what are the real differences between the different varieties?

Thanks!

You can't make reservations at municipal albergues.

 

[Tincatinker]

Why private? What are the municipal ones like? Actually, what are the real differences between the different varieties?

The main differences are that you will have lots of bunk beds in a room with some variably private sanitary facilities nearby. The place will be full of pilgrims of all nationalities and none, most of whom will be fairly civilized though it does have to be said that some won't be (snoring and farting are common but not encouraged).

And when I stop messing about I would genuinely suggest that most private Albergues are run as commercial businesses that by their very nature have to maximise their income from the space and facilities they have available. The alternatives, be they 'donativos', parochial or Junta (council) run places are generally serviced and supported by volunteers and the local communities be that church or association de amigos; are most definitely not run for profit may be short of a hot shower or two but are the heart and soul of the camino.

The curiosity of this distinction is that when at the end of the day I lay my weary pilgrim head in its temporary bed there really isn't much difference.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We found that the municipal/regional albergues that we stayed at tended to have a lot of bunks in very large rooms. This meant that the chances of being woken early was increased. So we usually looked for private albergues that had more rooms. A number of times we even got a room that we didn't share (though with bunks, not a double bed) simply because they had one with only two bunks and we were first in or because there were so few pilgrims there we all could spread out. We also occasionally treated ourselves to private rooms in hotels and albergues that had some (with the double bed.)

 

[kelleymac]

I suspect that the places are generally serviced and supported by volunteers and the local communities be that church or association de amigos keep the camino from sliding into commercialism and an increase in prices for lodging on the camino. -- We stayed in both private and non-private. -- We always looked for places run and supported by volunteers and churches.

 

[Kanga]

The rooms and the numbers of beds might be greater, but I think there is less pressure to pack people into a small space in the non-commercial albergues. My preference is for an albergue run by a volunteers because they usually only do a two week stint, so are more likely to maintain their good humour. Which, heaven help us, they need!

 

[elleley]

Why private? What are the municipal ones like? Actually, what are the real differences between the different varieties?

Thanks!

Hello Sue and Anthony,
When you arrive at the SJPdP Pilgrim Office, they will let you know where the beds are available if you haven't made a reservation. I took the leap to let fate find me the perfect bunk and I was not disappointed at the refugio municipal. Met a young couple in the bunk next to mine that I met on our last day walking into Santiago.
I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment by having too many expectations about making plans...trust the magic of the Camino to lead your decisions, whether it is to reserve along the way, or be more in the "moment." Some of the most memorable experiences I had was staying in towns and at albergues that 1) had a bed and or 2) appealed to my sensibilities that particular day. For me, "over planning" was a distraction from enjoying the present moment (over and over again!!!), which was the biggest gift on my journey.
Buen Camino y ultreia!

 

[StephanieSantiagogo]

Hello Me and my mother are hoping/planning to walk the SJPP tail to Santiago. Our plane arrives at paris at 8:45 am on April the 18th .. We have been searching for hours on how to get to SJPP from the airport and we have had alot of issues because of the time our plane arrives what is the best / most efficient way for us to get to SJPP from Paris airport ? All help will be greatly appreciated thank you !!

 

[mspath]

You might take a bus from CdG airport to downtown Paris/Gare Montparnasse.

The name of the Paris airport autobus coach is Le Bus Direct; see more in English here--
http://www.lebusdirect.com/en/

You can buy your ticket on line if you wish.

At the Gare Montparnasse buy a ticket to Bayonne on the next fast TGV train plus a ticket from Bayonne to Saint Jean Pied de Port on local line TER 62.

Good luck and Bon voyage!

 

[StephanieSantiagogo]

You might take a bus from CdG airport to downtown Paris/Gare Montparnasse.

The name of the Paris airport autobus coach is Le Bus Direct; see more in English here--
http://www.lebusdirect.com/en/

You can buy your ticket on line if you wish.

At the Gare Montparnasse buy a ticket to Bayonne on the next fast TGV train plus a ticket from Bayonne to Saint Jean Pied de Port on local line TER 62.

Good luck and Bon voyage!

Thank you so very much ! (for both of your replies) Will it be very difficult to find where to take that bus from the Airport? And Will the bus stop at Montparnasse? or do we have to ask them to stop?

 

[mspath]

Please read the English web
http://www.lebusdirect.com/en/
cited above for all the info you need.

Your bus from CdG to Montparnasse is line 4

 

[Coleen Clark]

Hello Sue and Anthony,
When you arrive at the SJPdP Pilgrim Office, they will let you know where the beds are available if you haven't made a reservation. I took the leap to let fate find me the perfect bunk and I was not disappointed at the refugio municipal. Met a young couple in the bunk next to mine that I met on our last day walking into Santiago.
I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment by having too many expectations about making plans...trust the magic of the Camino to lead your decisions, whether it is to reserve along the way, or be more in the "moment." Some of the most memorable experiences I had was staying in towns and at albergues that 1) had a bed and or 2) appealed to my sensibilities that particular day. For me, "over planning" was a distraction from enjoying the present moment (over and over again!!!), which was the biggest gift on my journey.
Buen Camino y ultreia!

I'm with you! The hardest part of my Camino was letting go of the Control I actually believed I had over my life and surroundings. Silly me! Once I gave it up and just walked in faith I had surprises and blessings all around me. I tried them all, municipals, convents, monastaries, albergues, hostels, even a few hotel nights. I learned something from each day and each night.
I stayed in a municipal one memorable night, and the volunteer walked me up three floors to the attic. I could see sky thru the old trunks used as beams above my head. When I looked down I saw mats on the floor, not beds.
Oh no, I told him, I can't get up and down on a mat!
He said "Una Momento!" and ran down the stairs.
As I waited I heard him coming back up... Bang! Bang! Bang!
He was bringing me a bed?
No, a chair. He explained it to me as he set the chair by a mat.
"Senora, see, you sit, you roll, you lay. Then, you roll, you sit, you up!"
How could I say no to an adventure like that?
I was a rolling fool all night. I did it.

 

[PapaSmurf76]

We used booking.com last year.
There's two lists in the resources section here. Favourites and all albergues. Download & print both.
Assuming you're starting in St Jean, Belairi is the place to stay. Zubiri I recommend Suisse. El Jardin Muruzabal is excellent, do the meal there. Casa Magica is ok...
Pamplona is one of the better cities, but a long walk from Zubiri if it's hot.
If your happy with dorms you will get away with not booking.