• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Are there albergues with private rooms?

Cathy & Hans

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances, September / October (2016)
Hi everyone...a couple of newbies here that will be doing our first Camino starting September 13, 2016 (well, we drove a little of it a few years ago while on vacation in Spain...and ate churros in Santo Domingo de la Calzada...but I don't think that counts :) ).
We are wondering if there is a list somewhere of albergues that have separate rooms for couples, or any individuals that would just like a little more privacy and quiet for sleeping? I have perused the downloadable list of albergues and the facilities they offer, but I can't tell from that if there are rooms other than the dormitory style. We also have the Miam Miam Dodo guidebook which appears to give a very comprehensive list of albergues and other accommodations, but not a lot of details about what is in the albergues.

Please forgive me if this question has already been answered and then kindly point me in the direction of the answer!

Thanks so much, in advance.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Welcome to the forum!

Many of the private albergues do have private/double rooms, some with and some without their own bathrooms. The distinction between hostal and albergue is quite grey at times. You can look on booking.com or hotels.com at specific places and see what room/bed options they offer. Some of the guide books give specifics or clues - you can usually assume that if the price range is from Euros 10 to 35, for example, they have both dormitory beds and private rooms available.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hi, and welcome! Private rooms in albergues are not always good value for money.

Sometimes the pensión next door is offering a private room for a cheaper price, and it has an ensuite bathroom (many private rooms in albergues still have to share the communal bathrooms), and they are not kicking you out at 8am with all the other pilgrims (just when you feel like sleeping in one morning), and it has a TV in the room (which has no advantage whatsoever :confused:).

Jill
 
I used an app that did show the places they listed (most of the allergies on the Camino Frnaces) and separate weather they had rooms, ensuite or shared bathrooms, price, and many were reservable on line with out a card to hold them, or had the phone number were you can talk with them directly(big plus). Also on the app it showed the location in relation to the Camino trail, as some one stated a place close by or just off the trail can be an advantage in price, quality, and services?
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Private rooms in albergues are not always good value for money.
I'd agree with this. However, they sometimes provide a better way to mingle with other pilgrims, if you are seeking that. Once you get out on the camino, you'll find that there are lots of different situations, and the variety is part of the fun.
 
I used an app that did show the places they listed (most of the allergies on the Camino Frnaces) and separate weather they had rooms, ensuite or shared bathrooms, price, and many were reservable on line with out a card to hold them, or had the phone number were you can talk with them directly(big plus). Also on the app it showed the location in relation to the Camino trail, as some one stated a place close by or just off the trail can be an advantage in price, quality, and services?
Which app did you use?
 
There is a trick. You can (sometimes) get the price of a regular albergue bed and a separate room. Many albergues have a room with a double bed that go unnocupied, because most pilgrims are walking alone. So, if you call to reserve and say you are a couple (a "matrimonio") you may have a good chance of a separated room. We accidentally discovered this, and worked three times (in Villar de Mazarife, Villafranca del Bierzo and Arzua) in nine nights. Not bad.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Thanks so much, everyone! I am overwhelmed by the amount of collective knowledge in this group, and the generosity of time that people give to sharing it.

Which just led me to a thought...maybe you have some recommendations of the best churros along the route? Once I have our lodging sorted out, the next step will be to focus on the other important stuff! ;)
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Which just led me to a thought...maybe you have some recommendations of the best churros along the route? Once I have our lodging sorted out, the next step will be to focus on the other important stuff! ;)

Well, finally, finally, somebody who asks a really important question!
Try Chocolateria Valor in Pamplona; see ubication here
Please, don't go for the stale products offered in bus terminals.
Churros come with chocolate, usually. And you will discover the literal meaning of the saying "las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso". Roughly translated, it is "bills should be crystal clear, and the chocolate thick". And the Spanish version is really thick.
 
Last edited:
Six times in two summer months on the CF we got beds (usually bunks) in a small room to ourselves. Sometimes there were extra bunks in the room but they were empty. A few times in those six we actually got a double bed or two twins for no more cost than two bunks in a roomful of bunks would cost. A couple of additional times we shared a four bunk room with an couple. This all was without any reservations. We usually looked for albergues with a high room to bed count.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Well, finally, finally, somebody who asks a real important question!
Try Chocolateria Valor in Pamplona; see ubication here
Please, don't go for the stale products offered in bus terminals.
Churros come with chocolate, usually. And you will discover the literal meaning of the saying "las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso". Roughly translated, it is "bills should be crystal clear, and the chocolate thick". And the Spanish version is really thick.

