Eastcoasthiker
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- May-July 2023
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Try Gronze.com and consider taking it as it comes.Hi everyone. We are leaving SJPdP on May 27th - 49 days from now, walking the full Francés route. We are having incredible difficulties booking places. Everything seems to be booked up. Is anyone having as frustrating a time as I am? We’re trying to book private rooms or shared rooms with 4-6 beds max. Very little success.
I had a hard time finding anything in SJPdP (pension), and we’re having to walk to Burgette, not Roncesvilles due to lack of availability there too. Zubiri I could find nothing, and had to settle for Lasarronia. Pamplona was ok. My wife and daughter join us in Leon, to walk the rest of the way, and they were having a hard time on that end as well to book the first few nights. It’s a greater challenge than I thought.Where are you trying to book? SJPDP to Zubiri and sometimes Pamplona can fill up faster. After Pamplona shouldn’t be as big of a problem. That said - dorm rooms are often 8 or more beds, so you may have trouble finding some smaller dorm rooms. They do exist - but more often are larger rooms. And many beds are not allowed to be reserved - so just because places seem full online, doesn’t necessarily mean they are completely full.
It's a vicious circle at work. People have heard/read online about accommodation shortages in May and so book well in advance. Which means that those places which allow reservation months in advance are soon fully booked. And people who can't book in advance then post in places like this about the accommodation shortage....It’s a greater challenge than I thought.
If you really want private space, something else to look at if there are a few of you, is apartments. Easier to find in bigger towns, they have good facilities, and often multiple bedrooms. On a per bed basis, I found them not too badly priced.Hi everyone. We are leaving SJPdP on May 27th - 49 days from now, walking the full Francés route. We are having incredible difficulties booking places. Everything seems to be booked up. Is anyone having as frustrating a time as I am? We’re trying to book private rooms or shared rooms with 4-6 beds max. Very little success.
Covid hasn't helped matters either. Quite a few places closed permanently during the lockdown periods and have not reopened. Perhaps in time they may or will be replaced by new albergues/hostals. In the meantime bed numbers are still reduced and early signs are that this will be another very busy year as large numbers of pilgrims return to the Caminos after all the travel restrictions of the past couple of years. A double blow.Provision has not evolved sufficiently quickly to meet the needs and demands of the modern Caminant. There is simply not enough commercial accommodation to meet demand in peak seasons.
It is more challenging because you are also limiting yourselves to privates and small dorm rooms. I am willing to bet Roncesvalles has plenty of room in their huge Albergue. Have you checked? It isn’t on a booking website - you reserve on its private website. But it is true that Roncesvalles does not have many private rooms. Have you also checked the larger dorm rooms in SJPDP? Now - Zubiri does fill up their reservable beds so that doesn’t surprise me. As does Orisson/Borda.I had a hard time finding anything in SJPdP (pension), and we’re having to walk to Burgette, not Roncesvilles due to lack of availability there too. Zubiri I could find nothing, and had to settle for Lasarronia. Pamplona was ok. My wife and daughter join us in Leon, to walk the rest of the way, and they were having a hard time on that end as well to book the first few nights. It’s a greater challenge than I thought.
Thank you, that is helpful. We plan to do a mixture of albergues and pensions. We do want the full camino experience. We'll keep the apartment idea in mind - hadn't considered that.If you really want private space, something else to look at if there are a few of you, is apartments. Easier to find in bigger towns, they have good facilities, and often multiple bedrooms. On a per bed basis, I found them not too badly priced.
I worked on the theory of - if paying more for accommodation we make our own dinner. If cheap accommodation then we buy dinner. They also come with washing machines/dryers as well, so every 5-6 days we'd look for an apartment and wash everything properly, hand washing other days. We'd cook a communal meal quite cheaply, and loll around full on comfortable couches, and wander around town, going back whenever we felt like it. One of the weird luxuries is being able to turn an actual light on without bothering anyone else as well.
Ive seldom had a problem finding a bed in an albergue, and I have walked in busy months. Zubiri is the only place that comes to mind, where I think I had to try 3 places. If you do meet up with others having a larger dorm room isnt really a worry, as if your pace is similar you meet the same people a lot.
Before my first Camino I was concerned I wouldn't like dormitory life, but I really enjoyed it.
Sometimes I used Booking.com, but a lot of the time the hospitalera phoned and booked albergues for me. I really didn't have an issue. They seem to have a good handle of the beds available.
Don't be put off staying in the more basic places - some of my best Camino memories were made in those places.
