Lodging
One of the best things about the Camino is that you almost never have to worry about where you'll sleep. That makes it one of the least stressful long-distance walks you can do.
Albergues
Albergues are hostels just for pilgrims. They're cheap and sometimes downright charming. Almost all of them offer bunk beds in shared rooms, bathrooms, showers, and laundry (hand-wash for free, or a machine for a few euros). Some add a bar, a restaurant, vending machines, a massage service, plenty of Camino stories, and some truly terrible examples of foot care.
There are a few kinds:
Municipal albergues are run by the town. Simple and serviceable.
Private albergues often feel more like a family home.
Parish and religious albergues are usually well run and often ask only for a donation.
Your guidebook or app will tell you which is which. Try them all!
A bunk will run from a donation up to about €20. Ask about dinner and especially breakfast. In some towns, the albergue is your only chance at coffee before the next village.
Most albergues have you leave your boots and poles in a room by the door. That keeps the dirt and smell out of the bunk rooms. Some want your backpack left there too. If so, take out your valuables and what you need, and leave it where they ask. Don't worry. As long as you've got your valuables, nobody wants your grubby pack and smelly boots!
You can spot an albergue by the boots and packs out front, and usually by a sign with a scallop shell and a capital "A." Many post their prices and amenities by the door.
Finding a good one: Ask your host whether they know a good place in your next town. They often do, and some will even call ahead for you. Check recent reviews in your app, and look at the flyers piled up in every albergue. The Camino is very, very good at marketing beds to you.
In the busy season, book ahead, especially from Sarria to Santiago.
Hotels and pensions
If bunk beds aren't your thing, there are plenty of small hotels. For a little more money you get a private room with your own bathroom. Hotels are great for rest days or when you need a good night's sleep. In summer, book private rooms ahead by phone, email or app. They go fast.
Pensions (pensiones) and casas rurales are somewhere between an albergue and a small hotel. The rules are relaxed, much like any hotel anywhere.
Checking in
It's fine to ask for a look before you commit. Check the bunks and bathrooms for cleanliness and bedbug signs, and count the showers. In the slow season it won't matter, but a dozen showers for 100 people on a summer afternoon is a problem.
If you stay, you'll show your passport and credential. Keep both somewhere easy to reach on your body. It's safer, and it keeps a line of pilgrims from piling up behind you while you dig through your pack. You may be offered breakfast or dinner and a set of disposable sheets and a pillowcase. Not every albergue provides sheets. A sleep sack or sleeping bag covers you either way.
You pay at check-in. Not every albergue takes cards, so carry enough cash. Pay attention to the house rules. Many lock the doors at night and enforce quiet hours. Kitchen, bathroom and laundry rules will be posted.
The host will show you a bed or tell you your room. Don't put your backpack on the bed. It's dirty as heck. Drop your sleeping bag or sheet on the bunk to claim it. Never move another pilgrim's stuff. If there's a mix-up, ask the host.
Most albergues want you out between 8 and 9 in the morning so they can clean. Please respect that.
Albergue etiquette
You're sharing space with a lot of tired people. A few habits make it better for everyone.
Quiet. Set alarms to vibrate. Keep talk to a minimum in the bunk rooms; people nap after a long walk. Don't rustle plastic bags at night. One person doing it is fine. Twelve is not. Pack the night before and finish up in the common area in the morning.
Bathrooms. Keep showers short. Don't do laundry in the showers, or in the bathroom at all unless there's a basin for it. Clean up any mess. Wear your shower shoes; nobody wants your foot fungus.
Lights. After lights out, no bright headlamps in the bunk rooms. Your phone screen is usually enough. A small red keychain light is even better.
Feet. Moisturizing is fine. Blister surgery happens in the bathroom or outside, not on your bunk.
Food. Many albergues don't allow food in the bunk rooms. Water is fine. It keeps bugs and mice away from the beds.
Wi-Fi. When everyone's online at once, it crawls. If you post lots of photos or stream video, try early morning. Leave room for folks calling home.
Kitchens. Lots of albergues have a shared kitchen, sometimes with just enough to boil pasta or make a salad. Pilgrims often pitch in on a group dinner. It saves money and it's one of the best parts of the Camino. Clean up after yourself and don't leave food in the fridge.
For keeping your stuff safe in albergues, see the Safety and Security page.
