Frequently Asked Questions

Breakfast is included in all of our travel itineraries. This breakfast is continental style, which includes but is not limited to: breads, pastries, cereals, fruits, ham, cheese, tea, and coffee. Breakfast in Spain is typically a light meal, and this is true on the Camino too.

Usually from 7:30am to 10am. If you would like to start walking before this time, we recommend you ask at reception upon check-in if they would be able to provide you with a packed breakfast.

The meals included in your holiday appear on your booking confirmation as well as hotel vouchers. They should appear under ‘Meals’ and only those stated on your vouchers are included. If dinner is included, it will say ‘breakfast’ and ‘dinner’.

If not included, it will say ‘breakfast only’. Drinks are not included in the price of the holiday. Meals booked are usually served in the hotel. In some of our accommodations, you may be served in a restaurant close by; please refer to your voucher and the reception of your hotel for more information.

Dinner is usually served from 7pm or 8pm until 10pm but times may vary in individual hotels and restaurants. Dinner usually consists of a 3 course set menu of starter, main, and dessert.

Drinks are not included in your holiday package. Some hotels may provide a complimentary drink on arrival or with your evening meal.

If you have dietary requirements/allergies, it is very important that you let us know at the time of booking, so we can inform the hotels in advance.

Please remember to mention any special dietary requirements (vegetarian, coeliac, etc), upon check-in. If you have communicated this information to us at time of booking, we have already advised them of your requirements, but a second mention is always a safer way to get the food you need.

Depending on the route, there are often plenty of cafes and shops every few kilometres, and water fountains to fill up your water bottle. Join us in taking care of the environment by carrying a reusable water bottle with you.

Some other routes will have less infrastructure along the way, so you will need to pack snacks for the day. You will have this information in the walking notes to help you plan your trip.

We do. Ask your Camino Planner about the easiest airport to fly to, depending on your route and starting point. They will be happy to assist you.

For airport transfers, we need your flight’s details (arrival time and flight number) in order to arrange this service for you.

We do. Ask your Camino Planner about the easiest airport to fly to, depending on your route and starting point. They will be happy to assist you. For airport transfers, we need your flight’s details (arrival time and flight number) in order to arrange this service for you.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled, please contact us as soon as possible on the 24/7 support line to inform us so we can assist you. Unfortunately, no refund can be given due to missed transfers that have failed to be reported to Follow The Camino.

We recommend you take a taxi. It’s good practice to ask at reception when you check out if they could give you the number of a local taxi company, in case you get tired/injured or do not want to continue walking.

When ordering a taxi, bear in mind that you need to be near a recognisable landmark so they know where you are. It also needs to be reachable by car. So if you are on the Camino path in the middle of a forest or on a mountainside, it won’t be possible for a taxi to pick you up.

If you encounter a language barrier with the taxi driver, you can call our support line and we will be happy to assist you.

Make sure that you use our luggage tags. Ideally, write your trip reference number on them too so our luggage handler can identify your baggage straight away. You can also add a mobile phone number to the luggage tags if you wish. Hotels are not committed to bring your luggage up to your room, so it will be up to you to carry it to your bedroom. In some cases, accommodation may not have a lift and you may have to carry the luggage up the stairs. It is usually delivered to your next hotel by 6pm at the latest.

If you are not going by foot or cycling to your following destination, then you MUST take your luggage with you. On days where you are taking public transport you need to take your luggage with you too.

There are specific regulations regarding luggage weight limits that vary by country. Please review the following guidelines to avoid any additional fees or disruptions during your trip:

Maximum Weight Per Bag:

• Spain, Portugal, and Italy: 18-20 kg per bag
• France: 10-13 kg per bag*

We recommend packing only 18 kg (for Spain, Portugal, and Italy) or 10 kg (for France) before your trip to allow some flexibility and avoid incurring overweight fees.

Overweight Luggage Fees:

Spain, Portugal, and Italy:

• If your luggage exceeds the weight limit, you will be charged an extra €15 for walkers and €30 for cyclists on the first day your bag is overweight.
• You will be informed of the overweight status and will have one day to split the weight into two bags and pay for the extra piece.
• If not corrected, the transporter will stop moving your bag(s) until the weight is adjusted.

France:

• Bags exceeding 13 kg will not be transported.
• You must redistribute the excess weight into another bag and pay €10 per day for additional transportation (€20 per day for cyclists).

Additional Bags:

• Loose items such as boots or small bags attached to your main bag count as an extra piece of luggage and will incur an additional charge.
• Extra bags can be transferred for €10 per bag, per transfer, and must comply with the weight regulations of the specific country you are walking in.

*Please note that regulations are strict in France, and overweight bags will not be moved under any circumstances. Always check your bag’s weight before starting your Camino to ensure compliance.

We can’t allow you to go with the luggage transporter as they are not insured to carry people, only goods (luggage and equipment).

We can arrange a private transfer to get from the nearest airport to your starting point, or alternatively you can get a bus or train to the starting point. We do not book train or bus services. However, our Camino Planners can advise you on the best public transport to your start point, and we also have guides for each Camino route on our website.

