Budget

[Kitty H]

Hey all

My buddy and I are planning to walk the Camino Frances in September 2017, so I'm trying to get my head around how much money to allow.

We're thinking hotels/ pensions for accommodation (single rooms, not sharing), which offer breakfast. We'll buy our own lunch, dinner, snacks. Will pay for luggage to be transported.

How much should we allow for a daily budget?

Also, what's the general consensus on pre-organised tours (accom/luggage etc) vs doing it yourself?

Would really appreciate your knowledge!

Thanks in advance!

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome to the forum ;-)

I try to answer your last question first. I seriously doubt that there is something like a general consensus around this topic on the forum, but the pros and cons are:

Pro: You don't need to organise anything yourself.

Cons: If you don't like the people in your group, it is hard to escape them.
You can't decide spontaneously where you want to stay.
More expensive then doing it yourself.

It is basically a decision between security and freedom, you give up the freedom to make your own decisions and gain the security that you always know where you will sleep.

As for budget, pretty much everything is possible. You can get privat rooms at some albergues or find a pension/hostal, but prices vary greatly. Have a look here: http://www.gronze.com/camino-frances and click on any stage, for example http://www.gronze.com/etapa/bercianos-real-camino/mansilla-mulas You see then, under each town, the accommodation options listed. First, in brown, the albergues and then, in black, the others, each with their appr. prices.

As for food etc. again it depends how much you want to spend. You can get a pilgrims menu for ~10 Euro or you can eat a la carte for more.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Deleted member 43985]

We used this type of accommodation for about half of our Camino this year and I'd guesstimate that we paid around 40 euros per night but that often did not include breakfast. Our average for food per day was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 25 euros per person per day, depending on how spendy we got with the wine. For luggage transfer, we used Jacotrans from Leon to SDC and it was 7 euros per bag per day. For daily incidentals (admittance to some cathedrals, extra cafe con leche, souvenirs, etc) that will be entirely personal but for budgeting purposes I'd tack on a few more euros to err on the side of caution. So, for our final figures (if we'd used single accommodation) we'd have been around 80 euros pppd.

We are pretty seasoned travellers so not big proponents of group anything but for those looking for a convenient way to ease into an experience like this they certainly seem to take away the need for a lot of planning or daily booking of rooms and shipping of bags as long as you like the idea of being with the same specific group, for better or worse, as SYates noted above. The CF is so well documented and way marked that I'd be confident recommending a less experienced traveller go without the group option in September, just follow those ahead of you! If you are going on your own, if you don't know already, picking up some basic Spanish phrases is very helpful as is having a unlocked smart phone to make your room reservations.

Enjoy your planning and for this time next year, Buen Camino!

 

[RobertS26]

I stayed exclusively in private rooms on my last two Caminos. These ranged from humble rooms with a dim 40 watt lightbulb in the ceiling illuminating a single bed in a tiny room, to the Royal Suite at the Parador in Santiago (with its magnificent balcony overlooking the Cathedral). I spent between 25 and 45 Euros a night for most single rooms. These rooms were located in private albergues, over bars, and in one star hotels. Staying in private rooms in albergues was the best of both worlds.

The three Paradors along the way cost between 115 and 135 Euros a night. The Royal Suite about 1000 Euros per night with room service and massages.

On average, I spent 100 Euros a day for lodging, food and alcohol.

Regarding group tours, I think SYates summed it up well. Being with a group with an inflexible schedule kills being spontaneous. Plus, you pay about twice as much for a room than if you booked it yourself. Booking rooms yourself is extremely simple. The person at the front desk invariably phoned ahead for me. All these front desk people know each other and are used to you checking in, taking a shower, coming down to the lobby for an adult beverage while reading your guidebook, before you saunter over to ask them about booking recommendations 20 to 30 kilometers further down the Camino.

Booking yourself not only saves money, but it allows you to take rest days when and where you want. It also allows you to adjust your pace to match others if you meet someone interesting.

 

[Elaine M]

There is a halfway house between doing it yourself and joining an organised group tour and that is using one of the companies that just arranges your accommodation and transfers your bag (if you wish ) but doesn't require you to be part of a group. I used one of these companies at the end of August to set up my trip from SdC to Finisterre, it was very simple, obviously a bit more expensive than DIY but it meant on my first Camino outing, as an older female 'newbie', that I wasn't worrying about sorting out that aspect of the trip myself along with everything else. I knew for sure where I would be sleeping every night . Having done that once I would now feel completely confident doing a DIY trip adopting the technique that Robert526 recommends, particularly for a longer trip, during which, I agree, some flexibility would be an advantage.

