The price of the Camino de Santiago
Want to know how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago? In the article: “Organize your numbers for your Camino de Santiago” We explain what aspects you should take into account to calculate the cost that the Camino de Santiago can have. If you haven’t read it, we recommend that you do so.
Once you have clear answers to the questions that we spoke about in that article, it will be very easy to calculate how much money you need to do the Camino de Santiago. Then, and to give you an idea of the daily spend you will have on the pilgrim route, we detail how much everything costs.
How much does the D.I.Y Camino de Santiago cost?
If you organize the Camino by yourself, basically during the tour you will have two main expenses. These will determine to a large extent how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago.
We are talking about sleeping and eating on the Camino de Santiago. Next, we talk about the options you will find and the prices of each of them.
How much does it cost to sleep?
Resting after the long days is very important if you want to make the most of the experience. Within the accommodation on offer for the pilgrim route, you will find public, private and parochial hostels, hostels, pensions, hotels and rural houses; And a lot of camping space.
The type of accommodation you choose will have a strong impact on how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago. Sleeping can be very cheap or very expensive, it all depends on the amenities you are looking for.
Prices of public and private shelters
Parish shelters, as the name suggests, are managed by a church. This is the cheapest option to do the Camino.
Contrary to what many pilgrims believe shelters are not free. Their price usually works by donation. It is recommended not to leave less than 5 euros since that money is destined for the maintenance of the infrastructures.
Public shelters are known to those managed by the municipality or other secular entities. As in the parishes, you cannot book them in advance. Bed allocations are made by order of arrival.
The price of public shelters on the Camino de Santiago usually ranges from 7 to 9 euros per night. In both establishments, they tend to consist of large open spaces in which dozens of bunk beds are available.
These two types of shelters are not the most comfortable accommodation, but they are the cheapest. They also fill fast, so in high season, on some routes, it is difficult to get a bed.
Finally, there are private shelters. These are generally more comfortable than public ones. Also shared rooms, but with fewer people.
In these it is possible to book in advance. The private shelters on the Camino de Santiago cost between 10 and 15 euros per night.
Hotels and other accommodation on the Camino de Santiago
If you don’t want to make use of shelters and prefer to stay in hostels, pensions or hotels, prices vary much more. In this type of accommodation, it is possible to sleep in a private room in the Camino de Santiago, hence its prices are higher.
Below we provide you with the price guide of what it costs to sleep in the Camino de Santiago if you do not stay in shelters:
- Pensions: between 15 and 20 euros per night
- Hostels: About 20 euros
- Hotels: from 30 euros. The hotel offers on the Camino de Santiago is quite extensive, so depending on the star rating, the price can vary considerably.
- Cottages: The price of this type of accommodation can be around 50 euros with room for two people.
Camping on the Camino
The pilgrim route is adapted to all pilgrims, doing the Camino de Santiago without money is possible, there is a lot of backpacking travelling with your camping tent and exchanging work for food. But that more than a trip, it’s a way of life, as it requires a lot of time.
Doing the Camino de Santiago low cost is much easier and faster. If you camp, the accommodation can be free and if you also buy food at the supermarket, doing the road can be very cheap.
You will find a multitude of places where you can pitch your tent without paying anything. If you prefer civilization, you can also do it in neighbour’s houses or in the hostel gardens, in exchange for a small donation.
How much money you need to eat
To eat on the pilgrim’s route, you have three options: buy food in a supermarket and cook in your accommodation, if you have a kitchen; eat out (in a bar or restaurant) or a mixture of both. To estimate how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago, it is also important to determine which will be your predominant option.
Breakfasts are usually always in a bar. The price of these is usually around 2.50 euros (sandwich and coffee).
Lunch and dinner can be taken outside or by preparing the food yourself. Midday menus are priced from 8 to 10 euros. Asking for the menu, you can spend as much as you want. If you decide to prepare your own food, for less than 6 euros you can have lunch and dinner.
On the trips organized to the Camino de Santiago, food is usually included. If you hire this type of service, you only have to spend some money on a snack to eat during the route.
Doing the Camino on your own: other costs
Let’s say that, in some way, those are the major expenses. Besides these you will have to include other items if you want to know exactly how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago:
- Buying the credential for the Camino de Santiago: In this article, we explained how much the pilgrim’s credential costs. In it, we told you that you can get it for free or have a price of 2 euros depending on where you get it. If you want to know more about this document, do not forget to read it.
