The Best Time to Walk the Camino de Santiago
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Let me first just say – I’m biased – I, of course, think when I walked it in April/May was the best possible time to do it! Yes, I did get rained on a bit, and it was muddy, but I will take those conditions any day over heat and people! Most days were pleasant and cool, with clouds and a breeze. But best of all, you saw spring in front of your eyes. When I started walking through the Rioja wine region in April, there weren’t even leaves on the vines, but by the last week, I was walking through fields with an abundance of leaves! The hills were bright green, and the wind would blow through the wheat fields, making them look like an undulating ocean.
The trail wasn’t overcrowded, and I always found a bed at the albergues. I didn’t have to get up super early and race through my walk in order to get a bed as quite frankly that would have taken the enjoyment out of the experience for me.
Trying to put bias aside, here are some things to consider:
Table of Contents
Fewer People
Sure, you always see people on the trail, but it never felt crowded (until the last 100km). In fact, it was nice, you could walk completely alone if you wanted to, which is what I preferred. But if you wanted to be social, it was easy to walk with people too.
More Beds
There was only one town that I walked into, and I nearly didn’t get a bed during my spring walk. In the summer months however, you have to reserve the night or days before when possible, all of the beds tend to be at maximum capacity. Many albergues you can’t reserve in advance, so that means that you have to get up and start walking super early to get there first when the trail is busy. But not me – I never felt rushed when I hiked the trail in the Spring!
Cool Weather
Even though there was rain, it was the perfect cool spring weather to hike in, normally around the low 60s F, which is perfect for hiking and expending energy. As it got later in my walk and closer to the summer months, it did start to heat up during the afternoons, and I found myself miserable and sweaty most afternoons. I was happy I didn’t have to deal with that for the whole five weeks!
See my Essential Camino de Santiago Packing List
Boots vs. Tennis shoes, rain gear needs (don’t forget your camera protection!), laundry supplies, the best ear plugs, and more. Before you go, make sure you have all of these items on my Camino de Santiago packing list!
Spring Flowers
And of course -you can’t pass up the colorful, fragrant Spring flowers! The whole Spanish landscape was in bloom in April/May. It was stunning and gave me an appreciation for the changing seasons.
Check out my hiking packing list – essential hiking gear for any hike
Camino de Santiago Guides That Can Help You Plan or Inspire Your Trip
- Training for the Camino de Santiago Walk
- Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Walk the Camino de Santiago Solo
- The Essential Camino de Santiago Packing List
- Camino de Santiago: 23 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions
- Postcard from Pamplona
- Postcard from Santa Domingo Spain
- Postcard from Carrion de los Condes Spain
- Postcard from Astorga Spain
- Postcard from Sarria Spain
- The Camino de Santiago’s Ugly Side
- Postcard from Santiago Spain
- The Camino Think Tank
- The Best Time to Walk the Camino de Santiago
- 12 Reasons To Walk The Camino de Santiago
Spring does look nice!
June treated me well. Not overly hot at all and I am sure July and August must have been way busier. Plus there was a week when the cheery trees ripened and you could pick and eat them as you were walking. A definite plus there 🙂
I wondered what it was like in June. The number of people significantly increased as I neared the finish at the end of May. I wasn’t sure if that was the time of year or becuase so many people start from Sarria. So happy I did it in May though as I hate the heat!
Sherry,
I have been debating whether to walk my first time, in the spring or in the fall. I too, am not a fan of lots of people and like the idea of securing an Albergue nightly, without reservations. Your beautiful pictures have made up my mind and I will walk in the spring. Thanks for sharing!
Good luck on your planning – stop by again and let me know how it’s going!
Considering I am in love with Poppies and would have to constantly stop to photograph them, maybe Spring would not be a good time for me – Love your photos!
Very funny! Yes – I had to stop taking photos of flowers at some point because I had so many!
I love the red poppies and symbols of spring. Beautiful.
Hi,
Love your photos. I’m off next Friday to walk The Northern Way, so the heat should be interesting!
Think I’m pretty much there in terms of route planning, but just wondered if you’d come across any interesting guides (although I know you did El Camino Frances).
All the best,
David
I will be following your lead one day. And I agree, spring would have to be the best time. Maybe followed by fall. And I’d do winter over summer, I think…
Wow, amazing photos. Just spectacular. I plan to walk Leon-Santiago next April. I hope I see some sights as beautiful as your photos.
Spring looks lovely and had I planned differently that would have probably been my choice. I’ll actually start walking on Sept 9 and I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I won’t hit too much rain!
