Camino de Santiago queries, info ...

Bananaleaf

Hey all

Not sure if you have ever seen this website before or not:

http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances

It's really good for planning out your route and kms. I'm excited about having this plan as it will be good to know what towns are along the way etc.

Also another two questions:

I presume there are loads of places to buy a map in Sarria?
And also a Pilgrim's Passport? I plan on doing the entirety of the Camino over the next few years so would be nice to have the passport as I could keep adding to it?

Thanks

anewme

We got our passports from

http://www.caminosociety.ie

Redkilkenny

Hello Anewme,
Could you please send me your recommendations - It would be a great help☺
Thanks in advance!
Redkilkenny

anewme wrote: »

Bannanaleaf, have you booked accomodation - if not, I can give you a couple of recommendations, but there are lots of fantastic places along the way.

I did not do the albergues, I did pensions with my own room, given that it was lashing rain most of thetime I was there, I needed to have my own bath and nice bed at the end of the day. Nothing fancy, just my own time.

aka_kate

Hi - we are two female friends who will be arriving in Santiago on Tuesday 26th July at 16.20pm. We are looking to share a taxi onwards to Sarria to cut down on costs if anyone is interested in sharing a taxi.

Bananaleaf

aka_kate wrote: »

Hi - we are two female friends who will be arriving in Santiago on Tuesday 26th July at 16.20pm. We are looking to share a taxi onwards to Sarria to cut down on costs if anyone is interested in sharing a taxi.

Hi there

I suggest you ask people who are on the same flight as you as you wait to board. I'm sorry I didn't do that as shared between a few people it works out the same price as the bus ticket and is far quicker. There will definitely be people flying there who will be willing to take you up on the offer.

The bus journey is 2.5 hrs to Lugo and then more public transport into Sarria OR you can get taxi to the Santiago de Compostela bus station (€21) and get a bus from there (more or less) direct to Sarria for about €18. That bus is 3hrs. If I had just thought about rounding a few people together (there were 6 of us that all were on same bus and same flight - it was madness now that I look back on it) would have saved myself both time and money.

Buen Camino - it's a brilliant experience

aka_kate

Thanks so much for the reply. Will definitely consider doing this if we don't manage to arrange anything before hand.
How easy will it be to get a taxi if we wait until we arrive ? Will there be a taxi rank and / or will a driver be willing to do the journey without being booked before hand do you think ?

Sundance_Kid

How feasible is it to plan, organise and do a section of the Camino in 6/7 days with less than 3 weeks notice?

Basically I am off work from Sat 6th August to Fri 12th August - and wouldnt mind doing something and the Camino has always appealed to me.
I need to be back in Dublin by 12th August (heading away on morn of Sat 13th).

Is there any travel agent I could use for the Camino working within these dates or is there a certain route which would be handy in terms of logistics thst people would recommend at short notice?

In terms of walking & fitness - that is not an issue

Thanks in advance

robo

Sundance_Kid wrote: »

How feasible is it to plan, organise and do a section of the Camino in 6/7 days with less than 3 weeks notice?

Basically I am off work from Sat 6th August to Fri 12th August - and wouldnt mind doing something and the Camino has always appealed to me.
I need to be back in Dublin by 12th August (heading away on morn of Sat 13th).

Is there any travel agent I could use for the Camino working within these dates or is there a certain route which would be handy in terms of logistics thst people would recommend at short notice?

In terms of walking & fitness - that is not an issue

Thanks in advance

If you want to go down the route of a travel agent, then you could use Camino Ways or Follow the Camino for availability. They will provide you with maps & accommodation.

Is it your first trip? The travel agents will charge a high price as its high season but it will also be very hot - most Irish people do it in April/May or September/October.

Logistics the route from Sarria to Santiago can be done in 6 days and is handy for flying in & out. But there are other options - if you start and finish in towns that have good train/bus networks to get to Santander, Bilbao or Madrid for flights.

Are you looking to stay in hotels or hostels? Also, with the travel agents, you still need to book your own flights.
Contact both today & they will be able to help you on routes and prices etc. but if you have any other questions, just ask here

anewme

We did Sarria to Santiago in five days and had a day to enjoy Santiago.

I would 100% recommend Into the West Adventures. Mark is excellent and does both guided and self guided tours.

Marks recommendations for Pensions/coffee stops etc were fantastic. I am going back to do another route with him next year.

http://www.intothewestadventures.com/

aka_kate

hi - why don't you try the Camino Travel Centre in Santiago? I'm using them for our trip next week - they are very reasonable and will organise everything that you want them to!

Sundance_Kid

robo wrote: »

If you want to go down the route of a travel agent, then you could use Camino Ways or Follow the Camino for availability. They will provide you with maps & accommodation.

Is it your first trip? The travel agents will charge a high price as its high season but it will also be very hot - most Irish people do it in April/May or September/October.