However, having said that, I wanted to try and do a further walk this year, I was limited on time as I wanted to go next week and just for one week, and so have booked a trip through the same company to start this Friday - just because it was so smooth and well organised last time and to keep things simple. If you want their name, PM me, I won't openly advertise to be fair to other similar companies.

One thing I would mention was that I had bed and breakfast arranged each night on my last trip but I was only able to have breakfast on one occasion as I aimed to set off early each morning to get as many km under my belt before the sun was high, and in most cases I was surprised that breakfast started so late, usually long after I had headed off. I can't be the only person who wanted an early start and an early desayuno but it wasn't catered for. So I would buy some bread and cheese the day before and pack that for my own break fast...just something to bear in mind.

 

[marbuck]

It is easier to do it your self, that way it is your Camino. My wife and I always stay in private accommodation that we have booked a day or so ahead, carry our own packs, always eat and drink well and try for a budget of 100 euro a day for everything for both of us. Some days we are on budget but other days we really blow it. It is better to be flexible with your budget and enjoy your Camino, it may be the only one you do. But in saying that, we are planning for our fourth next April.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Just a reality for those reading this, who do not plan on staying in private places & are planning alburgue stays. 25-35E per day for each person & no worries about booking ahead. That is if you carry everything.

 

[Lmsundaze]

Hey all

My buddy and I are planning to walk the Camino Frances in September 2017, so I'm trying to get my head around how much money to allow.

We're thinking hotels/ pensions for accommodation (single rooms, not sharing), which offer breakfast. We'll buy our own lunch, dinner, snacks. Will pay for luggage to be transported.

How much should we allow for a daily budget?

Also, what's the general consensus on pre-organised tours (accom/luggage etc) vs doing it yourself?

Would really appreciate your knowledge!

Thanks in advance!

A lot about budget depends on you. I stayed mostly in private accommodations, sharing a room with another person. Sometimes it was a private room in an albergue, sometimes in a casa rural or hotel. I would say that it was usually, but not always, possible to get a room for about 35-40 euros -- more in big cities. Eating depends on you. It is possible to eat inexpensively pilgrim menus, but the typical Spanish breakfast is not large - toast, coffee and juice. My friend and I were fine with the Spanish breakfast and the one big meal, with some snacks, but you might need more food. Finally on tours. I really would not. It is more expensive, but that isn't the main reason. The people I met who were on tours had been booked into big places off the camino, and had to be bussed back and forth every day. Three meals a day were scheduled, with dinner at 8 and not starting walking until 10 am. Other tours might be different, but there is never flexibility. Even more important though, I think at this distance it is impossible to know how far you will want to walk every day. When the whole trip is pre-booked, you can't just take a day off if you are tired or blistered. In April and May we had no problem booking a day or two in advance, and even that wasn't really necessary until the last 100K.

 

[bunnymac]

We used this type of accommodation for about half of our Camino this year and I'd guesstimate that we paid around 40 euros per night but that often did not include breakfast. Our average for food per day was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 25 euros per person per day, depending on how spendy we got with the wine. For luggage transfer, we used Jacotrans from Leon to SDC and it was 7 euros per bag per day. For daily incidentals (admittance to some cathedrals, extra cafe con leche, souvenirs, etc) that will be entirely personal but for budgeting purposes I'd tack on a few more euros to err on the side of caution. So, for our final figures (if we'd used single accommodation) we'd have been around 80 euros pppd.

We are pretty seasoned travellers so not big proponents of group anything but for those looking for a convenient way to ease into an experience like this they certainly seem to take away the need for a lot of planning or daily booking of rooms and shipping of bags as long as you like the idea of being with the same specific group, for better or worse, as SYates noted above. The CF is so well documented and way marked that I'd be confident recommending a less experienced traveller go without the group option in September, just follow those ahead of you! If you are going on your own, if you don't know already, picking up some basic Spanish phrases is very helpful as is having a unlocked smart phone to make your room reservations.

Enjoy your planning and for this time next year, Buen Camino!

