Dotted along the pilgrim routes at convenient intervals of 10 – 20 km are pilgrim hostels.

Called albergues de peregrines, hostales  or refugios.

Accommodation is usually in bunk beds in dormitories with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. At busy times overflow accommodation is provided on mattresses on the floor. They do not take bookings and fill up on a first come first served basis. To use them you have to be walking, cycling or travelling by horse, and preference is given to walkers.

In the busy summer months of July and August the albergues fill up fast especially over the last 100km where people are just doing the minimum distance to get a Compostela.

In order to stay in an albergue you must have a Credencial del Peregrino. They don’t open until early afternoon and you must leave by 8.00am. There is a 10.00pm curfew after which the doors are locked and no one can enter. Unless you have a medical certificate you can stay only one night.

The cost is between 6 and 10 euros per bed per night. There are a few hostels known as ‘donativos’ that operate on voluntary donations. Some albergues provide meals.

Albergues are economical and an excellent way to meet and socialise with fellow walkers.  Because you don’t have a pre-booked destination to get to, they also give you the flexibility to adjust how far you want to walk each day depending on conditions, injuries, illness etc. Often they are located in interesting and historic buildings.

They also have the usual disadvantages of communal arrangements: sleep disturbed by loud snorers, not enough hot water for showers, bed bugs etc.

At the busiest times and over the last 100km, each day can tend to become a race to get to the next albergue with people leaving earlier and earlier in the morning: 6am, then 5am, then 4am !

Albergues fit into one of six categories:
Municipal: owned by the local authority, basic with limited facilities
Parish: owned by the local church and run by the parish priest, informal and have a communal meal
Convent or monastery: owned and run by nuns or monks
Association: owned by Spanish or other national confraternities, well equipped, run by volunteers
Network: private hostels formed into a loose association, well equipped and all a similar standard
Private: private hostels not in an association, more flexible with hours and facilities and of variable standards.

We have decided not to use albergues but to stay in pre-booked three star hotels. We have used back packer accommodation in the past but decided at our age we just liked our privacy, peaceful sleep and not having to search around for accommodation at the end of each day.