Tips for doing the Camino de Santiago in summer

Hacer el Camino en verano

Why walk the Camino in summer? Advantages and disadvantages

Making the Camino de Santiago in the summer is a decision that many pilgrims are forced to take each year. Whether or not we like the extreme heat and agree with many other pilgrims, it is usually the time of year on the most free days we can gather to travel several stages of the Camino. It is also easier than in other times to coordinate with family and friends in the summer months to travel together and we can always book several days at the end to recover from the trip.

Among the advantages of walking the Camino de Santiago in summer we also find a lower probability of rainfall throughout the north of the peninsula than in autumn, winter and spring, especially in regions such as Castilla y León, La Rioja or Navarre, if we talk about the French Way. In the case of Galicia, summer is also the period where the lowest probability of rain we will find, although it is always advisable to take with us raincoat in case, whatever season it may be. Being less exposed to storms, rain or strong winds will naturally make our Camino de Santiago a more comfortable experience.

The inconveniences of doing the Camino in the summer we have advanced before: we will find many crowds, especially approaching the last section of the French Way, in the province of León and Galicia, where from the second half of July approximately we can be exposed Many days to stay without accommodation. This means having to look for our lives by calling hostels and hostels to find a bed in case we find the hostels full.

We know that although it is better to walk the Camino in the spring, most of the pilgrims depend on their working vacations to do the Camino and therefore July and August. If we can choose, certainly it is better to travel in early July than in the month of August (the temperature will also be somewhat lower). On the other hand, in order to combat heat and agglomerations, a good advice is to look for alternative routes to the French Way, such as the Northern Way, the Primitive Way or the Portuguese Way, which crosses southwest Galicia (great in summer) and avoids The last leg of the French Way. If we do not try to do too many stages, the English Way from Ferrol and A Coruña is also a good option (the heat on this route in summer gets better).