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Where to store backpacks when arriving in Santiago?

Joanne P

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances June 2018 & June 2023
Hi Everyone

I believe we can't take backpacks into the cathedral.

Can anyone please advise where we can store our backpacks on arrival in Santiago so we can attend the mass? (I'm assuming Albergues won't be open).

Thank you
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
There are numerous places to place your mochila in "consigna."
  1. As mentioned the Campus-Stellae shop, located just outside the Cathedral South Transept entrance, on the corner of the adjacent building at the top of the stairs from Plaza Praterias, charges €2 to hold your bag until they close in the evening. This is the closest place to the Cathedral.
  2. Pilgrim House, Rua Nova 19 will also gladly hold your bag for a suggested donation, WATCH the closing times though...
  3. The Pilgrim Office, Rua Carretas 33, will similarly store your bag, also for €2 for each day. Importantly, if you are continuing onto Finisterre, et. seq., and want to store your bag for multiple days, you can do this. You pay €2 up front for the first day and the remainder when you return to pick up your bag. They will give you a receipt which you MUST save to get your bag back. You tell the security guard you "quiero solo consigna..." They will direct you straight in, and to the right at the large fountain in the courtyard. Enter the exit from the Compostela process and see the cashier immediately to the right. When things get insanely busy, they sometimes move the consgina sign-in process to the group office just inside the front door to the right, opposite the Chapel.
  4. The Correos will also hold your mochila for a daily charge. Again consider the closing times so you are not left without your bag. I believe the bag consigna is at the main office on Rua Franco.
There are likely many other places to safely deposit your mochila. But, these are the major 'go to'
places for most folks.

Hope this helps.
 
Take a few deep breaths while you look around and try to find any of these places. There are signs available, but the entrances are not always obvious. Fatigue, lots of people, lots of noise can make traversing the area around around the very large cathedral a bit confusing. I do recommend a visit to Pilgrim House (Run Nova 19). It's a quiet haven for pilgrims with lots of amenities and smiles.
 
There are numerous places to place your mochila in "consigna."
  1. As mentioned the Campus-Stellae shop, located just outside the Cathedral South Transept entrance, on the corner of the adjacent building at the top of the stairs from Plaza Praterias, charges €2 to hold your bag until they close in the evening. This is the closest place to the Cathedral.
  2. Pilgrim House, Rua Nova 19 will also gladly hold your bag for a suggested donation, WATCH the closing times though...
  3. The Pilgrim Office, Rua Carretas 33, will similarly store your bag, also for €2 for each day. Importantly, if you are continuing onto Finisterre, et. seq., and want to store your bag for multiple days, you can do this. You pay €2 up front for the first day and the remainder when you return to pick up your bag. They will give you a receipt which you MUST save to get your bag back. You tell the security guard you "quiero solo consigna..." They will direct you straight in, and to the right at the large fountain in the courtyard. Enter the exit from the Compostela process and see the cashier immediately to the right. When things get insanely busy, they sometimes move the consgina sign-in process to the group office just inside the front door to the right, opposite the Chapel.
  4. The Correos will also hold your mochila for a daily charge. Again consider the closing times so you are not left without your bag. I believe the bag consigna is at the main office on Rua Franco.
There are likely many other places to safely deposit your mochila. But, these are the major 'go to'
places for most folks.

Hope this helps.
Very helpful - thank you!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
There are numerous places to place your mochila in "consigna."

"The Pilgrim Office, Rua Carretas 33, will similarly store your bag, also for €2 for each day. Importantly, if you are continuing onto Finisterre, et. seq., and want to store your bag for multiple days, you can do this. You pay €2 up front for the first day and the remainder when you return to pick up your bag. They will give you a receipt which you MUST save to get your bag back. You tell the security guard you "quiero solo consigna..." They will direct you straight in, and to the right at the large fountain in the courtyard. Enter the exit from the Compostela process and see the cashier immediately to the right. When things get insanely busy, they sometimes move the consgina sign-in process to the group office just inside the front door to the right, opposite the Chapel."

