Late May start

[Mwlegault]

I will be starting the Camino Frances on May 28th in St Jean. Can anyone share info about what the late May - June traffic is like on the Camino at that time? Thank you.

 

[Robo]

If you look at the Pilgrim Stats. in May and June this year there were about 6,000 starting from St Jean / month. June was only slightly lower than May.

I stand corrected. They arrived in Santiago in those months having started in St Jean. So we need to correct for that.

Keeping the numbers simple and allowing 30 days to walk. ie, they started the month prior to arrival.
St Jean departures look like this for 2024.

April. 6,571
May 6,070
June 3,256

So it looks like it starts to fall off in June. Probably gradually through the month.

But how busy is busy?

Maybe someone who walked during that period this year could comment?

Statistics | Pilgrim's welcome office

oficinadelperegrino.com

Let's look at Sarria starts, as you hit that on the final 100kms.
Taking start and finish month as the same.

April 13,399
May 19,045
June 18,798
July 19,058

And then these are only the stats for those collecting a Compostela.
And some will have started and not finished.
So as you can appreciate, it's a bit of crystal ball gazing really.

But some months are clearly busier than others.

 

[trecile]

In my opinion it's a great time to walk. The early May crowds are well ahead of you and there are still plenty of poppies and other wildflowers along the way. I joined the Francés from the Aragonés just before Puente la Reina in the last week of May this year and never had a problem getting a bed, and neither did those who I met along the way. In fact one evening in a town about 11 km past León I was the only pilgrim in the albergue!

 

[CWBuff]

I walked 2st May to 25th June in 2022.
Initially booked through Pamplona then, somewhat giving in to the "crowd hype" further out. At the time it did look to me like there were lots of people but in retrospect it probably wasn't that bad.
It definitely got better I say after Puenta la Reigna.
Looks like the numbers have been steadily climbing up in the 2 years passed so hopefully someone with more recent experience will chime in.

Good luck and Buen Camino

 

[falconbrother]

My wife and I walked from late May to early July from SJPDP and ending in Santiago. It was a wonderful time!!! Just reserve your first like, 4 nights and after that it thins out. Beautiful weather!!!!! I'd do that again in a heartbeat. Let me recommend the Roncesvalles Hotel. It was very nice and very comfortable. The crowds weren't bad at all anywhere. Yes, Orrison was booked solid. The big albergue at Roncesvalles was full and ran out of blankets. But, we planned ahead and so had no issues whatsoever. The day after Pamplona we decided to shorten some of our walking days. We rode the bus a couple of times to catch up to our schedule. Still walked a whole lot, loved Spain, loved all the wonderful pilgrims, loved everything about it!!!!! It doesn't hurt that I have the best wife in the world. Walking the Camino was one of the best experiences of my life.

 

[jimmyc]

A friend and I started on 28th May 2015. It was a lovely time of year in Spain and we never ever booked ahead. It may be more crowded now.

 

[Corelacka]

I will be starting the Camino Frances on May 28th in St Jean. Can anyone share info about what the late May - June traffic is like on the Camino at that time? Thank you.

I started in SJPDP on 24 May this year and pre booked accommodation as far as Pamplona. It was busy but very manageable and crowds got much quieter after noon - I was not a 5/6am starter! A bottleneck to be aware of is Los Arcos and might be worthwhile booking ahead if planning on staying there. I reached Sarria on 23 June which coincided with San Juan fiesta, a public holiday the next day and huge numbers of student groups. I did manage to get municipal albergue accommodation without booking though. It is a glorious time to walk and I had just one wet day in 36. ¡Buen Camino!

 

[GaTeach]

My wife and I walked from late May to early July from SJPDP and ending in Santiago. It was a wonderful time!!! Just reserve your first like, 4 nights and after that it thins out. Beautiful weather!!!!! I'd do that again in a heartbeat. Let me recommend the Roncesvalles Hotel. It was very nice and very comfortable. The crowds weren't bad at all anywhere. Yes, Orrison was booked solid. The big albergue at Roncesvalles was full and ran out of blankets. But, we planned ahead and so had no issues whatsoever. The day after Pamplona we decided to shorten some of our walking days. We rode the bus a couple of times to catch up to our schedule. Still walked a whole lot, loved Spain, loved all the wonderful pilgrims, loved everything about it!!!!! It doesn't hurt that I have the best wife in the world. Walking the Camino was one of the best experiences of my life.

I thought you might be on this thread.

I walked the same time as FalconBrother and agree to everything he said. (Except I don't have the best wife in the world...or a wife at all...or...)

My Camino friend and I booked Orisson, the dorms at Roncesvalles, and then ran into the bottleneck at Zubiri. It was fine, though. There are always tons of options. We booked one day in advance the rest of the trip.

Anytime I read about the crowds on the Camino, I think back to my summer and try to think of even one person I would've deleted from my pilgrimage. There are none. And I like to hope no one would've deleted me either.

I say embrace all of it.

 

[Ianinam]

It is a great time to start! In 2024 and in 2023 the last day that the albergue in Roncesvalles was full was on May 25th, so leaving SJPdP at the 28th means you start just after the big wave. To be sure to have a nice bed in the new renovated part of the albergue, make a reservation. If the big albergue runs out of beds (183 beds) pilgrims sleep in the sotano (cellar) which is much less comfortable than the rest of the building, or even in the so-called 'winter- albergue' in an old part of the building.

My wife and I walked from late May to early July from SJPDP and ending in Santiago. It was a wonderful time!!! Just reserve your first like, 4 nights and after that it thins out. Beautiful weather!!!!! I'd do that again in a heartbeat. Let me recommend the Roncesvalles Hotel. It was very nice and very comfortable. The crowds weren't bad at all anywhere. Yes, Orrison was booked solid. The big albergue at Roncesvalles was full and ran out of blankets. But, we planned ahead and so had no issues whatsoever. The day after Pamplona we decided to shorten some of our walking days. We rode the bus a couple of times to catch up to our schedule. Still walked a whole lot, loved Spain, loved all the wonderful pilgrims, loved everything about it!!!!! It doesn't hurt that I have the best wife in the world. Walking the Camino was one of the best experiences of my life.

Yes, the Hotel is very nice, I know, but also quite expensive!

The albergue does not run out of blankets for the simple reason that we do not have blankets at all. Pilgrims are supposed to bring their own sleeping bag. People who do not have a sleeping bag can buy one in the albergue, or buy a cheaper fleece blanket there.

 

[LakeMcD]

In my opinion it's a great time to walk. The early May crowds are well ahead of you and there are still plenty of poppies and other wildflowers along the way. I joined the Francés from the Aragonés just before Puente la Reina in the last week of May this year and never had a problem getting a bed, and neither did those who I met along the way. In fact one evening in a town about 11 km past León I was the only pilgrim in the albergue!

How wouod one connect to the Aragones at Somport from the Chemin LePuy.

 

[trecile]

How wouod one connect to the Aragones at Somport from the Chemin LePuy.

You would have to connect to the Arles route, which connectsto the Aragonés at Somport.

Here's a thread on different ways to accomplish that.

Connecting Le Puy and Arles routes