€7/day is very expensive. I used Camino Comodo/ Muchillas David in Galicia (that's when I got tired) and they charged €3/drop also you can buy a multi-card from Correos which I think runs at about €4/drop if you buy 10. I also think that Correos is the cheapest outside Galicia, but I could be wrong. As I was travelling in a group of three, we bought a cheap holdall(€10) and put our sleeping bags, wash bags, towels and a fresh set of clothes and sent them on together rather than paying for three separate packs. You can transport a bag up 15kgs. We carried the rest of our kit ourselves.

 

[Doogman]

If you are interested in pre-organized, but self-guided trips, check out caminoways.com or macsadventure.com. If you are planning on staying in hotels and having luggage transfer, the cost might not be that much more expensive than arranging it all yourself.

However, if you are planning on walking the entire Camino Frances, a pre-organized trip may not make much sense, as it may be tough to maintain a tight schedule over 35-40 days. I don't think I would do that, as you would likely want/need more flexibility. I have used these companies for shorter walks, and would have no issues doing it again. The accommodation has always been good - usually small, family run places - and pretty much right on the trail.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hey all

My buddy and I are planning to walk the Camino Frances in September 2017, so I'm trying to get my head around how much money to allow.

We're thinking hotels/ pensions for accommodation (single rooms, not sharing), which offer breakfast. We'll buy our own lunch, dinner, snacks. Will pay for luggage to be transported.

How much should we allow for a daily budget?

Also, what's the general consensus on pre-organised tours (accom/luggage etc) vs doing it yourself?

Would really appreciate your knowledge!

Thanks in advance!

Hi Kitty , last year I walked 37 day's and I spend about €1400.
Stayed 34 nights in a albergue and 2 nights I stayed in a pension.
Wish you well, Peter.

 

[mcopeland]

My husband and I spent an average of $110 per day. We mostly stayed in private rooms ranging from 28 Euros per room to 50 - the cheaper ones with shared bath. Only a couple included breakfast.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Hi Kitty , last year I walked 37 day's and I spend about €1400.
Stayed 34 nights in a albergue and 2 nights I stayed in a pension.
Wish you well, Peter.

Was that without ground transport on each end?

 

[SabsP]

But maybe reconsider the single rooms? Most hostales provide double rooms but with single beds. Cheaper than each one a single room.
Just ask for a double room with single beds : camas individuales.
Not for "a cama de matrimonio" in which case you get a double bed.

 

[MTtoCamino]

But maybe reconsider the single rooms? Most hostales provide double rooms but with single beds. Cheaper than each one a single room.
Just ask for a double room with single beds : camas individuales.
Not for "a cama de matrimonio" in which case you get a double bed.

I might add that you will get so skinny 1 single is large enough for 2, only try this after you hit the 4 week mark...

 

[BonitaHolland]

Hey all

My buddy and I are planning to walk the Camino Frances in September 2017, so I'm trying to get my head around how much money to allow.

We're thinking hotels/ pensions for accommodation (single rooms, not sharing), which offer breakfast. We'll buy our own lunch, dinner, snacks. Will pay for luggage to be transported.

How much should we allow for a daily budget?

Also, what's the general consensus on pre-organised tours (accom/luggage etc) vs doing it yourself?

Would really appreciate your knowledge!

Thanks in advance!

We're currently using €30 per day sometimes over sometimes under that. Towns are more expensive villages and walking is cheaper. We're not sending our back packs forward but only carrying 8kg each.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hi Kitty , last year I walked 37 day's and I spend about €1400.
Stayed 34 nights in a albergue and 2 nights I stayed in a pension.
Wish you well, Peter.

Figuring an albergue at €10 and a room at €35 your figures come in close to what Peg and I spent per day discounting lodging. You have it about €27 and I figure we spent about €25 each. We did not ship packs and had pilgrim meals most nights. Only one breakfast shared between us. Meat and cheese sandwiches and cokes for lunch. Drinks in the afternoon and small expenditures now and then.

 

[Kitty H]

Hi and welcome to the forum ;-)

I try to answer your last question first. I seriously doubt that there is something like a general consensus around this topic on the forum, but the pros and cons are:

Pro: You don't need to organise anything yourself.

Cons: If you don't like the people in your group, it is hard to escape them.
You can't decide spontaneously where you want to stay.
More expensive then doing it yourself.

It is basically a decision between security and freedom, you give up the freedom to make your own decisions and gain the security that you always know where you will sleep.

