Length of albergue stay allowed

[Merge]

Trying to figure out how to work in rest days. Do the albergues along the way allow for more than a one night stay? Taking a once a week rest day would require a 2 night stay and what if you needed 2 rest days which would be 3 nights?
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[AZgirl]

If staying for two nights, and the budget allows I would recommended getting a room in a small hotel or eqivalent. Lots of the albergues have times they are closed during the day beginning fairly early in the morning. I'm not sure if they have limits (I would think yes - as another wave of pilgrims arrives each day) but I have seen pilgrims stay more than one night when suffering from sickness, or injury.

 

[Davey Boyd]

Trying to figure out how to work in rest days. Do the albergues along the way allow for more than a one night stay? Taking a once a week rest day would require a 2 night stay and what if you needed 2 rest days which would be 3 nights?
Thanks in advance for your help!

While most municipal albergues only let you stay one night (unless you are ill) most private albergues do allow you to stay longer. Also, if there is more than one albergue in the town or village there is nothing stopping you switching albergues. Sometimes though not always, even though you can stay more than one night you may have to move out for the day until the albergue re-opeens in the afternoon, but even then they may let you keep your rucksack there. In general you won't find many problems having rest days unless it is a village with only one municipal albergue. And as AZgirl states there are other forms of accommodation available too.

Buen Camino!

Davey

 

[Mark Lee]

A lot of private albergue's let you stay more than one night, or if the town's big enough and has more than one albergue, just go to a different one.

 

[Richard P]

Hello Merge
On three occasions I awoke to the sound of pounding rain and did not feel like walking into it, so asked the Hospitalaro if I could stay another night and was never denied. Although I had to be out of the albergues from about 10AM to 3 PM which was fine with me.
Buen Camino

 

[SYates]

And the usual tip: If you offer to help with the cleaning the next morning the hospitaler@ will be much more inclined to let you stay on another day plus you don't have to leave the place at 8am. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Shalaw]

If your budget allows, you could consider treating yourself to a stay in a pension (cross between an albergue and a hotel, with your own bathroom) or a hotel. We stayed at the Carlton for two nights in Logrono because I was coming down with something and it was wonderful to be able to have a proper bath, and cat-nap all day, and explore Logrono, and it was just what the doctor ordered because I was feeling well the next day. The second rest day we took in Leon, and booked into a pension, because it was my fiancés turn to be ill. Again, it was perfect and just what the doctor ordered. But from what I understand, multiple nights' stays are possible, as long as it's organized ahead of time and also, as SY mentioned, if you offer to make the hospitaleros life easier!

 

[Mark Lee]

Hello Merge
On three occasions I awoke to the sound of pounding rain and did not feel like walking into it, so asked the Hospitalaro if I could stay another night and was never denied. Although I had to be out of the albergues from about 10AM to 3 PM which was fine with me.
Buen Camino

you chose wisely....

 

[jimabfalter]

Trying to figure out how to work in rest days. Do the albergues along the way allow for more than a one night stay? Taking a once a week rest day would require a 2 night stay and what if you needed 2 rest days which would be 3 nights?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Trying to figure out how to work in rest days. Do the albergues along the way allow for more than a one night stay? Taking a once a week rest day would require a 2 night stay and what if you needed 2 rest days which would be 3 nights?
Thanks in advance for your help!

It all depends on your finances, and your time. My wife and I were okay with any reasonable added expenses and had lots of time and found beautiful hotels in larger cities, quite often on the piazza or near a cathedral for around 60-80 euros and in some of the larger towns or small cities off the beaten track hotels for around 30 eoros. Finer dining is also a wonderful option in Spain for splurges. Wonderful meals with all sorts of things that are very expensive here, (think foi gras, fresh mushrooms, veal, great fresh seafood) expect with wine and service to run 60 to 80 euros. These are high end restaurants providing amazing food and are not for daily dining. Tipping is optional and not expected or required, but if you do require extra assistance and help than up to ten percent is good. The menu del dia or the pilgrims menu will do just fine every day, but if you have the money and the time and if you have traveled a long way and it is something you enjoy I say go for it. Also check out the small meat and cheese markets and look for local flavor. I found a lot of friendly vendors who were more than happy to laugh and joke and let us taste and explain what things were.

 

[camino-david]

There is no hard and fast rule, but municipal, parochial, donativo albergues plus one or two others such as Hogar Monjardin at Villamajor de Monjarden and Gaucelmo at Rabanal - only one night only except for medical reasons.
Private albergues - normally more than one night although at a few it will be frowned upon.
If you feel like having a rest day, I recommend staying at a place where you have your own room, plus bathroom. It is such luxury to get a good night's sleep and use you own bathroom. Personally though, I get restless half way through a rest day and miss walking. So instead I have a short day finishing at about midday, and the next day another short walk , starting around midday. I usually does this at Burgos and Leon

 

[trecile]

I took one rest day in Leon, and spent two nights at a hostel there, which I had booked a couple of days ahead. It was the weirdest feeling, waking up in the middle of the night in the same place as I was the night before! I was confused for a few seconds.

 

[Mark Lee]

There is no hard and fast rule, but municipal, parochial, donativo albergues plus one or two others such as Hogar Monjardin at Villamajor de Monjarden and Gaucelmo at Rabanal - only one night only except for medical reasons.
Private albergues - normally more than one night although at a few it will be frowned upon.
If you feel like having a rest day, I recommend staying at a place where you have your own room, plus bathroom. It is such luxury to get a good night's sleep and use you own bathroom. Personally though, I get restless half way through a rest day and miss walking. So instead I have a short day finishing at about midday, and the next day another short walk , starting around midday. I usually does this at Burgos and Leon

Yes, I've done the rest day and the short day. I now like the short day better, and by short I mean walking about 10-12k or so. You can wake up later at the albergue when you do a short day, and take your time and get some coffee or breakfast. It's nice and does provide you recovery. I did it one time and got to the next town where I was going to stop so early, they were still cleaning the albergue where I was going to stay. I just dropped my pack and laid out in the sun on a bench in front of the albergue. After a short while the hospitalero came out and gave me a can of cold beer, gratis. That was so cool.

 

[november_moon]

We booked a hotel room when we wanted to take a rest day.

 

[Lisa HS]

Agree with previous posters that hotels, pensions & Airbnb are a good option for rest days. Also look for "hostal" which is NOT a shared-room albergue (hostel in the U.S. is what an Albergue is in Spain). The Spanish hostals are like small less expensive hotels. You will find more of all of these in and close to the historic centers of the big/bigish cities (Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, Astorga, Ponferrada, Santiago)...which coincidentally are the best places for your rest days, since there is a lot more to do. Leon and Burgos in particular deserve more time...there are fabulous museums in both in addition to the cathedrals. BTW, I stayed in Airbnbs in both Pamplona and Leon (and Madrid) and had a great experience both times. For some reason, a lot of pilgrims don't think of that as an option.

 

[trecile]

Also look for "hostel" which is NOT a shared-room albergue (hostel in the U.S. is what an Albergue is in Spain). The Spanish hostels are like small less expensive hotels.

I think that you mean hostal, with an A instead of an E.
Hostels have dorms, but are not exclusively for pilgrims.

 

[Lisa HS]

I think that you mean hostal, with an A instead of an E.
Hostels have dorms, but are not exclusively for pilgrims.

Yes, Thankyou. fixed it