Thanks for the tip, Felipe. I can't wait to give these a try! I had wonderful, fresh ones at a little spot in Barcelona on the last trip...and then all the others paled in comparison.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
My favorite lodging choice is a private room WITH a private bath in an albergue. to me it offers the best of both worlds -- quiet and privacy while sleeping and bathing, but plenty of spontaneous serendipity in meeting other pilgrims. I have stayed in many albergues that offer this. I found two great sources to find such accommodation: (1) the Eroski Consumer site that Nancy mentioned (http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergues/#camino-frances) and the Miam Miam Dodo guide. The symbols in this guide indicate where you can find private rooms, some in albergues, some in casa rurales, hotels, hostals, etc. I actually think this is the best, for my money.

Speaking of the Miam Miam Dodo guide, I tried to find it in all kinds of bookstores and pilgrim related stores in major cities in Spain, like Barcelona, Madrid, Cordoba, etc. and couldn't so I ordered it from Amazon.es, using my account I have in the US, and they shipped it to a destination in Spain.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
In some.private albergues the cost of a private room wasn't always that much more than a dorm with lots of bag rustlers. In one place I paid €8 more and got a double ensuite room! It's worth asking.
 
Hi everyone...a couple of newbies here that will be doing our first Camino starting September 13, 2016 (well, we drove a little of it a few years ago while on vacation in Spain...and ate churros in Santo Domingo de la Calzada...but I don't think that counts :) ).
We are wondering if there is a list somewhere of albergues that have separate rooms for couples, or any individuals that would just like a little more privacy and quiet for sleeping? I have perused the downloadable list of albergues and the facilities they offer, but I can't tell from that if there are rooms other than the dormitory style. We also have the Miam Miam Dodo guidebook which appears to give a very comprehensive list of albergues and other accommodations, but not a lot of details about what is in the albergues.

Please forgive me if this question has already been answered and then kindly point me in the direction of the answer!

Thanks so much, in advance.
 
Cathy and Hans, glad you asked the private room question, lots of good info for us newbies.... Liked the comment re: better value in a hostel vs albergue but then lack the possible friendships.... Time will tell.
We are leaving sjpdp sept. 15th, two days behind you, maybe we catch up to you at some point and go churro hunting together!
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Hi everyone...a couple of newbies here that will be doing our first Camino starting September 13, 2016 (well, we drove a little of it a few years ago while on vacation in Spain...and ate churros in Santo Domingo de la Calzada...but I don't think that counts :) ).
We are wondering if there is a list somewhere of albergues that have separate rooms for couples, or any individuals that would just like a little more privacy and quiet for sleeping? I have perused the downloadable list of albergues and the facilities they offer, but I can't tell from that if there are rooms other than the dormitory style. We also have the Miam Miam Dodo guidebook which appears to give a very comprehensive list of albergues and other accommodations, but not a lot of details about what is in the albergues.

Please forgive me if this question has already been answered and then kindly point me in the direction of the answer!

Thanks so much, in advance.
Brierley's guidebook to the Camino Frances notes all the albergues that have private rooms.
 
I used an app that did show the places they listed (most of the allergies on the Camino Frnaces) and separate weather they had rooms, ensuite or shared bathrooms, price, and many were reservable on line with out a card to hold them, or had the phone number were you can talk with them directly(big plus). Also on the app it showed the location in relation to the Camino trail, as some one stated a place close by or just off the trail can be an advantage in price, quality, and services?
Hi can you tell me what the app was ?
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Hi everyone...a couple of newbies here that will be doing our first Camino starting September 13, 2016 (well, we drove a little of it a few years ago while on vacation in Spain...and ate churros in Santo Domingo de la Calzada...but I don't think that counts :) ).
We are wondering if there is a list somewhere of albergues that have separate rooms for couples, or any individuals that would just like a little more privacy and quiet for sleeping? I have perused the downloadable list of albergues and the facilities they offer, but I can't tell from that if there are rooms other than the dormitory style. We also have the Miam Miam Dodo guidebook which appears to give a very comprehensive list of albergues and other accommodations, but not a lot of details about what is in the albergues.

Please forgive me if this question has already been answered and then kindly point me in the direction of the answer!

Thanks so much, in advance.

Just do a very simple thing;
Go and buy;
*****Miam Miam Do Do
It lists every available room in every place of accommodation in every village on the camino , villages 500m from the camino , 25o m from camino and ones that Brierley has never heard of.
 
Last edited:
I just wanted to add that you don't really miss out on the pilgrim community by staying in places with just private rooms. On the Camino, those are full of pilgrims, too! And many of the 'hostales' (small hotels) have a common room, terrace, or dining room where pilgrims can gather. And then there's the bar around the corner where everyone goes...

~ Nancy
 

Most read last week in this forum

When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia
I have been planning to return and rejoin the path from Leon next week. ( Main route) I am wondering whether it might be better to wait until later in April to rejoin the path, my hope is to...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Similar threads

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