It will be very difficult to get reservations now in certain areas. As others have indicated, you probably won’t find much available if you are trying to book private rooms at the beginning and end of-the camino. But in contrast, to what others are writing,… I have found, in peak season when the booking sites are full, most often, there Is not availability when I contact the accommodation directly. In order to “make things work”, be flexible. Consider alternate Locations, use buses or taxis to transport you to your base. Maybe find a central location on stages and taxi to the beginning, then walk back,etc. it is not ideal, of course.Where are you trying to book? SJPDP to Zubiri and sometimes Pamplona can fill up faster. After Pamplona shouldn’t be as big of a problem. That said - dorm rooms are often 8 or more beds, so you may have trouble finding some smaller dorm rooms. They do exist - but more often are larger rooms. And many beds are not allowed to be reserved - so just because places seem full online, doesn’t necessarily mean they are completely full.
Burguette is a cute little town!I had a hard time finding anything in SJPdP (pension), and we’re having to walk to Burgette, not Roncesvilles due to lack of availability there too. Zubiri I could find nothing, and had to settle for Lasarronia. Pamplona was ok. My wife and daughter join us in Leon, to walk the rest of the way, and they were having a hard time on that end as well to book the first few nights. It’s a greater challenge than I thought.
Thanks for the suggestion. I checked Posada Roncesvalles yesterday and again today. It said the same thing - 'This property has no availability May 26-27'. So, perhaps they may be not listing anything on bookings.com, or they are indeed sold out. You checked for the weekend - we need a spot in Roncesvalles on the Friday night (May 26th). My search continues!As others have already pointed out it is very unlikely that there is no accommodation available in Roncesvalles for the weekend of 27 and 28 May 2023. Please don’t misunderstand, I am not blaming you in any way for the information provided by you but we have these threads every year and pilgrims who are very new to all this can easily get the wrong impression that “everything is already fully booked“. Like it or not, the Camino de Santiago is a place where dormitories and shared rooms reign supreme.
Out of curiosity, I checked the accommodation situation in Roncesvalles for Saturday 27 May and/or Sunday 28 May 2023:
Buen Camino!
- The albergue of Roncesvalles allows me to book 30 beds (the maximum number of beds allowed for a single booking).
- Hotel Roncesvalles is indeed fully booked in May except on 11 and 12 May. No surprise there. Not only pilgrims stay there.
- Hotel La Posada has a twin-bed room available for the Saturday and a couple of 4-bed rooms on both Saturday and Sunday (on their own specific booking site!)
As I said, I checked availabilities on La Posada’s own website and own booking system:bookings.com
As stated by Kathar1na - try their website directly. If not - I highly recommend booking in the big albergue that night so you don’t have to walk beyond Roncesvalles when you are exhausted from the first day. Better to get rest in a larger albergue than push beyond if you are exhausted - as many of us are that first day. After Pamplona it should be easier to find private rooms - but be flexible is at all possible.Thanks for the suggestion. I checked Posada Roncesvalles yesterday and again today. It said the same thing - 'This property has no availability May 26-27'. So, perhaps they may be not listing anything on bookings.com, or they are indeed sold out. You checked for the weekend - we need a spot in Roncesvalles on the Friday night (May 26th). My search continues!
I didn't know that San Nicolás had any private rooms. That's not indicated on Gronze or on their website.Just a few days ago I emailed the Albergue San Nicolas in Larrasoana to enquire if they had two places for a night in mid May. We will be walking thé Camino Baztan to Pamplona and were considering walking back to France via the Camino Frances so thought we’d best see if we could book something given the time of year. Some hours later I received a reply saying yes they could offer a private room for 2 and for us just to confirm the day before or the room would otherwise be given away.
I haven’t stayed there. I wrote asking if they had ´una habitación para dos peregrinos’, and they replied yes and confirmed a reservation. Perhaps when we arrived it may have turned out to be dormitory beds. I guess my point was that it’s easy to contact accommodation directly. It does look very nice. We are hoping to be on the Frances in November so might stay there if they’re openI didn't know that San Nicolás had any private rooms. That's not indicated on Gronze or on their website.
I understand.I haven’t stayed there. I wrote asking if they had ´una habitación para dos peregrinos’, and they replied yes and confirmed a reservation. Perhaps when we arrived it may have turned out to be dormitory beds. I guess my point was that it’s easy to contact accommodation directly. It does look very nice
I am starting my Camino in Astorga at the end of April, and it has not been easy to make reservations. I am mixing albergues and private rooms as the last resource. I am also trying to stay in off-stage towns, and contacting directly the hospitalero which may take a day or two for them to return your email or whatsup text. I have heard many comments in this forum about how the number of pilgrims has increased this year, reason to reserve in advance since I am walking solo.Hi everyone. We are leaving SJPdP on May 27th - 49 days from now, walking the full Francés route. We are having incredible difficulties booking places. Everything seems to be booked up. Is anyone having as frustrating a time as I am? We’re trying to book private rooms or shared rooms with 4-6 beds max. Very little success.
