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As another pilgrim has already noted, do not take €500 notes!
€130, €180, €230, €280 the pattern relates to 4*€20+ some number of €50.
Take around 400 Euros to start - or just get the Euros at a local ATM. I was traveling solo last summer and I just took out 300 Euros in the bigger cities along the way. Never ran out of money before the next bigger town. And that is with rarely using a credit or debit card along the way.
I found it funny that when you select "small bills" they still give you mostly 50s! Those are still pretty big bills. I am used to getting 20s in the US. Good tip on withdrawing odd amounts to get more smaller bills.
Likewise.
You should budget for €50 a day ,
I am from the States i use a card called Revolut. You can load it from your bank and then u can exchange to euros right on the app. You can use it like any other bank card. It also does crypto currency. I have never had atm fees overseas. It tells you the exchange rate on the app and if there is a fee associated with it. It has definitely helped me not feel like i have to carry as much cash. Especially since you must have small bills because most places in the small towns cannot break large bills.
2021/2022 count on 35-38€ per day.
If Banks take commission when withdrawing euros at the ATM all depends on what deal your own bank has.
Im from Canada and have walked 4 Caminos. Never had a problem getting Euros on my debit card from ATMs in Spain. Some stages of the VLDP have no ATMS in the little villages you go through, so I always tried to carry around 200 E. You are charged a flat rate fee, in addition to the exchange rate, for use of the ATM. ( regardless of the amount you withdraw), so better to take enough to last you four or five days, depending on your average rate of spending, rather than withdrawing small amounts. The other part of that is small businesses are charged heavy bank fees on purchases paid for by debit or credit card, so they prefer if you pay cash.
Regardless of your excellent comment, people from non Euro countries should not ask the Spanish Bank to convert the currency.
My budgets are way lower overall then what you spend but of course everyone makes their own choices of where and how much to eat/sleep and spend overall.
Being that I am in the UK and starting off in SJPDP in three weeks time I am taking my euro Mastercard which I got from my travel agent sometime ago as I found that exchange rate and charges on my debit card was different in Europe ..I realised it was cheaper to use the prepay Mastercard where I would top up when needed then go to the ATM if needed though there is a 2€ transaction fee I still found it alot cheaper than using my own card and it can be used in cafes etc without a charge ..yes alot of accommodation will only take cash and it be wise to work out a daily budget and stick to it as the Camino Frances won't be cheap being it is at least a 35 day hike ...enjoy and expect the unexpected
No municipal open when I walked or very few or kitchen’s open for cooking . Everyone is different but I wasn’t being extravagant and it was noticeable more expensive . But of course sometimes easily to do €35 a dayMy budgets are way lower overall then what you spend but of course everyone makes their own choices of where and how much to eat/sleep and spend overall.
I can't put a money figure on my spending exactly but I usually (couldn't do it on the VDLP in 2021 because so many kitchens were closed) shop in the evening. This will include stuff to make dinner, fruit and snacks, bread and stuff for lunch the next day. Of course there are days I eat out but not too many. Usually I will spend (depending on who I am eating with) between about 10-12 Euros a day. I will also get a coffee and either pan tostada or a tortilla for breakfast. Need that energy. That is usually 3-4 euros or so. I will eat lunch in a town square or bench or just on the side of the road and will stop for a coffee or a coke a few times when I am walking so that may be an additional 4-5 euros. I try to stay in munis or donativos and that will run about 10 Euros a day. Obviously there are nights I have to stay in a private albergue also. So for me it is about 30 Euros a day. There have been days I have spent as little as 20-22 and on the VDLP there were lots of days I spent closer to 40. I have met people who have spent even less and some who have spent over 100E a day. Like my good friend Peter from Denmark. I would be sitting in my albergue eating spaghetti and he would be sending me his photos of his sumptuous dinner! Sometimes I hated that guy!!!
I agree: Your estimates for the CF are much in line with mine. I also often prefer to make my own food in the albergues, alone or with "Camino friends", pushing dinner costs to 4-6 Euros/person, or participating in communal dinners. I rarely go for Menu del dia. But of course, Covid may have made some changes for us...My budgets are way lower overall then what you spend but of course everyone makes their own choices of where and how much to eat/sleep and spend overall.
I can't put a money figure on my spending exactly but I usually (couldn't do it on the VDLP in 2021 because so many kitchens were closed) shop in the evening. This will include stuff to make dinner, fruit and snacks, bread and stuff for lunch the next day. Of course there are days I eat out but not too many. Usually I will spend (depending on who I am eating with) between about 10-12 Euros a day. I will also get a coffee and either pan tostada or a tortilla for breakfast. Need that energy. That is usually 3-4 euros or so. I will eat lunch in a town square or bench or just on the side of the road and will stop for a coffee or a coke a few times when I am walking so that may be an additional 4-5 euros. I try to stay in munis or donativos and that will run about 10 Euros a day. Obviously there are nights I have to stay in a private albergue also. So for me it is about 30 Euros a day. There have been days I have spent as little as 20-22 and on the VDLP there were lots of days I spent closer to 40. I have met people who have spent even less and some who have spent over 100E a day. Like my good friend Peter from Denmark. I would be sitting in my albergue eating spaghetti and he would be sending me his photos of his sumptuous dinner! Sometimes I hated that guy!!!
