Reservations - how far in advance

[mocamino]

I hiked the Le Puy route in 2014 and reserved one night in advance. Dorms were fine for me and I was rarely skunked. This year I am bringing two friends who are uncomfortable with dorms and also want to be unconstrained in travel distance and reservations beyond a day or two. I booked our first week to help us get started and some places were complet. I am wondering if anyone knows if accommodations are abundant enough to allow us to just book a day or two ahead or if we need to try and book all the way through. Because we are mid-60's with some infirmities I am trying to keep to around 15-20 km per day. We leave Le Puy April 27 and are allowing almost six weeks. I am headed off on an auxiliary trip in a week so I am trying to sort us out before departing. Thanks!

 

[Leigh Lorayne]

I leave Le Puy en Velay April 24. Out of my concern for all the French holidays in May I have booked ahead to Cahors. I found one place that was already booked up for mid May in Marcilhac-sur-CELE ( on the CELE variant) . In that community there was only one other gite but there were two chambre d’hôtes. I found availability in the other gite. I, too, would rather book a day or two ahead, as I have done on others Caminos, but I have let my fear lead this. I did ask one of the gite owners ( I am not sure what town/village) if this is something to be concerned about and he did confirm that accommodations can book up, but I didn’t ask any more specifics. I am sure pilgrims with more experience with walking in May will have more to offer on this. After Cahors I will take my chances and book a few days ahead only!

 

[BlackRocker57]

I hiked the Le Puy route in 2014 and reserved one night in advance. Dorms were fine for me and I was rarely skunked. This year I am bringing two friends who are uncomfortable with dorms and also want to be unconstrained in travel distance and reservations beyond a day or two. I booked our first week to help us get started and some places were complet. I am wondering if anyone knows if accommodations are abundant enough to allow us to just book a day or two ahead or if we need to try and book all the way through. Because we are mid-60's with some infirmities I am trying to keep to around 15-20 km per day. We leave Le Puy April 27 and are allowing almost six weeks. I am headed off on an auxiliary trip in a week so I am trying to sort us out before departing. Thanks!

I know from some gîte owners, and my own experience, that bookings are heavy this year in both April and May ... and into June. There is plenty of accommodation available overall but not necessarily private rooms cf. the small dormitories. You could just wing it and hope for the best but, given the timing, I would be very inclined to reserve ahead to at least Figeac OR Cahors [as Lorayne has done]. Le Puy to Conques is the busiest section which complicates things at the start.

 

[Chizuru]

I started booking for my April start back in October 2022 and I found that a few places were either full or not taking people until mid-May which required me to spend many days contacting other places with no luck and rearranging the towns that we were stopping in. It has taken many months to get replies and all my places booked in and I am still waiting on my last place. Like you, I have some infirmities so I am keeping my stages short and my pack is just a day pack. I am needing it all finalised so that I can arrange with La Malle Postale to have a bag sent on each day. Some towns had very few options and with 2 public holiday Mondays, it has been a bit of a challenge. I would hate to waste time each evening on the walk fretting about where we will be staying days ahead. I am happy to know that we have a bed each night, and a meal booked, or that we know in advance that we will have to get food elsewhere and that if we are coming in cold and wet a warm place is expecting us! I have already walked Camino France SJPP to Santiago in 2018.

 

[mocamino]

Thanks. Great info. I will discuss options with my friends. I hiked SJPP to Santiago and Norte and never booked ahead, but with the gites in France I always booked the day before since I am a vegetarian and did not want to offend by not eating all the offerings. It seemed this year that since I had a bit of a struggle booking the first week that others have likely booked the whole route and waiting until we are uncertain of wifi to try and book a day ahead might be really challenging.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Thanks. Great info. I will discuss options with my friends. I hiked SJPP to Santiago and Norte and never booked ahead, but with the gites in France I always booked the day before since I am a vegetarian and did not want to offend by not eating all the offerings. It seemed this year that since I had a bit of a struggle booking the first week that others have likely booked the whole route and waiting until we are uncertain of wifi to try and book a day ahead might be really challenging.