Logistics the route from Sarria to Santiago can be done in 6 days and is handy for flying in & out. But there are other options - if you start and finish in towns that have good train/bus networks to get to Santander, Bilbao or Madrid for flights.

Are you looking to stay in hotels or hostels? Also, with the travel agents, you still need to book your own flights.
Contact both today & they will be able to help you on routes and prices etc. but if you have any other questions, just ask here

Thanks for your reply.

Yes it would be my first time doing this and I would be going on my own.
I'd be happy staying in hostels as well - once there was a shower it would be great.

Just had a quick look at flights there, I could fly Dublin into Santiago on Sat 6th and arrive in Santiago for 4.20pm - would need to hope buses and/or trains work out ok to get to Saria for late on Sat 6th night time.

Then fly home on Friday 12th (will need two flights) from Santiago to Dublin (via Madrid) - departing at either 06.45am or 09.15am.

Flights in and out of Bilbao are not too bad either and direct, could look at Bilbao to Santander route, the San Sebastien to Bilbao route looks great but seems a bit long.

For a first timer & solo traveller is the Saria to Santiago route recommended?

Sundance_Kid

aka_kate wrote: »

hi - why don't you try the Camino Travel Centre in Santiago? I'm using them for our trip next week - they are very reasonable and will organise everything that you want them to!

Hi, what route are you doing?

How many days/nights are you going for (from start to finish)?

Do you mind me asking how much it is costing you and what that includes? (PM me if you don't want to say )

loobylou

I'd go with the Sarria to Santiago option and fly back from santiago/madrid.
I've flown in and out of Santander and Bilbao too but always wasted at least a day getting started walking or else returning for a flight. Public transport in that part of Spain is not great, often there are only two buses a day, early morning and late evening.
If you are fit you will easily cover Sarria to Santiago in five days. Don't waste your money booking through an agency, just get there and walk. If you"re on your own and ok with hostels you'll always find a bed. Many people follow guidebooks such as Brierley. These set out daily routes. If you stagger your overnights so as not to sleep in 'Brierley" towns you'll have no problems.

fits

A few years ago I did exactly this. Booked flights a week before I went. I flew into Biarritz, got train to St Jean Pied de Port, walked for seven days to Logrono and got bus back to Bilbao from where I flew home. It was very easy. You don't need any travel company once you are organised. Just follow the other peregrinos It was a very scenic section too, and not too busy.

Football Friend

Hi,

I'm hoping to do the Sarria to Santiago route in November and I'm just looking for help with accommodation. Can anyone recommend hotels in each town, I don't feel comfortable just winging it. Is Camino travel centre reputable? I see they can sort accommodation for 360 whereas Caminoways etc are closer to 700.

Also is it difficult to get a taxi from Santiago to Sarria? I know it's expensive but I plan on arriving in the evening so probably my only option.

Thanks.

aka_kate

Football Friend wrote: »

Hi,

I'm hoping to do the Sarria to Santiago route in November and I'm just looking for help with accommodation. Can anyone recommend hotels in each town, I don't feel comfortable just winging it. Is Camino travel centre reputable? I see they can sort accommodation for 360 whereas Caminoways etc are closer to 700.

Also is it difficult to get a taxi from Santiago to Sarria? I know it's expensive but I plan on arriving in the evening so probably my only option.

Thanks.

Hiya
I would definitely use Camino travel centre again. They will organise everything for you at a reasonable price - a real personal service. We stayed in a monastery in SDC at the end which was a great way to finish - wiktoria will give you details - just tell her what you want ... We did use the taxi from Saaria otherwise it would have added a commute of 3 hrs to get there otherwise. Worth spending the money. You'll save €€ on eating & drinking along the route as it is shockingly cheap compared to Ireland. Feel free to ask any more advice !

Football Friend

aka_kate wrote: »

Hiya
I would definitely use Camino travel centre again. They will organise everything for you at a reasonable price - a real personal service. We stayed in a monastery in SDC at the end which was a great way to finish - wiktoria will give you details - just tell her what you want ... We did use the taxi from Saaria otherwise it would have added a commute of 3 hrs to get there otherwise. Worth spending the money. You'll save €€ on eating & drinking along the route as it is shockingly cheap compared to Ireland. Feel free to ask any more advice !

Thanks Kate,

I dropped them an email yesterday evening so hopefully I hear back from them soon. I think the only difference I can see from the package on their site and the one I want is I'd like an extra night and just to know how to arrange the taxi. Everything else should be fine. I have a good idea of what gear I need. The flights are a bit of a pain as the aer lingus direct flights pretty much drop off in November which isn't great but it just means a bit of a layover in Madrid.

mel.b

There is a group of us that are doing a small part of the Camino in June next year - from San Jean Pied-de-Port to Pamplona. The plan for the group is to fly into Biarritz and out of Bilboa. However I was thinking of extending the trip on either one side or the other (or possibly both ) so I'm looking for ideas on places to go / stay. Any ideas?

fits

San Sebastian for sure. Its lovely. Handy to get there from Pamplona and then over to Bilbao too. Id spend more time in San Sebastian than Bilbao.