I found the best way is to send the Albergue an email requesting a check in and check out dates and have used google translate to translate in Spanish. Make sure you give them you phone no as well.Hi everyone. We are leaving SJPdP on May 27th - 49 days from now, walking the full Francés route. We are having incredible difficulties booking places. Everything seems to be booked up. Is anyone having as frustrating a time as I am? We’re trying to book private rooms or shared rooms with 4-6 beds max. Very little success.
I'm not very surprised it gets overlooked. There was a post recently from someone who was finding difficulty booking a few days after Easter and had not even considered that Easter might be a factor in the problem. If you can just overlook Easter then not thinking about Whitsun is child's play!And, surprisingly and frequently overlooked by Camino pilgrims: Monday 29 May is Whitsun Monday,
Have you looked at Airbnb’s for lodging?I had a hard time finding anything in SJPdP (pension), and we’re having to walk to Burgette, not Roncesvilles due to lack of availability there too. Zubiri I could find nothing, and had to settle for Lasarronia. Pamplona was ok. My wife and daughter join us in Leon, to walk the rest of the way, and they were having a hard time on that end as well to book the first few nights. It’s a greater challenge than I thought.
I’ll second the Mountain Shuttle. We used this service in 2018 and it worked out wonderful.I think you w
It will be very difficult to get reservations now in certain areas. As others have indicated, you probably won’t find much available if you are trying to book private rooms at the beginning and end of-the camino. But in contrast, to what others are writing,… I have found, in peak season when the booking sites are full, most often, there Is not availability when I contact the accommodation directly. In order to “make things work”, be flexible. Consider alternate Locations, use buses or taxis to transport you to your base. Maybe find a central location on stages and taxi to the beginning, then walk back,etc. it is not ideal, of course.
You can use a shuttle in bring you back to SJPdP if you want to split that first stage.
The Mountain Shuttle
An help for the walk from St Jean pied de port to Roncesvalles.
Every morning and afternoon, a shuttle runs from St Jean pied de port to go to La Croix Thibault, passing by the “Route Napoleon”. You can choose your stop according to your physical capacity and your desire.
Why to use it ?
- You think that you can’t walk the whole stage from St Jean pied de Port to Roncesvalles. This service shorten this stage.
- You want to walk this stage in 2 days, but the refuge of Orisson is fully booked, or you would prefer to sleep in one hotel of St Jean pied de Port instead of Orisson. You can Go & Back with us. Day 1 : you walk from St Jean pied de Port to the Virgen of Orisson. At 14h40, we pick up you there and we go down to St Jean PP. Day 2 : at 08h30, we transport you back to the Virgen and you can walk to Roncesvalles.
Walking the Camino Francis 20+ years ago the idea of booking accommodation never occurred to me. It just was not necessary. And walking the R de la P with my wife at that time we found ourselves the only pilgrims at refuges on most of the 42 stages.Accommodation on the Camino evolved to meet the basic needs of Pilgrims. Simple dormitories, basic plumbing and, sometimes, food. All usually on a walk-up basis. Provision has not evolved sufficiently quickly to meet the needs and demands of the modern Caminant. There is simply not enough commercial accommodation to meet demand in peak seasons. There is still a network of “walk-ups” that still meets the basic needs of the wandering pilgrim. Absent from the booking apps they remain off the radar of many.
I agree that 20+ years ago there was rarely any need to reserve accommodation on the Frances. It never crossed my mind to do so on my first two Caminos either. But I think you are wrong about France and tents. There are many pilgrims who rely on gites and similar accommodation and do not carry a tent.And, yes, I know in countries such as France, pilgrims invariably do carry their own small tents.
It was only 7 years ago that I walked my first Camino, and I only made a reservation at Orisson - it didn't occur to me that I would need to book anything else.Walking the Camino Francis 20+ years ago the idea of booking accommodation never occurred to me.
Yeah, I did it 22 years ago, and it seems to be a whole different thing now. I'm doing it again this year (soon!) and am trying to keep an open mind about how all things evolve, etc. but I admit I'm a little worried that I'll be disheartened by what it's become, and it'll ruin my memory of what the Camino is.Walking the Camino Francis 20+ years ago the idea of booking accommodation never occurred to me. It just was not necessary. And walking the R de la P with my wife at that time we found ourselves the only pilgrims at refuges on most of the 42 stages.
