dreamcoder
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- March 2023
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Easter is on 9 April. That might have a little to do with it.1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast?
Easter is on 9 April. That might have a little to do with it.
Thanks @Kathar1na! I did email them and they told me it was full.@dreamcoder, contact Orisson by email. A forum member wrote yesterday that their new booking system has teething problems. Here‘s what their booking calendar looks like at the moment (see below). I don’t know what it means when 13 April is partially shaded. I see in another post that yesterday the same date was fully shaded. In any case, they have only 29 beds.
View attachment 143732
Thank you for the feedback, @dreamcoder. I checked the booking website of Borda for quite a number of dates in April and they seem to be pretty fully booked, too. But as others have said, this is no reason to feel discouraged or change plans. If I would not want to walk the full length in one go I‘d use the mountain shuttle service and if that is also fully booked I’d try to arrange for a taxi to pick me up and take me back the next day. Buen Camino!!!I did email them and they told me it was full.
There is a common misunderstanding about busy times on the Camino. The greatest crowds of pilgrims on the Camino Frances are in July and August, but on the Sarria to Santiago stretch - the final 100 km. No other time period or location on the Camino comes close to this density. BUT September and May are the busiest times for people starting at SJPP, and the accommodation options are limited in certain places.because it wasn't supposed to be as busy.
I did an April Camino in 2019 which was not overcrowded at all ... but the only albergue in Orisson was booked well in advance.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
If you choose to start at that time - and use the shuttle as others have recommended - I’d advise to book your accommodation up to and including Pamplona. Zubiri is another congestion point. Thereafter the flow evens out.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
I will arrive in SJPP on April 13 in the afternoon.Was planning on travelling the same day to Orisson. But rather start fresh on the April 14 to Roncesvalles. See you on the Camino!Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
I did an April Camino in 2019 which was not overcrowded at all ... but the only albergue in Orisson was booked well in advance.
Actually, the busiest times for starting from St Jean are the first two weeks in May and the first two weeks in September, though Semana Santa before Easter is very popular too.The weeks around Easter are the busiest time of the year for people starting from Saint-Jean.
This.Walk to whatever point you want to on the Napoleon route, shuttle back to SJPDP for the night, and then shuttle back to where you left off the previous day to finish the route.
Try calling Borda at +33661929743 in case of last minute cancellations.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
They aren't open until mid April.i tried booking orisson just now for saturday night - they replied quickly saying it wasnt open...im not sure if that meant we are full up...or if its not open at all
There are two ways down when you reach Collado de Lepoeder. The path to the right is a more gentle descent and much of it is paved. This is the way the the Pilgrims Office recommend each time I was there.Roncevalles as a full day does not look appealing - the downhill on the back side looks gnarly
Valcarlos does accept reservations https://www.gronze.com/navarra/valcarlos-luzaide/albergue-municipal-valcarlos and remarkably few pilgrims take advantage of this easy first day and the delights of a charming Basque villageThe suggestion for Valcarlos leaves me scratching my head. They only have 24 beds and as far as I can tell, can't be reserved.
Roncevalles as a full day does not look appealing - the downhill on the back side looks gnarly - I'd focus on my training if I thought I was going to do a full day with pack.
Snap!!This says Valcarlos municipal does take reservations.Albergue municipal de Valcarlos | Albergue de Peregrinos en Valcarlos / Luzaide | Gronze.com
Información del albergue de peregrinos Albergue municipal de Valcarlos, en Valcarlos / Luzaide: Precio, plazas, características, etc...www.gronze.com
I left SJPDP along with about 400 other people one day in September 2016. I chose the Valcarlos route and saw less than a dozen other pilgrims along the way to Roncesvalles. Absolute madhouse when I got there though!Valcarlos does accept reservations https://www.gronze.com/navarra/valcarlos-luzaide/albergue-municipal-valcarlos and remarkably few pilgrims take advantage of this easy first day and the delights of a charming Basque village
I've sent two emails - gronze does not have the same email address as the municipal website - and have used whatsapp. I have yet to receive a response to my request for a reservation.Valcarlos does accept reservations https://www.gronze.com/navarra/valcarlos-luzaide/albergue-municipal-valcarlos and remarkably few pilgrims take advantage of this easy first day and the delights of a charming Basque village
Thank you for the feedback, @dreamcoder. I checked the booking website of Borda for quite a number of dates in April and they seem to be pretty fully booked, too. But as others have said, this is no reason to feel discouraged or change plans. If I would not want to walk the full length in one go I‘d use the mountain shuttle service and if that is also fully booked I’d try to arrange for a taxi to pick me up and take me back the next day. Buen Camino!!!
