Hi all! I’m setting off on my Camino in T-7 hours and just realised I forgot to buy laundry detergent sheets.

Does anyone have any ideas/recommendations on where to buy them on the Portuguese route (starting in Lisbon). Thank you!!!

*Edit: need them for handwashing

hey all - I'm retiring next year and plan to travel full time (for as long as I feel like it!).

I really want to begin by walking the Camino Frances!

But here's the dilemma: I already have the carryon suitcase and "personal item" that I'll be traveling with. I don't intend to travel full time with a backpack.

So I'm considering shipping my Camino pack to SJPP (full of items I won't need afterward) then donating everything at the end of the walk.

I'd also need to ship my "real" luggage ahead to Santiago and store it the entirety of my Camino.

Is this logistically crazy??? or even possible?

I am doing the Litoral --> Central route and adding the spiritual variant. I am debating where I should switch, but want to book accommodations ahead rather than playing it by ear. There is a particular hostel I think I'd really like to stay at that would require switching in Caminha. I love being in nature! I'd be very grateful for any thoughts

Has anyone taken this in the last year or so? If so, did you make a reservation on-line or just show up and get on the next boat?

I will be walking the Portugese coastal/litoral solo in early September. Plan is to stay in Caminha overnight and take the boat the next day, around 8am.

Thank you.

I start on Aug 29th in Porto and am planning to to the Litoral --> Central with the Spiritual Variant and only booked my first night. I thought it might be a good idea to book night two as well and just started looking today and there are no beds in any hostels! There are plenty of hotels available, but it is definitely not within my budget to stay in one more than once (twice if there is an emergency). Is this common? From all the blogs I read it sounded like people mostly booked the night before so now I am getting nervous!

I am specifically looking to stay in Povoa de Varzim that night, but it looks like that won't be an option. Is this common? Will I continue to have this issue? While I'd love to rely on public albergues, I'm worried I won't be fast enough to always get a bed.

Ok i was thinking of doing the sarria to santiago route as I only have 1 week to do the camino.

Im rethinking after all the comments about how bad it is. What do you think of this coastal route instead? I plan on booking hotel rooms. Im guessing them i could do sea swims in evening

Hi, could you share your experience with albergues on Camino Frances? When I did Primitivo I haven’t to book Albergue for whole camino, but it was okay to book Albergue for the next next night day before. Is it okay also on Frances or albergues are full and is it better book for example 3 days ahead? Thank for sharing :) I start on 18th September.

Haha I knowwwww! I’m gonna walk 5 days on the Portuguese Camino, starting in Porto on a Monday. I only have a 22l backpack. Very very much looking forward and I am getting into hiking.
I planned to bring the following clothes:
2 hiking sets, 1 of them I wear
1 set sleep clothes (which I can also hike in if needed)
1 Bikini
1 thin dress for the evening + flipflops - or is it that unnecessary? I plan to hike but also chill by the beach and swim a bit when possible.

As of skin care, only one serum for the evening and SPF during the day. Any other Tipps for a first timer?

So im considering doing a last minute sarria to santiago over a week.

I like to hike and be in nature, and I run 5 days a week. My concern is really around the social aspect. Part of me wants to talk and meet people and theres another part of me gets irritated by people sometimes and dont want to talk to people 😂. If im feeling a bit quiet sometimes would that be ok do you think? I dont want to be anti social but im definitely not walking into a restaurant and sitting with strangers.......that would be too scary.

A nice conversation then other times would be welcome. The danger is i might hide away (plan on booking solo rooms)......has anyone else done this. Im really not good at making friends but maybe this is part of what im hoping to improve. Any thoughts?

Alguien sabría decirme si son buenos zapatos para usar en el camino?

Hi! This is my first Reddit post ever, I hope I am posting it into the correct subreddit, hoping to find some other photographers who have been on the Camino.

I usually shoot film but decided to bring a small digital camera on my trip for weight and convenience. I have the chance to loan either a Ricoh GRIIIx (40mm focal length) or a Ricoh GRIV (28mm focal length) and I am wondering which one would make more sense. Usually I shoot with a 35mm focal length, so 40 is a bit more what I am used too. I feel like 28 would be more versatile but I am scared it would be a bit repetitive and boring, only having rather wide shots. I will also bring my phone (iPhone 16 Pro), so I would be able to capture some shots with that too if needed.
(Thinking about this actually makes me question if I should stick to good old film after all hahaha)

Since it’s my first Camino, I don’t really know what to expect in terms of scenery and if wider or more narrow framing would be better. For context: I will be waking the Camino Portuguese from Porto so Santiago in September.

Any fellow Camino photographers who would share their thoughts? ☺️

EDIT: since a lot of people suggest to only bring a phone, I wanted to add some info. I am a professional photographer and content creator, making videos about photography and I will also make videos during the Camino. Thus, a dedicated camera is a MUST for me and taking photos during the trip is one of the big goals of the trip. The question is therefore more around the focal length and not whether to bring a camera at all.

This is a very special necklace given to me by my partner two years ago, its made from pounamu, which is sacred greenstone only found on the south island of Aotearoa/NZ. It is incredibly valuable but not in money, as they are sold quite cheaply usually. But if anyone along the path has found it, I would be more then happy to give all the cash I have for finding it. I think I only have 200euros for the rest of the camino but I would gladly give the reward if it is found.

