Best Albergues on the Camino Francés
Unless you have a pretty big budget, you will be staying in albergues—pilgrim hostels—while walking the Camino de Santiago.
Not all albergues are made equal. I couldn’t wait to leave some albergues while I dream of going back to others.
Here is a list of my favorite albergues along the Camino Francés from when I walked in the summer of 2022.
I listed them in the order you will find them along the Way!
Casa Suseia - Zubiri, Spain
Price summer 2022: €16
The host of this albergue was so kind and friendly. The spaces are incredibly clean. There is an awesome backyard to hang out in. There are six beds per room. You can also join their homemade dinner, which is a great opportunity to meet other pilgrims and build community.
Make reservations at least a month in advance. Zubiri will probably be your stopping point on the second night of your Camino if you are starting from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France. The first two or three nights of the Camino Francés are kind of a bottleneck as far as accommodations go. Most pilgrims are stopping in the same towns, so beds can fill up fast.
Casa Suseia is also a pretty popular albergue because of how many good reviews it’s gotten, so a lot of people want the opportunity to stay here.
The entrance of Casa Suseia
Backyard of Casa Suseia
El Cantero - Mañeru, Spain
Price summer 2022: €12
I may be biased towards this place because I stayed here after a very long day of walking during a heat wave. So any place that had given me a cool tile floor, a refreshing Coca-Cola, and a bed would have been viewed favorably.
El Cantero is a lovely albergue with a bar, kitchen, and good outdoor backyard space to hang out in during the evening. Like most pilgrims, my least favorite part of the day was doing laundry. El Cantero has a very convenient laundry set-up, which makes a huge difference after a long day of walking. They also have great showers!
The view near El Cantero
The only photo I got at this albergue was one of my lying on the cold tile floor while elevating my feet to help with swelling…the glamorous lives pilgrims lead
Oasis Trails - Villamayor de Mojardin
Price summer 2022: €12
Oasis Trails was my absolute favorite albergue that I stayed in while walking the Camino Francés. Let me just paint a picture for you…
You’ve been walking all day in the heat. You’re tired, sweaty, and your feet ache.
As you approach Oasis Trails, you see a table set up out front. The volunteers call, “Welcome! Please sit down. Can we offer you some cold lemon water?”
Once you’ve showered, you can order a fresh smoothie while they prepare you an epsom salt foot bath. You chat with the albergue volunteers and other pilgrims until the community dinner is ready.
A delicious homemade meal prepared by the volunteers is served on the front terrace. All the pilgrims sit together at a big table and share their stories.
At the end of the night, you have the opportunity to join a Christian prayer and meditation session to reflect on your day, hear sacred scripture, and recenter yourself for the next day.
You get a good night’s sleep, and in the morning, the volunteers send you on your way with big smiles and well wishes.
Doesn’t that sound lovely? You can probably tell by how I write about Oasis Trails just how much I loved this albergue. I was only there for one night, but they really reminded me of what true hospitality looks like and how to care for those around you.
DO NOT MISS THIS ALBERGUE!
Albergue Emaus - Burgos, Spain
Price summer 2022: €10
Albergue Emaus is a parish albergue, so you cannot make reservations in advance. It’s on a first-come first-serve basis. It’s a smaller albergue with a men’s room and a women’s room, so try to get there when it first opens.
If you are on the rowdier side and looking for a really bustling and happening albergue to be in for this bigger city, Albergue Emaus is not for you. You have to stay relatively quiet because the albergue is attached to a church, and like most albergues, there is a curfew.
But I’ll tell you why this was one of my favorite albergues. They have nice, cozy rooms. The bathrooms are clean and have good privacy as far as albergue bathrooms go. The volunteers are so kind and welcoming. There is a homemade community dinner and evening prayer reflection.
The albergue’s rule also forces you to sleep in a little bit. Many pilgrims are so worried about getting up and going every day. They want to wake up at 5:30am and be out the door by 6am. At Albergue Emaus, they wake you up by playing classical music over the speakers at 6:30am. No one is allowed to rise before then. You can then enjoy a good breakfast with the other pilgrims before you leave. Having a slower morning was delightful.
But my favorite part of this albergue is that they had a Eucharistic adoration chapel on the floor below us, meaning Jesus was there all night for you to visit.
What is Eucharistic Adoration? Catholics believe that when priests consecrate the bread and wine during Mass, they truly become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus—literally Jesus, not a symbol. So adoration is a Catholic devotion where the Blessed Sacrament (a consecrated host) is put on display, allowing people to sit and pray in the real presence of Jesus Christ.
You don’t have to be Catholic to attend adoration, so if you ever get the chance to go on the Camino, I highly recommend it. It’s a time and space where you can find a lot of quiet and peace to think, reflect, and pray.
Albergue Leo - Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain
Price summer 2022: €12
Albergue Leo was in a super cool building. I would stay in this place for the architecture alone.
But our host, Maria, also went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. She welcomed us with cold lemon water when we arrived after a very long and hot day of walking. She also gave us a map of the city with excellent recommendations, including where we could go to put our feet in the river.
Villafranca del Bierzo was one of my favorite towns to stop along the Camino, so even if you do not stay in Albergue Leo, I highly recommend stopping to rest for the night!
Casa Banderas - Vilachá, Spain
Price summer 2022: €14
I’m American, so when I heard that there was an American-owned albergue along the Camino, I knew I wanted to stop here! One of the owners also went to Virginia Tech for a few semesters, so I wanted to support a fellow Hokie!
Vilachá is a small and quiet village just a couple of kilometers before Portomarín. Casa Banderas had super friendly hosts and welcomed us with a charcuterie board and cold water when we arrived. Their property is super unique and includes an awesome outdoor shower.
In the evening, all the pilgrims gathered around their huge dining table to enjoy a home cooked meal. It’s a small enough albergue where it felt like everyone was a little family for the night.
Honorable Mentions
Listed in walking order of Camino Francés
Palacio de Sansol - Sansol, Spain
Price summer 2022: €12
Palacio de Sansol is an old palace that has been renovated into an albergue for pilgrims. It is a newer albergue, and everything about this place is stunning. The interior architecture is incredible, the rooms are spacious and beautiful, and the bathrooms are very clean and provide good privacy (as far as shared bathrooms can give privacy). Just look up pictures of this place, and you’ll see why it made my honorable mentions list.
Tito’s Albergue - La Faba, Spain
Price summer 2022: €13
La Faba is about halfway up the mountain on your way to O Cebreiro. I highly recommend staying up here to break up the climb and give your body some rest. Tito was a super fun and thoughtful guy. He constantly made my sister and I laugh. The albergue has a restaurant and a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.
Sadly, I did not get any pictures of this albergue!
Oasis - Sarria, Spain
Price summer 2022: €12
Sarria is where it will start to get VERY crowded, so it’s a good idea to make reservations in advance for this town and the rest of your nights on the Camino. Oasis was a very nice albergue: clean, good space with beds, kitchen, stocked fridge, and full, private bathrooms (a nice change of pace from public bathrooms with stalls). They also had a huge backyard with lounge chairs!
The only photo I have of this albergue is one of my sister sleeping in a lounge chair, so you’ll just have to take my word that this is a great albergue to stay at!