As for budget, pretty much everything is possible. You can get privat rooms at some albergues or find a pension/hostal, but prices vary greatly. Have a look here: http://www.gronze.com/camino-frances and click on any stage, for example http://www.gronze.com/etapa/bercianos-real-camino/mansilla-mulas You see then, under each town, the accommodation options listed. First, in brown, the albergues and then, in black, the others, each with their appr. prices.

As for food etc. again it depends how much you want to spend. You can get a pilgrims menu for ~10 Euro or you can eat a la carte for more.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Kitty H]

Thanks so much everyone.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

€7/day is very expensive. I used Camino Comodo/ Muchillas David in Galicia (that's when I got tired) and they charged €3/drop also you can buy a multi-card from Correos which I think runs at about €4/drop if you buy 10. I also think that Correos is the cheapest outside Galicia, but I could be wrong. As I was travelling in a group of three, we bought a cheap holdall(€10) and put our sleeping bags, wash bags, towels and a fresh set of clothes and sent them on together rather than paying for three separate packs. You can transport a bag up 15kgs. We carried the rest of our kit ourselves.

In a Yost-like voice "4 Euro to carry your pack?! That's crazy, man, why am I carrying it"

Edit: Joost NOT Yost. Het spijt me

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Was that without ground transport on each end?

Yes, my train ticket from Rotterdam (Holland) was €94 and my plain ticket out of Santiago was around €125 to Brussel.
Wish you well, Peter.

 

[SabsP]

Yes, my train ticket from Rotterdam (Holland) was €94 and my plain ticket out of Santiago was around €125 to Brussel.
Wish you well, Peter.

But Peter , we are indeed blessed with low airfareprices here in Europe. My Iberia ticket Madrid to Brussels is 30 € and Sdc to Brussels around 90 €.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

But Peter , we are indeed blessed with low airfareprices here in Europe. My Iberia ticket Madrid to Brussels is 30 € and Sdc to Brussels around 90 €.

That's so true Sabine.
Wish you well, Peter.

 

[Former member 96486]

There is a halfway house between doing it yourself and joining an organised group tour and that is using one of the companies that just arranges your accommodation and transfers your bag (if you wish ) but doesn't require you to be part of a group. I used one of these companies at the end of August to set up my trip from SdC to Finisterre, it was very simple, obviously a bit more expensive than DIY but it meant on my first Camino outing, as an older female 'newbie', that I wasn't worrying about sorting out that aspect of the trip myself along with everything else. I knew for sure where I would be sleeping every night . Having done that once I would now feel completely confident doing a DIY trip adopting the technique that Robert526 recommends, particularly for a longer trip, during which, I agree, some flexibility would be an advantage.

However, having said that, I wanted to try and do a further walk this year, I was limited on time as I wanted to go next week and just for one week, and so have booked a trip through the same company to start this Friday - just because it was so smooth and well organised last time and to keep things simple. If you want their name, PM me, I won't openly advertise to be fair to other similar companies.

One thing I would mention was that I had bed and breakfast arranged each night on my last trip but I was only able to have breakfast on one occasion as I aimed to set off early each morning to get as many km under my belt before the sun was high, and in most cases I was surprised that breakfast started so late, usually long after I had headed off. I can't be the only person who wanted an early start and an early desayuno but it wasn't catered for. So I would buy some bread and cheese the day before and pack that for my own break fast...just something to bear in mind.

I’d love the name of the company you used.
Thanks!
Walter

 

[henrythedog]

I’d love the name of the company you used.
Thanks!
Walter

I don’t think the poster has been on here for some time Walter. You might try a search on the forum, or pose your question as a new post.

Traffic’s a bit thin on here these days, but the many regulars are a mine of good information. You’ll get a reply.

 

[C clearly]

I’d love the name of the company you used.

Hi Walter. As you know, the travel industry has been badly shaken up in the past year, so it is hard to know which ones will be operational in 2021. However, if you go to this page on the forum, and enter "travel-agencies/groups" in the search box, or click on those words in the tag cloud, you will find some relevant threads.

 

[Elaine M]

I’d love the name of the company you used.
Thanks!
Walter

Since I wrote that message I’ve done 4 more trips and used FollowTheCamino twice, CaminoWays once and just booked our accommodation myself on one occasion and used a bag collection/drop service for €4 per bag per stage (Mochila Express). When I booked myself it was because we were doing the leg from SdC to Finisterre for a second time so I knew the route and the villages and just thought I may as well book the accommodation myself rather than paying a middleman.