Camino del Norte starting from Santander

[Mmmm]

Hello, travellers!

I am going to start my long-awaited Camino from Santander exactly a month from now and I can't say how excited I am about this! =)
Based on my friends' suggestions I am planning to follow the Camino del Norte trail from Santander and turn to Camino Primitivo before Gijon for the last part.

Searching through forums, I have come across an albergue in Santander that is located at Calle Ruamayor, 9.
Has anyone been there and could suggest the best way to there from the airport?
I would highly appreciate your help!

Best wishes,
Mart

 

[Castilian]

Alsa has a frequent bus service from Santander airport to downtown Santander. Once in the Plaza de las Estaciones (where the bus from the airport should leave you), calle ruamayor is just a short walk away (ask once on the ground for directions).

http://www.alsa.es/en

 

[peregrino_tom]

Mart, Castilian has it right. Plenty of buses from the airport into town and the albergue is less than 10 mins walk from the bus terminus. The albergue might be a bit of a shock to the system if it's your first one, as it is very popular and they've squeezed in a lot of bunk beds, so it is more cramped than most.
Buen camino, tom

 

[Jan_D]

Yeah you'll find it very easily if you look on google maps, it's only a few minutes from the bus station (more specifically: turn onto Calle Isabelle II, and you'll soon see a flight of stairs on your left. The albergue is just to the left at the top of the stairs!)

And just so you know, the albergue reception is only open from 3pm to 10pm!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I have come across an albergue in Santander that is located at Calle Ruamayor, 9.

If I may, don't stay there. It's a small flat on top of a bar with 1 tiny bathroom for 40 beds or so, one next to the other. If you can, why not walk to Albertue Santa Cruz in Besana which is said to have a wonderful athmosphere. If you really want to stay at this albergue in Santander, it's a 3 minute walk from the train station, easy to get to.

 

[jpflavin1]

If I may, don't stay there. It's a small flat on top of a bar with 1 tiny bathroom for 40 beds or so, one next to the other. If you can, why not walk to Albertue Santa Cruz in Besana which is said to have a wonderful athmosphere. If you really want to stay at this albergue in Santander, it's a 3 minute walk from the train station, easy to get to.

I second this recommendation. I have stayed at Santa Cruz de Bezana. The Albergue is their home. Meals are included and eaten with the family. Breakfast too. She will also provide mapping for the next day. A Camino gem.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Jane Ginter]

We stayed there in March and it was undergoing renovation so it was a bit of a mess. It may be in better shape now.

 

[jpflavin1]

We stayed there in March and it was undergoing renovation so it was a bit of a mess. It may be in better shape now.

Stayed where?

 

[angelafinnigan]

Hello, travellers!

I am going to start my long-awaited Camino from Santander exactly a month from now and I can't say how excited I am about this! =)
Based on my friends' suggestions I am planning to follow the Camino del Norte trail from Santander and turn to Camino Primitivo before Gijon for the last part.

Searching through forums, I have come across an albergue in Santander that is located at Calle Ruamayor, 9.
Has anyone been there and could suggest the best way to there from the airport?
I would highly appreciate your help!

Best wishes,
Mart

I stayed there a few weeks ago and the lady was not very helpful. Also the bathroom situation was shabby, broken shower and tiny so you can hardly move, with many pilgrims sharing one bathroom. Very convenient location however. Angela

 

[Mmmm]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

The albergue at Santa Cruz de Bezana actually seems an even better place as I should be able to make it over there from the airport by the afternoon. Sounds like a perfect place to start my camino =)
Is the correct address Avenida Santa Cruz, 22?

 

[jpflavin1]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

The albergue at Santa Cruz de Bezana actually seems an even better place as I should be able to make it over there from the airport by the afternoon. Sounds like a perfect place to start my camino =)
Is the correct address Avenida Santa Cruz, 22?

That is correct. Nieves the home owner is great. One of my favorite stops on the Norte.

There is a bar across the street and an Eroski store about a block away if you need to re-supply.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Is the correct address Avenida Santa Cruz, 22?

