Cost of the Camino

[MoniRose]

Can you give me an estimate of the cost of 5-6 weeks on the Camino. An old blog post from '08 said 1 euro for each kilometer, on average, but I've also heard 30-35 euro/day, depending on where I sleep and how I choose to eat.
Also, how much money should I carry? Can I access US bank in Spain or should I open an account once there? I don't use credit but should I bring a credit card in case?
I'm leaving end of May and I'm so excited, but there are so many details to look into for travel abroad as well as those left holding down the fort at home. This is big. - M :arrow:

 

[jpflavin1]

Monirose:

I would budget 30 Euros per day if staying in Albergues. If staying in Private Pensions, 40-50 Euro's per day. I purchased all my Euro's in advance and carried in a pouch around my neck. 300 in smaller bills which I carried in easy access pockets and the remainder in large bills. When the small bills depleted, I would cash in a large bill. I did carry a credit and debit card but never used them. I suggest you bring them. Check with your bank for affiliations with European banks. This could be helpful if you needed to use an atm. If you are in a large city, they have other European banks like Duetche (sp.) Bank and there may be no charge if your bank is affiliated. ATM's will charge fees in Europe for use and your bank will probably charge a currency exchange fee. So I recommend you check with your bank for the best options.

The other thing I recommend is that you check with your health insurance about coverage. Mine covered everything and gave me a letter to carry with me.

The exchange rate for currency is much better this year than last. Your bank might offer a better rate than you might get somewhere else. Worth it to check out in advance.

Best regards,
Joe

 

[migolito]

Joe,
Absolutely excellent advice! Been stuck in Madrid airport with a bank card that was "disabled" because the bank made an opps and no cash. Took me the rest of the trip to fix it. Taking about 300 euros FROM home is excellent advice. Your bank can pre-order in the bills you want. I might add to actually call your bank and request a letter from them acknowledging your request to allow your card to work in Europe. They can also provide you a 'map' of machines that they may be affiliated with that do not charge you.
Also, the medical. I have Kaiser and yes they will provide a letter. Take copies and make sure the letter is both in English and Spanish.

Mike

 

[MoniRose]

This is SO helpful!! Thank you! - M :arrow:

 

[MoniRose]

This is SO helpful!! Thank you! - M :arrow:

 

[newfydog]

Monirose:

I purchased all my Euro's in advance and carried in a pouch around my neck. 300 in smaller bills which I carried in easy access pockets and the remainder in large bills. When the small bills depleted, I would cash in a large bill. I did carry a credit and debit card but never used them. I suggest you bring them.
Joe

Wow! I can't imagine why someone would do that.

There are ATM machines everywhere. They work very well. They seldom reject a card, and if they do, the machine across the street will work just fine. They give by far the best exchange rates one can find. I find the exchange rates for Euro cash from the US banks to be horrible, and the last thing I want to worry about is a pile of cash. I carry a couple of debt cards and a credit card, and carry no more cash than I do in the US.

 

[migolito]

You only need to be stuck once without cash to feel humbled. At the end of the day ATM machines work very well and I've used them often. But, arriving with a couple of hundred euro in your pocket completely removes the question "I wonder if the ATM machine is going to accept my bankcard".

 

[tyrrek]

There are ATM machines everywhere.

Not everywhere in my experience, and the kind of places where you're spending your money (bars, cafes etc) tend to expect cash. Hostals usually accept cards, though. Significant towns will certainly have ATMs, but there are some stretches where you just can't be confident that you'll pass an ATM for a day or two so rightly or wrongly I found myself carrying more cash than usual 'just in case'.

All the advice on insurance is good. I got the impression that the Spanish authorities take their responsibilities towards pilgrims quite seriously, and on one occasion saw an air ambulance called out to a French girl who just seemed to have fainted. I don't know what non-Europeans are charged for in terms of medical care, but I wouldn't like to be left with the tab for something like that!

Buen Camino!

 

[CaminoGen]

Last May, I did the Camino on a 30 Euros a day budget and never had to deprive myself of anything. Of course, this does not include my train from Bordeaux to SJPdP (28 Euros) and the plane ticket from Santiago to Paris (70$) for my return into reality. Hint: if you feel your're running out of money, cook your dinner (pasta, risotto, omelet...) and buy a bottle of wine...you'll be back on track, plus you'll make friends by offering the leftovers or a glass of wine to your fellow pilgrim.

Regarding money and ATM. I left home with 500 Euros in cash. When I ran out, I went to the ATM and took out the max each time. It's cheap and safe.

 

[Sojourner47]

You only need to be stuck once without cash to feel humbled. At the end of the day ATM machines work very well and I've used them often. But, arriving with a couple of hundred euro in your pocket completely removes the question "I wonder if the ATM machine is going to accept my bankcard".

