Should I reserve my spot in alburgues?

[HoosierTraveler]

Hola!

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on either reserving a bed or just showing up. More specifically, in the last 100 km.

I am starting my first camino from Pamplona on June 2nd! Hope to see many of you there! Buen Camino!

 

[Ian Afloat]

I'm starting in St Jean. Have booked Roncesvalles but after that I'm going with the flow. I'm really against booking every night in advance for philosophical reasons. Intend to avoid the Sarria question by taking a left out of Ponferrada and doing the Invierno. Definitely won't be any overcrowding there!

 

[Dorpie]

Hey there Hoosier,

Great that you'll be on the Camino soon. It's five weeks until I go and the time is really dragging.

For me personally I'd always lean towards taking my chances but as I said in another thread recently it's really all about whether you value certainty and convenience or spontaneity and freedom more? I can't guarantee it, but the chances of you ending up bedless are pretty slim if you're prepared to walk a kms further of spend a few euros more once in a while.

Buen Camino,

Rob.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hola!

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on either reserving a bed or just showing up. More specifically, in the last 100 km.

I am starting my first camino from Pamplona on June 2nd! Hope to see many of you there! Buen Camino!

I booked only the first night and several day's in Santiago when we where there.
Wish you a wonderful time and a Buen Camino , Peter.

 

[november_moon]

Last year, we did a combination of just showing up and booking ahead. Most of the time we just showed, up, but occasionally we'd call ahead mid-day to see if we could reserve a spot, and less-often, use the Wise Pilgrims app to reserve a spot for the next day. We would reserve ahead if we knew we were coming to a spot that would be crowded, didn't have a lot of options, or at the end of a particularly long day where we knew we wouldn't want to keep going if we turned up and found out that there wasn't any space.

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome to the forum @HoosierTraveler

Starting in Pamplona, I wouldn't reserve as you are after the bottleneck of SJPdP to Pamplona, plenty albergues to choose from. Just avoid the typical stages as outlined in most guidebooks and stay 'in between'. Equally there are plenty of places to stay on the last 100km, but where I would reserve is for Santiago itself. Buen Camino, SY