You may have had an “unplanned” approached to this pilgrimage, but thanks to your beautiful images and comprehensive blogs, we are so looking forward to our Camino de Santiago walk in April/May 2013. Initially I was worried it might be too cold (I can tell it’s going to be too wet!) but the beauty of spring surely makes it worthwhile. For me it’s a significant birthday celebration … turning 60 in January and it’s something I’ve longed to do for years. We are keen amateur photographers but your images are so fantastic – noted the tilt in many … but it was the sensational skies and the clean spring colours that really tell the story. Thank you very much for sharing. Diana
Does anyone know of the difference in the trails – easiest, most difficult, etc.?
I walked the Camino the last week of May and well into June. I prepared for Summer in Spain and what I experienced was a record setting COLD and wet spell! Bad weather and all I wouldn’t change a thing about my Camino experience. I’m looking forward to my next walk to Santiago.
Congrats to you both and sorry to hear of the bad weather. It can be unpredictable and super muddy at that time – but I still love the spring flowers!
I am so grateful that my friend Rob who has walked The Camino Frances linked me to your blog. You are inspirational, and the push I need to get ready to on my Camino!
I found the Burgos to Santiago section of the Camino perfect in September of 2014.Always room at the Hostals and just the right number of people to mingle with or ignore according to ones preferences.Many sections of the path were very quiet at least until Sarria.Sunny days and only uncomfortable on the Meseta.Good English Summer weather really.The serious rain I expected in Galicia was never that bad(especially for a Brit) and Santiago itself was dry but overcast.Im trying April this year and cant wait to get started.
The less rain in the autumn sounds great! Maybe I need to try that time of year next time! Good luck on your spring pilgrimage!
Due to school schedule, I am looking at going in mid to late December – is that a terrible idea?
It will be much colder and you’ll want to hike with a good sleeping bag as the Albergues will be cold too. Since I didn’t walk in the winter – I would suggest that you check a few forums to see if anyone there has any experience with hiking in the winter. It’s certainly possible – but many of the albergues and places will be closed – so you want to make sure that you plan out your trip more than you do in the more popular times to walk. Sorry I can’t help further – but I don’t want to tell you something wrong!
61 yr male thinking of sept 10 2019 w hat do I need. solo walk my self. very active hike a lot weather? clothing. own pace/. whole thing how long
love life and people forced to retire have time always dreamed of doing. founder MDOT. UTUBT MONTANA DENTAL OUT REACH TEAMS UGHANDA 2016. YOU WILL SEE WHAT ABOUT me. enjoy. el camino
None of the travel sites / books I’ve seen talk much about getting TO SJPP or FROM Compostela (Camino Frances). I’m flying on Sept. 18, 2018 and returning six weeks later (the day before Halloween), but I’m still looking for best cities to fly to/from. For example, flying into Paris and home from Porto might be interesting, but I’m not sure about ground transportation.
Also, can I get a credencial before I leave home? I’d like to get it stamped at Notre Dame (or even the Vatican!) on the trip.
Thanks for this web site. I’m off now to go study your packing list.
Hmmm – sad to hear there’s not much info on that. When I did the walk 5 years ago I found it so difficult to get to SJPP from Barcelona that I decided to just take the train to Pamplona and start there. However when I finished I did fly out of Santiago to Barcelona and that was pretty simple.
I’m Irish living in Canada and am planning my journey for my 50th in spring 2020. My plan to get to SJPP is via the Guinness factory in Dublin also known as St James’s Gate. Due to that connection they give out credentials there and give you the first official stamp. From Dublin I’m going to fly to Bordeaux and head south to Biarritz and then inland. I believe most Catholic Churches anywhere can give you a credencial , I just like the idea of leaving from my mother’s house and stopping at the Guinness factory on my way to the airport …. I may even find time for a couple of pints!!
I actually walked in the height of summer, from the end of July right through the first week of September. I can honestly say that I never booked any accommodation apart from a hotel in Lyon, when I stayed an extra day with a fellow Pilgrim. I just let whatever I felt was the distance I could walk lead me to my accommodation when I arrived. It made for some incredible spontaneous adventurers and I always had a bed to stay, although at times I worried because I spent many a day walking until 4-6pm (stopping to smell the roses and take a tom of photos, even on the hottest of days). It was only past Sarria that it was noticeably busier and I was walking with 3 other ladies at that time, so we booked as a group, for convenience sake rather than necessity. I felt it was the perfect time to walk. Hardly a drop walked in the rain from SJPdP to Finisterre. I felt very blessed, even with the scorching sun. The sunflowers piqued in the Meseta. I wouldn’t do it any other way. Maybe next time I’ll think about Spring, but more because of the lack of bed bugs on the trail than anything.