You will find a lot of Albergues – Pilgrim hostels – along the route
You also have the option, even though I will not recommend that, to carry a light tent and camp out on campgrounds along the way – this can, of course, reduce the price of accommodation.
On the other hand, you don’t want to be carrying to much weight, and the campgrounds tend to be on the outskirts of the cities, which means that ypu will opt-out of the social life in the albergues.
If you prefer to get your own room, in a hostel or hotel, then this is an option as well, and it can be nice once in a while.
You will, in the typical Albergues, be bonking with a lot of other pilgrims in dormitories.
This might seem uncomfortable, and there is a lot of talk of snores. I was a bit worried about this at first, but I got used to it quite fast, and now the dormitories in the albergures is just a part of my Camino adventures.
And to be honest – I never had a problem with snoring – maybe because I was just so tired, or maybe because I was one of the snores.
And early start
It does not matter if you are an early starter or not, you will get
There is always a pilgrim or two in the dormitory that wants to get up early, maybe 5 am. They will try to be quiet, but you will hear them.
You might try to ignore them, and you might be successful with the first one, but then the second one gets up and
You are also, in a lot of albergues required to be out at 8.00 a.m, and if you are on one of the inland Caminos during the summer, you want to get out on the road before it’s getting too hot.
Often it to hot to walk in the late afternoon, so I prefer to get the mileage of the day done before 2 p.m. other take a “siesta” on a local bar, and carries on in the late afternoon.
Types of Accommodation
Donativo
You will along the route find a number of Albergues the runs on a donation basis.
These albergues can be run by religious organizations, parishes, and monasteries, and they are often among the better Albergues along the route.
A lot of the younger pilgrims go after these albergues, where they spend the night for almost nothing. Bear in mind however the Donativo doesn’t mean free – it means that you pay the price that you find fair and reasonable – what the size of that amount is, is up to you, and your ability to pay.
Albergue Municipal/Xunta
Albergue Municipal, or Xunta in Galicia, are albergues run by the local city council, or the region. These Albergues are often quite inexpensive with a price for a bed between 5-10 € per bed (on Camino Frances). You will often find a kitchen in these albergues where you can prepare a meal by yourself or with your fellow pilgrims.
These albergues will often have large dormitories, and they will, due to the relatively low price, and the option to cock, attract a lot of young pilgrims.
Private Albergues
You will find a lot of private albergues along the way.
These albergues are very different, and the price will vary a lot depending on the route, the time of year, quality of accommodation, etc. The cost of a
Do I need to Book in advance?
There are a lot of albergues along the way, but the number of pilgrims has risen over the last couple peaking at around 300.000 in 2017.
As a result, you will, especially in the peak seasons, find that albergues can be sold out.
There is a lot of freedom in just walking until you decide to call it a day and check-in at the nearest albergue – that is my preferred way of walking the Camino.
But if you find yourself walking the Camino when it is most crowded, or if you are on a stretch where is a long distance between albergues, it might be a good idea to book in advance.
The My Camino app gives you the option to book accommodation on booking.com – you will, of course, need to be online for that.