• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Winter on the Camino: hostal and albergue availability

FranksWildYears

New Member
Greetings All,

I'm planning on flying into Pamplona mid-December, crossing the border to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and then beginning the walking westward to Santiago de Compostela. I have heard that some of the albergues and hostals along the camino are closed throughout winter... is this something I should be concerned about? Anyone made the walk during winter, especially during Christmas and New Years? Any advice or things I need to know? Appreciate the response and will see you down the trail.

Jeff
Granada, España.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Most good guide books list albergues and opening/closing dates.
There is a lot of info on this forum on walking in winter - a quick search will be invaluable.
You can also have a look at the post on winter waking on my blog.
Buen suerte!
 
FranksWildYears said:
Greetings All,

I'm planning on flying into Pamplona mid-December, crossing the border to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and then beginning the walking westward to Santiago de Compostela. I have heard that some of the albergues and hostals along the camino are closed throughout winter... is this something I should be concerned about? Anyone made the walk during winter, especially during Christmas and New Years? Any advice or things I need to know? Appreciate the response and will see you down the trail.

Jeff
Granada, España.

Hi Jeff,

Ask the hospitaleros for the availability of the next albergues, they always know everything about.

About crossing the border to St. Jean, may be it's not possible after last snow storms. Ask in Pamplona and, if so, consider to begin in Roncesvalles.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I heard on National Public Radio (NPR) this morning (15 Decemebr) that a looooooooot of snow fell in northern Spain this weekend...You may wanna wear your polar-bear suit as you start your trek! :cool:

Have a wonderful adventure, be safe and live large!

Life is good,

"Ginn"
Happily Snowed-in Here in Santa Fe
http://www.pulverpages.com
 
vjpulver said:
I heard on National Public Radio (NPR) this morning (15 Decemebr) that a looooooooot of snow fell in northern Spain this weekend...You may wanna wear your polar-bear suit as you start your trek! :cool:...

"Ginn"
Happily Snowed-in Here in Santa Fe
http://www.pulverpages.com

Snow is the today's new in Spain. Asturias and Galicia, Cebreiro, all this area is absolutely buried under snow (1 metro in Pedrafita). The motorway between Leon and Oviedo has had hundreds of cars and trucks stopped during the whole day.

In Mallorca's mountains has snowed 5 times during this autumn.

Buen Camino, (a little cold today)

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain
 
More news today:

Snow has blocked access roads to villages in Lugo Province.
The mayor of Becerreá, Manuel Martinez, told Efe that rainfall this year was "exceptional" and there was not a storm like this since 1983, to the point that "the snow comes to the waist," which has left some 170 people held incommunicado in some villages.
He noted that this coincides with the time of the traditional slaughter of pigs, which complicates their work and makes it impossible without electricity."

This picture was taken on the road between Cebreiro and Triacastela.
 

Attachments

  • Cebreiro to Tricastela road.jpg
    Cebreiro to Tricastela road.jpg
    11.9 KB · Views: 506
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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.
The weather here is lovely, but with Christmas so near we are seeing more problems with albergue closings.

With us tonight is Joxe, a Navarrese Basque pilgrim who walked all the way from Carrion de los Condes. He phoned last night to ensure the albergue in Terradillos de Templarios was indeed open all year, as his guidebook said. They told him yes, they´re open. And when he arrived there this afternoon, nobody was there, the gate was locked, the "Cerrado" sign was up! Que barbaridad!

He is sure St James sent him here, as nobody else directed him. Ours is the first house in the village when you come off the N120, so whose door did he knock on, to ask for water? The Peaceable!

Be reminded that, if you´re traveling over the holidays many albergues and refuges and hostals are family-owned or run by volunteers. With so few pilgrims about, and so many parties and gatherings going on in town, you may find doors closed to you that "ought" to be open! (Including the big albergue in Sahagun.)

BTW, if you´re on the Road and lonely at Christmas, stop in! We have a BIG capon to share.

Rebekah
 

Most read last week in this forum

My name is Henrik and I will be coming down to SJPdP from Sweden on March 26 and start walking on March 27. I don't really have any experience and I'm not the best at planning and I'm a little...
When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top