10 of the Best Albergues on the Camino Francés

There are hundreds of albergues on the Camino Francés. It can be hard to choose where to stay sometimes. Here are ten of my favorites that I stayed in when I hiked the Camino de Santiago in 2023, starting in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France all the way to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Refuge Orisson, Orisson

While this albergue is known for its 5-minute shower tokens (yes! really!), it’s a wonderful first stop on the Camino for those who choose to stay there. Nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains, this albergue has incredible views.

They have a lovely pilgrim dinner where they have everyone go around sharing who they are, where they’re from, and why they’re hiking the Camino. It was such a special way to kick off the hike.

Plus, stopping there makes the first couple days a little easier with 4.7 miles and 10.4 miles instead of a 15.1-mile day going up and over the Pyrenees in one go. This albergue is small, so I recommend booking in advance.

Albergue Jakue, Puente La Reina

This is one of the nicest albergues on the Camino that I stayed at. It was around 20-25 euros a night in 2023. The beds had sheets, they gave us towels, and the bathroom was immaculate with soap in the shower. This is NOT common. It almost felt like a real hotel!

There’s a lovely outdoor patio area where you can eat and drink. They have a nice pilgrim meal for dinner as well.

Albergue Parroquial Santiago El Real, Logroño

This is a donativo albergue, which means you pay a donation for your stay. It’s at a church and run by volunteers who have a passion for the Camino. Everyone there seemed so genuinely excited for us to stay there and so happy to help make sure we had a nice stay.

They offer the option for everyone to cook dinner together, which is apparently very special. I sadly missed it myself as I decided to enjoy a festival that was happening when I was there), but a Danish man I had met told me it was his favorite experience on his Camino.

Albergue Cuatro Cantones, Belorado

As far as albergues on the Camino go, this albergue is very special because it has a pool! Very few albergues on the Camino have pools. Almost everyone I knew who was hiking around me stayed there together, and we had a blast. The albergue has vending machines with snacks and drinks that you can enjoy by the pool. The dinner is apparently quite good too and they serve it earlier than the few restaurants in town.

Albergue Santa Brigida, Hontanas

Were you expecting any albergues on the Camino to have a SPA?? Well this albergue one does. In 2023 it was 20 euros for a 90-minute visit to their hydrotherapy spa, which includes a pool full of various jets, a sauna, and some other hydrotherapy features. There’s also quite a lovely courtyard with the sounds of a water fountain.

This albergue has regular hotel rooms and dorm style rooms, and both are very nice. They have a bar and lovely pilgrim meal for dinner as well.

I still dream of this albergue! It was the perfect place to relax and massage my tired muscles about halfway through my Camino Francés hike.

Hostel Parish Santa Maria del Camino, Carrión de los Condes

This has to be one of the most special albergues on the Camino. This albergue is attached to a church and run by nuns. While waiting to check in, they greeted us warmly and gave us tea and some snacks.

What really makes this experience special is when the nuns welcome everyone to gather together to sing. They introduced themselves and handed out sheets of paper with lyrics to songs in English and Spanish for us to sing along. Then they had us go around to introduce ourselves and why we were hiking the Camino. They also invite pilgrims to a church service where they bless everyone.

Albergue La Perala, Bercianos del Real Camino

This albergue seemed quite new. It’s very large with a number of rooms, all of which are smaller, holding around 6 beds or so, each with a bathroom attached. We ended up having a room with just three of us, which was a nice change from the larger dorm rooms.

There’s a nice outdoor area here for spending time with friends, and the food and drinks are great. I had a wonderful bocadillo, and I felt so bad, but they even made me a new one when I accidentally dropped mine on the floor.

Related: Learn more about albergues and get my Camino packing list.

Albergue Guiana-Hostel, Ponferrada

This albergue was incredibly nice. It felt very clean and modern, and I think there were only maybe 8 or 10 of us in a room. It’s located very close to the Knight’s Templar castle as well, which is a must see.

Viña Femita, Villafranca del Bierzo

This is another one of the nicest albergues I stayed at on the Camino. It completely blew us away. The staff were so kind and welcoming, it felt like we were staying at a normal hotel. We had a LOVELY dinner there, and we even had air conditioning!

Albergue del Puerto, Barbadelo

This is another one of the few albergues on the Camino with a pool. I had the best lentil stew here, and the rooms seemed quite nice as well with maybe only 10 or so beds and three bathrooms attached directly to the room.