Caminar ala medieval

This page will list the most important well-being on the Camino, the sleeping (along with some other data thrown into the bag). I can tell you that a good night's sleep on the route is priceless. And for that, I made this (printable) lists so that anyone will be able to sleep peacfully knowing that the next day there will be another bed waiting for him.

I first got the idea to make such a list from a list of albergues for Camino Frances that I was given in the pilgrim 'office' in St. Jean Pied-de-Port and that proved to be very useful along the way. Thank you, whoever thought of it! I then expanded it to include as much vital information as I could cram onto a single page but to still keep it handy. 
I know of a number of pages listing accommodation along the route(s) and I used them all to compile my lists, thank you everyone! Browsing forums is also a good option for the most recent updates. But I wanted to add a little more than just pure sleeping information, things that I found very useful to know. For example, the positions of fountains and streams with drinking water or a geographical hight of a place, are the two that I like best. Then there are prices, of course, and the number of beds at a certain facility, cooking options, shops, farmacies, banks or ATMs, internet availability. All those that make travelling easier.

For the Camino Frances I have included only albergues, youth hostels and other cheaper accommodation (such as cheap pensiones and hostales), because there are so many to choose from that there really is no need to look for other options. There is plenty of other accommodation for the more demanding traveller, but these inevitably lack the atmosphere in the albergues. However, some day I would like to spend a night in a medieval parador.

The first list for Camino Frances is only from Pamplona, the second is from St. Jean Pied-de-Port on the French site of the Pyrenees. All are in pdf format. 

When you use the lists, keep in mind that information is gathered from various guidebooks and internet sites and although I tried to get as recent information as possible, some might be years old and therefore incorrect. That is especially true of the prices so when making a plan take in account a few more euros, just in case. The prices in France are in general about once to twice higher than those in Spain. Also note, that some accommodations are open only in season!

I tried to include as much useful information as possible and though there are some things that some will find missing, I was nevertheless limited to the size of the A4 page. In France meals are generally provided by the accommodation, in Spain they are more usually eaten in a local restaurants with prices for menus peregrinos around €10-12. Kitchen can mean anything from fully equipped one to microwave. Laundry, where there is an albergue or a youth hostel, means washing and/or drying facilities, otherwise indicates there is a washing facility in town; prices can be for one (washing only) or for both of them.

To maximise the use of the lists, here are some comments that will make reading them easier:

The kilometres mark the approximate distance from town to town (usually historical centre, on Via Tolosana the central church) and are based on several different informations, so take them as an approximate guide. Except for Camino Frances, where they mark the distance from one municipal or parish albergue to the other and should be accurate (they are based on the calculations from John Brierley's 2003 guide when there weren't so many albergues on the route as they are now). If the town does not have hiker or pilgrim accommodation, it is marked with a down-pointing arrow (except, of course, where there are no other accommodations to be found; in such cases, all reasonably priced accommodation options have been marked with kilometres). Sometimes, if kilometres were not available, I put hours in the window.

Towns and places follow each other in the order you encounter them on the Camino. Those that have hiker or pilgrim accommodation start at the beginning of the table window, otherwise they are moved to the right. All the places that should be important for the walker are marked, such as fountains, mountain passes, high points and landmarks. These too have their own kilometres if I could found them. If they appear in brackets, they signify they are on the alternative route or they mark a detour; alternative route is also marked in the last window.

In Italy and France, all accommodarions are, wherever possible, written in the order you encounter them on the route (thank you Google for the fine maps!). In Spain, only hiker or pilgrim or backpacker accommodations are written in that order and all the other accommodations are written in alphabethical order. Alb. is albergue (pilgrim accommodation in Spain, credencial obligatory), CdH is chambres d'hôtes (French B&B), CS is casa rural (rooms and meals establishment in Spain), gîte is French equivalent of albergue (credencial usually required), H is hotel, HI is hostelling international hostel (HI card required), HR is Hotel-Restaurant, Hs is hostal (rooms and sometimes meals also, in Spain), M is monsieur (French for sir), Mme is madame (French for madam), ND or NS is notre-dame or nuestra senora (our Lady), P is pension, Réf. is refuge (usually very basic hiker accommodation), San(ta) is saint (in Spain), st is saint (in France), YH is youth hostel (those that are not part of hostelling international, they are not limited to young people). Most Spanish albergues still don't take reservations and the beds go on the 'first come first get' basis. In France, it is highly recommended to call at least a day in advance for every kind of accommodation. Also in France and Italy, I added a small scallop shell to those accommodations that are reserved specifically for pilgrims. They always require a credencial.

With hiker or pilgrim accommodation, the price is for a bed in a dorm or a room; could also be B&B or HP if the caretakers insist so. D denotes price by donation (you give what you can/want). Otherwise, the price could be for a single or a double room (d), B&B or even HP, which is marked. Double rooms are a norm in France where sometimes  there are no single rooms available (the price for a singular person occupying a double room is about 75% of the price for a double room). In France it has also become customary - especially on Via Domitia - to offer pilgrims accommodation with reduced prices. In such cases, credential is obligatory.

Number of beds counts all the beds in an establishment, so there are not so many single beds as shown. Take this into account when planning your itinerery. This is not an issue with hiker or pilgrim accommodation, where there are usually dorms.

