We’ve stayed in more than a hundred albergues on the Camino de Santiago. Some places were amazing and became an important part of our Camino memories, some places were just another overnight stay. Albergues have always been an important part of the Camino de Santiago history. Even if you’re not the kind of person that is comfortable with staying in a dormitory I’d recommend finding a great albergue on your Camino route (one with a communal dinner for example) and staying there for one night just to experience the spirit of the Camino.

Public albergues on the French Way of the Camino de Santiago

Albergues can be found on almost any Camino. Out of the 11 routes, we’ve walked, the Camino de Gran Canaria is the only one that doesn’t have albergues only hotels.

Our guide to the best places to stay in Santiago de Compostela

What are the albergues on the Camino de Santiago?

In simple words, an albergue is a hostel for pilgrims. If you’re familiar with hostels it won’t be difficult to understand the whole albergue thing. A standard albergue has one or several dormitory rooms with bunk beds (few have normal beds), a shared ablution complex, a kitchen, and a common area.

How do you find albergues on the Camino?

Most of the albergues, especially public ones, are situated right on the Camino route; you don’t need to walk around with a GPS or map trying to find them. In bigger towns and cities there are usually arrows pointing the way to albergues.

If you want to plan your Camino itinerary in advance and make sure you’re staying only at the best albergues along the route you can check reviews of different places on Gronze.com. The only disadvantage of using it is that the site and most of the reviews are in Spanish.

Watch our short YouTube video about albergues on the Camino!!!

Our YouTube video comparing a public and a private albergue on the Camino de Santiago

You can find more information for planning the Camino walk in our Best Camino de Santiago tips post.

Public vs private albergues on the Camino de Santiago

There are two types of albergues public (municipal) and private. Public albergues are usually run by the local municipality or Camino association. Private albergues belong to a person or a company. Both public and private albergues can be found on any Camino route. The more popular the route is the more albergues it has.  

Public albergues

Public albergues are usually bigger than private ones, some have up to 100 beds. They are the cheapest accommodation option on the Camino. Public albergues are exclusively for pilgrims who walk/cycle the Camino, tourists can’t stay there. There is usually no bedding but most public albergues sell disposable sheets and pillow casing for 1 Euro. The facilities of municipal albergues vary, some are new and spacious with good facilities, some are quite old and very basic.

Municipal albergues usually don’t allow luggage delivery. If you decide to use this service instead of you will have to stay mainly in private albergues and/or hotels.

The best municipal albergues are in Galicia. They are run by the Xunta de Galicia. Most of them are new, spacious, with good facilities, clean, and comfortable. In 2025 almost all public albergues in Galicia charge 10 Euros per person. If you decide to walk the last 100 km on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela or choose one of the shorter routes e.g. the Camino Ingles you won’t have any problem finding good and budget accommodation.

A typical public albergue on the Camino de Santiago in Galicia

Private albergues

Private albergues are smaller, usually more comfortable and more expensive. Some private albergues are for donation. There are quite a few albergues for donation on the Camino Frances. Private albergues can be booked in advance over the phone or through an online booking system. They’re not exclusively for pilgrims but the majority of people there are from the Camino. The amenities of private albergues are better than those of public ones. 

A typical dormitory room in a private albergues on the Camino

Comparing public and private albergues

Features	Public albergues	Private albergues
Price	10-12 Euro	20 Euro
Only for pilgrims	yes	no
Need a Credential	yes	no
Can stay more than 1 night	no	yes
Can be booked	no	yes
Allow luggage delivery	no	yes
Entrance doors close at 9 pm	yes	no

Main differences between public & private albergues on the Camino de Santiago

What are the facilities like?

A standard albergue (public or private) has a couple of dormitories with bunk beds (sometimes one big room), a common/dining area, a kitchen, and shared toilets and showers. Private albergues are usually better equipped. All albergues have hot showers and electricity, many have wi-fi. 

Ablutions

Showers and toilets are shared and usually separate for men and women (unless it’s a really small albergue with one bathroom). You need your own towel, soap, shower gel, etc. No need to carry toilet paper all albergues we’ve stayed at provided it.

If there are many people in your albergue go to the shower right after the check-in before unpacking and making your bed, otherwise you might spend 30 minutes waiting in line.

Kitchen

About 80% of all albergues we’ve stayed at had a kitchen. Sometimes it’s a fully equipped kitchen with everything you need for cooking, sometimes it’s very basic with a microwave and a couple of plates. Before you go food shopping always check out the kitchen to see if it has a stove, pots, pans, etc. Some albergues (usually private) offer communal dinners and breakfasts for a donation or a fixed price. 

