Is it really necessary to book?

[Tracey Adem]

I’m starting in SJDP June 2018. There’s a lot of talk about booking Albergue’s. I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim. Now I’m not sure what i should do......... Any informed advicefrom June walkers?

 

[nidarosa]

Hi and welcome! Yes, there is a lot of talk about booking, but it shouldn't be necessary. For one thing there are albergues that don't accept reservations, like municipal and parochial ones, which are first come, first served. If you avoid the 'Brierley stages', ie the bigger places where everybody seems to go, and instead stay in smaller places between these, you could find it easier. Sometimes the talk of a bed race creates a bed race, sometimes the feeling that you need to book means everybody books. If you are prepared to be flexible, it is still perfectly possible to not book! Say you can't find a bed in the place you wanted - try the next place. Walk a bit further. Or get a taxi if it is far, and then you can go back again to pick up where you left off the next morning. Aim for the bigger municipals, they sometimes have overspill rooms for busy times, and be prepared to pay for a private room if that is all that's available. Or share with someone you have met along the way. And if you are in a big wave of people, maybe hang back a bit, or take a rest day and see if it gets easier behind the wave. Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim.

I hope that is not the whole point!

If you want to avoid wandering around to find a bed, or moving on to the next village still with the uncertainty of find a bed, June has become so busy that booking ahead has become the norm. If you stop in the early afternoon, you do not have to book ahead. If you want to walk until the late afternoon, you will find that the beds are all taken. Almost all private albergues now accept reservations, as do pensiones and hostales. In the past, spontaneity did not have a cost. Now it does! You will have to decide on the lesser of anxiety-provoking choices: book and commit or spend time at the end of the day looking for a bed.

 

[nidarosa]

Yes it does depend on when you are likely to stop for the day, which depends on when you start, and how far and fast you want to go. If you start at a popular point like StJPdP, I would recommend booking the first couple of nights as there are few choices from there: Orisson has 28 beds, Roncesvalles 183, plus a few private places just after Roncesvalles. After Zubiri I have the impression that people spread out more, and then of course there is the influx of new pilgrims from Pamplona. After that you should be able to be more impulsive. And just because all the beds/rooms are booked on websites doesn't mean there are no more beds! A hotel can have 20 rooms on Booking.com and 30 rooms in all, so it is always worth asking directly, by phone or by showing up. And some people (double)book and don't bother cancelling, which means there will be availability even if it doesn't look like it online.
Try winging it if this is how you'd like to do it, then adapt if it doesn't work. I'd still book the first couple of nights though.

 

[tomnorth]

I’m starting in SJDP June 2018. There’s a lot of talk about booking Albergue’s. I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim. Now I’m not sure what i should do......... Any informed advicefrom June walkers?

If you want to stay at Orisson you should book, otherwise it is not necessary. If you stay at towns that are not Brierley stages you’ll have better luck.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

« I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim »...

Who said the whole point was not booking and who said booking a bed and being a pilgrim are mutually exclusive?

If you don’t want to book, don’t, and let the chips fall where they may. It’s not my cup of tea. Undue stress for me. I have no intention of 1) waking everyone in the albergue at 5 am so I can get a bed that night, 2) finish walking at noon to grab the first bed I find, 3) sleeping under a church porch and kill by back and put an early end to my walk just to be a purist.

To me the « whole point »is to walk, so I make sure I can, and that includes booking beds if and when necessary.

It of course puts a damper on spontaneity, and I don’t think it was even possible back in 2007 when I walked for the first time, but times have changed, Caminos are packed with people, and I am older and my joints cannot endure what they used to endure.

If walking to the next village to find a bed, regadless of how far that village may be, then go for it. If sleeping under the stars is something you are ok with, then go for it. But please don’t go thinking this is what the point is.

