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Will done Liz
What changed have you made exactly ? I can't find the Albergue you mentioned on the new version.
I am looking at doing this next year having done the French Camino for the last two years. The information and attention to detail is amazing. Thank you and Buen Camino
Hi Liz,
Thanks again for making such a wonderful document, I used it everyday on the Primitivo
Here are some notes I made, mainly about the albergues I stayed at, but hopefully it will help with your terrific resource:
Getting to Oviedo
The closest airport to Oviedo is Asturias Airport and Easyjet currently fly direct from London Stansted twice weekly. The flight time is 1.5hr and Asturias airport is a ~40 min bus ride (Alsa is the company, €8) from Oviedo. The bus terminal at the airport is just outside the arrivals terminal slightly to the right and departs the airport on the hour. It dropped me off at the bus terminal in Oviedo which is about a 10 min walk from the center.
Alternatively you could fly to Bilbao, then bus to Oviedo. Or fly into Santiago, train to A Coruna then bus to Oviedo.
Oviedo
Tourist Info Centre - corner of the Campo San Francisco park & there is also one near the Plaza del Fontan.
I booked a cheap and central hostal for €25 on booking.com and made my way there (Hostal Alvarez).
Naranco by bus from Uria Street – A2 goes there and A1 comes back, €1.05 each way and about a 10 min journey.
Cathedral of San Salvador (€3 entry), pilgrim passport (€2.50)
San Juan de Villapanada Albergue
Has a kitchen, fridge, 1 shower for women and 1 for men, lovely views, place around the back to hang clothes. No food or restaurants nearby, need to buy food at Grado and bring to the albergue.
Bodenaya Albergue
One of the best albergue experiences I've ever had because of the lovely hospitalero Alex. He does your washing, cooks a delicious dinner and makes you feel at home.
Santa Maria de Obona Monastery
Your notes mention there is a bar & shop but I never saw this (it's possibly further on than the monastery). The detour is off a forest track and was quite muddy but worth it to visit the monastery. There's a picnic table opposite the monastery which provides a nice rest in the shade and a spot to eat lunch.
Campiello - Albergue Casa Herminia
The price was €23 for a bed in the albergue including dinner and breakfast (I think it was €13 without the meals). The meals were enormous and very delicious. (There's no kitchen to cook your own dinner, but there was another bar opposite also serving food).
Berducedo - Albergue Privado Camino Antiguo
Has 2 rooms, one with 5 single beds, and the other a dorm room with about 10 bunks. The hospitalero took our hand-washed clothes and out them in a spin-dry machine so they dried nicely overnight. There was some confusion over the price but I was charged €12, not 15 as I was expecting.
Grandas de Salime - Albergue de Peregrinos El Salvador
Your notes mention that some people say this albergue is awful… I think it may have undergone some renovations as it was very modern. Upstairs is divided into 2 dorm rooms with I think about 12 bunks on each side. There are plugs to charge electronics in the middle of the each room.
Fonsagrada - Albergue Cantabrico
A very modern albergue, each bunk bed has its own lamp and electricity outlet. There was a large kitchen, coin-operated washing machines and dryers, a boot-dryer (like in ski resorts), wifi, and a pension above the albergue.
Castroverde - Albergue Juvenil de Peregrinos
Another very modern albergue with heaps of indoor and outdoor seating. No washing machine or dryer, they do have wash basins and a drying "room" but very hard to dry clothes on a wet/damp evening. Also has a lovely big kitchen, but no kitchen utensils, so you would literally need to bring your own pots and pans in order to cook anything.
Lugo - Alternative accommodation
· Hotel Espana, €25 for a single room (pilgrim rate), terrific location just outside the roman gate to the cathedral
· Hotel Monumento Pazo de Orban, €88 for a single room (pilgrim rate), terrific location near the cathedral inside the roman walls
· Balneario Hotel de Lugo, €80 (Sat night price on a festival evening, so I'm sure you can get a cheaper rate), this is the hotel built on top of the roman baths, it's about a 15-20 minute walk uphill to get into Lugo city.
San Roman de Retorta - Albergue O Candido
The owner, Nito, asks what you would like to eat when you arrive and everyone decides the time that they would like to eat. I wasn't very well so I just had the lentil soup, but everyone was having 3 course meals of salads, chicken, fish, pasta, vegetables with potatoes (for the vegetarians), and these meals were cooked by his family and brought to the albergue. There was a bar about 1km before the albergue but I didn't go inside so I'm not sure if they did meals, but there was no bar/restaurant where these 2 albergues are.
Salceda - Pousada de Salceda
I still wasn't very well so I stayed in the private rooms here for €30, but there is an albergue attached. The private room was stunning, a very modern room in an old converted stone building. There was a restaurant and bar on the property and the dinners looked amazing.
Santiago de Compostela - San Martin Pinario Hospederia
This hospederia is opposite the cathedral so you really couldn't get a better location (unless you were spending 5 times the amount to stay in the Parador). It's a former pilgrim hospital and now the 4th floor is pilgrim rooms whereas the other floors are hotel rooms. A single pilgrim room with private bathroom is €23 and this includes the enormous buffet breakfast. This is my favourite place to stay in Santiago but it does get busy so you may need to call ahead and make a reservation. (I'm a firm believer of sharing information but I hope I'll still be able to get in)
kat
Wonderfull! I'm starting 3th of april already, was looking for moree information and find this... !!!
Big thanks for guide!
Thank you for the information! I am going to start June 8th, 2015.. A bit nervous with all the woman safety issues I have been reading about. IS this like the Camino frances where I can literally just pack my bag and go….because that is what I am doing.
How is it going? I ended up doing a vipassana first and am leaving in the next few days?
Liz - thank you SO much for putting this guide together and sharing it. I leave in two weeks (starting in Pamplona) and this is a great help to get me to Santiago & Finisterre!
CaesarI've just downloaded your guide Liz and must thank you for the hard work you've put in. I'm just starting planning my Camino for this May and the detailed information is a great help. Thanks again
Make sure you check out the information on Gronze or Eroski Consumer because I last updated it in August 2015. I think there are a few new albergues and such. Liz
Thank you for creating a resource. I am planning to come in a few days and haven't settled upon a route. Since so many comments say the heat is fierce in June I'm trying to find a camino with a lot of leaves. Some, I see on other threads, have been dismissive of people who ask this question about shade, yet i ask it anyway. The traditional route appeals to me but I have to guard against over exposure to bright sunlight. Is the primitivo significantly more shaded - if you have walked the CF and know? Thanks for responding.
