Walking the Norte over the past few weeks

[Simperegrina]

I finished the Norte last Saturday, and want to post a few thoughts. Some may be of use to those thinking of walking the Norte in future.

I’ve been on a bit of a Camino blitz this year - Portugues from Porto, Invierno, and Sarria-Santiago whilst waiting for weather system to clear the Invierno.
Every Camino seems to have its distinct character, and the Norte is no different. The outstanding coastal scenery makes it stand out, but so do the amount of coastal variants you can do that make it a very different proposition from other Caminos. Thanks to this forum I had info on variants to take. I’d recommend using Wikilocs plus Maps.me or Mapy.cz, to make full use of coastal variants - cannot recommend too highly taking these as much as possible, it really does enhance your Camino. Of course, this may depend on the weather. I was lucky and had good weather.

I walked from Biarritz to St Jean du Luz on my day 1, and I’d recommend to anyone as a great way of warming up ahead of Irún onwards. If you do, follow the coast as much as possible, rather than the main road - I think its the GR8 you would follow. The municipal gite in St Jean du Luz is delightful. Recommend arriving around opening time or soon after to secure a bed.

I must say that the way some talk about the Norte you’d think you’re on asphalt 90% of the time. Yes, it’s true that compared to some other caminos there’s more asphalt, but it wasn’t so much that it bothered me enough to cause me to divert to the Primitivo after Villaviciosa. I’ll save that for when my Schengen days balance allows me to walk the San Salvador-Primitivo combo.

The País Vaso days are full of hills, and lots of muddy and rocky trails up and down through heavily wooded areas. But I loved it all. Get through these stretches and you’ll be fine with whatever the rest of the Norte throws at you.

I adored staying in the Santa Ana muni albergue at Pasajes de San Juan. But - I cannot stress this enough - if you really want to stay there, it only has 14 beds and you really need to be in the queue well ahead of its opening time. Be mindful that it’s only open from Apr-Oct.

On the subject of accommodation, as well as Santa Ana and the gite in St Jean du Luz, these places really stood out for me:

Biarritz: Utopy Hostel Garden - easy walk from the airport
San Sebastián: A Room in the City - 3 of us had a 4 bunk room to ourselves. Great location, good space in communal areas, big garden bar.
Getaria: Hostel Getaria
Ibiri Auzoia: Izarbide. It has its pros and cons, but it’s worth not having to do that haul up from Deba first thing in the morning
Markina: Intxauspe (alternatively, if you have the energy and the monasterio experience is important to you, consider pushing on to the monastery at Zenaruzza)
Gernika: I stayed in a private apartment (muni albergue closed) mainly cos I wanted to visit the Peace Museum. Having done this, next time I will carry on and climb the hill to stay in the lovely donativo in Pozueta.
Onton: Tu Camino. Such a shame it’s now closed. I stayed there 2.5 weeks before people started being told it’s now closed.
Islares: now I didn't stay here, opting to get another 4-5km under my belt. But I had pangs of regret as I walked past the beautiful beach.
Berria beach: I stayed here whereas everyone else stopped in Laredo. I liked being on the beach and hearing those waves.
Guemes - I enjoyed my stay at Father Ernesto’s place but some choose to swerve it.
Santander - Enjoy Santander hostel.
Santander to Boo - can’t recommend enough the coastal variant. Avoid the dreadful entire pavement / roadside walking from Santander, and have fantastic scenery and lovely beach villages instead. Come inland at Liencles if you want - some good restaurants.
Santillana del Mar: I booked a private apartment for 2 nights for a rest day. Others stayed at El Convento and raved about it. Great place for a rest day.
Comillas - La Magica
Colombres - Case de Peregrinos de Colombres. Oh this is a delightful place. Donativo opened last year by a pilgrim, Mate. Like staying in a friend’s home. Only 9 beds so I would advise contacting him ahead to reserve a bed.
Prescia: La Rectoral de Prescia - wonderful place
Peón: Casa Capion
Nueva: Albergue San Roque
Servantes: Anam Cara House. It’s 4.5km beyond Tapia. Imagine a white Aussie style beach house in the middle of fields. Great stay.
Mondoñedo - Albergue Lumen. Two of us wanted a shorter day, plus, for reasons, I was needing to slow down the speed at which I was due to reach Santiago. The two of us had the place to ourselves, and it’s a delightful town in which to spend an afternoon and evening. Next time I might consider pushing on another 3km on the old Camino route and staying at Carmen’s donativo, El Bisonte. Would be a very different experience, and would help to support the ATJ network.
Castromaior: O Xistral. Oh yes, unequivocally a must stay. What Jaime and his wife have created here is very special.
O Pobra de Parga: Parga Natura. What a setting. Super dinner. Nice communal areas. Small dorm rooms of 5 beds with bathrooms, plus private rooms.
Sobrado - monastery. No question. Confortable, and the maddest ecclesiastical hospi you can imagine. Am I really imagining singing ‘Timewarp’ with him??
Arzua (actually north of Arzua): Twin Pines (NB only if you’re walking the route to avoid joining the Frances till the airport parameter)
Lavacolla: La Fábrica
Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual

