Will a week make a difference? Weatherwise, Crowdwise

[Icheepoo]

I will be attempting my 2nd try at the Camino foe the first time since my previous trip in May 2020 had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
Currently I'm looking at two set of dates.. 31 August to 23 Sept OR a week later which will be 7 Sept to 30 Sept.

From what I have read it seems that there will be more rain towards the end of September going into October. When they say rain.. how "heavy" does rain get in Portugal/Spain? Coming from South East Asia.. rain to me is heavy.. like monsoon rain..

Aside from the weather any advice in terms of crowd wise. Would there be more pilgrims at the end of August or would September be more popular? I don't mind the crowd but I wouldn't want to be racing them for accommodation!

Last question (for now!).. can anyone advice on a new daily budget for 2020 on the CP. I know that prices have gone up since 2 years back mainly due to Covid but a rough estimate would be highly appreciated! As it seems like the prices on booking.com are pretty expensive compared to what I recall previously.

Any advice is much appreciated! Hoping to get the dates sorted out soon so I can book my flight ticket! Prices are soaring by the week!

I know we can't really say for sure what will happen in the future but a rough guesstimate would probably be helpful! Thanks!

 

[Corned Beef]

The daily budget will be different depending on the type of accommodation you intend to use. Do you want a private room or a communal bunk?

Also prices in Portugal are lower than in Spain so it gets more expensive as you get closer to SdC especially after the 100km mark when more pilgrims appear.

Can't comment on the September timing but early October last year was pretty quiet - until you get to the 100km mark.

 

[Former member 22438]

About the weather. May rain, may shine.
along the coast end of August , beginning opf Setember will be lots of places to stay

Porto, Matosinhos, Vila do Conde, Vila Praia de Âncora, Caminha at the Portuguese coast have lots of acommodation.
At the Spanish Galician coast it is not that busy.

Portugal . Breakfast 2,50 € ( go to a Paderia bakershop for breakfast) € Coffee 0,65 to 2 € depending where you go
lunch. Menu do dia three course meal in Simple restaurants ( where All workers take their meal ) 8€ till 10 euro. Lunch is main meal in Portugal and Spain.
Albergues 5 till 10€. sometimes they are donativo

Hostal or 2 or star hotel about 30 to 35 €

bom caminho

 

[Icheepoo]

The daily budget will be different depending on the type of accommodation you intend to use. Do you want a private room or a communal bunk?

Also prices in Portugal are lower than in Spain so it gets more expensive as you get closer to SdC especially after the 100km mark when more pilgrims appear.

Can't comment on the September timing but early October last year was pretty quiet - until you get to the 100km mark.

If possible I'll start with the cheapest options available then start digging the pockets where necessary. But just trying to work out an estimate so I know how much to prepare.

Oh so if last year was crowded enough... this year would more likely be packed?!

 

[Icheepoo]

About the weather. May rain, may shine.
along the coast end of August , beginning opf Setember will be lots of places to stay

Porto, Matosinhos, Vila do Conde, Vila Praia de Âncora, Caminha at the Portuguese coast have lots of acommodation.
At the Spanish Galician coast it is not that busy.

Portugal . Breakfast 2,50 € ( go to a Paderia bakershop for breakfast) € Coffee 0,65 to 2 € depending where you go
lunch. Menu do dia three course meal in Simple restaurants ( where All workers take their meal ) 8€ till 10 euro. Lunch is main meal in Portugal and Spain.
Albergues 5 till 10€. sometimes they are donativo

Hostal or 2 or star hotel about 30 to 35 €

bom caminho

Thanks! These prices mentioned are for 2022? Still sounds about the same as before the pandemic started.. I will be crossing inland at Caminha.

 

[Former member 22438]

Thanks! These prices mentioned are for 2022? Still sounds about the same as before the pandemic started.. I will be crossing inland at Caminha.

I was in Portugal the other day.

from Caminha to Valença do Minho is no problem to get a place to sleep
in Vila Nova da Cerveira , halfway Is a big albergue . In Valença are two by now although I only have been in São Teutonia . You pass it on the Way

 

[Susan Peacock]

1) I walked the Portuguese arriving in Porto on the Sept. 7th and starting my Camino on the 11th. The weather was spectacular and we didn’t have a drop of rain. Remember though…. Weather is unpredictable and my experience may not be yours.
2) I was on the Frances in Oct and the prices were definitely higher although still very reasonable . The Portuguese was already a little more expensive (or less cheap.) As your accommodations are your greatest expense you should be able to determine this by doing a little googling. Many places have websites. Gronze also list prices but I’m not sure how up to date they are.