Wow, "a couple of hundred euros" would be about my entire budget for the Frances.... :lol:

 

[tyrrek]

Wow, "a couple of hundred euros" would be about my entire budget for the Frances.... :lol:

Double Wow! You ate drank and slept on about 6 Euros a day?!

 

[newfydog]

Not everywhere in my experience, there are some stretches where you just can't be confident that you'll pass an ATM for a day or two so rightly or wrongly I found myself carrying more cash than usual 'just in case'.
Buen Camino!

I agree that it might be possible to go a day or two without finding an ATM. I guess need to define "everywhere" or rephrase it as "downright plentiful". For example, my Garmin map shows that Fromista, population 882, has at least three.

Has anyone found an airport anywhere without one? The closest I've come is Thimpu, Bhutan where Visa did not work, but Mastercard did.

Anyway, the Camino will remain safer if we aren't carying gobs of cash, and I'd hate for people to get the idea there is a reason to do so.

 

[tyrrek]

Sorry Newfydog. On re-reading my post it comes across as a bit pedantic. My point really was about the lack of certainty about where you'll next be able to access cash. That uncertainty may or may not be justified, but for me money wasn't something I wanted to worry about so I tended to have a little bit in reserve just in case. I totally agree that carrying around large amounts wouldn't be a good idea or necessary.

Buen Camino!

 

[migolito]

No, a couple of hundred euros in your pocket when you arrive. That way there's no scrambling for an ATM. It gives you a little breathing room IF the ATM is a bust.

I like the idea of cooking (occasionally) @ the refugio. I'm a decent cook, maybe I'll make this part of the plan. Once every few days cook dinner for whoever shows up.

 

[tyrrek]

I like the idea of cooking (occasionally) @ the refugio. I'm a decent cook, maybe I'll make this part of the plan. Once every few days cook dinner for whoever shows up.

And show up they will!

 

[oursonpolaire]

As far as ATMs go, the only inconvenient stretch I have seen was from Astorga to Ponferrada, and in 2009 there were no machines in Rabanal or in Molinaseca. Most of the time, I arrive at the aerodrome in France or Spain, walk up to the ATM and get my euros there. It was slightly cheaper for me (in terms of the vampirical and vulture-like fees charged by Canadian banks) to use cash over credit cards. One should always contact one's card-issuers and let them know that you'll be out of the country and for how long, which takes care of the danger of having your card frozen.

The general guidelines given are realistic, more 30 euros a day than 1 euro per kilometre, and 50-60 if staying in non-albergue accommodation. With great care, you could manage it at about 20 a day, but it would involve some privation. In 2011 on the del Norte, I ran into two Belgians walking it as part of the correctional sentence for one of them, and they had a joint budget of 16 euro a day.

 

[johnnyman]

Greetings, y'all:

I probably spent 25-30 euros per day, and I ate out pretty much all the time. Sometimes I bought groceries, but really not very often. It was just easier to eat out. I withdrew cash about once a week (ATMs are all over the place) and kept it in a pouch I wore around my neck at all times, along with my passport and other credentials. A lot of people recommended I wait until I arrived at the airport in Madrid to get some euros from the ATM, but I took about 80 euros with me, and I'm glad I did. It was stressful enough figuring out how to get to Pamplona and such, without having to worry about the ATM thing ...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The only time an ATM did not work for me was because it was out of my network. The machine had a symbol on it that was part of my debit card system, but it was not accurate. The small caixa banks may not be part of international networks even though they have a MasterCard or VISA symbol on them. I never had a problem at the large banks -- BBVA, Santander, etc. -- so if at first you don't succeed, try a different bank.

If you are in a large town with an ATM and you are running low on cash, do not create a crisis by hoping for an ATM in a village a day later. Act!

I think that the ATM's at the airport are all big banks'.

 

[Yallah]

My husband and I averaged about €18 per person per day on our 2011 walk from St Jean to Santiago to Finesterre. I didn't feel like we denied ourselves very much. I don't really like eating out in restaurants and would rather prepare my own food (we did get pilgrim menus three times). We were able to make tasty and filling dinners for about $3 per person. We often made bacon and eggs in the morning in the albergue kitchen. Lunch was usually a grocery store ham sandwich, fruit and chocolate. We gladly paid entrance fees to museums and sites, which were usually very inexpensive (€1-3).

According to my records, we averaged per day €7 for accommodations, €9 for food, and €2 for miscellaneous (entrance fees, internet, etc).

We stayed in inexpensive pensiónes (<€30 for a double) for three of the nights, and the other nights slept in albergues (mostly municipal or parochial, and yes, we always donated at donativos).

So for those who are looking to walk the camino on a tighter budget, it can be done, and done graciously, I believe.