Can I imagine walking the Norte again in the future? Yes. But I think timing is important. I don’t think I’d walk it in Jul or Aug, as I’d prefer to avoid the multitudes of holidaymakers. The timing of my walk seemed optimum to me, with many beautiful beaches empty, and touristy places like Santillana del Mar very pleasant.

 

[Vacajoe]

Great followup! Thank you for the helpful and detailed information.

 

[Simperegrina]

Thanks for the information, very useful.

What do you mean ?

In the aftermath of Brexit, as a British passport holder I’m bound by the max 90/180 day limit

 

[Pafayac]

Another question:
"Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual"
How long did you book before ? It seems difficult to get a room there.

 

[Simperegrina]

Another question:
"Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual"
How long did you book before ? It seems difficult to get a room there.

I think their 4th floor pilgrim’s rooms are likely completely booked out across the summer. From staying there, there seem to be a lot of pilgrimage related meetings and conferences there and presumably the 4th floor rooms all booked way in advance.

Sending a mail just resulted in ‘no rooms at all anywhere in SMP in Jun’ replies. I called and called so that I could speak to Reservations directly, and secured a standard single room on the 2nd floor. Maybe I was lucky and someone had cancelled? Don’t know, but I had no problem adding a night onto my booking a week later. More expensive room than a pilgrim’s room, of course, but 59€ including SMP’s extensive breakfast is still a good deal for SdC, especially at this time of the year. I did this maybe 2 weeks before arriving.

 

[LTfit]

Another question:
"Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual"
How long did you book before ? It seems difficult to get a room there

I'll just chime in here. I usually book via email about a month before leaving. Last summer I wanted June 11, 12 and 13 and they emailed back saying no available rooms on the pilgrim floor. I then wrote back asking if they had any of those dates and they said yes, on June 12 and 13. So I reserved those dates. Why they didn't tell me this before? Who knows. A few weeks later, while walking, I wrote them again and by then June 11th was also available.

This year, just by chance, I wanted to book the exact same dates and got the same response! After several emails back and forth I once again have all three dates! Be persistent!

 

[Silvermomma]

What has happened in Onton? I loved my stay there about a month ago.

 

[t2andreo]

IMHO, It is a very good thing that we cannot reserve pilgrim level rooms online. Organized "tourigrino" groups would soak up all availability. At least, with the current method, individual pilgrims have half a chance.

As it is, legitimate church and community pilgrim groups DO manage to fully book SMP on most summer days. Evidently, the group organizers have an "in" with SMP management.

I am most concerned about commercial tour companies soaking up this precious accommodation resource.

When I receive the limited availability on some of my requested dates for a pilgrim-level room, I always ask for a standard (tourist level) room. These are the online reservable rooms. Usually, they give me the room - and SOMETIMES - they reduce the rate.

You roll the dice and take your chances.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[LTfit]

What has happened in Onton? I loved my stay there about a month ago.

The owners/hospitaleros have decided to stop.

 

[SeñorJacques]

I'm in the early stages of planning my Norte for 2026 and this post is fantastically helpful. Thank youso much for sharing everything!

 

[Simperegrina]

I'm in the early stages of planning my Norte for 2026 and this post is fantastically helpful. Thank youso much for sharing everything!