Hi,

I am trying to plan a trip for my parents(mid 50's-fairly active) to do the last 100km of the camino from late may early june time frame.
I would like a package tour that includes baggage transfer between hotels/guest houses and half/full board included.
They are not too fussy on hotel conditions or the standard of food. I think they would enjoy the experience more if there is a good guide or if they can enjoy the walk unburdened by their backpacks. Airport transfers included would be ideal also. They will not be able to speak Spanish and I would like to make this trip as stress free as possible for them.

Any recommended travel agents or tours would be really appriciated

robo

Hi Bert,

There are 2 companies that come to mind
Follow The Camino - they have an office on Suffolk Street, Dublin 2
And Camino Ways - they have an office in Dublin 8

But both will deal with you on the phone or on email.

However, there are plenty of guide books and hotels/B&Bs along the last 100km (the most popular route) and for a lot less money, you can book these online yourself.
Regarding the transfer of the luggage - you can plan all of this and pay for it once the hotel destinations are booked with the Spanish Postal Service. From memory it costs about €4 per bag/suitcase

We got a taxi between 3 of us from the Santiago airport (very small airport) to Sarria for about €100. The companies above will usually have the same prices, so going with them won't save this. Then going from Santiago back to the airport, taxi costs about €20 (I think)

Most of the hotels, cafes etc on route speak English or have free wifi, so Google translate can be helpful. They are so used to Camino tourists/pilgrims that they should have no issue with the language and there are always loads of other pilgrims who will help with any communication issues.

I used Camino Ways for my first trip (I've done 4 so far on different parts of the French way) but once I knew what it was all like, we just worked out how many kms we would walk each day, depending on if we were walking up mountains or on flat ground, we booked our accommodation ourselves (2 females) and saved a lot of money by doing it that way.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions - just ask

Macker

Hi Folks , myself and my wife are doing the last leg from Sarria to Santiago ,10th to the 17th of june , just wondering if anyone would be interested in sharing a taxi or point me somewhere to book one.

Cheers

take003

heading to Santander in next month for a week, want to combine sun break and bit of camino, has anyone any suggestions. Don't want anything strenuous, was thinking of getting transport to Logrono and walking to Santo Domingo. if a route nearer to Santander which might be easier to get too.

Spanish Eyes

Depends on how many days, where you intend to return to for the flight home etc. etc.

This is a good resource, plenty of info from people who have done it all, bits of it, or are still planning it. Sign up and throw up your question maybe?

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/

johnp

take003 wrote: »

heading to Santander in next month for a week, want to combine sun break and bit of camino, has anyone any suggestions. Don't want anything strenuous, was thinking of getting transport to Logrono and walking to Santo Domingo. if a route nearer to Santander which might be easier to get too.

We walked from just outside Santander to Llanes are few years ago. Well, we actually got a tram to outside Santander, Mogro I think, and went from there.
We stopped in Santillana Del Mar, Comillas, Unquera and on to Llanes. About 100km in total. Lots of nice little towns along the way as well.
We were putting in 20-30km a day, so I don't know where that sits with "nothing to strenuous". But the great thing is that if you get tired or whatever, just hop and a bus and you'll be back to your starting point in no time.

It's spectacular. Amazing scenery, people are so so friendly, menu del dia is cheap and filling.

Kieranmof

Has anyone done the Camino Ingles in mid-September? Is it very quiet and isolated?
Kieran

Sundance_Kid

Anyone doing the Camino in the coming months?

What stages and dates are people doing/going?

dory

Doing the last 100km in August. Will be my third time doing it. Would love to do another part but everyone wants to do the last bit!

LionelNashe

dory wrote: »

Doing the last 100km in August. Will be my third time doing it. Would love to do another part but everyone wants to do the last bit!

I found that to be the most boring bit. Possibly because it had been 4 weeks, and I had just had enough, and it was raining torrentially (if that's a word). I liked the meseta, but a lot of people find that featureless and boring. Also the first day over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles had great scenery.

robo

I have done the entire French Way to Finisterre in 4 different trips -I'd love to some day do it all in one go. The difference in the scenery is incredible! And regarding the Mesatta - some "guide" books advise to avoid it...why??? It was deadly! I loved every part of it. And before I was dragged to start the Camino I had no aspirations to do more than my duty and 1 trip would be enough...ah that all changed when I got bitten by the bug. You never know what you will see the next day & you never know who you might chat to along the way...its just great.