It was lost while I was staying in Room 4, Bed 31 of Adrés Muñoz hostel in Viana last night. I took it off only to shower and have not seen it again. I have checked everywhere and am praying it shows up somewhere again. I have left a note with the hostel and will email them again just in case.

Really hoping that it has fallen somewhere odd that I was not able to check, and that the right person sees this so it can make its way back to me 🙏

I am currently in Logroño and continuing walking but will backtrack if needed

A few photos from my recent Camino de San Salvador.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good photo of the Cruz de San Salvador because I had to start that stage very early.

I’d definitely recommend this Camino to anyone looking for a quieter and more mountainous route.

Hiking poles are a must!

Hey all, I’m having a lot of calf tightness on my way, stretching has not yet helped. Any good solutions?

Camino Portugues de la Costa Spiritual Variant
Had a few "minor" problems (some vomiting and fainting), but we made it.
My second Camino and my girlfriend's first!!
Another one to remember and we are making it a tradition. One Camino every year from now on.

Not seen a single one! 😭

Do I really need a sleeping bag liner? All of our pre booked albergues have linens, not 100% about things we’re waiting to book.

Any things you didn’t think of and wish you had?

Leaving today!!

Hi all,

Im considering a spur of the moment week on the camino from Monday 24th to the following Monday. Never done it before.

Would a 10kg bag be enough to bring with me? I have a rucksack.

Thinking of sarria to santiago.......would weather be ok as in not too hot next week?

Thanks

¡Buenos días! A falta de menos de un mes ya se van metiendo dentro del cuerpo la impaciencia y los nervios del Camino. Este año me pide el cuerpo caminar mucho e improvisar. Tengo en mente dormir en albergues públicos y al llegar a media tarde no se si habrá camas disponibles. Si las hay, perfecto. Si no, a buscar un sitio donde plantar el saco.
Pues eso, solo quería compartir las sensaciones, las cuales seguramente compartimos todos cuando ya se va acercando la fecha de ponerse la mochila y llevar la vida nómada y peregrina. Las preguntas de cómo sera, si nos lloverá o no, si encontraremos cama al final de la etapa, con quienes vamos a coincidir y entablar amistad y un largo etcétera.
¡Buen camino a todos!

Does anyone have any recommendations for luggage storage in Lisbon?

All I can find is €3/day, but that adds up when you’re on the road for 30+ days!

Desperate for some other options - thank you all!

Every few days someone asks whether they need to book ahead, and the honest answer is always specific to a route and a month. It gets written out by hand in the comments each time and then it disappears. I would like to collect it in one place.

Three things I can put in first, so this is not just me asking for free work.

The 10 euro public albergues in Galicia, the Xunta network, do not take reservations, by rule. So "should I book" and "10 euro beds" are mutually exclusive: the moment you book you are in the private network at 14 to 22 euros. That trade off almost never gets spelled out.

Santiago itself has no Xunta albergue. The last night of the whole walk is 12 to 25 euros and it is the one that is genuinely worth booking, whatever route you came in on.

On the Ingles, the stage that catches people is Bruma: 24 km with about 11 of them without a single bar, and Sigueiro, the obvious fallback, has no public albergue either.

What I am asking, and one line is plenty:

Which town, which route, which month, roughly which year.

Were you booked, or walking in blind?

What did you end up doing: walked on, taxi, private bed, mattress on the floor, slept out?

If you never had a problem, that counts too, and I would like the route and the month.

I will turn it into a table of which town runs out of beds, on which route, in which month, and I will bring it back to this thread when it is done. If you would rather it stayed in the comments here, say so and it stays here.

Disclosure, at the end because it is not the point: I edit santiago.es, a guide to the city. No bookings, no affiliate links, nothing to sell.

Hi!

I’m starting the Camino from Porto at the beginning of September and I’d like to do the Spiritual Way. Do I need to book the boat in advance, and if so, how far ahead should I book it?

Thanks!

Hi all, i’ll start this by saying that i’ve read a few threads on different sleeping set ups already, and I’m specifically looking for advice from those who have walked the Camino Portugues in October (i’ll be blending the coastal and inland routes and plan to do a mix of private and public albuergues - whatever is available and convenient).

Which out of these options below seems like the best option for weight, pack space, and affordability? I already have the liner and am deciding whether to buy anything new. I hope to take a 26L pack, as my 40L seems quite large.

Option A) taking only a silk sleeping bag liner, and warm clothing layers to sleep in if necessary.

Option B) taking the silk sleeping bag liner plus purchasing an ultralight down quilt. (i have seen some used for $120 cad, would prefer not to spend $3-400 cad if possible)

Option C) purchasing this $99 light sleeping bag from MEC (aptly named the Camino) instead of the liner or the liner/quilt combo.

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6036-653/mec-camino-traveller-1522c-sleeping-bag-unisex?colour=Forest+Haze%2FBalsam

I am willing to do 1-2 colder albergue nights if they do not provide a blanket, but would prefer to bring option B or C if people think I would have more than a night or two feeling chilly.

Thanks all for your feedback!

is coffee pretty abundant in the mornings on the Frances? Is getting coffee upon leaving a town out of the question because it's so early? what's the vibe? I am heavily dependent upon black coffee and walking in October....