Alan Pearce
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Invierno October 2022
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trying to find how to contact Zamora albergue in order to try to do volunteering there in summer of 2013 and info
Well , as a matter of fact , we are planning to start the Camino Primitivo on Easter Monday from Oviedo ( April 18) . Since we will be arriving in Madrid on Mon April 11 , we would like to stop at a few places on the way before starting our official pilgrimage . First in Ávila , then in Zamora for 2days (Holy Thursday and Good Friday) ,and then Oviedo for Easter . Of course , we will be travelling by train or bus from Madrid to Oviedo . Do we qualify as pilgrims ? We will have our backpacks and Credentiels with stamps from Madrid and Avila . What do you think ? Thanks for your advice .I have served in the municipal Albergue de Peregrinos in Zamora and we were only allowed to admit pilgrims. If you are a tourist, you need to find other accommodations. People can only stay multiples nights if they are ill or injured although this decision is usually up to the hospitalero. Also you must be out with your pack by 8 a.m. under most circumstances. There is a Parador in the old town and there is an AC Hotel near the train and bus station. I am not sure about others.
Thanks Kanga ! Any chance you would remember the address or the name of the host or anything else that could help find this Air BnB .@Rachel and Dino I unexpectedly got stranded in Zamora one year waiting for friends, and immediately found something on AirBnB. It was very reasonably priced, a whole apartment, and close to the centre of town. My host even dropped in supplies for me, including washing powder. He said he was grateful for the unexpected income. It will be Easter Week and accommodation can be a problem, but worth a try.
Sorry, I deleted my AirBnB account a while ago and when I did my history was deleted. It seems to be a Spain wide issue getting accommodation over Easter.Thanks Kanga ! Any chance you would remember the address or the name of the host or anything else that could help find this Air BnB .
When I check their site every location was booked for Thurs Apr14 and Apr 15.
Excellent information ! I will check those possible hostels and make a decision soon . Availability at Easter time is limited . Thanks again! Your help is much appreciated !Sorry, I deleted my AirBnB account a while ago and when I did my history was deleted. It seems to be a Spain wide issue getting accommodation over Easter.
I just did a search on booking.com and found Alquilaz Apartamentos Turisticos had availability - $163 for two nights.
The Wise Pilgrim app suggests a few places. Thank you @wisepilgrim. I'll list them with their (Spanish) telephone numbers. If ringing and speaking is too difficult you may be able to find their websites or email addresses online. Often they won't give all their rooms to booking services, especially during peak times, because of the commission. It is worth contacting them direct. Hostal Chiqui 980531480, Hostal Don Rodrigo 980535123, Hostal La Reina 980533939, Hotel Doña Urraca 980168800, Hotel Trefacio 980509104, and - of course, the Parador 980514497.
Really ? Was it at Easter time ?Also be sure to have your transportation booked ahead as trains and busses may run less frequently during a holiday or they may be sold out. We had to rent a car to get to and from Zamora due to the non-availability of transportation over a holiday.
Do you you have any suggestions for an alternate plan ? We would be taking the train or bus from Avila in the morning of Holy Thursday .Holy Thursday and Good Friday are holidays in Castille-Leon where Zamora is located.
Thanks , I think we will do it ASAP when we arrive on April 11 from the airportI would try to buy your tickets in advance. I have personally never been able to book tickets for train or bus from outside of Spain in the US, but others on the forum may know how to do this and can advise you. I don't know if you have to use a VPN? There is a bus station pickup in Madrid outside the T4 terminal and you could try to buy tickets when you first arrive May 11 from there. There is also a train ticket counter in the T4 terminal in the basement so if you can't get bus tickets, you could try the train. Ideally, I would try to by my tickets online from home if that is possible. That way you would have the tickets as you are making reservations for lodging.
I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but I think it is very unlikely that you will be able to get train or bus tickets to Zamora for later in Holy Week when you arrive in Spain on April 11.Thanks , I think we will do it ASAP when we arrive on April 11 from the airport
Thank you for the link . The photos are impressive . We will be in Oviedo on Easter Sunday . Our plan was to be in Zamora Thursday and/or Friday . Do you know if there be processions on the streets those days ?Returning to the original theme of this post.... Zamora is one of my favourite cities in Spain and it certainly favours several visits, including one OUTSIDE the Easter period.
If you cannot make the Easter parade, then at other times of the year you can appreciate the historical importance of this particular parade by visiting the museum of the effigies or rather huge ‘tableaux’ which are paraded through the streets.
Gracias amiga !I have not been there for Easter, but it is my understanding that the various brotherhoods (and there are many in Zamora) have processions of silence all week and some are at night. I am sure you can find more information online about the various times as it gets closer to Easter week.
I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but I think it is very unlikely that you will be able to get train or bus tickets to Zamora for later in Holy Week when you arrive in Spain on April 11.
I have bought both train and bus tickets online from the US in the last few months, and it went fine. That is what I would recommend for you. The train website is RENFE.com and a few years ago they performed some magic to make it so that purchasers from North America no longer had the urge to throw something at their computer screen when trying to book online. Alsa (main bus) is also easy, though a bit frustrating because they ask for things like passport number.
Valuable information, Jenny ! I am in Canada and will try trainline.com in a few months ...thanks !For some years now I have booked trains and buses for France and Spain (from Australia) using Trainline.com (previous app was Trainline.eu). And either printed out the tickets or in some cases just showed the digital tickets on my phone. I’ve done same for buses using the ALSA app. I created an account for both and paid by credit card. Most tickets were refundable and on a couple of occasions when I had to cancel, I had no problem getting the refund credited to my card.
PS. From Australia, I’ve only been able to buy tickets 3 months or less before departure date.
I love Spain too !Broadening this theme somewhat.... I started at Seville I guess about ten/twelve days before Easter. The Easter preparations were underway in most cities. A special mention goes for Caceres for a night-time procession. I do not remember having any issues for accommodation anywhere but usually finish walking in time to ‘queue’ at an Albergue, waiting for the hospitalero/hospitalera welcome moment.
Oviedo is another glorious place. A fabulous 19/20 th century art gallery (free) with some glorious Joaquín Sorolla paintings right next to the cathedral. I could go on.... but will leave it at ‘must have some pulpo here’! (Took me a while to become a fan, but Spain convinced me).
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