DO YOU NEED TO BOOK ACCOMMODATION ON THE CAMINO: A DETAILED GUIDE.
The debate about whether or not to book accommodation is always a lively one. I’ve lost count of how many discussions I’ve had with fellow walkers who are firmly in one camp or the other – some choose to totally wing it, whilst others book every bed well in advance.
The debate is becoming even more relevant as the Camino becomes more popular year on year. More walkers tends to mean more competition for beds, particularly on the busiest routes and during peak season.
After walking various routes of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela more than 10 times, I have developed some fairly strong views on when booking accommodation is worth it – and when you’re better off keeping it flexible.
In this guide, I’ll look at different ways you can approach accommodation on the Camino, as well as specific reasons to book and finally, the ins and outs of booking accommodation on different Camino routes.
Three different ways to approach accommodation on the Camino de Santiago
Broadly speaking, there are three different approaches to managing accommodation on the Camino de Santiago.
1/ Booking before you walk
This first option is to book all your accommodation before you set off. This can work particularly well for shorter routes, as well as some of the busier Caminos. For example, we did this for the Camino Primitivo when walking in August to September.
For longer routes, I would often recommend booking the first few days in advance and then planning as you go.I think when a route is going to take you more than two weeks, it’s really difficult to plan everything too far in advance – the possibility of injuries, new friends, or just a change of pace – mean that a plan made too far in advance, might need to be changed.
That said, it’s worth noting that you can often cancel or amend bookings. And if you plan to stay in private rooms mostly, then often booking well in advance is the best way to secure cheaper rates.
2/ Booking a day or two ahead
The second method, is to book a day or two ahead. We’ve used this method when walking longer routes like the Camino del Norte or Camino Frances.
The main advantage is flexibility. You can adapt your daily stages if you pick up an injury, meet people you want to walk with, or simply change your mind about where you want to stay.
The downside is that you can spend a lot of time on your phone or emailing accommodation providers, particularly on busier routes.
Sometimes I’d prefer to just enjoy a drink, a meal and a good rest, than spend the night planning logistics.
3/ Winging it
The final approach, is to wing it. Over the years, I’ve met a lot of people who swear by this approach. They simply start walking, see where they end up and then try to get accommodation – with no booking.
This approach keeps things spontaneous, and many would argue brings things closer to the true spirit of the Camino. he problem is, more and more people are now booking in advance – so there’s a greater chance of coming unstuck.
Most people I’ve met who choose to wing it, are solo walkers, relaxed people, and generally experienced and fit hikers. Flying by the seat of your pants, is not such a good idea if you lean towards anxious, are walking in a couple or group or can’t walk an extra few kms to find a bed.
That said, there are certain routes where “winging it” is basically the only option – for example, routes where Municipal Albergues dominate. It’s worth remembering that these types of accommodation don’t accept bookings. We’ve comfortably walked sections of the Via de la Plata, Camino Mozarabe and Camino Sanabres without booking anything.
For most people though, I do think the best approach sits somewhere in the middle: book ahead where there is good reason to, but otherwise give yourself space and flexibility for the Camino to unfold.
When & why to book accommodation on the Camino de Santiago
There’s no single rule for when you should book ahead on the Camino – but there are certain situations when leaving things to chance can cause unnecessary stress (or mean a longer walk than you intended.)
1/ Weekends and public holidays
Competition for accommodation is generally higher on weekends and public holidays. In particular, Easter is a very busy time to walk the Camino Frances – especially the last 100km.
On weekends, many Spanish people come out to walk and may stay in hostels. And of course, cities on route will be busier with tourists – look out for these hot spots on route.
For example, if you’re arriving to somewhere like Pamplona or Cordoba on a Friday night, think twice about winging it.
2/ Popular tourist towns
Certain routes pass through popular tourist towns – this is particularly an issue on the Camino del Norte, where the route meanders along the coast. If you’re walking in summer, you have to compete for private accommodation with both walkers and holiday makers. And sometimes hostels are open to backpackers and surfers, as well as walkers.
3/ Peak walking season
On certain routes, peak walking season means that accommodation can get hectic. On the Camino del Norte, I’ve heard of people having to take taxis to another town to find somewhere to stay.
Particular months to watch for are May, August and September on both the Camino Frances and Camino Portuguese, and July-August on the Camino del Norte.
4/ You are particular about accommodation
Anyone who is flexible with budget and accommodation style, is naturally going to find it easier to locate accommodation last minute. If you are someone who longs for particular facilities or wants to avoid poorly rated albergues, booking in advance may be better for you.