As you are vegetarian that is another reason to reserve ahead, aside from everything else, although more and more gîtes are now catering for vegetarians and vegans. It is not absolutely essential to reserve ahead on the Le Puy route [and plenty of hikers don’t] but given all the circumstances incl. age, infirmities, dietary requirements and timing, I would strongly recommend it ... and in french too if you dare The majority of people walking this route are french and they do like to reserve ahead, esp. in May and September the two busiest months. I promise you it is worth the effort!

 

[mrosenlof]

I start from Le Puy on May 13. I've recently been emailing gites for bookings. A couple of no response, but only one "complet" so far and that was Ferme du Barry (for 18 May, a public holiday) which seems to have a lot of good reviews. My requests have been in French, one or maybe two have responded in English.

I might book all the way to Conques before I leave but probably won't book more than three days in advance past Conques. This is my first time to France, so I don't have personal experience to back up that plan.

 

[mocamino]

Thanks mrosenlof. Given the helpful advice from the forum, we are going to book through Conques and then shift to booking a day or two ahead. I have been writing requests in French and so far only one place shifted to English! My French is medium and sufficient to get me in trouble sometimes (eg. complaining about people inflating in the dorms when I meant snoring). When I was last there I always started in French and would shift to English if they suggested. I always greeted the person when I went into any establishment and always used my most polite French when asking questions. People were very kind and helpful.

 

[Kitsambler]

With a group of three, that prefers non-dorm accommodations, in the busiest month ... I would book out well in advance, esp in any town with a smaller number of lodgings. Six months in advance would not be too soon. The French like to go walking with groups of their friends in May and September, and they book way out. For solo walkers, or if flexible as to bed, it is easier to find a place with only 1-2 days' notice.

 

[mrosenlof]

it was tough to find places between le puy and conques in may this year. It has gotten easier since conques and feels even easier after Cahors.

I find it easier to make one booking a day than trying to do several in one day since one booking is dependent on the previous night...

I'm trying to have the next 4 days nailed down...

 

[BillW]

I left August 17 last year, and I booked my entire Le Puy to SJDPP about one month ahead of time. (Like your friends, I prefer a single room, since I'm a snorer.).

I'm going again this fall with two of my sisters (so we would prefer three rooms). I was worried about getting us all into the same place, so I've already booked those.

Not sure that helps, but it's a data point.

 

[Leigh Lorayne]

Just arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port today and certainly after Cahors there were some empty beds in gites I stayed in. There are a few empty beds in my gite tonight.

 

[mocamino]

I ended up booking through the end of our trip to sjpp and we just arrived on monday. In some places there was little available so my friends adapted to dorm life. One friend was plagued with foot issues the entire trip due to too much weigh in her pack and ill fitting boots (despite my best efforts to prepare her). To deal with this, she took the transport some days that delivers bags and also sent half of her pack ahead on other days. Reservations lock you into an itinerary but transporting pack or self is a way to make it work. Different companies provide the service and the gite owners can advise. She was quite happy with the service the last week that is not Claudine but something like Saint Jacques,,,,,I forget. He is just starting up so she wanted me to mention them in the forum. Bonne route!

 

[BlackRocker57]

I ended up booking through the end of our trip to sjpp and we just arrived on monday. In some places there was little available so my friends adapted to dorm life. One friend was plagued with foot issues the entire trip due to too much weigh in her pack and ill fitting boots (despite my best efforts to prepare her). To deal with this, she took the transport some days that delivers bags and also sent half of her pack ahead on other days. Reservations lock you into an itinerary but transporting pack or self is a way to make it work. Different companies provide the service and the gite owners can advise. She was quite happy with the service the last week that is not Claudine but something like Saint Jacques,,,,,I forget. He is just starting up so she wanted me to mention them in the forum. Bonne route!

«Les valises de Saint Jacques» is the name of the new luggage transport company ... I have reserved with them out of Moissac to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ... I hope that they do well ...

 

[Footsore]

I've just completed Cahors to SJPP and booked everything 3 months ahead using Booking.etc and individual websites. No problem at all with getting rooms rather than dorms. Having said that there are a number of nights where dorms are the only option for keeping the price down: Luzerte, Nogaro, Aroue, and Ostabat.

 

[mocamino]

«Les valises de Saint Jacques» is the name of the new luggage transport company ... I have reserved with them out of Moissac to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ... I hope that they do well ...

Yes they really went out of their way to help her and they had staff that spoke english, more or less.