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Where to take rest days

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Luc007

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
New member - plan to walk camino first time Sept 2018
Hello again peregrinos-peregrinas,
Well I'm coming up soon to my departure date (April 15). I will be walking the CF (first time) from Pamplona to SDC. I am giving myself 34 days so I can take some rest days here and there. But where? I have never been to Spain.
I know that rest days may get decided for me in the event of injury/fatigue or weather or what have you. Hopefully all things go well - and I can take days off wherever I feel like it. But for those experienced peregrinos, are there any special, not to miss spots/cities you would recommend?

I arrive Pamplona April 16, start walking April 17. Return trip leaves SDC May 20 at 9:00 PM.

I am thinking I should take my rest days in bigger cities so I can explore sites and discover Spain. I'm sure the smaller towns will have lots to offer too.
My first day off could be in Logrono. This will be at the beginning of my walk (4th day) so it will help to start things off more slowly. It will also be Easter so there could be some sites/ processions to see.
Next day off could be in Burgos (after 5 days walk). Next day off in Leon (after 8 days walking). Last (partial) day off in SDC after walking 13 days.

Of course another way to utilize extra days is to walk shorter days. 🤔 Oh decisions, decisions...
Many thanks to all that respond.

Buen Camino!

Luc
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hi Luc,
You won't regret any of the stops you have mentioned in your post (Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Santiago).
They're all fabulous places with rich history and something for everybody.
Buen Camino!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
For rest days take them as needed. For touring days Burgos and Leon have a lot to say for them and Burgos is about 1/3 of the way and Leon about 2/3 of the way. Astorga is pretty close to Leon but I really enjoyed our stay there. Logrono is another city that many like.
 
Burgos is a nice place to spend an extra night. There is also a laundry near the mercado where you can deliver your dirty stuff and pick it up next mornings. Gives you time to explore the town.
Leon is interresting as well, but I would rather take some shorter days up in the mountain.
 
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.
Okay, this is not meant to be a rant, but......
Around this time every year on the Forum there a boatload of newbies sharing their day-to-day planning details and asking for advice about rest days among a miriad of other pithy questions. (BTW all of which have been addressed ad infinitum on various thread easily found on this Forum.)
Here is my "sage" advice.
You may find out that you need a rest day when your body tells you need to take a rest day.
You may find out you can not walk 20km, 15km or 30km+ like you did during your "training" because you were not walking on a strange varieties of pavements, inclines and descents seven days a week.
You may find out nature doesn't shine on you every day. Your training day were probably ones you picked because it was nice weather. Guess what it rains in Spain and not mainly on the plains, which I guess is to mean the Meseta.
I walk every day but I do take rest days, i.e for places of interest. I "plan" those day as short walk days, say walking 3 to 5km and find a nice hotel.
I also make time for days when it is no longer possible to walk due to the weather or my fitness.
 
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Don't rush off too soon! You should certainly give Pamplona a full day, epecially if this is your first visit to Spain! Spectacular casco viejo ambiance. Great cathedral and churches, several great museums, great restaurants and tapas and shopping (I always buy something at the Caminoteca shop, even if I don't need anything).... Lunch al fresco on the Plaza Caballo Blanco is worth the cost of the airfare, all by itself..!

And you can immediately fall in with lots and lots of peregrinos, many of them Camino veterans (even obsessives like me!) who will enthusiastically answer your questions, while sharing your 'Don Simon' vino tinto -- and, my friend, its the peregrinos who will make your first experience memorable.... You could well be absorbed into a "Camino Family" before you get to the Alto de Perdon!

You may have to rearrange your proposed walking schedule to do right by Pamplona but you won't regret it if you do!
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Plan to spend a day or two in Santiago. I took a "free" walking tour there and it really heightened my appreciation of the town beyond the cathedral.
 
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Both times when I have walked through northern Spain I have taken two or three rest days in Leon. I guess that my weariness and the attractions of the city have coincided. If I have any time to spare, I shall take a day there this fall on my way through to walk the Invierno. It is a city with much beauty and some inexpensive hotels. A good combination for a pilgrim. You could try Hostal Don Suero, right on the camino. Buen camino.
 
