See also:
- Dangers on the Camino de Santiago
What to be careful of when doing the Camino de Santiago - When to Do the Camino de Santiago
What time of year is best to do the Camino? - Camino de Santiago Guide
All the content on this site about the Camino de Santiago
A Typical Day on the Camino de Santiago
6.30am - 8am The early birds tend to start to rise at 6.30am, but I usually enjoyed a little more time in bed. Some albergues offered a breakfast but it was normally overpriced and poor quality and I wasn't normally hungry enough that early.
8am - 3pm The exact length of each day's walking depends greatly from person to person, stage to stage and other uncontrollable factors (such as fatigue level or simply mood). I would normally walk for the first hour or two eating a little fruit and a pastry or cake that I had bought the previous evening, before stopping at the first cafe of the day. Most other pilgrims did the same and it was rare that I would be the only pilgrim at the bar.
Spain's best value food can be found at lunchtime, but unfortunately you won't be ready for a big lunch yet. Walking on a full stomach is very difficult, so you'll just have a snack for lunch. Sometimes i would buy bread and some ham or cheese to make myself some lunch, other times I would buy a 'bocadillo' (a filled bread roll).
3pm - 7pm When you've arrived at your albergue, you may feel you have the whole day ahead of you still, but you'll be amazed how quickly this time passes. Once you've had a shower, tended to any new blisters, washed your clothes and made your bed, it'll be time to go out to the shop to get provisions for the next morning.
7pm-9pm Though the Spanish normally eat later than this, most 'pilgrim towns' have bars or restaurants that put on a special meal for pilgrims (menu del peregrino) that is a little earlier. As most pilgrims don't eat much for lunch, this is is great - everyone is starving and eager to get to bed early.
9pm - 10pm Back at the albergue, it's time to pack your bags again for the next morning and then get into bed. Even the night owls among us found that staying up any later than 10pm was generally impossible. There's a long day ahead tomorrow.
Typical Day for a Pilgrim - the Summer Months
The major differences in the summer are the heat and the higher number of pilgrims. Both these factors shift everything back by a few hours. This helps to both avoid the excessive heat and help guarantee you get a bed at the hostel you want.In summer, most pilgrims will have left the albergue by 6am, many much earlier. You will be several hours until the cafes start to open, so make sure you have food with you. The one advantage of leaving so early is that you should make it to your destination in time for lunch.
After a siesta to compensate for the loss of sleep in the morning, you will be back on the above schedule again for the evening.