Tom -
Just to clarity -
I'll just need a place for a few hours after arriving in SdC before I can check into my hotel. Can I enter the Pilgrim Office with my pack, get my Compostela, etc., and then store my backpack for a few hours there while I eat, etc.? Will the people at the desk direct me?
Sorry, I'm having pre-trip stress (leaving May 2nd) and I'm starting to really freak out....
Thanks!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Tom -
Just to clarity -
I'll just need a place for a few hours after arriving in SdC before I can check into my hotel. Can I enter the Pilgrim Office with my pack, get my Compostela, etc., and then store my backpack for a few hours there while I eat, etc.? Will the people at the desk direct me?
Sorry, I'm having pre-trip stress (leaving May 2nd) and I'm starting to really freak out....
Thanks!

The only place I know of that meets your specific set of requirements is the Pilgrim House at Rua Nova #19. They are open from 1100 to 1800 Monday - Saturday, EXCEPT for Wednesday.

You CAN bring your backpack into the Pilgrim Office as you described. But to just leave your rucksack "for a few hours..." you must place it in the consigna. No one is allowed to simply leave a bag for a few hours. It is a valid security issue.

The Pilgrim House has a wall with hooks on it. You can leave your mochila / rucksack there while you do whatever you need to do for a few hours. They operate on a donativo basis, so it is still going to cost something. But this is the only casual, drop it off place that I know of.

RELAX. It will all sort itself out. Just double check your packing. Make sure you bring your passport, ticket, proper walking shoes / boots, twice the money and about half the stuff you planned, and you will be fine.

Hope this helps.
 
Take a few deep breaths and relax. As with most things on Camino the answer is yes. All of the places listed will look after your pack for an hour or two or a fortnight. Most hotels will take your bag even when they won’t let you lie down.
You have many far more important things to stress about before you get to Santiago 😜
Trust me, I'm sure I'm stressing about everything right now....
do I know enough Spanish, will I have enough food on the Ingles, do I take the old route by Bar Julia or take the new route, blisters(?!), the best crossing from Ferrol to Pontedeume.... stuff that's keeping me awake at 2 in the morning....

I'll look at my hotel reservation and see where it's located to see if it would be more convenient to drop off my backpack before going to the Pilgrim Office.

Thanks.
 
The only place I know of that meets your specific set of requirements is the Pilgrim House at Rua Nova #19. They are open from 1100 to 1800 Monday - Saturday, EXCEPT for Wednesday.

You CAN bring your backpack into the Pilgrim Office as you described. But to just leave your rucksack "for a few hours..." you must place it in the consigna. No one is allowed to simply leave a bag for a few hours. It is a valid security issue.

The Pilgrim House has a wall with hooks on it. You can leave your mochila / rucksack there while you do whatever you need to do for a few hours. They operate on a donativo basis, so it is still going to cost something. But this is the only casual, drop it off place that I know of.

RELAX. It will all sort itself out. Just double check your packing. Make sure you bring your passport, ticket, proper walking shoes / boots, twice the money and about half the stuff you planned, and you will be fine.

Hope this helps.

I guess I meant checking it in at the consigna - I have no problem paying for storage, I just didn't want to have to haul it around for a few hours before checking into my hotel. I just didn't know it there was a minimum time limit on the length of storage.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Simply arriving and celebrating on the plaza before the Cathedral takes time (could be hours if you stay to watch friends arrive), plus waiting in line to get your compostela. Plenty of outdoor cafes to grab a celebratory lunch and beer at, too. You may find yourself not needing to store a bag at all.
 
I've been in Santiago only twice, but both times my inn accepted to hold the backpack for me while I went to mass and lunch even though it was not checkin time yet. Most hotels and inns would agree to do that if you have a booking. Not sure about albergues though.

And of course, all the amazing options mentioned above.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I have never had a hotel refuse to hold my bag until check-in time.

Same here. The front desk staff I've interacted with in SdC and other places along Camino have always been helpful and accommodating about keeping my backpack. In fact, most will put my backpack in my room BEFORE i get back and formally check in. It's nice to have it sitting there in the room when I first walk in and turn on the lights :)
 
This is best advice. Go to your reserved lodging place FIRST, even if very early. They will almost always hold your bag for you, pending check-in.
I will. It turns out the hotel is on the back side of the Cathedral so right after thanking the Good Lord for a (hopefully) good Camino in the plaza I’ll head to the hotel then to the office. Hoping it won’t be crazy busy on May 9th.
Thanks for the tips.
 

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