Our Camino Guided Tours include a group shuttle transfer from Santiago de Compostela airport to the Camino starting point, and also back from Santiago de Compostela to the local airport at the end of the trip.

The shuttle times are fixed and if your flight departs at a different time, you will need to arrange alternative transport from/to the airport. You will have the shuttle transfer times on your booking confirmation and hotel vouchers.

Yes, we can provide travellers with a support van service. If you are interested in this service, then please contact our Camino Planners for more information.

If a change (such as a change of date or a new leg of the itinerary) is made by the customer after the booking has been made, change fees will apply.

No changes are permitted within 14 days of departure. For groups with 5 or more rooms, no changes are permitted within 30 days of departure (a cancellation fee applies).

No changes are permitted on our Budget Packages (a cancellation fee applies). For further information please check our Terms & Conditions.

The following charges which are expressed as a percentage of the holiday cost will be made:

* More than 60 days before the starting date of the holiday: the deposit
* 15 days or more before the starting date of the holiday: 50% of the holiday cost
* 14 days or less before the starting date of the holiday: 100% of holiday cost

For further information check our Terms & Conditions.

We always recommend purchasing a travel insurance package just in case. You never know what can happen, and they are very useful if you need to cancel a reservation or are injured along the walk. They are totally optional though.

The Client Area is a portal for direct access to our system, exclusively for our clients. We have created this area specially for you to make organising your Camino experience easier. Whether you are a new client or a returning one, in the Client Area you have access to your quote and booking history. Also, you can invite the friends you are travelling with so they have access to the booking and all the relevant information as well.

All you need to access the Client Area is the email address you have provided us with and your password. You can log into your Client Area on the Follow the Camino website, clicking on ‘Client Login’.

In the Client Area you can access your itineraries (including quotes and past or future bookings). You can make payments for your reservation here. You can also download general information about your walk (details about your Camino, times of pilgrim masses in Santiago de Compostela, lists of what to pack, and more).

Once your reservation is confirmed you can download your hotel vouchers, the walking notes for your Camino trip, and the GPS tracks to your phone.

If you have already been in contact with your sales agent, have a quote reference and are happy with your tour, then you can book it from the Client Area following the steps below:

1. Click on this link to the Client Area and login using the same email address you have used in the communication with us. 
   1. If you don’t have an account yet, please click on the ‘No Account?’ button, fill the form and submit it
   2. If you do not remember your password, please click on ‘Forgot Password’
2. Scroll down and you will see your quote, please check the reference number. Click on the ‘Details’ button in white.
3. You will find all the info related to your quote. On the list on the left side, you will find the ‘Payment’ option. Click there and you will be redirected to the payment window.
4. Select your deposit (you can also select more than one), click on at least the first two boxes. and then on the button ‘Pay’.
5. Fill your card details (Visa or Mastercard).
6. Find the confirmation in the payment section.

We charge a non-refundable 30% deposit at the time of booking.

Payment of the final balance is due 2 months before the departure date.

If your starting date is in less than 60 days after making your reservation, the full amount will be required at the time of booking.

The final payment will not automatically be deducted from your card. You will receive an automatic email 2 weeks before your payment is due. If you would like to pay with a different credit card, you can go into the Client Area and pay the remaining balance, or you can call us to give us the new credit card information to process the payment.

To make the final payment through the Client Area use the following steps:

1. Click on this link to the Client Area and login using the same email address you have used in the communication with us.
   1. If you don’t have an account yet, please click on the ‘No Account?’ button, fill the form and submit it
   2. If you do not remember your password, please click on ‘Forgot Password’
2. Scroll down a little bit and you will see your quote, please check the reference Scroll down and you will see your quote, please check the reference number. Click on the ‘Details’ button in white.
3. You will find all the info related to your quote. On the list on the left side, you will find the ‘Payment’ option. Click there and you will be redirected to the payment window.
4. Select your deposit (you can also select more than one), click on at least the first two boxes. and then on the button ‘Pay’.
5. Fill your card details (Visa or Mastercard).

You can indeed log into your Client Area and pay the balance there.

At checkout, you have two options. If you decide to pay in Euros (€), your bank may charge a commission for the transaction in line with their digital banking policies. If you decide to pay in another currency, our payment services provider will charge a small commission of 3.5% to cover the exchange rate.

If you are travelling from a country with a different currency, we strongly recommend you change to Euros before you travel for your own peace of mind. There are ATMs at the airports and in the big cities you travel through, but your bank might charge you a commission when you withdraw in a different country or currency.

The small bars and cafes you will see along the Camino sometimes do not accept credit cards, or there’s a minimum amount to pay by credit card, so we will recommend you always carry cash with you. As an example: a lunch meal along the Camino usually costs between €10-€12, while a coffee is usually around €2.

There’s a city tax in most towns in France/Italy and some cities in Spain. The city tax has to be paid directly in cash by the client upon check-in at their accommodation.

We provide you with a 24/7 support line to help you with any issues that may arise during your stay. This number is at the bottom of the page on each one of your hotel vouchers. This is not an emergency line for serious incidents, so if you get injured or find yourself in an emergency situation please call the local authorities on 112 (this number is applicable to all EU countries).