Just one thing to note - often taking a day off in a city isn't so much of a 'rest' day as often you want to see lots and can end up walking and standing a huge amount. Its sometimes useful to plan a rest somewhere where there is little to sightsee as a decent chance for your body to recover.
But I will admit I don't do proper rest days unless injury has forced it...rather I am a fan of walking a shorter day - maybe 5km to 10km. It some how makes me think I have made a little more progress and so I actually tend to relax more, and often it means the next day is also a little shorter.
 
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I really enjoyed Burgos and Leon. Lots ofsights to see and FOOD.. Did I mention that I love to eat. I still haven't gotten over the food in Spain, even after a year. Don't plan... enjoy
 
Don't rush off too soon! You should certainly give Pamplona a full day, epecially if this is your first visit to Spain! Spectacular casco viejo ambiance. Great cathedral and churches, several great museums, great restaurants and tapas and shopping (I always buy something at the Caminoteca shop, even if I don't need anything).... Lunch al fresco on the Plaza Caballo Blanco is worth the cost of the airfare, all by itself..!

And you can immediately fall in with lots and lots of peregrinos, many of them Camino veterans (even obsessives like me!) who will enthusiastically answer your questions, while sharing your 'Don Simon' vino tinto -- and, my friend, its the peregrinos who will make your first experience memorable.... You could well be absorbed into a "Camino Family" before you get to the Alto de Perdon!

You may have to rearrange your proposed walking schedule to do right by Pamplona but you won't regret it if you do!

Oh, I wish I would have seen this post sooner. Its seems too late to find affordable lodging in Pamplona during Easter week. :(
 
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If you decide to rest in Burgos, a few extra days to explore the Basque country wouln't be too bad either; Bilbao and San Sebastian are a bus ride away (a few hours for Bilbao and around 5 hours for San Sebastian?).

Leon is also beautiful, and I'm not sure if it is still viable, but back a few years ago, you could visit the Cathedral's catacombs on a specific day of the week, I believe it was a Thursday?, which, if you are into that sort of stuff, and you happened to be in Leon on that particular day of the week, why not?

If you do decide to rest or plan a tourist day off, don't forget to visit the tourist center and ask them for recommendations based on your preferences. They are really thorough in explaining some of the historic sites and divides. :D
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Hello again peregrinos-peregrinas.

I love Estella. Stay at the first hostel you come to if you stick to the Camino path - 'Alburgue de Peregrino de Estella' on Calle La Rua. Keep walking along the Camino from the hostel and you'll see an open area to your right. Cross this and then the bridge. On your left is a great cafe. The river and the houses that border it are really quaint. Was lucky enough to get there on the day of the running of the baby bulls when the children run after them. None are killed just so you know - not even any of the kids.

Sarria I find a nice place for a spare day. Cross back over the bridge you would have walked over to get into town and get onto the islands under the bridge and walk along the path. Really pretty.

Castrojeriz for a day. The little restaurant on the right a little way past the old church that's now some sort of visitors centre is very comfortable. He's not grumpy but always looks as if he is. Great wifi.

Finally, I also have a rest day at Palas de Rei just because I love walking around the place and the incredible coffee shops and restaurants - they have a wonderful Sunday market day at the church which you cannot miss if you head a little way into town along the Camino route. The best place I have found to stay is Albergue San Marcos and again the first place you'll come to on the Camino route just after the little church on your left.
 
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So, how was your trip to Spain? I am going on a similar trip the next month, and I would like to have some feedback on some of those destinations. Is it worth it visiting all of them? Which one could I skip?
The OP hasn't been back to the forum since June 2019. I'm sure we all hope they had a nice trip. What are your plans?
 
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So, how was your trip to Spain? I am going on a similar trip the next month, and I would like to have some feedback on some of those destinations. Is it worth it visiting all of them? Which one could I skip?
With The Delta variant, I would generally focus on walking and not so much as site seeing. Staying outside in ventilated areas will be safer. Where are you starting and ending? Who knows what will be open by then?
 
Given that the OP has last been seen on the forum over 2 years ago, perhaps any new enquiries would be better addressed in a new thread, and preferably without straying into Covid.
 
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