• ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
  • Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Are Albergues Open Over the Christmas / New Year Period?

The Cumbrian

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Primitivo.
St James Way, England.
If the forecast isn't looking too grim (I like the cold, but being from Cumbria, I've had quite enough of rain), I'm thinking of walking the Camino Ingles over Christmas - New Year. Will the albergues and / or other accommodation be open, along with bars and restaurants?

Thanks, Michael.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
One of the many attractions of the Ingles; in my opinion, is that the infrastructure is largely there for the locals and not generally created for the Camino, so yes - probably. As there are not too many stops to consider ( and Ferrol and Santiago categorically do have accommodation open) I’d suggest making direct contact. Details will be on Gronze or the Wise Pilgrim App, and elsewhere. WhatsApp, Email and google translate will get you there.

I’m from Cumbria also but regard Galicia as just like home weather-wise in winter.
 
One of the many attractions of the Ingles; in my opinion, is that the infrastructure is largely there for the locals and not generally created for the Camino, so yes - probably. As there are not too many stops to consider ( and Ferrol and Santiago categorically do have accommodation open) I’d suggest making direct contact. Details will be on Gronze or the Wise Pilgrim App, and elsewhere. WhatsApp, Email and google translate will get you there.

I’m from Cumbria also but regard Galicia as just like home weather-wise in winter.
Thanks for that. If Galicia's going through a cold / dry spell, the Ingles is on the cards for me, followed by New Year in Santiago.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Private rooms, daily bag transfers, 24/7 support, & more. Save now during our sale!
I’m doing the portugués over Christmas/new years and crossing my fingers it doesn’t rain every single day!
I used booking.com and pre-booked private hostels (free cancellation just in case) for not much more than the walk-in price and also some extremely cheap hotels.

Fun fact, the pilgrim office is closed on New Year’s Day which is almost certainly the day I’ll walk into the square but I’ll get it the next day before leaving.
 
I walked the Inglés this January, and had no issues with finding an open albergue along the way! The entire Inglés is in Galicia, and the Xunta makes a point of having the municipal albergues open all year round.

In Pontedeume, the municipal albergue is excellently located on the bank of the river, but it's unmercifully cold as the building is an old one, thin-walled, and not equipped with any kind of heating (the showers do have hot water, though), so I'd recommend finding private accommodation - thankfully, the town has lots of them.

The albergue in Betanzos is a true five-star Xunta albergue, and the one in Hospital de Bruma is also good - it's well-heated, except for the bathrooms which are located in a separate small building without heating.

In SigĂĽeiro, there's no municipal albergue and most of the private ones close for winter, but the town also has a number of hotels - I had no trouble finding a nice room.
 
Many of the albergues that are open for winter still close for new years and Reyes, and some for Christmas. Do call ahead, if they are planning to close they may have a tip on where to stay. And if they are not planning to close I’m sure they would appreciate some advance notice of your arrival in the off off season.
 
Private rooms, daily bag transfers, 24/7 support, & more. Save now during our sale!
The Xunta albergues in Galicia are officially open all year round. But in practice some may be closed for periods during the winter for repairs and maintenance. I've been caught out by that before. If you have a particular albergue in mind it is worth confirming that it is actually open on the day.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-

âť“How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

My friend and I walked the Camino Ingles in mid-Sept. We flew from Madrid to A Coruna, then took a bus to Ferrol, spending the night there before starting our long walk towards Santiago the next...
Hey, We left Bruma this morning in a foggy and misty morning. It stayed foggy and misty most of the morning. It didn't rain. We had a nice walk. There seemed to be more road walking but there...
I’m studying in Madrid for the semester, and after a few weeks of research, I decided I want to try and complete the Camino Ingles in 4 days from Ferrol to avoid missing school while still walking...
Hello, Yesterday, Paul and I walked from Betanzos to Bruma. We walk part of the Camino Real. Some of the paths were overgrown but it was beautiful. Here are some pictures.

âť“How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top