This was my experience this past summer. Very few municipals and very few kitchens available. I still kept costs down - but I found pre-COVID experience given as advise often didn't apply in 2021. Hoping more kitchens are open this summer - but not counting on it! I do know the albergues I am planning to stay at are also not offering their traditional communal dinners
Orisson is, but the other's are not.
Actually I love to cook at the albergue with other people and usually prefer it to dining out. We also buy a piece of fruit, bread and something to make a bocadillo most days. I do think 7 to 10 euros as a budget is a lot for a Spanish breakfast especially if it is something pre-packaged and left on the counter for pilgrims. I would not pay extra for that so ask about what breakfast will consist of before you add that on and whether the coffee will be hot and freshly made.My budgets are way lower overall then what you spend but of course everyone makes their own choices of where and how much to eat/sleep and spend overall.
I can't put a money figure on my spending exactly but I usually (couldn't do it on the VDLP in 2021 because so many kitchens were closed) shop in the evening. This will include stuff to make dinner, fruit and snacks, bread and stuff for lunch the next day. Of course there are days I eat out but not too many. Usually I will spend (depending on who I am eating with) between about 10-12 Euros a day. I will also get a coffee and either pan tostada or a tortilla for breakfast. Need that energy. That is usually 3-4 euros or so. I will eat lunch in a town square or bench or just on the side of the road and will stop for a coffee or a coke a few times when I am walking so that may be an additional 4-5 euros. I try to stay in munis or donativos and that will run about 10 Euros a day. Obviously there are nights I have to stay in a private albergue also. So for me it is about 30 Euros a day. There have been days I have spent as little as 20-22 and on the VDLP there were lots of days I spent closer to 40. I have met people who have spent even less and some who have spent over 100E a day. Like my good friend Peter from Denmark. I would be sitting in my albergue eating spaghetti and he would be sending me his photos of his sumptuous dinner! Sometimes I hated that guy!!!
I agree with you and some days spend a bit more because I will stop for a full on breakfast of heurvos fritos and bacon around 11 after an early morning stop for cafe con leche and a slice ot tortilla. I also splurge often in the late afternoon after I have found a bed and search out a top restaurant to have the menu del dia. I have a list in my head of some of the best places along the CF and there are many 4 star places for sure.
Be sure to take an ATM card from a bank that is big enough to associate with Spanish banks/ATM. US credit unions often are associated with the bigger Spanish banks. My friend was constantly having to wait til we got to big towns to get cash. I used a Charles Schwab card, which offers no fees and a free checking account with low balance requirements. It was accepted everywhere.
Wise. I do the same.
Not for the umbrella?
As indicated in numerous threads, credit cards are not widely accepted, especially in the smaller towns, cash talks. I would stick to using bank ATM as more fraud/security controls in place, as a result more availability in the larger towns. Use ATMs during banking hours as in the unlikely event that the ATM eats your cards you can go in and try and get them to give it bank to you. For insurance I took two debit cards so if one was disabled I had another one from a different bank.
Here's "infomercial" page about the Schwab account.
www.revolut.com
The Charles Schwab checking account that you want is called "investor checking," but it's just a name - you don't have to have an investment account with them. There are no fees, no minimum balance, and they refund all ATM fees worldwide.
Unless it is a money emergency, I will ONLY use ATM's connected to a major bank. But I didn't care so much about the opening hours.
Yes, I was thinking your figure must have reflected private albergues, rather than municipals. And perhaps prices will settle down after we get past this pandemic.
Rather than derail the whole convo if you could DM me with the restaurants you recommend I would greatly appreciate it! Or if there is a thread or blog post that would be great too!
I think prices will never again go down as inflation has risen by 13% since 2020 and Europe has a whole new set of problems at the moment and to be fair the cost of Pilgrim meals and accommodation prior to 2020 was very very cheap
I stayed in municipals whenever possible but used cash for everything (train to SJPDP, bus from Finnesterre, all meals ect and returned home with about 300 euro.
I am also interested in a list, please, @biarritzdon
smart cookie...
Yeah, that was me as well,dumb, dumb, dumb! Thinking I was smart. Had to come back to Canada to return it to the same bank….no one would touch it.
The trick to knowing which atms will work for you and which won’t is to see if it’s got the little pictures next to it - like the one below - generally - no pictures - no go
...and no ATM between Astorga and Molinaseca/Ponferrada, and between Villafranca del Bierzo and Triacastela either....