 

[renegadepilgrim]

My budget was 30 Euros/day. I stayed in albergues (and occasionally a pension or hostal), ate out sometime, cooked other times. I started out with 300 Euros and didn't need my first ATM withdrawal until Samos, if I remember correctly. I always made sure I had at least 50 Euros in a "secret stash" just in case I couldn't find an ATM when I needed one. I never ran out of money or had any issues in Spain.... (Jordan is another story....)

Check and see if you have a credit union in town that offers free ATM withdrawals. In Portland, Advantis reimburses you for ATM fees, including international ones, so there is no penalty to use it overseas. My sister has a few euros in her pocket leaving the US (usually left over from previous trips), then gets a few hundred euros at the ATM at the airport when she lands. You get a better exchange rate and she doesn't get dinged with fees because she uses her credit union debit card. Do not get a lot of currency before you leave the US. The exchange rates are horrible at the banks. I asked my friends to bring spare Euros from their old trips with them to my going away party and had almost 20 euros in coins, which was more than enough to get a train ticket from CDG to Paris proper. You don't need a lot of cash when you land...I like to have 200-300 Euros on me. That way I don't have to think about it for a while.

 

[swallow]

Some days it was 20 Euros occasionally 50...35 average seems right...but do carry 300 E as a backup and research a debit card in the US that carries no atm fee. I used a Master card issued by a local Maine bank, Bangor Savings and Loan. It always worked. But keep track, you wont be able to check your balance from these machines!
On the Camino, in large and small towns, the bank ATM windows- in- the- wall are everywhere..nearly. It was easy. The Camino does provide. Dont worry.

 

[tRKe]

Hey guys, Love this thread.

My girlfriend and I are going to do the Camino De France this May, which should take as about 4 weeks to complete. Based on everyones suggestions and experience I would assume a total of around 840 Euros would be expected to spend on the Camino? Of course excluding bus and flights tickets.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi tRKe

It would be a brave respondent who said yes to that question! 30 days x 30 Euros = 900, but 30 days is swift going, and if either of you are held up by injury etc you'll both have to pay for the extra days. I'm absolutely sure it is possible to do the Camino on that amount or even less, but it depends on your fitness, personalities etc. One or two nights in a hostal, or a few good nights when you want to go with your new friends to a bar/restaurant for example, could blow your budget.

You can certainly save money working as a pair. For example, buying 2 bocadillos (substantial sandwiches) for lunch in a bar might cost 7 Euros. Buying a loaf of bread from a shop with some ham, cheese, or chorizo, would certainly be enough for two and cost half that amount.

Whatever you budget for add a bit, would be my suggestion.

Buen Camino!

 

[fraluchi]

I would assume a total of around 840 Euros would be expected to spend on the Camino? Of course excluding bus and flights tickets.

> Per person! That's what you should budget for. It doesn't mean that you will necessarily spend this, but it is a reasonable assumption.

 

[David]

The number of times I have been in a hamlet with twelve houses, two storks, and a sleeping dog in the middle of the lane and met a desperate pilgrim searching for a cash machine .. they really aren't everywhere, so be prepared.

Carrying cash is good - possibly split it into two and keep them separate then if you 'lose' one cache you still have the other :wink:

The daily cost really comes down to who you are and how you live your life- what you do as 'normal'. If you eat out regularly then you will do so on the Camino too and your costs will be higher.

If simple food each day, carried by you and prepared at the refugio is your 'type' then you will eat better and save lots of money .... as you meet people you may start to stop for a coffee here and there, then a coffee and cake, and so on .. there is absolutely no need to do any of this (apart from the social aspect) - and every time you do it is another hit on your cashflow, and it all adds up.

If you stay in refugios, carry lunches and snacks and prepare simple meals then your costs will be really low .. you may find you end up somewhere where you cannot cook but if eating the bread and cheese you have with you is ok with you .. well, no problem is it? the simple life is so much more rewarding than the spending life - though, do factor in the possibility of your boots breaking, or needing to buy medication, or needing a respite day or two if injured.

If the simple life is your life you can halve the 30 Euros a day without problems. It really does come down to your lifestyle and what you consider important and unimportant. :wink:

 

[Tia Valeria]

Last year we decided on a budget, took some cash with us as starters, took a euro card each with most of the money and then had the rest on our bank debit cards in £GB. In an emergency we could access the latter, having advised the bank on expected usage. We used our credit cards to pay for some accomodation, but very little (again having advised the card issuer). At the end of the Camino we cashed in the euros and put them back in our normal account.
We plan to do the same this year, taking the rough total with us as cash and euro cards with other funds available if needed. Better to over budget and have too much (but in a safe place) than run out of money, but also to work at keeping within budget. We made sure we always had a couple of days cash in hand and topped up in the towns when we saw a ATM. Kept costs down by taking out the maximum per charge.