A kitchen and a dining room in a public albergue on the Via de la Plata

How much do albergues cost?

Public albergues are the cheapest accommodation option on the Camino. Prices vary a bit depending on the route, the average price of a bed in a public albergues is around 10 Euros per person. On some Camino routes e.g. the Via de la Plata public albergues are more expensive – 12 Euros pp.

A bed in private albergue costs between 17-22 Euros on average. In the Basque Country on the Camino del Norte, private albergues are more expensive, we paid 22-27 Euros on average. Fancier albergues cost 25+ Euros but those are really comfortable with bigger beds with curtains, individual lockers, bedding, towels, etc.

If you want to know how much it costs to walk the Camino de Santiago check out our post the cost of walking the Camino. There you can find a detailed budget breakdown, money-saving tips, and a comparison of the cost of different Camino routes.

Public albergues and their rules

These rules can vary a bit depending on an albergue, Camino route, and time of the year but overall they’re pretty standard for all public albergues.

Public albergues can’t be booked in advance; they work on the principle of first come first serve.

You can stay at a public albergue only for one night. There might be exclusion e.g. if you feel unwell.

The check-in is after 1 pm or later. Pilgrims who arrive earlier usually start queuing in front of the entrance. It’s not necessary to do out-of-season or on less popular Camino routes but on busy routes like the French Camino in the peak season, it’s the way to secure a bed.

The entrance doors close at 10 pm. If you’re out and come back later you might not be able to get inside. Always make sure to be back before closing time.

Lights in dormitories go off at 10.30 pm. Nobody will force you to sleep if you don’t want. You can read or watch something on your phone but you can’t switch on the light in the dormitory.

The check-out time is 8 am. Everybody has to be out by that time.

A line of backpacks at the entrance of a public albergue in Pamplona, Camino Frances

Are albergues open all year round?

The majority of municipal albergues on the Camino are open from Easter week to November. There are some albergues that stay open in the winter months most of them are on the popular Camino routes such as the French Way or the Portuguese Camino. If you walk the Camino between April and October you can be sure that most of the public albergues will be open. The only exception is the Camino del Norte in the Basque Country most of the public albergues are open only in the peak season between July and September.

Private albergues might open earlier or close later it depends on the route and the number of people that walk it off-season. Almost all private and public albergues are closed during the Christmas holiday between the 15th and 31st of December. If you decide to walk the Camino in December I’d recommend staying for Christmas in a bigger city where hotels and hostels stay open for holidays.

Walking the Camino in winter you might struggle to find open public albergues but on the bright side, private rooms in hotels and guest houses are significantly cheaper off-season. If you stay every other night at a hotel it won’t break your budget.

If you have questions about the pilgrimage on the Way of St.James you might find answers in our Camino de Santiago FAQ post.

What do you need to stay in albergues?

To be able to check in to any albergue you’ll need a passport or an ID (for EU citizens). 

To stay in public albergues every pilgrim needs a Credential (a pilgrim’s passport) with stamps. It proves that you’re walking (cycling) the Camino. Every pilgrim collects stamps at every place he/she stays along the route. At the end of the pilgrimage, you’ll need your Credential for getting the Compostela certificate in Santiago. To stay in private albergues the Credential is usually not required.

Our Credentials with stamps from different albergues on the Northern Camino

Useful items to have for staying in albergues

A light sleeping bag or a sleeping bag liner. Some places provide blankets some don’t. Some don’t have bedding. I prefer to have my own sleeping bag rather than sleeping on a mattress or under a blanket used by many people.

A headlamp. It is very useful to have one if you want to read after the lights go off, need to find something in your backpack in the dark, or pack and leave early in the morning.

A quick-dry towel. You don’t get towels in public albergues, some private albergues offer towels for an extra cost.

Flip-flops. These are great to change into after walking the whole day in your shoes.

A small combination lock. Many albergues have lockers but don’t have locks. You need one to lock your valuables.

A foldable backpack. If you go out you can take your phone/wallet/etc. with you.

You can find more details on what to pack for the Camino for different seasons for men and women in our Camino de Santiago packing list post.

Pros and cons of staying in albergues

If you’re a seasoned backpacker and have experience staying at hostels, sleeping in dorm rooms with 10-20 other people, and using shared facilities, staying at albergues won’t be new for you. If you’ve never stayed in dormitories before it might be quite challenging to do it every day for weeks. 

Pros

The obvious advantage of albergues is the price, it’s the cheapest accommodation option on the Camino, especially public albergues that charge 10 Euros per person which significantly reduces the cost of the Camino, especially on longer routes.

Albergues are great places to meet people if you walk the Camino alone. You’ll always find someone to talk to, to cook with, or go out. 