You’re welcome. Glad you can find it useful for your planning.

 

[Elvis2]

I finished the Norte last Saturday, and want to post a few thoughts. Some may be of use to those thinking of walking the Norte in future.

I’ve been on a bit of a Camino blitz this year - Portugues from Porto, Invierno, and Sarria-Santiago whilst waiting for weather system to clear the Invierno.
Every Camino seems to have its distinct character, and the Norte is no different. The outstanding coastal scenery makes it stand out, but so do the amount of coastal variants you can do that make it a very different proposition from other Caminos. Thanks to this forum I had info on variants to take. I’d recommend using Wikilocs plus Maps.me or Mapy.cz, to make full use of coastal variants - cannot recommend too highly taking these as much as possible, it really does enhance your Camino. Of course, this may depend on the weather. I was lucky and had good weather.

I walked from Biarritz to St Jean du Luz on my day 1, and I’d recommend to anyone as a great way of warming up ahead of Irún onwards. If you do, follow the coast as much as possible, rather than the main road - I think its the GR8 you would follow. The municipal gite in St Jean du Luz is delightful. Recommend arriving around opening time or soon after to secure a bed.

I must say that the way some talk about the Norte you’d think you’re on asphalt 90% of the time. Yes, it’s true that compared to some other caminos there’s more asphalt, but it wasn’t so much that it bothered me enough to cause me to divert to the Primitivo after Villaviciosa. I’ll save that for when my Schengen days balance allows me to walk the San Salvador-Primitivo combo.

The País Vaso days are full of hills, and lots of muddy and rocky trails up and down through heavily wooded areas. But I loved it all. Get through these stretches and you’ll be fine with whatever the rest of the Norte throws at you.

I adored staying in the Santa Ana muni albergue at Pasajes de San Juan. But - I cannot stress this enough - if you really want to stay there, it only has 14 beds and you really need to be in the queue well ahead of its opening time. Be mindful that it’s only open from Apr-Oct.

On the subject of accommodation, as well as Santa Ana and the gite in St Jean du Luz, these places really stood out for me:

Biarritz: Utopy Hostel Garden - easy walk from the airport
San Sebastián: A Room in the City - 3 of us had a 4 bunk room to ourselves. Great location, good space in communal areas, big garden bar.
Getaria: Hostel Getaria
Ibiri Auzoia: Izarbide. It has its pros and cons, but it’s worth not having to do that haul up from Deba first thing in the morning
Markina: Intxauspe (alternatively, if you have the energy and the monasterio experience is important to you, consider pushing on to the monastery at Zenaruzza)
Gernika: I stayed in a private apartment (muni albergue closed) mainly cos I wanted to visit the Peace Museum. Having done this, next time I will carry on and climb the hill to stay in the lovely donativo in Pozueta.
Onton: Tu Camino. Such a shame it’s now closed. I stayed there 2.5 weeks before people started being told it’s now closed.
Islares: now I didn't stay here, opting to get another 4-5km under my belt. But I had pangs of regret as I walked past the beautiful beach.
Berria beach: I stayed here whereas everyone else stopped in Laredo. I liked being on the beach and hearing those waves.
Guemes - I enjoyed my stay at Father Ernesto’s place but some choose to swerve it.
Santander - Enjoy Santander hostel.
Santander to Boo - can’t recommend enough the coastal variant. Avoid the dreadful entire pavement / roadside walking from Santander, and have fantastic scenery and lovely beach villages instead. Come inland at Liencles if you want - some good restaurants.
Santillana del Mar: I booked a private apartment for 2 nights for a rest day. Others stayed at El Convento and raved about it. Great place for a rest day.
Comillas - La Magica
Colombres - Case de Peregrinos de Colombres. Oh this is a delightful place. Donativo opened last year by a pilgrim, Mate. Like staying in a friend’s home. Only 9 beds so I would advise contacting him ahead to reserve a bed.
Prescia: La Rectoral de Prescia - wonderful place
Peón: Casa Capion
Nueva: Albergue San Roque
Servantes: Anam Cara House. It’s 4.5km beyond Tapia. Imagine a white Aussie style beach house in the middle of fields. Great stay.
Mondoñedo - Albergue Lumen. Two of us wanted a shorter day, plus, for reasons, I was needing to slow down the speed at which I was due to reach Santiago. The two of us had the place to ourselves, and it’s a delightful town in which to spend an afternoon and evening. Next time I might consider pushing on another 3km on the old Camino route and staying at Carmen’s donativo, El Bisonte. Would be a very different experience, and would help to support the ATJ network.
Castromaior: O Xistral. Oh yes, unequivocally a must stay. What Jaime and his wife have created here is very special.
O Pobra de Parga: Parga Natura. What a setting. Super dinner. Nice communal areas. Small dorm rooms of 5 beds with bathrooms, plus private rooms.
Sobrado - monastery. No question. Confortable, and the maddest ecclesiastical hospi you can imagine. Am I really imagining singing ‘Timewarp’ with him??
Arzua (actually north of Arzua): Twin Pines (NB only if you’re walking the route to avoid joining the Frances till the airport parameter)
Lavacolla: La Fábrica
Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual

