Sending luggage ahead

[Laurancetsang]

Hi everyone. I have been reading that you can send parcels to Santiago but they only hold them for 15 days. I was wondering if anyone knows other places along the camino I can send a package. Basically my bag weighs about 30 kilos. It contains my belongings a tent and rations as I plan this trip to be mostly self contained and travelling for a further 2 months afterwards. I was thinking of sending my rations ahead and picking them up at intervals along the camino if possible.

By the way people have already commented about taking rations however I am low on funds for my trip and I already have loads of rations already and will utilise them as much as possible

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can post packages ahead to yourself. Write on the parcel “Peregrino” and also your expected date of arrival. You will have to show your passport or ID when you collect your parcel so write your name on the package as it appears in your document.

For example: To Santiago

Jones M. A.
Lista de Correos
15780 Santiago de Compostela
A Coruña

You can get post office locations here:

http://www.correos.es/ENG/00-MenuRec1/mapaweb.asp

Postage from outside Spain to Spain can be quite expensive.

 

[Laurancetsang]

Thanks very much it wil come in very usefull

 

[Jochen-Schmidtke]

Hello.
The spanish post offices store the parcels only for 14 days.
But Ivar has opened his private luggage storage in Santiago.
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[nreyn12]

I recently discovered that the postal rates are much less if you send a parcel to Listo de Correos than if you send it to a private address where the Correos folks have to take the extra step to deliver it. (That means it will cost more to send it to Ivar's service...but still worth it if you need something held for more than two weeks!)

For the OP, you can post ahead to the main cities with no problem, and pick up as you go. Just be sure you don't need your parcel on a Sunday, as the Correos offices are closed.

When you go to the first Correos office, you can buy a 'caja verde', or green box, pre-made to accommodate your items. The boxes come in four sizes, and the maximum weight allowed in one parcel is 20 kgs. Once you have loaded your box, you then go to a different counter to pay for the postage. You will need to get a ticket from the machine at the door for 'Enviar', then watch the monitor for your number.

When you go to pick up, get a ticket from the machine at the door for "Recoger' and watch the monitor for your number.

Here are the post codes for the main cities along the Camino Frances:

31080 Pamplona
31100 Puenta la Reina
26080 Logroño
09080 Burgos
24080 León
24700 Astorga
24400 Ponferrada
27600 Sarria
15780 Santiago de Compostela

 

[Kiwi-family]

How do you know which post office in any given town is the right one?

 

[pbucilla]

You have to mail your parcel to the specific post office, not just the town. See Falcon's post above for the link to the site to find the addresses for the various post offices in the different towns. To find the ones closest to the Camino, you would need to map it.

 

[Shefollowsarrows]

I recently discovered that the postal rates are much less if you send a parcel to Listo de Correos than if you send it to a private address where the Correos folks have to take the extra step to deliver it. (That means it will cost more to send it to Ivar's service...but still worth it if you need something held for more than two weeks!)

For the OP, you can post ahead to the main cities with no problem, and pick up as you go. Just be sure you don't need your parcel on a Sunday, as the Correos offices are closed.

When you go to the first Correos office, you can buy a 'caja verde', or green box, pre-made to accommodate your items. The boxes come in four sizes, and the maximum weight allowed in one parcel is 20 kgs. Once you have loaded your box, you then go to a different counter to pay for the postage. You will need to get a ticket from the machine at the door for 'Enviar', then watch the monitor for your number.

When you go to pick up, get a ticket from the machine at the door for "Recoger' and watch the monitor for your number.

Here are the post codes for the main cities along the Camino Frances:

31080 Pamplona
31100 Puenta la Reina
26080 Logroño
09080 Burgos
24080 León
24700 Astorga
24400 Ponferrada
27600 Sarria
15780 Santiago de Compostela

It was only 14€ for me to send a large, heavy duffel bag from Pamplona to Santiago, using Ivar's service. It was fantastic!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Is there more recent information on sending packages ahead to Santiago? I have searched but have not found anything. Can someone answer asap as I have a pilgrim waiting in Pamplona for this info. Thanks.

