Should I make reservations on the Coastal Route?

[Jaime Byrd]

Hi Pilgrim 2022. You ask one of the more debated questions that I’ve seen on Forums. For very different and equally valid reasons you’ll generally find two camps on this topic. I have walked Caminos both with and without reservations. On some of the lesser traveled Caminos, I haven’t found reservations necessary. This also depends on the time of year you are walking. When I first walked the CF, I reserved most of my albergues well in advance of my travel to Spain. On the April morning that I left SJPP, some 300 other pilgrims were also heading over the Pyrenees. SJPP, Roncesvalles, and Larrasoaña were all busy and I was pleased to have reserved beds in all three spots. From there on, it was a mixed bag. Some places/stops were busier than others. Having had reservations allowed me not to even think about the “bed race” on the Francés. Some pilgrims were just reserving a day ahead which proved successful. My general observation was that if you arrived at your destination early enough in the afternoon, there was no problem getting a bed. However, if you wanted to stay at a particular private albergue, as the municipales do not take reservations, you might or might not get a bed. But, you could generally find one in a town without much difficulty. I enjoyed leaving an albergue just as it was getting light. For several reasons, this is a great time of day to walk . I then was able to reach my destination between 1-2 in the afternoon. Even though I had a reservation, other pilgrims arriving about the same time, too, found accommodations. As I knew my daily stopping points, reservations worked quite well and little though went into wondering about getting a bed. If you are leaving in the later half of April, I would at least make reservations up until Pamplona. I’d also reserve in Santiago. You could play rest of it by ear and see how the crowds are. You can always phone ahead a day in advance to reserve a bed. It will all work out. Buen Camino.

Thanks for this info! Do you have advice on this same subject for the camino Portuguese in late March/ early April? I usually don't make a reservation if I can help it, but doing so the night before would work if we had to. Thanks!

 

[lt56ny]

Thanks for this info! Do you have advice on this same subject for the camino Portuguese in late March/ early April? I usually don't make a reservation if I can help it, but doing so the night before would work if we had to. Thanks!

Where are you starting from and which route are you taking. I walked in late September/October which is busier that late march I believe. To double check look on the official pilgrim web page for info.

Statistics | Pilgrim's welcome office

oficinadelperegrino.com

I started in Lisbon and left early because the albergue in Alpriate is really small. At this point it is not open because of covid. I was there about an hour before it opened and within a few minutes of it being open it was full. It was a holy year in Fatima and there were pilgrims walking to Fatima that year. I walked the Central route from Porto. I never worried about reservations in 2017 when I walked. It just was never that busy. I can tell you that the coastal/central routes are much different. The coastal route has more places to sleep besides albergues because of the tourism aspect of being on the ocean. I do not know what the open/closed status of albergues will be a month from now. If I were you I would check Gronze.com as they do a very good job of keeping open/closed status as up to date as possible. I was told that the Camino Ninja app does too. Call ahead to be sure. You will be surprised how many people speak English in Portugal. You can always enlist the help of the owners or hospitaleros in the albergues to help you with information of open/closed albergues for your next night. You will love the people in Portugal!

 

[Jaime Byrd]

Where are you starting from and which route are you taking. I walked in late September/October which is busier that late march I believe. To double check look on the official pilgrim web page for info.

Statistics | Pilgrim's welcome office

oficinadelperegrino.com

I started in Lisbon and left early because the albergue in Alpriate is really small. At this point it is not open because of covid. I was there about an hour before it opened and within a few minutes of it being open it was full. It was a holy year in Fatima and there were pilgrims walking to Fatima that year. I walked the Central route from Porto. I never worried about reservations in 2017 when I walked. It just was never that busy. I can tell you that the coastal/central routes are much different. The coastal route has more places to sleep besides albergues because of the tourism aspect of being on the ocean. I do not know what the open/closed status of albergues will be a month from now. If I were you I would check Gronze.com as they do a very good job of keeping open/closed status as up to date as possible. I was told that the Camino Ninja app does too. Call ahead to be sure. You will be surprised how many people speak English in Portugal. You can always enlist the help of the owners or hospitaleros in the albergues to help you with information of open/closed albergues for your next night. You will love the people in Portugal!

Thanks for this! Sorry, I forgot some details, but I think you answered them for me. We're starting from Porto taking the coastal route. =)