Finding your lodging

[Flatcat]

For many reasons. Pre booked my lodging, mostly Pensions and hotels along the Camino.
My question is when you arrive in a town, maybe some of the bigger towns!
How hard is it to find your lodging based on an address ? Do you ask a local business or bystander
Or has anyone tried Google Maps while there.
Thx
Start our camino April 23rd
After 3 years and some cancelations , it really going to happen
Thx
Clint

 

[mspath]

Google maps is great to find any address that you may have. One easy way is to first type the name of the town or city and once it loads the actual address.

Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[evanlow]

I use maps.me app with offline map of Spain to find address for albergue or hostals. If that doesn't work then I fire up Google Map (Plan B) as that will take up a little of my 2 GB data allowance from my local Spanish SIM card.

 

[Rob the Slob]

"Disculpe senor/senora, donde es ...?"

(Usually followed by "Otra vez, por favor, un poco mas despacio.")

 

[Robo]

I mainly used Google Maps. Worked great. Not sure I ever needed to ask...........
A few times I may have looked up the reservation details on Booking.com and used the map on that site.

Though one thing I found.
Really strange.
But quite consistent.
Just one of those 'Camino things' I suppose...........

As you arrive at the outskirts of the town village, if the town/village rises up on a large Hill in front of you, your accommodation will be at the top!

And likewise, if the town/village is a long sprawling affair, your accommodation will be on the far side!

The last kilometre always seemed the hardest

 

[Patch]

In the days before portable electronics I used to go to the train station/bus station/town hall where their was usualy a map of the town....probably still the case.

 

[Mark Lee]

For the most part none of the towns along the CF are really all that big where you would have trouble locating your prearranged accommodation.
The only exception to that would be Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Santiago. You could research their locations prior to your Camino after arranging reservations beforehand. Then print out a map from say Google earth showing the location in that town and stick it in your guidebook, or just save the map to your device.

 

[november_moon]

I agree that looking up the locations in the bigger places ahead of time and then putting a map in your guidebook or saving it to your phone is a good idea. Otherwise, in smaller areas, they should be really easy to find.

 

[John Finn]

For many reasons. Pre booked my lodging, mostly Pensions and hotels along the Camino.
My question is when you arrive in a town, maybe some of the bigger towns!
How hard is it to find your lodging based on an address ? Do you ask a local business or bystander
Or has anyone tried Google Maps while there.
Thx
Start our camino April 23rd
After 3 years and some cancelations , it really going to happen
Thx
Clint

I check out the the lodgings on Google Earth before I leave home. I take screenshots of the relevant Street View locations e.g. where to turn off from the Camino (I have the Camino trail on my Google Earth), which junction to look out for, any landmarks, etc., and I print these off in low-quality black&white 10x8 size standard copier paper. These screen-shots have proved invaluable and I have never failed to find my lodgings on the first attempt. One or two sheets per town is usually sufficient and they add very little to the weight. They are of course discarded as soon as one finds the location.

Enjoy your Camino!

 

[james walter purdum iv]

For many reasons. Pre booked my lodging, mostly Pensions and hotels along the Camino.
My question is when you arrive in a town, maybe some of the bigger towns!
How hard is it to find your lodging based on an address ? Do you ask a local business or bystander
Or has anyone tried Google Maps while there.
Thx
Start our camino April 23rd
After 3 years and some cancelations , it really going to happen
Thx
Clint

camino ways app will get u there...i never booked and the upside is that i could walk as long or short as i wanted everyday.

 

[james walter purdum iv]

In the days before portable electronics I used to go to the train station/bus station/town hall where their was usualy a map of the town....probably still the case.

patch, i think we met on the camino...i was with a scot named dave whom i met day 2

 

[MTtoCamino]

For the most part none of the towns along the CF are really all that big where you would have trouble locating your prearranged accommodation.
The only exception to that would be Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Santiago. You could research their locations prior to your Camino after arranging reservations beforehand. Then print out a map from say Google earth showing the location in that town and stick it in your guidebook, or just save the map to your device.

Mark you have walked more recently than I but not one time did I have to book ahead when starting in April. So when folks talk about pre booking it seems more necessary than this time of year?

 

[Devon Mike]

For the most part none of the towns along the CF are really all that big where you would have trouble locating your prearranged accommodation.
The only exception to that would be Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Santiago. You could research their locations prior to your Camino after arranging reservations beforehand. Then print out a map from say Google earth showing the location in that town and stick it in your guidebook, or just save the map to your device.

In those larger cities, you can get a free street plan usually from the Cathedral information centres. For Logrono you can get it from the Information Centre on the left just before you cross the river bridge.

 

[Mark Lee]

Mark you have walked more recently than I but not one time did I have to book ahead when starting in April. So when folks talk about pre booking it seems more necessary than this time of year?

I never pre-booked any accommodations on my Caminos. I only brought that up because the OP mentioned they were going to. I would imagine that in April it wouldn't be as necessary, though.

 

[Patch]

patch, i think we met on the camino...i was with a scot named dave whom i met day 2

Hi, did you manage the whole walk James? I got as far as Burgos and am off again this year Burgos to Santander but taking an alternative route when I get to Argos.

 

[Beth_J]

My walking partner couldn't carry her bag due to a back injury - so we always sent it ahead (and therefore pre-booked). We just did one day in advance; however, the way we found it would be the same if you booked all in advance. Before we left wifi in the morning - I'd mark it on google maps. Google Maps works to show your location even when offline - but can't download new data. So the trick is to mark it when in wifi - then zoom out so that you see both your start and your end point - then you can zoom in when you get closer and just follow the "blue dot" to your location without using data.

 

[james walter purdum iv]

Hi, did you manage the whole walk James? I got as far as Burgos and am off again this year Burgos to Santander but taking an alternative route when I get to Argos.

yes i arrived in santiago oct 7th!! good luck this year!!