The address is as precise as possible. If the place has no address, its description is provided (eg. junto a la iglesia meaning next to the church); these descriptions are frequently in the language of the visiting country. The whole address is provided; only if the space was too limited, the most obvious word is shortened (eg. ave/Ave. for Avenue (avenue), C. for Calle (street), pl/Pl. for Plaza (square), M for monsieur (sir), Mme for madame (madam), N for route nationale (national road in France), s for saint, TO for tourist office). 1° means that the reception (of the establishment) is on the first floor, s/n means there is no house number.

Telephones are always provided. If there is no telephone number there is a good chance the establishment does not have one. Both standard and cellular numbers are written. The first three numbers of the standard number are regional calling numbers.

If a town posseses a restaurant or a bar, the window is marked with an x.

If a town posseses a shop of some kind (could be a supermarket or a simple bakery!), the window is marked with an x.

If a town boasts a fountain, there is an F in the window. F outside a town can also mean a drinkable stream or a tap/pipe. In Spain, these are usually safe to drink from (those that are not safe, are singled out and there are often signs saying so on the fountain itself (eg. aqua no potable)). In Italy and France I have no sure information to say so and the fountains are usually more rare nevertheless. It is worth keeping in mind that in France there are taps at the cemeteries that might have reasonably safe water (especially in the countryside).

Opening period for hotels and other bigger establishments is usually all year. If in doubt, I put an ? in the window. For albergues there are also opening hours. Note, that some open quite late in the afternoon (on Camino Fisterra especially). If a town has no accommodation options, the window is marked with an -.

Internet usually means that there is an internet connection in the particular establishment. In a few cases it means that there is an internet cafe in town.

If an establishment has heating, the window is marked with an x.

If an establishment has a kitchen, the window is marked with an x. But beware, as kitchen can also meen microwave onyl! In Galicia, the kitchens are particularly notorius for having no utensils at all. Sometimes a few euros for use of gas and water will be asked.

It a town posseses a bank or an ATM, the window is marked with an €.

If a town posseses a chemist (farmacy), the window is marked with an x. Almost every good-sized town has a chemist and bigger towns all have other forms of medical assistance, too.

Laundry can also mean several things. In simpler establishments and particularly in Spain it can define a washing sink only, but newer establishments usually have washing and/or drying machines as well. These are payable, however, anything from €2 to €5 per load. In France this more often means that there is a laundry facility in town. If possible, the price is shown. If any of these services are available, the window is marked with an x.

Wherever possible, I indicate if bicycles are accepted (marked with an x). Usually there will also be a garage for them.

If an establishment has a paddock or even a stable for horses, the window is marked with an x.

If a town posseses an information office, the window is marked with an x.

Wherever possible, I included height of a particular place, so as to give an approximate overview of the route. Height is important in calculating the distance and hours needed for a day's walk. An average walker should adjust one's walking hours for 1 minute per every 10m of elevation (eg. allow 10 more minutes for 100m). Average walker is the one who makes 4km per hour on level ground (1km in 15 minutes, would need 7h30 for 30km and could cover 40km in a 10h hike).

Other window contains all kinds of information I thought might be useful. From the fact that an establishment requires credential (©) or what kind of an establishment it is (eg. 15C hospital) to prices for breakfast (B), dinner (D), take-away lunch (p-n, after pique-nique), B&B, HP, double or triple room (d/t), to comments about cleanliness or simplicity of the establishment, to distance from the route or where the key is kept...

Abbreviations used in the lists:

Alb. = albergue (pilgrim's refuge, not to be confused with Italian albergo = hotel!), Apr = April, Aug = August, ave = avenue; B = breakfast, B&B = bed & breakfast; CdH = Chambres d'Hôtes (rooms to rent); d = double room, D = donation/dinner, d/dorm = dormitory; ex = former; GR = grande randonée (mayor path), GTA = Grande Traversata delle Alpi; h = hour, H = hotel, HI = Hostelling International hostel, HP = half pension, H-R = hotel-restaurant, Hs = Hostal; Jul = July, Jun = June; km(s) = kilometer(s); m = meter(s), M = Mesieur (Sir), Mar = March, Mme = Madame (Madam); N = north, Nov = November; Oct = October; p = person, pl = place/plaza (square), p-n = pique-nique (take-away lunch); q = quadruple room; r = room, restau = reastaurant; S = south, s = single room, s/st = saint, Sep = September, s/n = sine numero (without number), sobe = rooms, ss = saints; t = triple room, T = Tuesday, Th = Thursday, TO = tourist office; W = west; Xmas = christmas; YH = youth hostel; @ = internet, € = euro, ® = reservation, (key) = lockers, * = especially memorable albergue.

Sites that I use:

for Spain: the most useful is MUNDICAMINO with loads of practical information in many languages; Guía del Camino de Santiago is also very useful. If these two don't have the information you need, it probably isn't available on the internet.

for France: Webcompostella has information on all major routes in France plus Chemin du Piémont, Via Tolosana - Chemin d'Arles has a useful distribution into stages, google maps and descriptions, Les Amis de St Jacques have the most on Via Domitia and Via Aurelia, Santiago via Arles has superb maps for Via Tolosana and Via Aurelia (and hopefully, in the future, also Via Domitia). There are other regional sites that deal with portions of the Way in their domain.

for Italy there is very little, I found is this nice siteMoncalieri in cammino with the description of the route from Montginevro Pass to Torino, this one with distances Giovane Montagna on line - associazione alpinistica (it's main subject is Via Francigena), and this site La Via Francigena dei Pellegrini which has useful up-to-date information (eg. the very important short-cut from Claviere to Monginevro).