How different now and, without evidence to back this up, despite the increase in private albergues, the ever growing number of pilgrim tour operators must be making an impact on available accommodation. Surely such companies must block book accommodation to ensure their clients have places at which to stay. A mixed blessing! For me (and I stress, for me) the over-commercialisation of the C de S has markedly eroded the undoubted spirit of the pilgrimage.
I know this doesn't answer the question of how accommodation can be relied upon for the individual who's not able to determine exactly how far they will walk each day. Perhaps the next step (pun unintentional) will be the provision of pilgrim campsites where pilgrims can pitch a small lightweight tent which they carry. And, yes, I know in countries such as France, pilgrims invariably do carry their own small tents.
Whatever, I trust those walking (or cycling) will not be deterred and derive the satisfaction and fulfillment of completing this great pilgrimage - at least once!
I was the same back six years ago on my first Camino I only had Orrison booked , I do have to admit that I was a lot younger and faster. Most days we were first at the municipal Albergue, these days I’m not as fast and have pre booked most of my accommodations.It was only 7 years ago that I walked my first Camino, and I only made a reservation at Orisson - it didn't occur to me that I would need to book anything else.
And start before the Easter rush like you must have done! I walked the Camino Frances in January this year. Certainly there were cold days and a couple of wet ones but I was very lucky with weather. Mostly dry and bright. Some long days because of the limited number of places that were open. No luggage transfers. A surprising amount of company - including many Korean pilgrims who seem to favour winter as a time to walk. A beautiful experience. Like going back 30 years but with much better accommodation!Halfway to Santiago in the meseta its Easter and no problemo getting a bed yet. Do it when it's cold or wet season...always a place to stay
I think there might be more people (vs. 5 years ago) booking outside the albergues because of concerns about Covid. I am hoping all these people who've booked have the courtesy to cancel out as soon as they know they won't be making those distances, so others can have the spaces. (Or maybe they'll just plan to bus/taxi to wherever they the reservation?) This is a whole different ballgame than it used to be. We'll see...Ditto—just 5 years ago I booked Orisson and nothing else. I never had a problem getting a bed. I think most of the current problem is being driven by fear and people are over-sharing their fear on here, leading to more fear, and so it snowballs... In reality, I would expect a good percentage of the bookings that have been made will in fact be subsequently cancelled, as people’s plans meet the reality of their training and fitness levels, which may see them end up nowhere near the place they had planned to stay. I have even heard of people booking 2 or 3 places along a “stage” just IN CASE. Is it just me, or is that completely disrespectful to other pilgrims, in that it creates a situation that distorts reality? As some wise person on here has said, when preparing for a Camino “Don’t pack your fears.” Just walk.
I think it might have depended on the season or day? We walked from SJPdP starting in mid Sept. of 2015. I started booking 2.5 months before we went and had a very difficult time making reservations. Luckily, we were able to eventually book The Hotel Roncevalle after someone else likely cancelled. There were no rooms to be had in. Zubiri. So we made the second day quite short then walked to Larrasoana, for accommodations, to a place … I would not stay in again. Almost every town up to Burgos, including small towns, like Ages, where I got over 40 bedbug bites, were full occupancy, including bunks. There is only so much capacity…..specially for private rooms.It was only 7 years ago that I walked my first Camino, and I only made a reservation at Orisson - it didn't occur to me that I would need to book anything else might have depended 8nthe time of year!
When I walked from Le Puy prior to covid, there were several rural gîtes that offered camping, and people camping there. But as you say, most were relying on gîtes rather than camping, especially in the towns.I agree that 20+ years ago there was rarely any need to reserve accommodation on the Frances. It never crossed my mind to do so on my first two Caminos either. But I think you are wrong about France and tents. There are many pilgrims who rely on gites and similar accommodation and do not carry a tent.
We didn't book before we went except for SJPdP. Anything can happen on the Camino and frequently does meaning you may not make it to a pre-booked accommodation. Part of the experience is staying in albergues with others, making friends, sharing experiences of blisters, sore knees etc and generally becoming part of the Camino. Yes, an occasional night with sheets and towels and a room for 4 is a luxury that should be enjoyed. It's an adventure, let it happen. Buen Camino.Hi everyone. We are leaving SJPdP on May 27th - 49 days from now, walking the full Francés route. We are having incredible difficulties booking places. Everything seems to be booked up. Is anyone having as frustrating a time as I am? We’re trying to book private rooms or shared rooms with 4-6 beds max. Very little success.
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