busiest towns

[LEM15]

I plan to walk the northern route this July. I know that some of the beach towns on this route are major tourist destinations. Are there particular ones that I should try not to arrive in over a weekend? I'd love to avoid reserving accommodations head of time if possible to allow for more flexibility. Thanks for any information you can pass along!

 

[Icacos]

Welcome to the forum! Sorry, I cannot help you as I am not familiar at all with the northern route.

 

[Niels]

I plan to walk the northern route this July. I know that some of the beach towns on this route are major tourist destinations. Are there particular ones that I should try not to arrive in over a weekend? I'd love to avoid reserving accommodations head of time if possible to allow for more flexibility. Thanks for any information you can pass along!

I plan myself to avoid Santilliana del Mar on weekends and festitive days, as it should be full of tourists these days. In the summer, this town probably Will be a bit crowded all days. Probably a good idea to book, if possible. Buen Camino from Niels.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi LEM,
Welcome to the forum. Yes, the Norte passes through a lot of coastal tourist towns, all of which will be busy in July, but nowhere near as busy as they will be in August. That makes the albergues a much more attractive option, since they are not open to those tourist crowds. And many of them do not take reservations, so you should be fine. Check out the gronze list of accommodation on the Norte, or the eroski site, which also lists all albergues. There have been a lot of new albergues opened over the past few years on the Norte, making you less dependent on the hotels/pensiones, etc, whose owners cater to tourists over pilgrims.

There are so many beautiful cities (San Sebastian, Santander, Bilbao) and so many gorgeous towns (Castro Urdiales, Luarca, San Vicente de la Barquera, Llanes, Ribadeo, Comillas, in no particular order), and so often even if you are not staying on the coast, you will be in a town with a lovely beach just a km or two away, and walking out in the afternoon is a treat, especially when there are cafes there for sitting a relaxing (I remember that in Colombres, for instance).

And I would also add a little pitch for yet another touristy town on the coast, which requires a detour of a km or two -- Cudillero is one of my favorites.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[WestKirsty]

Thank you for the question and replies! I am also planning on doing the northern route this July and sometimes worry about finding a bed each night in the summer months. Great to hear there are more albergue options!

LEM15, maybe I'll see you on the trail!

 

[LEM15]

Thanks, everyone for your thoughts! I appreciate the advice!