Thanks, although the Meseta is tempting I’m leaning towards Pamplona to Burgos. I prefer slightly shorter stages 20+/- 3 km, so might squeeze in an extra day. Any spots you would give a miss or definitely stop? Thanks
I attach a little note about the places that I stayed between Pamplona and Burgos. I hope that it is useful.
Starting from Pamplona the best place for a night out before you begin the Camino is Calle San Nicolas off Plaza del Castillo. It is just packed with great tapas bars. In Puente La Reina we stayed in the Albergue de Los Padres Reparadores, which was basic but very nice. Really cheap and it has a really nice garden to chill in out the back. We had friends who stayed in Jakue who said that it was pretty good but much more expensive. We ate in the same place for lunch and dinner – Hotel Rural Bidean – lunch was a great priced Peregrino Menu, while the evening meal was very reasonable too.
I really loved Estella where we stayed in the Albergue Parochial San Miguel. It was very basic and a donativo. It is small and is run by volunteer hostaleros, who were fantastic and welcoming. There are a lot of little bars where you can eat a lot of tapas. Nowhere in particular sticks in my mind.
The guides all say that the next stop should be Torres del Rio but we stopped a kilometre short in Sansol where we stayed in the Albergue of that name. It was very good. Comfortable with a very cheap Menu and with a very cheap bar just across the plaza, which is literally just called Bar. Great Rioja, very, very cheap. To reinforce our decision all of the people that we talked to who had stayed in Torres del Rio said that it was very disappointing.
In Logroño we stayed in the Albergue de Los Peregrinos Albas. The only downside was that it is a little off the Camino. It is modern and very clean and comfortable. We lunched near the Cathedral where there are a lot of cheap, but good eateries. At night we went to Calle Laurel, party street, great time.
In Najera we stayed
Albergue Nido de Cigüeña. Again very comfortable with a great communal kitchen where we ate in the company of a group of other peregrines. In Santo Domingo a group of 6 of us rented an AirBnB flat so cannot really help you with accommodation. Once again we ate in communally.
In Belorado we stayed in the Albergue de Peregrinos Caminantes, which was very good. Clean, comfortable and with a covered swimming pool in the back garden. There were a number of good cheap eateries around the town plaza.
In Ages we couldn’t stay in the Municipal Albergue but we ate and drank there and it was great. The workers and the locals were all really open and friendly. We actually stayed in the Albergue Privado San Rafael, which is really basic but clean and passably comfortable.
In Burgos, we stayed in the Municipal Albergue. It is an absolutely fabulous place. Clean and modern and located in a Medieval building very close to the Cathedral. Being a big touristy city there are loads of places to eat and drink.