Can I imagine walking the Norte again in the future? Yes. But I think timing is important. I don’t think I’d walk it in Jul or Aug, as I’d prefer to avoid the multitudes of holidaymakers. The timing of my walk seemed optimum to me, with many beautiful beaches empty, and touristy places like Santillana del Mar very pleasant.

Thanks for the wonderful report.

I finished the Norte last Saturday, and want to post a few thoughts. Some may be of use to those thinking of walking the Norte in future.

I’ve been on a bit of a Camino blitz this year - Portugues from Porto, Invierno, and Sarria-Santiago whilst waiting for weather system to clear the Invierno.
Every Camino seems to have its distinct character, and the Norte is no different. The outstanding coastal scenery makes it stand out, but so do the amount of coastal variants you can do that make it a very different proposition from other Caminos. Thanks to this forum I had info on variants to take. I’d recommend using Wikilocs plus Maps.me or Mapy.cz, to make full use of coastal variants - cannot recommend too highly taking these as much as possible, it really does enhance your Camino. Of course, this may depend on the weather. I was lucky and had good weather.

I walked from Biarritz to St Jean du Luz on my day 1, and I’d recommend to anyone as a great way of warming up ahead of Irún onwards. If you do, follow the coast as much as possible, rather than the main road - I think its the GR8 you would follow. The municipal gite in St Jean du Luz is delightful. Recommend arriving around opening time or soon after to secure a bed.

I must say that the way some talk about the Norte you’d think you’re on asphalt 90% of the time. Yes, it’s true that compared to some other caminos there’s more asphalt, but it wasn’t so much that it bothered me enough to cause me to divert to the Primitivo after Villaviciosa. I’ll save that for when my Schengen days balance allows me to walk the San Salvador-Primitivo combo.

The País Vaso days are full of hills, and lots of muddy and rocky trails up and down through heavily wooded areas. But I loved it all. Get through these stretches and you’ll be fine with whatever the rest of the Norte throws at you.

I adored staying in the Santa Ana muni albergue at Pasajes de San Juan. But - I cannot stress this enough - if you really want to stay there, it only has 14 beds and you really need to be in the queue well ahead of its opening time. Be mindful that it’s only open from Apr-Oct.

On the subject of accommodation, as well as Santa Ana and the gite in St Jean du Luz, these places really stood out for me:

