When to set off on the Camino de Santiago
You can set off any time; accommodation will be harder, but the number of pilgrims you meet on the road will be better. In our view the best window for walking the Camino de Santiago is from the end of August to the end of October. Failing that, from the end of March to the end of May.
After that, madness breaks out. The summer months are all about the “battle for beds”. Most EU countries are on holiday, people take the most time off and head for the Camino. Here’s a comment from Milan, a pilgrim who walked the Portuguese route from Porto in July: “There are people, especially in summer, who get up at half four or five so they can set off and be at the albergue by lunchtime with their bed guaranteed.”
The question then is whether you want to play that game and put yourself through very early starts, or whether you’d rather enjoy some slow walking. Then again, slow walking in 35 degrees isn’t exactly pleasant 😀 A universal answer to the question of when to walk the Camino de Santiago doesn’t exist. It depends most of all on what works for you.
Summer weather on the French Way is catastrophic. Inland it hits up to 40 °C. That’s why people from the south of Spain head to the Camino del Norte to cool down. In 2021, when we walked the Camino, night-time temperatures there were 30 °C.
Generally, based on comments from experienced pilgrims in particular, we’d recommend setting off in spring or autumn (see the chart above).
What to watch out for
Be aware that sleeping outside under the stars won’t really be on the cards, and fewer albergues will be open (partly because of damp and cold, since not all albergues are heated) – but you’ll get the feeling that you have the Camino almost to yourself, and that’s worth it! More on the weather here
We also had the luck of very little rain on the way (I think twice in 19 days). I took this photo on one of the rainy days, where the two of us clearly had different opinions. Me: happy. Zdenicka: surprised.