 

[naplesdon]

I usually start my walk around 6:30 and walk for 6 to 7 hours. The result is I will have walked about 20 to 25 km and arrived someplace where the albergues are just opening their doors. It is pretty hassle free, even in June. There are days I walk a bit further and days I take a rest day and start later in the morning and still plan to arrive at my destination around 1pm. I like to explore the villages where I spend the night and therefore not one who is trying to cover more than 30km per day and get trapped in the bed race. I agree with booking Orisson if that is the Camino experience you are seeking. I have stayed there 3 times and love it as a starting point for my first day. Roncevalles has also become a recommended place to book after they reduced the number of available beds to 183, considering more than 200 pilgrims could be leaving SJPdP on any one day. If there is someplace you are especially keen on staying those bookings can be done the night before at the albergue where you are staying. Remember most of the albergue owners know each other within a 40 to 60 km radius and can give you a good recommendation for a place where they probably know the owner and the amenities. Just say, "I want a place just like this one; with or without a meal; with or without a private room; with a shower or a bath; with a pool; etc..."

 

[JulieandPeter]

We walked in June 2017. My advice is to book your first two nights in advance (SJPDP, Roncesvalles), figure out where you will be for night three and book earlier in the day, then just walk and book as you go until Sarria.

In between Pamplona and Sarria finding a bed was not a problem in June. We had booked ahead and regretted it (for various reasons that have been explained in this forum many times), but our traveling companion cancelled all of his reservations and never had a problem finding a bed. We arrived in Sarria in late June and decided to stay an extra day (one of the reasons not to book ahead ) and were able to get a private room in an albergue the next morning. However, the albergue filled up that night with a school group. My point being, that even with the crowds in a popular starting city, we were able to get a room.

After Sarria will be extremely busy in late June and early July, so when you get to Sarria (and by then you will know how far you average walking each day), you might want to book in advance.

Buen Camino!

 

[Curtis]

A b c D e f g H i j K l m n O p q r s T u v W x y Z

Imagine the above alphabet represents a different town along the camino. 80%++ of pilgrims will stop at only the letters that are in capitals. However, each lower case letter has dozen of beds available and I found to be an overall better experience.

There were a couple nights I had an entire albergue to myself!

buen camino

 

[T-Camino]

I have mixed feeling about this post. We walked the Camino Frances in May/ June 2016 and I approached the Camino with the same attitude as you. We were unfortunate that at the beginning of our journey we started at the same time as lots of other people. The day before we arrived at Roncesvalles they had to open their extra space to accommodate everyone. On the day we arrrived it was nearly as busy. Although we are fairly quick walkers and were covering a large distance each day, throughout our Camino we encountered times where we would arrive where we wanted to stay but Albergues would be fully reserved by Pilmgims ahead of time so could not allocate us a space. Although it was irritating because sometimes we would find people reserving multiple albergues we normally could find space somewhere. Only once did this actually lead to not being able to find a space in an alburgue. We walked the three dragons route and arrived in o'cebreiro to no available space with the next two towns also booked out. Walking on wasn't an option due to the distance we had travelled that day but fortunately the church opened up to us and allowed us and others to stay. It wasn't great (avoided the showers)! but oh my goodness I have never been so grateful. Toward the end we did strart to book in to places ahead of time. Sometimes for a treat but other times so we knew we had somewhere to stay in larger places. When we walk again, I think I will try not to book (the Camino provides! [red wine helps]). Have a wonderful Camino!

 

[Kanga]

Some people like to walk late in the day and/or need the assurance that a bed will be waiting them. Some people don't know how far they will feel like walking each day and/or enjoy the freedom of not making decisions in advance.

In 17 years of walking various caminos I've never been without a bed. When by myself I rarely book. But I have booked occasionally, or when with walking with companions. And yes, I agree, if you want to stay in O Cebreiro - that is a place to book!

I also agree that booking Roncesvalles is advisable if you will walking all the way from SJPDP. Probably not if walking from Orisson, as you will arrive before the majority.

 

[Ungawawa]

I’m starting in SJDP June 2018. There’s a lot of talk about booking Albergue’s. I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim. Now I’m not sure what i should do......... Any informed advicefrom June walkers?

Don't worry about booking before Sarria. I walked in June 2017 and only found one occassion where the Albergues I wanted to go to were full (Castrojeriz). Even then some helpful pilgrims pointed me to an alternative with space.

Once you are into July in Galicia you might have more trouble, so for those final five days or so you might want to book if you'll be staying in the popular (ie. Brierley guidebook) towns. Even so, if you're not fussy about what you get or don't mind walking a couple of km extra, you'll always find something.