Biarritz: Utopy Hostel Garden - easy walk from the airport
San Sebastián: A Room in the City - 3 of us had a 4 bunk room to ourselves. Great location, good space in communal areas, big garden bar.
Getaria: Hostel Getaria
Ibiri Auzoia: Izarbide. It has its pros and cons, but it’s worth not having to do that haul up from Deba first thing in the morning
Markina: Intxauspe (alternatively, if you have the energy and the monasterio experience is important to you, consider pushing on to the monastery at Zenaruzza)
Gernika: I stayed in a private apartment (muni albergue closed) mainly cos I wanted to visit the Peace Museum. Having done this, next time I will carry on and climb the hill to stay in the lovely donativo in Pozueta.
Onton: Tu Camino. Such a shame it’s now closed. I stayed there 2.5 weeks before people started being told it’s now closed.
Islares: now I didn't stay here, opting to get another 4-5km under my belt. But I had pangs of regret as I walked past the beautiful beach.
Berria beach: I stayed here whereas everyone else stopped in Laredo. I liked being on the beach and hearing those waves.
Guemes - I enjoyed my stay at Father Ernesto’s place but some choose to swerve it.
Santander - Enjoy Santander hostel.
Santander to Boo - can’t recommend enough the coastal variant. Avoid the dreadful entire pavement / roadside walking from Santander, and have fantastic scenery and lovely beach villages instead. Come inland at Liencles if you want - some good restaurants.
Santillana del Mar: I booked a private apartment for 2 nights for a rest day. Others stayed at El Convento and raved about it. Great place for a rest day.
Comillas - La Magica
Colombres - Case de Peregrinos de Colombres. Oh this is a delightful place. Donativo opened last year by a pilgrim, Mate. Like staying in a friend’s home. Only 9 beds so I would advise contacting him ahead to reserve a bed.
Prescia: La Rectoral de Prescia - wonderful place
Peón: Casa Capion
Nueva: Albergue San Roque
Servantes: Anam Cara House. It’s 4.5km beyond Tapia. Imagine a white Aussie style beach house in the middle of fields. Great stay.
Mondoñedo - Albergue Lumen. Two of us wanted a shorter day, plus, for reasons, I was needing to slow down the speed at which I was due to reach Santiago. The two of us had the place to ourselves, and it’s a delightful town in which to spend an afternoon and evening. Next time I might consider pushing on another 3km on the old Camino route and staying at Carmen’s donativo, El Bisonte. Would be a very different experience, and would help to support the ATJ network.
Castromaior: O Xistral. Oh yes, unequivocally a must stay. What Jaime and his wife have created here is very special.
O Pobra de Parga: Parga Natura. What a setting. Super dinner. Nice communal areas. Small dorm rooms of 5 beds with bathrooms, plus private rooms.
Sobrado - monastery. No question. Confortable, and the maddest ecclesiastical hospi you can imagine. Am I really imagining singing ‘Timewarp’ with him??
Arzua (actually north of Arzua): Twin Pines (NB only if you’re walking the route to avoid joining the Frances till the airport parameter)
Lavacolla: La Fábrica
Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual

Can I imagine walking the Norte again in the future? Yes. But I think timing is important. I don’t think I’d walk it in Jul or Aug, as I’d prefer to avoid the multitudes of holidaymakers. The timing of my walk seemed optimum to me, with many beautiful beaches empty, and touristy places like Santillana del Mar very pleasant.

Thanks for your informative report. Much appreciated

 

[Eamonrodden]

I finished the Norte last Saturday, and want to post a few thoughts. Some may be of use to those thinking of walking the Norte in future.

I’ve been on a bit of a Camino blitz this year - Portugues from Porto, Invierno, and Sarria-Santiago whilst waiting for weather system to clear the Invierno.
Every Camino seems to have its distinct character, and the Norte is no different. The outstanding coastal scenery makes it stand out, but so do the amount of coastal variants you can do that make it a very different proposition from other Caminos. Thanks to this forum I had info on variants to take. I’d recommend using Wikilocs plus Maps.me or Mapy.cz, to make full use of coastal variants - cannot recommend too highly taking these as much as possible, it really does enhance your Camino. Of course, this may depend on the weather. I was lucky and had good weather.

I walked from Biarritz to St Jean du Luz on my day 1, and I’d recommend to anyone as a great way of warming up ahead of Irún onwards. If you do, follow the coast as much as possible, rather than the main road - I think its the GR8 you would follow. The municipal gite in St Jean du Luz is delightful. Recommend arriving around opening time or soon after to secure a bed.

I must say that the way some talk about the Norte you’d think you’re on asphalt 90% of the time. Yes, it’s true that compared to some other caminos there’s more asphalt, but it wasn’t so much that it bothered me enough to cause me to divert to the Primitivo after Villaviciosa. I’ll save that for when my Schengen days balance allows me to walk the San Salvador-Primitivo combo.

