Camino Tip No. 40: Don’t fret about accommodations

There are many places to stay along the Camino Francés:

• Albergues: dormitories accommodating 4 to 120 beds with communal bathrooms. Albergues can be run by the church (parroquial), by the local municipality (municipal),  or by individuals (privado). Some are priced on a donation basis (donativos), using the money from one day’s collection to buy the meal ingredients for the next day.  Some albergues have private or semi-private accommodations for an extra charge. Others have kitchen facilities providing a more communal atmosphere.
• Refugios: (another word for albergues). In 2011, “albergue” was the more commonly used term.
• Pensiones: private rooms with a shared bath (sometimes down the hall)
• Casas Rurales: private homes resembling a B & B, often outside of town
• Hoteles: hotels
• Paradors: historic buildings converted into five-star hotels

Be open to all possibilities. If your body tells you to keep walking, do so. If you are tired, stop early. If you are concerned about not finding lodging, ask the proprietor where you stayed the night to phone ahead to make a reservation.

Since there are often many choices for accommodations in each town, I am listing the places I stayed at, with comments. I hope this list will help you make a decision as where to stay.

Albergue Municipal de Peregrinos