- Hiring extra services: Although you decide to organize the route yourself, if you are interested in hiring a backpack transport service, you must also include it. The postal transport price is about 4 euros per stage. If you want to know more about this service consult our guide on how to do the Camino without a backpack.
How much do the trips with agencies cost on the Camino de Santiago?
As we discussed in the article that we talked about at the beginning of this post, enjoying the Camino de Santiago with luxuries and amenities is possible, if you are willing to pay a little more for it.
Below, we explain what options you have to make an organized trip on the Camino de Santiago. And, of course, we tell you how much it costs to hire this type of service with a travel agency specializing on the way, such as our agency.
There are many agencies that offer this type of service, but not all have the same experience. We, of course, will tell you that we are the best agency on the Camino de Santiago, but we do not say it only ourselves, but also hundreds of pilgrims who have travelled with us.
That said, we can’t talk to you about the services that other travel agencies offer, but what you can do with us. In Santiago Ways, we are an agency that works without intermediaries, so we are able to offer some of the best prices for the Camino de Santiago.
The cost of organized trips on the Camino de Santiago
The organized trips on the Camino de Santiago are to make the pilgrimage to your tastes, but with the assistance of a specialized travel agency. Companies, like ours, help you plan it and take care of all the logistical details (hotels on the Camino de Santiago, meals, baggage transport, assistance vehicle, etc.).
The price of doing an organized trip varies depending on the route you choose and the time you spend on the pilgrim route. As well as the extra services you want to take (insurance, extra nights, transfers to the exit point, etc.).
As a guideline, we tell you, for example, to do an organized trip from Tui to Santiago de Compostela it is one of the services that people request most, after the Camino de Santiago from Sarria. In Santiago Ways, making the way from Tui has a price of 505 euros per person, plus additional services.
The price is calculated to spend 8 days and 7 nights on the pilgrim route. If you want to lengthen or shorten the stay, the cost of doing the road may vary.
However, we are one of the companies that offer the most transparent services on the Camino de Santiago. So, on our website, you can see how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago with us. You can consult them on the link, clicking on the section that interests you.
How much would a guided trip cost on the Camino de Santiago?
Guided trips to the Camino de Santiago are usually organized in groups of approximately 15 people. That means that the dates of departure are programmed by the agency.
The operation is very similar to the organized trips you do for free, i.e. you get the same services, but also a specialized guide on the Camino accompanies you. This type of experience is requested by persons who travel on their own or people who want to know history and heritage in depth.
We, for the moment, only offer a guided trip on the last 100 km of the Camino de Santiago Frances, for walking routes from Sarria. The cost of doing the Camino with a guide varies depending on the season, so if you want you can ask us how much it costs to make the road with guide, filling the form that you will find in the link.
How much does it cost to do the Camino de Santiago on a bike with an agency?
In the same way that organized trips to the Camino de Santiago are made on foot, they are planned by bicycle. Obviously, the stage design is different. The advantage of doing the bike ride with a specialized agency is that they make it easier to rent the bike. Just like when you do an organized trip to the Camino de Santiago, to know how much it costs to go on the Camino de Santiago by bike with an agency, you should know which route will be made. If you want, you can request our prices filling in the form that appears in the previous link.
The costs you don’t think about
There are some expenses that no one counts on when calculating how much it costs to do the Camino de Santiago. We don’t want that to happen to you.
- We have strived to explain everything in detail to avoid surprises. So finally, here are some last things you could spend money on the Camino de Santiago and the ones we haven’t talked about yet.
- Tickets to tourist attractions: varies depending on the interest you have in sightseeing
- Pharmacy expenses: You probably won’t end your pilgrimage without having to go to the pharmacy to buy some foot cream, band-aid, etc. You can count 20 euros if you do not suffer from many ailments and you take a good first-aid kit from home. In this article we explain how to prevent injuries.
- Memories and souvenirs: If you are one of those who like to go home with souvenirs or gifts for family and friends, you must also preserve a part of your pilgrim budget for it. You fix it yourself.
To say goodbye, we just want to remind you that the Camino is a priceless experience. As you can see it is suitable for all pockets.
When you finish the tour, regardless of how you decide to do it, you will realize that you have made one of the best investments of your life. From this, you will learn a lot of lessons.
Buen Camino!