Likewise, if there are particular places you want to stay on route – book in advance. For example, popular albergues like Casa Susi on the French, O Lagar de Jesus on the Portuguese or A Pociña de Muñiz on the Camino Primitivo, are likely to require advanced bookings.
5/ Private rooms
If you plan to stay in private rooms – it is invariably better to book these ahead. For our next Camino, the Portuguese Coastal, we are staying nearly entirely in private rooms and booked everything months in advance. This gives less flexibility, but we’ve been able to secure decent accommodation for €40 a night in all the towns we wanted to stay in.
Tip: book with booking.com for free cancellation.
6/ Groups or couples together
It is far easier for a solo hiker to find a spare space at an albergue last minute, than a large group or even a couple. If you’re walking as a two or more, generally I would recommend booking accommodation. The exceptions would be if you plan to stay in municipal albergues on quieter routes, like the Via de la Plata.
7/ Walking restrictions
If you are someone who can only walk a certain distance each day, I would suggest booking accommodation. If you walked 20km and turned up to an albergue, just to find out there was no space, could you walk another 5km? That’s the question I would ask myself.
Considerations for each route
Based on our experience of walking these routes, here’s a quick overview of considerations for each route, when it comes to booking accommodation.
Camino del Norte
If walking in May and June, or September, accommodation is easier to come by last minute. Be more cautious during high summer when tourists outnumber pilgrims on the northern coast of Spain.
Always book in advance for cities like San Sebastian, Bilbao and Santander. San Sebastian is a bit of a challenge as it is an expensive city and quite difficult to avoid with walking stages.
Towns along the route like Zarautz, Llanes, Noja, Santillana del Mar and others are particularly popular with coastal tourists.
You can find our daily stages guide for the Camino del Norte here.
Camino Frances
The Camino Frances is, in many ways, one of the easier routes to walk without booking accommodation. Whilst it is the most popular route, it also has lots of accommodation and often only a few kms between albergues.
That said, I always recommend booking the first couple of days – Roncesvalles in particular. I’m always amazed by how many people arrive after that first tough day and don’t have a booking.
Otherwise, look out for the major cities, like Pamplona, León, Burgos and Logroño which tend to require booking in advance, especially on the weekend. And there are sections of the Meseta with larger than usual gaps between accommodation – booking is recommended for this area.
The last 100km gets particularly busy and it can be a good idea to book in advance.
You can find our guide to our favourite accommodation on the Camino Frances here.
Camino Primitivo
When we walked the Camino Primitivo last year, I decided to plan everything in advance and book all our accommodation – a mix of private rooms and albergues. We knew that the Primitivo would be a tough hike and didn’t want any added pressure to walk long days due to accommodation shortages. For us, this worked well.
Along the way, I met a few people who hadn’t booked at all – they mostly were ok, but on a few occasions had to pull 40km walking days out of their lockers to find accommodation.
There are particular bottlenecks – before and after the Hospitales diversion (Borres and Berducedo), that generally require advanced bookings. Likewise, the city of Lugo is best to book in advance, especially on a weekend. And finally, once the route merges with the Frances in Melide, it will become busier.
Camino Portuguese
The Camino Portuguese Central and Coastal Routes are the second and third most popular routes. They are increasingly busy and don’t necessarily have the same amount of infrastructure as the Camino Frances.
For this reason, I would always recommend booking in advance for walkers on the Camino Portuguese. That said, quieter months – for example, early or late in the season, may not necessitate it quite so much. I walked in March and was able to book just a few days ahead.
Not sure whether to choose the Camino Central or Camino Coastal Route – you can find our guide here.
Via de la Plata
The Via de la Plata runs all the way from Seville, eventually merging with either the Camino Sanabres or Frances to head into Santiago de Compostela. As it’s such a long route, it’s hard to say definitively whether to book in advance or not. But, we were able to largely wing it with our accommodation for a lot of it. We booked a few private rooms, but otherwise relied on the wonderful municipal albergues. As there are less hikers, you can almost guarantee space at these.
That said, where there are not municipal albergues, booking is best a few days ahead at least. The same goes for anyone wishing to stay in Salamanca, Cáceres, Zamora, or other popular towns and cities on route.
You can find our guide to the Via de la Plata here.
Camino Mozarabe
The Camino Mozarabe has less hikers than other routes and an excellent network of municipal albergues. We stay in these for most our walk. As you can’t book, it’s easy to wing it on certain sections.
That said, between Granada and Cordoba, there are fewer albergues and you have to rely more on private accommodation – this is best booked in advance, or at least a few days ahead.
Likewise, the larger cities like Granada, Almeria and Cordoba require advanced bookings – particularly for weekends.
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.
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