 

[lt56ny]

Where are you starting? Porto or Lisboa? I doubt very much that the temperature will change alot in just one week. In terms of wet weather I think these days especially with climate change traditional weather patterns are often changing dramatically. I walked from Lisbon in 2017 and there was complete blue skies 85% of the time. I started about September 20th. It was very hot most days with not alot of shade. From Porto you could walk the coastal route and I am sure that would be cooler but probably a little more expensive. Rain like monsoons? I don't think you have anything to worry about there. Crowds, according to the Pilgrim office about 8,600 people received compostelas on the CP which is about 40-45% of the people who walked the CF. But there is definitely less than half the infrastructure on the CP. Far fewer people start in Lisbon. From everything we are reading this may be a record breaking year for pilgrims.
Cost is as others have said what you want to spend. Portugal is cheaper than Spain. If kitchens are open in albergues you can shop for food and eat in the albergue. The same can be said for lunch. Shop and carry food or eat in bars or restaurants. Depending on your diet and likes you could spend as little as 8-10 Euros a day for food or the sky is the limit. Buen Camino

 

[winemakerfw51]

In 2018, I walked from A Guarda to SdC, Sept 26- Oct 6 on the Coastal route. I didn't have a drop of rain until SdC, and there weren't a lot of people until Redondela where the inland and coastal routes merge and the number of people on the Camino went up exponentially. I stayed mostly in small hotels. Someone else might be able to give you better information about how crowded the albergues are. Buen Camino

 

[J F Gregory]

I will be attempting my 2nd try at the Camino foe the first time since my previous trip in May 2020 had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
Currently I'm looking at two set of dates.. 31 August to 23 Sept OR a week later which will be 7 Sept to 30 Sept.

From what I have read it seems that there will be more rain towards the end of September going into October. When they say rain.. how "heavy" does rain get in Portugal/Spain? Coming from South East Asia.. rain to me is heavy.. like monsoon rain..

Aside from the weather any advice in terms of crowd wise. Would there be more pilgrims at the end of August or would September be more popular? I don't mind the crowd but I wouldn't want to be racing them for accommodation!

Last question (for now!).. can anyone advice on a new daily budget for 2020 on the CP. I know that prices have gone up since 2 years back mainly due to Covid but a rough estimate would be highly appreciated! As it seems like the prices on booking.com are pretty expensive compared to what I recall previously.

Any advice is much appreciated! Hoping to get the dates sorted out soon so I can book my flight ticket! Prices are soaring by the week!

I know we can't really say for sure what will happen in the future but a rough guesstimate would probably be helpful! Thanks!

We walked the coastal last October and never had rain until the last 3 days into Santiago. We were prepared for it but didn't pull out our rain gear until Spain. Never can tell what the weather will be like until the day of.

 

[Icheepoo]

Where are you starting? Porto or Lisboa? I doubt very much that the temperature will change alot in just one week. In terms of wet weather I think these days especially with climate change traditional weather patterns are often changing dramatically. I walked from Lisbon in 2017 and there was complete blue skies 85% of the time. I started about September 20th. It was very hot most days with not alot of shade. From Porto you could walk the coastal route and I am sure that would be cooler but probably a little more expensive. Rain like monsoons? I don't think you have anything to worry about there. Crowds, according to the Pilgrim office about 8,600 people received compostelas on the CP which is about 40-45% of the people who walked the CF. But there is definitely less than half the infrastructure on the CP. Far fewer people start in Lisbon. From everything we are reading this may be a record breaking year for pilgrims.
Cost is as others have said what you want to spend. Portugal is cheaper than Spain. If kitchens are open in albergues you can shop for food and eat in the albergue. The same can be said for lunch. Shop and carry food or eat in bars or restaurants. Depending on your diet and likes you could spend as little as 8-10 Euros a day for food or the sky is the limit. Buen Camino

I'll be starting from Porto. Hoping to do a mix of the coastal and the central. Would you say the coastal views would be pretty much the same northwards and so better to cross inland at vila de conde or better to cross as caminha?

So with the rains in September.. a waterproof jacket and rainpants would suffice? Or do I need a poncho and rainpants?

From your info regarding the crowds it seems like more and more people are walking the CP (they used to say its 30% of pilgrims right?) So I dont think a week apart would make much difference. Thanks!

 

[Icheepoo]

We walked the coastal last October and never had rain until the last 3 days into Santiago. We were prepared for it but didn't pull out our rain gear until Spain. Never can tell what the weather will be like until the day of.

Yes with global warming these days.. I guess we can't really tell anymore. Just hoping for the best!