I was able to make a reservation at the Valcarlos muni for four family members in 2017. Someone had informed me it was possible to reserve ahead and I was quite surprised.This says Valcarlos municipal does take reservations.Albergue municipal de Valcarlos | Albergue de Peregrinos en Valcarlos / Luzaide | Gronze.com
Información del albergue de peregrinos Albergue municipal de Valcarlos, en Valcarlos / Luzaide: Precio, plazas, características, etc...www.gronze.com
You usually have to get the Orisson reservation about a month in advance. First, see if you can get a reservation a day earlier (it's only 3 1/2 hours to get there) OR 1 day later.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
As already mentioned in post #6, Refuge Orisson have now a new online booking system with a calendar that shows you on which dates you can no longer book. While I don't know what the difference is between the dates that are fully shaded and the dates that are partially shaded it is clear that when you try to book for such a date you get a screen where you are informed that all the 25 dormitory beds and all the 4 beds in the two new private rooms with two beds each are "not available" on those dates.You usually have to get the Orisson reservation about a month in advance. First, see if you can get a reservation a day earlier (it's only 3 1/2 hours to get there) OR 1 day later.
It is interesting to see how the Orisson booking calendar for April fills up when comparing the status of two days ago and today (see below). One can see the more popular days of the week: not surprisingly it is the weekends and in particular the Saturday when a majority of pilgrims arrive in SJPP and start their walk. Mondays are less popular unless, of course, it is the 1st of May which is a Monday this year.As already mentioned in post #6, Refuge Orisson have now a new online booking system with a calendar that shows you on which dates you can no longer book
As already posted, the "something going on" is the week after Easter. I started a Camino the Sunday after Easter one year and still found SJPP and everywhere else very busy. I found an offbeat albergue in SJPP that night and walked via Valcarlos (Napoleon route being closed) to Zubiri the following day. Zubiri was fully booked, and pilgrims had been taking taxis to Pamplona since noon. A lady came out of a side road just as I was crossing the stone bridge into town and told me she had a small, one-person-ONLY room in her hotel (which was actually a converted house). After waking around town for an hour checking albergues and hotels, I went back and took her room. I was told that many people throughout Spain take the whole week off to travel and partake in festivals.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
How much advance notice do you need to give the albergues before booking accomdations? I was planning to be in that area around April 23-24-25If you choose to start at that time - and use the shuttle as others have recommended - I’d advise to book your accommodation up to and including Pamplona. Zubiri is another congestion point. Thereafter the flow evens out.
As you can see in the booking calender of auberge Orisson (32 beds) @Kathar1na posted in message #45 it fills up quickly! So make your bookings asap, also in the albergue at Roncesvalles (245 beds) the reservations are increasing day by day.How much advance notice do you need to give the albergues before booking accomdations? I was planning to be in that area around April 23-24-25
You normally don't need to give albergues advance notice on the Camino Francés, but if you want a reservation make it NOW.How much advance notice do you need to give the albergues before booking accomdations? I was planning to be in that area around April 23-24-25
What factual information do you base this statement on?. The surge has started and it looks like the numbers are huge.
This might do for a start. And the Santiago pilgrim office handed out nearly 1,000 Compostelas yesterday. With other days of 600+ and 700+ in the past week. That sound pretty busy to me.What factual information do you base this statement on?
At what point did the many youngsters start in St. Jean?Take a look at the photo from SJPdP from yesterday and listen to the chatter about making reservation.
It says ”Première grosse affluence” in the FB comment posted by the SJPP volunteer.158 is certainly not huge.
But you posted your comment in a thread relating to Orisson which is not related to Santiago. Unfortunately this sort of hiped chatter is unhelpful for people who dont yet have the experience to tell the difference between numbers in Santiago de Compostela and St. Jean.The post about the youngsters in SdC was from Ivar. I suspect it is a result of school holidays which are in full swing here in Portugal at the moment and they were starting in places well inside the 100k line. My comment was based on a photo of 100's lined up in SJPdP looking for credentials. Granted they have just battled their way from wherever during the transport strikes.