Yup, here is all the info you need: http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergue-la-santa-cruz

 

[Mmmm]

Tomorrow evening I will take off from Tallinn and start my camino at noon on Sunday from Santander. I am so happy that the long waiting and preparation time is finally over and now it's just to start enjoying the journey!

Thanks for all of your great tips and other posts on this forum! It's really useful to get a feel of what to expect out there and plan the trip in a much better way.

I hope to meet a lot of interesting people on the way and pick up a bit of Spanish in the process. Let the adventure begin! =)

 

[nedspencer]

Hi
Seen above info and planning to use Santa Cruz de le Bezana as my first night's stop. I arrive at Santander airport in the morning (10:30) - would you walk directly from the airport or bus in to Santander and start from there?
Ned

 

[Mmmm]

Hi
Seen above info and planning to use Santa Cruz de le Bezana as my first night's stop. I arrive at Santander airport in the morning (10:30) - would you walk directly from the airport or bus in to Santander and start from there?
Ned

Hi Ned and welcome!

It's a really nice camino from Santander and even better if you manage to avoid the heatwaves!

I decided to take a bus myself to Santander to get a credential first as I wasn't sure the albergue in Santa Cruz would have these on offer. If you already have it, then the distance would be shorter to go directly from the airport.
I would suggest to check the location closely as me and several others didn't notice the signs from the original camino track (there were clear signs to one other albergue in Santa Cruz, which was closed that day) and passed by all the way to Boo de Pilagos. The one in Boo is also a really nice and clean place with very friendly owners.

Buen camino!

 

[Walking Viking]

Hello, travellers!

I am going to start my long-awaited Camino from Santander exactly a month from now and I can't say how excited I am about this! =)
Based on my friends' suggestions I am planning to follow the Camino del Norte trail from Santander and turn to Camino Primitivo before Gijon for the last part.

Searching through forums, I have come across an albergue in Santander that is located at Calle Ruamayor, 9.
Has anyone been there and could suggest the best way to there from the airport?
I would highly appreciate your help!

Best wishes,
Mart

Mart,

If there is any way you could plan to start your camino and include the albergue at Guemes, you will never regret it. The overnight at the Albergue La Cabana del Abuelo Peuto, just outside Guemes, is, in my humble opinion, the true essence of the concept of the refuge on the del Norte. On arrival, the greeters there help you take off your gear, give you a drink of water, sign you in, show you to your room, provide a wonderful lunch, and introduce you to their home and the wonderful grounds with all the ammenities you could want. After lunch, everybody is invited to explore the facility, which has many, many areas to sit and contemplate your existance. After the break, around 9:00 PM, they provide a great dinner. In the morning, again, another meal, they provide a breakfast and ensure everybody is on there way with a full belly and well rested. The cost? A donation. Whatever you want to give. The entire facility, privately owned and run by Father Alberto Bustio, is made available to all pilgrims. There is no other albergue, hotel, pension or hostal that can compare with this experience. Do a little research. The albergue is world wide famous for pilgrims and it can provide a bed for up to 70.

This excerpt from a travel site pretty much says it all:

"It is 500 meters off the road;well signposted detour. Perhaps one of the most welcoming and friendly hostels of The North Road, thanks to its own Father Ernesto Bustio, inveterate traveler and tenacious worker towards a more just world. Every day at 8 pm, he meets with pilgrims in the magnificent library to give a brief talk which addresses several themes: the origins of the hostel, the different alternatives to reach Santander the next day, and a critical to environmental abuses in the territory (runaway urban growth and replacement of native forests by eucalyptus plantations). It also makes a defense of the Way as a creative journey. Moreover, the hostel does not receive subsidies of any kind."

Santander, to me, was just another big city. Guemes, was a life changing event. The stage from the albergue at Guemes to Santander is less than 12 km (7.5 miles, a short hike and a ferry boat). Some of my fellow walkers bypassed Santander and went on to Penacastillo and Santa Cruz de Bezano I found out later. Were I to do the del Norte again, I would do the same. A bus ride on ALSA from the Santander airport to any of the towns on The Way east of Guemes (Argonos, Noja) would make a short stage to Guemes.

Please, please don't miss this experience.

WW

The path to the albergue


The entrance to the albergue at Guemes


My favorite quiet place to sit and meditate