 

[Tincatinker]

Annie, I don't thing there have been any significant changes in the last two years. Other than Correos introducing a mochilla transfer service

Its still find a Correos; queue; queue again; and sometimes if you got the wrong queue, queue again. @nreyn12's helpful post above just about covers it all.

Ivar's service is detailed here: http://www.casaivar.com/luggage-storage-in-santiago-de-compostela/index.html

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

SNIP

Its still find a Correos; queue; queue again; and sometimes if you got the wrong queue, queue again. @nreyn12's helpful post above just about covers it all.
l

Stop it, you're making me so nostalgic I can't stand it. I LOVED my Correos visits. Some of the warmest, nicest Buen Caminos I received...while being pointed to the correct line.
seriously, LOVE LOVE LOVE Correos.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Thanks.

 

[Steve Goods]

Anyone knows if this service still works; sending package from one postal office to another (in Spain)?

And can I do online shopping and have a postal office as receiver?
I need some technical gear, and Im not sure they will arrive before I leave home.

 

[mspath]

Anyone knows if this service still works; sending package from one postal office to another (in Spain)?

And can I do online shopping and have a postal office as receiver?
I need some technical gear, and Im not sure they will arrive before I leave home.

For current info in English on sending within Spain luggage/suitcases/backpacks/packages by the Spanish Correos see this page from their handy web.
http://elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/envio-maletas.php

Buen camino!

 

[trecile]

Anyone knows if this service still works; sending package from one postal office to another (in Spain)?

And can I do online shopping and have a postal office as receiver?
I need some technical gear, and Im not sure they will arrive before I leave home.

I don't know if you can have the post office receive goods shipped from merchants or not, but I'm pretty sure that it would be a big problem if it was shipped from outside the EU.

 

[Tincatinker]

Anyone knows if this service still works; sending package from one postal office to another (in Spain)?

And can I do online shopping and have a postal office as receiver?
I need some technical gear, and Im not sure they will arrive before I leave home.

As @trecile says, if you are shipping / purchasing gear from outside the EU it will hit customs and go no further. Most on-line retailers will be aware of this and will refuse to ship. Some, while they are prepared to ship to an address other than a card billing address will not ship to a country different to the billing country - mainly because card companies will not cover them for fraudulent transactions. Items sent to non-billing addresses are not generally covered under on-line retailers T&C's or by your card provider (other circumstances may exist).

I might sometimes have suggested that you don't need 'technical' gear to walk a camino but that seems to be an unacceptable view these days so I'll just suggest that you can get anything you need or even think you might in Spain without any difficulty beyond a cab ride to the nearest Decathalon (other retailers are available). Items shipped (within the EU) 'Lista de Correos' will be held for, I think, 14 days but I may be misunderstanding their website.

 

[Andrew M]

I need to get a family member to post me a parcel to collect in Santiago and have a few questions on just where to address it. Some on this post say the postcode for Santiago is 15780 but when I go to the correos website the main post office in Santiago gives a address of
RUA DO FRANCO 4
15702 SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (A Coruña)

So I guess the postcode is actually 15702??

Also "Lista de correos" what does this mean?

I am getting the parcel sent from Australia.

Thanks

 

[trecile]

I need to get a family member to post me a parcel to collect in Santiago and have a few questions on just where to address it. Some on this post say the postcode for Santiago is 15780 but when I go to the correos website the main post office in Santiago gives a address of
RUA DO FRANCO 4
15702 SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (A Coruña)

So I guess the postcode is actually 15702??

Also "Lista de correos" what does this mean?

I am getting the parcel sent from Australia.

Thanks

Did you read Tincatinker's post just above yours? A package coming from outside the EU would likely be held up in Customs, and not reach the post office.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The advice about customs isn't quite accurate. I regularly recieve packages in Spain sent from outside Europe, including Australia. The key thing is to be very clear in the customs declaration when posting.

 

[trecile]

The advice about customs isn't quite accurate. I regularly recieve packages in Spain sent from outside Europe, including Australia. The key thing is to be very clear in the customs declaration when posting.

Good to know!