Staying at albergues is an important part of the Camino culture. Even if it’s not your cup of tea I suggest staying for a night or two just for the experience. 

Cons

The main con is the lack of privacy. You don’t get to be alone in albergues. You share a room, a bathroom, and a kitchen with other pilgrims. 

Another important problem is not getting decent sleep. The more people in the dormitory the more difficult it is to sleep; some pilgrims get up very early before 5 am and start packing, some snore quite loudly, etc. It’s almost guaranteed that at least every second night you’ll get a snorer in your room. Earplugs are a useful item to have.

Theft is another drawback of albergues. We personally have never had anything stolen in albergues but we’ve heard some stories of money, phones, and other valuables stolen from dormitories. My tip is never leave your valuables unattended in the dormitory, use a locker or take them with.

Communal dinner at a private albergue for donation on the Camino del Norte

Staying in hotels on the Camino

It’s possible to stay in a private room every night on the Camino. Most of the routes have plenty of hotels and guesthouses. It’s much more comfortable but will work out a lot more expensive than staying in albergues. If you’re going to walk for a week or so the difference won’t be that significant but if you’re planning to walk for a month it’ll make a big difference.

Prices of private rooms vary. On average you pay 35-40 Euros for a budget single room and 45-50 Euros for a double. It’s cheaper to stay in a private room if you’re two people as you can see the price difference between a single and a double room is not that big.

If your budget allows I suggest staying in private room every once in a while. We usually stay in private at least once a week sometimes more often if we can find a well-priced place. It’s really nice to have some privacy. Some private albergues have single and double rooms. Private rooms with shared facilities (shower, toilet) are cheaper than the ensuite ones.

A budget private room in one of the guesthouses on the Camino Frances

Camping on the Camino

People often ask us about the possibility of camping on the Camino. If you want to do it for the sake of saving money it’s not worth it. Unless you’re planning to do wild camping which is not allowed in many places in Spain in particular on the beaches. Public albergues are the best and the cheapest way of accommodation on the Camino. To pay 10 Euros to sleep in a bed, to have a hot shower, electricity, and a kitchen is not bad.

If you really love camping and rather sleep in your tent at a campsite than in a dormitory then you’ll have to do some planning. On some routes, we did see quite a few campsites e.g. the Coastal Route of the Portuguese Camino. Some have barely any e.g. the Via de la Plata. Before you decide to pack a tent make sure that the chosen Camino has enough camping spots to make it worth carrying extra weight.

Bedbugs in albergues

From our Camino experience, I can definitely say that walking early in the season reduces your chances of getting bedbugs in albergues. Many albergues close for winter, and before reopening in spring they do an annual cleaning.

Bedbugs can be easily carried by one person from albergue to albergue hiding in a sleeping bag, backpack, etc. You can get them anywhere but some albergues are famous for having bed bugs. If you want to make sure you skip such places check reviews on Gronze. If there are several people complaining about bed bugs I’d rather not stay there.

Bed bugs usually hide in wooden cracks, under mattresses, etc. Albergues with tile floors, metal beds, rubber mattresses and pillow casings might look not very comfortable but your chances of having bed bugs there are smaller. Places with old wooden floors and beds, wool blankets, and old mattresses are perfect spots for bedbugs.

Out of the eleven Camino de Santiago routes, I’ve walked I’ve had a bedbug problem only on the French Camino. I walked it in September after thousands of pilgrims had already walked it that year. I was terribly bitten in one private albergue for donation. A couple of times my friends had bedbugs in different albergues but nothing extreme. 

Bed bug bites are different from mosquito bites. Bed bugs usually bite in a line following the vein. Their bites are very itchy, some people are allergic to them. If you wake up in the morning and see a row of bites you can be sure you were bitten by bed bugs. In this case make sure to check your sleeping bag, clothes, backpack, etc.

How to deal with bed bugs?

Once you find your bed, lift a sheet/a mattress quickly. If there are many bed bugs you’ll be able to see them. These guys are not very fast like many people think.

Don’t put your backpack on the bed.

Always keep your backpack closed away from your bed. I put a rain cover over it for the night to make sure bed bugs won’t get in.

Some people carry bed bug spray and spray it on their beds and sleeping bag. I, personally, have never used it therefore I can’t say if it really works or not.

In the morning always check your sleeping bag (if you use it).

Camino planning resources

Questions or Comments?

Got any questions or comments? We would love to help! All questions and comments will be answered by us personally in Buy Me a Coffee. Click below and ask away.

Feel free to support our site by buying us a coffee!

The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.

Източник за тази статия

Наши спонсори са:

Български трактори на добри цени при изключително качество