The Napoleon route is not open until April 3.i tried booking orisson just now for saturday night - they replied quickly saying it wasnt open...im not sure if that meant we are full up...or if its not open at all
You could always taxi up to Orisson (the steepest section) and walk on to Spain, or taxi down and up again the next day.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
I've just had a look at the SJPDP office's Facebook page. Seems there were 160 registered on Thursday and 245 on Friday. Given that Roncesvalles has beds for 183 there might be a squeeze on accommodation for the next couple of days in the early stages.158 is not a big number for the other end of the Camino Francés where nearly 1000 Compostelas is quite a bit for this time of the year. I think that 158 is quite a bit for the start of the CF and time of the year. They never get higher than 500 pilgrims daily and that is already very rare. Looks like the CF is busy at both ends right now.
Looking at that map, if I rewalk the CF, I'm taking the Valcarlos Route, the last 4 kms to Orisson was a killer.
My advice is to make sure you have reservations up to Pamplona, up to early October!So Frances is peak busy second week of September? Starting 21Sept would be a better option?
Thanks for that!My advice is to make sure you have reservations up to Pamplona, up to early October!
Don't miss the Napoleon route if no bed in Orrison just take a hours rest there then carry on to roncevallice your past the most steep part of the stage lot less steep from now on just take your time and enjoy the scenery and wonderful experience Buen Camino.Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
Oh, relax already - everyone just chill!But you posted your comment in a thread relating to Orisson which is not related to Santiago. Unfortunately this sort of hiped chatter is unhelpful for people who dont yet have the experience to tell the difference between numbers in Santiago de Compostela and St. Jean.
Did you book on their website?Has anyone had any luck with Refuge Orisson since it opened up? I have tried to communicate via e-mails in French but am not able to make myself clear. I don't know if my reservation is correct? I am unsure of billing. Any suggestions? My trip isn't til september 2023.
The Orisson website and their booking process changed this year (2023)!
Perhaps a forum member who has made a successful booking very recently can describe the actual process. It would help to avoid future confusion between old and new. You enter your date and personal details AND your credit card details and make a credit card payment or at least submit a guarantee - so this is new. It still says in their new instructions that they will confirm the booking separately but not having finished the online booking myself (as I didn’t want to make an actual reservation) I got only to the point where you enter your credit card details and press confirm …
Below are screenshots of the current online booking process for Orisson. Also, you now get a booking reference and can log in to see your booking.
View attachment 144257
View attachment 144258
I booked on their website for a date in May a couple of weeks ago and, when concluded, it said at the top of the page words to the effect "Booking confirmed" (it's probably worth taking a screen shot at that point.) I subsequently received a comprehensive email after about 10 days confirming the reservation.Has anyone had any luck with Refuge Orisson since it opened up? I have tried to communicate via e-mails in French but am not able to make myself clear. I don't know if my reservation is correct? I am unsure of billing. Any suggestions? My trip isn't til september 2023.
Orisson typically books up months in advance. I booked last June for Sept 2022. Rocesvalles is much larger but the earlier you book the better bed location. I booked this one also in June and scored a bed (not a bunkbed) on the top floor with the high ceiling. A guy I met showed up without a reservation and managed to get a bunk in the cellar. It was not nearly as nice. Good Luck and Buen Camino!Buen Camino! I'm planning on starting my Camino on April 13th and wanted to cut the first stage in half and stay in Orisson, but I'm finding all the Albergues to be full. This has made me a little worried that maybe I'm starting during a really busy time? I chose the Spring because it wasn't supposed to be as busy. This leaves me with two questions:
1. Is anyone aware of something going on that week that would cause the Albergues to be booked up so fast? If so, would staying a few extra days in SJPP make things easier for me?
2. Do you have any suggestions for alternative places to stay other than the three I found in my book (Refuge Orisson + Auberge Borda + Kayola).
Many thanks in advance!
Thank youOrisson typically books up months in advance. I booked last June for Sept 2022. Rocesvalles is much larger but the earlier you book the better bed location. I booked this one also in June and scored a bed (not a bunkbed) on the top floor with the high ceiling. A guy I met showed up without a reservation and managed to get a bunk in the cellar. It was not nearly as nice. Good Luck and Buen Camino!
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