 

[lt56ny]

I'll be starting from Porto. Hoping to do a mix of the coastal and the central. Would you say the coastal views would be pretty much the same northwards and so better to cross inland at vila de conde or better to cross as caminha?

So with the rains in September.. a waterproof jacket and rainpants would suffice? Or do I need a poncho and rainpants?

From your info regarding the crowds it seems like more and more people are walking the CP (they used to say its 30% of pilgrims right?) So I dont think a week apart would make much difference. Thanks!

When it comes to which route in Spain to walk that totally depends on what type of scenery and difficulty you may be concerned with. The coastal is just that on the coast. It is very flat and easy walking. The interior route has a variety of landscapes as well as walking on roads, secondary as well as some primary, forest etc. I would always recommend a poncho so you can keep your pack dry. When you are walking rain pants can be very war,. A poncho is also warm but it will keep your pack dry and that is very important.
Again I can't decide which path to take but I can tell you to just walk and don't look back and as you walk what you need will be dictated by your camino and you will choose the correct path for you.

 

[Former member 92300]

Well, weather wise - I wouldn't think in terms of 1 week making a difference as in do you leave "this week" or the "next week" - as there aren't likely to be changes with 1 weeks difference of start dates. But it could make a difference when considering you are starting a week earlier in August or ending a week later in September. More time in September rather than more time in August is likely to be comparatively cooler in the overall grand scheme of things (if this makes sense like it does in my head lol - I am not comparing this week vs next week - I am comparing that first week of an earlier August start date with that last week September later end date).

But also with cooler weather will bring more crowds - so that is the tradeoff.

As for rain - I live in So. Arizona and we do have monsoon weather here - so I know what you mean when you say "monsoon" (I find people in the US who don't live in AZ have no clue what a monsoon is actually like). I have experienced a few "downpours" of rain in Europe - but have NEVER experienced anything like a monsoon. Perhaps parts of Europe do have monsoons - but I have never experienced one while in Europe. Be prepared for rain - but really all that is necessary is a poncho or a rainjacket/pack cover. Maybe an umbrella if you want one (I liked mine for rain and for hot sunny days). But it shouldn't be anything like a monsoon.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

the answer is No. Nothing remarkable. The camino will kick your booty no matter what!

 

[Icheepoo]

Well, weather wise - I wouldn't think in terms of 1 week making a difference as in do you leave "this week" or the "next week" - as there aren't likely to be changes with 1 weeks difference of start dates. But it could make a difference when considering you are starting a week earlier in August or ending a week later in September. More time in September rather than more time in August is likely to be comparatively cooler in the overall grand scheme of things (if this makes sense like it does in my head lol - I am not comparing this week vs next week - I am comparing that first week of an earlier August start date with that last week September later end date).

But also with cooler weather will bring more crowds - so that is the tradeoff.

As for rain - I live in So. Arizona and we do have monsoon weather here - so I know what you mean when you say "monsoon" (I find people in the US who don't live in AZ have no clue what a monsoon is actually like). I have experienced a few "downpours" of rain in Europe - but have NEVER experienced anything like a monsoon. Perhaps parts of Europe do have monsoons - but I have never experienced one while in Europe. Be prepared for rain - but really all that is necessary is a poncho or a rainjacket/pack cover. Maybe an umbrella if you want one (I liked mine for rain and for hot sunny days). But it shouldn't be anything like a monsoon.

I think I kinda get what you mean.. haha. Oh I thought summer months would be more crowded than off-summer months.. that was what I read previously. So maybe perhaps a week earlier might help a little? Truth be told, I am also a bit afraid of the cold. Living in a country where the day temperatures are in the mid to high 30s degree celcius and the night temperature in the mid 20s.. I dont know how I'll take the weather. Especially when trying to travel light!!

Did you bring your umbrella fromhome or buy in on the camino? Do most people wear rain pants with the poncho/jacket? Or just the top will do.

 

[Former member 92300]

Did you bring your umbrella fromhome or buy in on the camino? Do most people wear rain pants with the poncho/jacket? Or just the top will do.

Yes, I brought my umbrella from home. Took it in my carryon - although I had to remove it from the side pocket to make it fit better in the overhead. I used a gossamer gear umbrella - really lightweight, great UV protection, and held up really well in wind. You can buy clips to make hands free.

I brought a rain skirt and never used it. Rain pants are a pain to get on and off IMO. I was fine with just my rain jacket. I either walked in shorts or my leggings. Leggings did get wet, but were warm enough against my body (and I am someone who gets cold very easily lol) and they dried quickly when it stopped raining. Anyhow -will bring rain jacket and pack cover again. Will probably bring umbrella again.