The Pre-departure Pack is a letter that we will send you by post containing your Pilgrim Passport, your luggage tag, and route notes or a guidebook to your chosen Camino, if you have requested a hard copy. For walking notes and hotel vouchers, you need to go to the client area and download them there.

We recommend having a printed copy of these walking notes and hotel vouchers, in case you have any issue with your phone during your travels.

You can check once your Pre-departure Pack is sent in the Client Area.

In most cases, the Pre-departure Pack will be waiting for you upon arrival at your first night’s accommodation. Make sure you ask at reception upon check-in if they have received a package for you.

The walking notes are guidelines to assist you on your trip. The Camino is pretty well marked and you usually only need to follow the yellow arrows to follow the trail, but sometimes there are variations along the routes. Also, some routes are more difficult to follow than others, so we have put together notes and maps for you.

We always recommend you look at them the night before or during breakfast before starting your walking day, to familiarise yourself with the towns you are going to go through and the terrain. But, in order for you to have an enjoyable walk looking at the landscape, we do not recommend walking with the notes in your hand.

Once your reservation is confirmed, you can download the walking notes for your Camino trip from the Client Area.

Once your reservation is confirmed you can download the vouchers for your Camino trip from the Client Area.

The vouchers contain all the information of your confirmed accommodation choices for the trip. You will have the address of each, their phone number, any special notes on how to get there, and a small map of where it is located.

Also, you can find our 24/7 support phone number on the bottom of each hotel voucher.

The most popular times to go along the Camino, regardless of where the route is located, are late Spring and early Autumn. However, bear in mind that this is the north of Spain and the weather is unpredictable; you can have really wet Summers and lovely sunny Autumn days. In terms of crowds, May and September are the busiest months, with June also popular, so if you’d like to walk with a level of peace and quiet we recommend walking at a different time. For further information about weather and the average temperatures of the past few year, visit our Camino Weather Map.

It depends on the route and time of the year. Trainers are lighter but they are not waterproof, and for some routes trainers are not sturdy enough. Boots are heavier and better suited for mountainous terrain. There’s also walking shoes. It depends what you are used to and what you feel more comfortable walking in. To make for a more pleasant Camino, it’s important to find shoes that fit well and are suited to the weather and terrain of the trip you’re planning for. Here you have further information on how to choose the best footwear for your Camino trip. 

One way to ease the uphill and downhill on the Camino is the use of walking poles. These reduce the load on your feet by 10%-15% and offer you a more stable platform. This is totally optional – some people love walking with poles and they find it very easy, while other people walk better without them. We recommend that, before you go to the shop and get your pair of poles, you go on a practice hike and borrow a pair of walking sticks to see if you like it or not.

We usually recommend starting around 8am–9am. This is totally up to you, however. In the summer months you might want to start earlier to avoid the heat, and daylight hours are also longer.

Walking times for each section of the Camino are based on real-time assessment as per a normal walker (4km/h and/or 300m/h ascent and/or 400m/h descent) and exclude breaks.

You want to be walking for between 4 and 6 hours ideally, excluding breaks.

We do not recommend big suitcases on the Camino, as they are not easy to handle and there are accommodation options along the way with no lift, so you would need to carry it up and down the stairs yourself.

We do not recommend evening clothes or heels – you are not going to need them.

Also, we would not pack valuables in your luggage, like a laptop – you do not really need them along the Camino and we cannot be responsible for any damage or loss of valuable property while you are on your walk.

The Pilgrim Passport (Credencial del Peregrino) will be proof that you have walked the 100km necessary to obtain your ‘Compostela’, or ‘Pilgrim Certificate’, the official documentation of your journey. You will need to collect at least two stamps per day. You can get a stamp at your accommodation, any cafe/bars/restaurants you stop in, as well as some shops and churches along the Way of St James.

We will provide you with one Pilgrim Passport per person as part of our holiday pack. You can also read more here about getting your Pilgrim Certificate.

Scallop shells are a symbol of the pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago. There are various theories as to why this is the symbol, mainly related to the death of St James. Other people think it is for practical purposes, such as gathering water from the fountains. You will see nowadays most people just put them on their backpacks to show that they are a pilgrim.

You can purchase a scallop shell at many local shops and stalls along the Camino.

The timings for the mass held at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela are ever–changing. We recommend checking the cathedral’s official website for more information. We also provide you with this information in the ‘General Information’ section in the Client Area.

Due to restoration works inside the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, until further notice there will be no Botafumeiro Ceremony. Check the cathedral’s official website for more information.

We offer two options: mountain bikes (MTBs) and electric mountain bikes (e-MTBs). As most of the trails are off-road, mountain bikes provide the best safety and performance. To ensure you get the right fit, we’ll ask for your height.

Absolutely! You’re welcome to bring your own bike, and we will adjust the rental cost accordingly.

Every bike rental includes:

• Breakdown insurance
• Repair kit
• Helmet
• Bike lock

E-bikes are a great option if you’re unsure about your fitness level or want extra assistance on more challenging terrain. While they are slightly more expensive, they can make the ride more enjoyable. Please note that you will need to charge your e-bike’s detachable battery each night in your accommodation.