 

[naplesdon]

I should have added this to my earlier post.
If you complete your walk and find a space by 1pm you will have the opportunity of showering most likely with warm water, doing some laundry and getting it dry by bed time assuming it is not raining and more importantly partaking in the local menu del dia rather than the dreadful pilgrims' menu.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Hi Tracey,

As with any question asked here, there are many who will provide good information to help along your Way. Sometimes, you get more than you bargained for.

To book, or not to book, that is the question. You have your own answer, really. If the choice is made to book, then, that is what is done. Same goes for the alternative. On my first day, walking up the Pyrenees, Orisson was as far as I could go, and I was prepared to sleep outside the Albergue if need be. I had no booking but was given a bed across the road where others who had arrived before me were accomodated 1 km down the mountain and had to walk back and forth for meals and social interaction, attending the pub etc.

Also, if the traffic becomes more than you prefer, there are some alternate routes that can be taken to avoid the jam up that starts from Sarria on to SdC. These routes have their own charm and challenges but so do all of the routes of the Camino.

The twists and turns of a pilgrimage are there for our enjoyment and creating so many wonderful memories.

 

[Marbe2]

« I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim »...

Who said the whole point was not booking and who said booking a bed and being a pilgrim are mutually exclusive?

If you don’t want to book, don’t, and let the chips fall where they may. It’s not my cup of tea. Undue stress for me. I have no intention of 1) waking everyone in the albergue at 5 am so I can get a bed that night, 2) finish walking at noon to grab the first bed I find, 3) sleeping under a church porch and kill by back and put an early end to my walk just to be a purist.

To me the « whole point »is to walk, so I make sure I can, and that includes booking beds if and when necessary.

It of course puts a damper on spontaneity, and I don’t think it was even possible back in 2007 when I walked for the first time, but times have changed, Caminos are packed with people, and I am older and my joints cannot endure what they used to endure.

If walking to the next village to find a bed, regadless of how far that village may be, then go for it. If sleeping under the stars is something you are ok with, then go for it. But please don’t go thinking this is what the point is.

I could not agree more with Anemone! There are times when the CF is less frequented..like in winter, Fall and early Spring. The rest of the time one must consider if there will be accommodations available when one arrives tired without a booking. I like to be able to let go of that concern so booking a day ahead can alleviate this issue. I have walked enough to estimate with fair accuracy where I want to end up the next day. BTW..do not think that the private pensions, hostels and small hotels do not fill up too! On a Camino in 2015 in sept. I could not find accommodations in many towns at these facilities as well!

 

[Tracey Adem]

« I thought the whole point was not to book and just be a pilgrim »...

Who said the whole point was not booking and who said booking a bed and being a pilgrim are mutually exclusive?

If you don’t want to book, don’t, and let the chips fall where they may. It’s not my cup of tea. Undue stress for me. I have no intention of 1) waking everyone in the albergue at 5 am so I can get a bed that night, 2) finish walking at noon to grab the first bed I find, 3) sleeping under a church porch and kill by back and put an early end to my walk just to be a purist.

To me the « whole point »is to walk, so I make sure I can, and that includes booking beds if and when necessary.

It of course puts a damper on spontaneity, and I don’t think it was even possible back in 2007 when I walked for the first time, but times have changed, Caminos are packed with people, and I am older and my joints cannot endure what they used to endure.

If walking to the next village to find a bed, regadless of how far that village may be, then go for it. If sleeping under the stars is something you are ok with, then go for it. But please don’t go thinking this is what the point is.

Sorry if I offended you. "the whole point" was just a figure of speech.

 

[november_moon]

I knew you meant it as a figure of speech. For me, not booking ahead was part of the whole point of going too No judgement toward anybody else and how they choose to walk the Camino, but for me, going without planned stops was a leap of faith that I needed to take. Nothing to do with purity, just my own personal growth.

We walked in June 2016 and went without reservations for the most part. We did make reservations occasionally - when we knew we were in for a long day and knew we'd be getting in later, when the end of our day would put us someplace without a lot of beds and without any place nearby to keep walking to, or if we knew we wanted a hotel for the night. Most of our booking ahead was calling someplace in the morning though and asking of there was space. So we weren't planning very far ahead.

I should also note that we were never up at 5am - we got up about 6 or 6:30 when most people were getting up - and started walking around 7 or 7:30 - and we didn't rush anywhere or stop at noon. We walked regularly and generally stopped for the day around 2 or 3.