Food on the Camino de Santiago

If you have decided to do the Camino de Santiago, the first questions that usually arise are: Which Camino de Santiago to choose? o What should I take with me on the Camino de Santiago? After having planned the Camino de Santiago, another common doubt that pilgrims usually have is What will the food be like on the Camino?

It really is a vitally important subject that requires prior information in order to be well prepared. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about how to have a correct diet during the Camino and what are the possibilities it offers us. Don’t miss any detail!

Providing food on the road: What options will be available to me?

The Camino de Santiago consists of all the necessary services so that you are the one who decides what to eat according to what you feel like every day, especially those routes more traveled such as the French Way and the Portuguese. You don’t need to bring any food from home with you, as you will be able to stock up on everything you need on the day, don’t worry about anything!

As a general rule, on all the routes and sections of the Camino, the food is great. However, if you are going to do a section that runs almost entirely through Galicia, what can you say? you are in the capital of gastronomic delight! Galicians are naturally good eaters. We love to eat and offer rich and abundant food to our visitors, above all things. If you are passionate about gastronomy, you’ve come to the right place!

Is it cheap to eat on the Camino de Santiago?

Yes. Obviously, if you choose the “supermarket” option, meals will be very cheap. But no matter which option you choose, you won’t spend a lot of money. Eating a plate on the road is very cheap, as you have many options. There are places for tapas and restaurants with pilgrim’s menu and menu of the day, in which the price per person will be around 10€ depending on the quantity.

Better to buy food in supermarkets?

To stock up on everything you need for the hike yes. After that, for lunches and dinners, it will depend on your personal choice. For example, if you do the Camino in hostels, you will have access to a shared kitchen and you will be able to cook your own food.

Do the lodgings provide us with food?

The accommodations do not usually include any meals (not even breakfast). While it is true that it is a service that can be hired. But we don’t recommend it, as this way you will have the possibility to choose for yourself every day where to have lunch or dinner depending on what you feel like.

Are there restaurants or bars where to eat in all the villages?

Of course! All the stages are provided with all the necessary services. However, it is true that depending on the route you choose, there will be routes where you will have few services en route. But you will always have everything you need in the start and end towns.

Plan the meal on the road for the day’s journey

You should keep in mind that every day you will have to walk several kilometers, so it is very important to take care of your diet. Let’s plan the food on the road for a day, so you can take note of what you can’t miss. Let’s get started!

Breakfast: You wake up in the morning and a new day begins. After getting ready, it’s time for breakfast. But what’s the best thing to eat for breakfast when you go for a walk? If you are someone who usually has a cup of coffee and that’s it, you will have to change this habit during the walk. You should not overeat in the morning, but it is advisable to eat a balanced amount of sweet or salty food, which will allow you to get enough strength to walk. It’s more important than you think, to avoid slacking off. An example of a good breakfast is coffee with a couple of slices of toast with turkey or cheese, or butter and jam.

During the stage: while you are walking it is very important that you carry dried fruit, energy bars, chocolate, sandwiches or bananas in your backpack. Dried fruits above all, are a food that helps a lot to replenish energy and are not at all heavy for walking. With bananas the same thing, they provide a lot of energy and are satiating. Of course, you should not miss the water for a good hydration.

Food: If you want to make a sandwich during the stage or at the end of it, you can take with you the sandwich already prepared or buy what you need in the supermarket on the fly. On the other hand, if you prefer to “eat a plate“, you will find numerous options in the villages you pass through along the stage and at the end of it.

Our recommendation is to eat, depending on the needs of each person, enough to sustain you during the hike and at the end of the stage to eat the main meal of the day. Since you’ll be walking early in the morning, you’ll get to the end of the stage in time for lunch and you won’t have to worry about getting too full and then feeling too heavy to walk.

Dinner: For dinner it is advisable to eat a normal amount, as usual. What changes in this case, is the type of food to eat at night. It is fine to dine on protein or carbohydrates such as pasta, as these are foods that are digested quickly.

We hope we have helped you to plan your meals on the Camino de Santiago. If you have already lived this experience, tell us about it! And if you walk with your pet, here you will find all the information you need for proper feeding and care on the road.