The País Vaso days are full of hills, and lots of muddy and rocky trails up and down through heavily wooded areas. But I loved it all. Get through these stretches and you’ll be fine with whatever the rest of the Norte throws at you.

I adored staying in the Santa Ana muni albergue at Pasajes de San Juan. But - I cannot stress this enough - if you really want to stay there, it only has 14 beds and you really need to be in the queue well ahead of its opening time. Be mindful that it’s only open from Apr-Oct.

On the subject of accommodation, as well as Santa Ana and the gite in St Jean du Luz, these places really stood out for me:

Biarritz: Utopy Hostel Garden - easy walk from the airport
San Sebastián: A Room in the City - 3 of us had a 4 bunk room to ourselves. Great location, good space in communal areas, big garden bar.
Getaria: Hostel Getaria
Ibiri Auzoia: Izarbide. It has its pros and cons, but it’s worth not having to do that haul up from Deba first thing in the morning
Markina: Intxauspe (alternatively, if you have the energy and the monasterio experience is important to you, consider pushing on to the monastery at Zenaruzza)
Gernika: I stayed in a private apartment (muni albergue closed) mainly cos I wanted to visit the Peace Museum. Having done this, next time I will carry on and climb the hill to stay in the lovely donativo in Pozueta.
Onton: Tu Camino. Such a shame it’s now closed. I stayed there 2.5 weeks before people started being told it’s now closed.
Islares: now I didn't stay here, opting to get another 4-5km under my belt. But I had pangs of regret as I walked past the beautiful beach.
Berria beach: I stayed here whereas everyone else stopped in Laredo. I liked being on the beach and hearing those waves.
Guemes - I enjoyed my stay at Father Ernesto’s place but some choose to swerve it.
Santander - Enjoy Santander hostel.
Santander to Boo - can’t recommend enough the coastal variant. Avoid the dreadful entire pavement / roadside walking from Santander, and have fantastic scenery and lovely beach villages instead. Come inland at Liencles if you want - some good restaurants.
Santillana del Mar: I booked a private apartment for 2 nights for a rest day. Others stayed at El Convento and raved about it. Great place for a rest day.
Comillas - La Magica
Colombres - Case de Peregrinos de Colombres. Oh this is a delightful place. Donativo opened last year by a pilgrim, Mate. Like staying in a friend’s home. Only 9 beds so I would advise contacting him ahead to reserve a bed.
Prescia: La Rectoral de Prescia - wonderful place
Peón: Casa Capion
Nueva: Albergue San Roque
Servantes: Anam Cara House. It’s 4.5km beyond Tapia. Imagine a white Aussie style beach house in the middle of fields. Great stay.
Mondoñedo - Albergue Lumen. Two of us wanted a shorter day, plus, for reasons, I was needing to slow down the speed at which I was due to reach Santiago. The two of us had the place to ourselves, and it’s a delightful town in which to spend an afternoon and evening. Next time I might consider pushing on another 3km on the old Camino route and staying at Carmen’s donativo, El Bisonte. Would be a very different experience, and would help to support the ATJ network.
Castromaior: O Xistral. Oh yes, unequivocally a must stay. What Jaime and his wife have created here is very special.
O Pobra de Parga: Parga Natura. What a setting. Super dinner. Nice communal areas. Small dorm rooms of 5 beds with bathrooms, plus private rooms.
Sobrado - monastery. No question. Confortable, and the maddest ecclesiastical hospi you can imagine. Am I really imagining singing ‘Timewarp’ with him??
Arzua (actually north of Arzua): Twin Pines (NB only if you’re walking the route to avoid joining the Frances till the airport parameter)
Lavacolla: La Fábrica
Santiago: San Martin Pinario as per usual

Can I imagine walking the Norte again in the future? Yes. But I think timing is important. I don’t think I’d walk it in Jul or Aug, as I’d prefer to avoid the multitudes of holidaymakers. The timing of my walk seemed optimum to me, with many beautiful beaches empty, and touristy places like Santillana del Mar very pleasant.

For me the Norte La the best

 

[laineylainey]

yes, to echo others, @Simperegrina , thank you so much for this information. So glad a lot of the albergues I plan to stay, you also recommend. Thanks also for the great information on the coastal walk to Boo in another post.