Your tour guide will meet you in Spain (except for the Finisterre tour) at the agreed destination airport, in Portugal and on the Fisterra tour at the agreed location in the city center. From there, they will take care of the rest of the journey to the Way of St. James and most of the organizational matters during the trip. On the pilgrimage days, participants walk the Way of St. James WITHOUT a tour guide. As the Way of St. James is well signposted, there is no danger of getting lost. Participants decide for themselves whether they want to walk alone or in small groups. The tour guide can be contacted by cell phone during the day if there are any problems.

There is a support vehicle which is generally driven by the tour guide. This vehicle is used to transport luggage and, if necessary, tour participants who need to take a break, e.g. for health reasons. However, there are not enough seats to transport the group in rainy weather, for example.

During the pilgrimage, participants are accommodated in guesthouses, hostals (Spanish for small hotels) and hotels. There is also accommodation in **casas rurales" (**rural houses"): These are usually old farms or other former farm buildings, which are often very pretty and furnished with attention to detail. The rooms in the guesthouses and hostals are usually simply furnished, but always adequate for the needs of pilgrims.

The rooms usually have their own bathroom with WC. However, exceptions are possible. For example, in some casas rurales there are bathrooms in the corridor or the need to share a bathroom with another room, but there are always enough bathrooms available.

Our accommodations are mostly smaller establishments and often run by local families. They are almost always located at the respective stage destination, often even directly on the Way of St. James. We prefer family-run accommodation that gives you an authentic insight into the country and its people. Sometimes a group is accommodated in several smaller houses.

Accommodation is in double rooms. For people who register alone and book a half double room, we may charge a **half double room" supplement. If no other person of the same sex can be found for the second place in the double room, the person making the booking will be given a single room and we will charge the above-mentioned surcharge. If a second participant registers for the double room, this surcharge does not apply. A limited number of single rooms are available for each trip. A single room supplement will be charged for this. Accommodation in three- or four-bed rooms (families) may also be possible on request.

A note on the bathrooms in Spain and Portugal: We pay great attention to cleanliness when selecting accommodation, especially in the sanitary area. However, some southern European countries have not yet reached the standard of sanitary technology that is possible. Even in better hotels, you will sometimes find sanitary facilities that are not up to the standard you are used to at home due to poor construction work

During the pilgrimages you usually have half board. In the morning there is a Mediterranean breakfast (e.g. coffee with milk and toasted bread with butter and jam) and in the evening we go to a restaurant together and eat the pilgrim's menu or the menu of the day (drinks such as red wine and water are usually included in Spain and Portugal).

During the day's hike, everyone feeds themselves. Pilgrims often eat a "bocadillo" (Spanish bread or baguette topped with various tasty things) or another snack in one of the many small bars or restaurants. As you walk in smaller groups or alone during the day, this can be arranged flexibly by the participants themselves.

We usually have dinner in small restaurants and village bars, so you will get to know a lot about the way of life and customs (beyond the paella cliché).

Meals on our pilgrimages usually start with dinner on the day of arrival and end with breakfast on the day of departure. Please note: Meals on the rest days in Burgos (Tour 2), León (Tour 3) and Finisterre (Tour 5) are not included in the tour price and are self-organized. Meals on Tour 4 and Tour Portugal end with dinner on the arrival day in Santiago, on Tour 5 with breakfast on the penultimate day. On Tour Portugal, meals begin with breakfast on the first day of the pilgrimage.

Our groups usually consist of 8 to 16 participants. With this group size, you get to know each other quickly and we can also stay in smaller guesthouses and hotels. The age of the participants is between 20 and 80 years. During the pilgrimage, all participants should be able to walk at their own pace. Nobody should feel compelled to walk faster or slower than is appropriate for them. This also means that the group does not stay together all day. Sometimes individuals or groups who walk at the same pace agree to walk parts of the route together. However, participants often deliberately choose to walk part or all of a day's stage alone. As the Way of St. James is very well signposted, there is almost no risk of getting lost. During the day, the group (or parts of the group) usually meet up for a rest in the open air or in a bar.

Although we will be walking as a group, each participant will also go "their own way". The other people in the group can be both an enrichment and a gift, but sometimes also a burden. May we succeed in balancing closeness and distance!

By the way: It may happen that a dog accompanies the journey. If this is a problem for you, please let us know in advance so that we can deal with it accordingly.

Our daily stages are on average between 20 and 25 kilometers. Experience has shown that this is a pilgrimage route that will not cause any major problems with knee joints or feet even after a few days. Daily distances of 30 to 40 kilometers are not unusual for some pilgrims, but you run the risk of your own body being "put out of action".

On our pilgrimages, we offer a short spiritual introduction in the morning before setting off on the Way of St. James. These are often short texts that can be thought-provoking and provide inspiration for the next few hours on the Way of St. James. You are cordially invited to take part in these meetings, but you can of course also start without them.

The day's destination is usually reached in the afternoon and after a shower and a short rest you can explore the city, for example. Sometimes you just sit together and talk about the day's experiences over a good Spanish coffee or wine. In the evening, you can enjoy a pilgrim's meal together.

Walking alone or in a group through the often beautiful nature along the Way of St. James is usually a very impressive experience. However, you should also be prepared for the fact that pilgrimage is not only always beautiful, but also sometimes "hurts". For example, almost every pilgrim has more or less serious problems with their feet. Stamina is often required in such situations. In retrospect, many pilgrims say that it was precisely the pain and overcoming it and the pride in it that was an important and positive experience on the Way of St. James. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you simply cannot go any further, do not be afraid to acknowledge this limit. You can then call the support vehicle and ask to be picked up.

Much of what applies to your physical condition can also be applied to your mental state. In the silence of a pilgrimage, some things that have been waiting a long time at home for this moment of peace are broken open. This sometimes hurts and takes time to "go through". Don't worry too much about unwelcome moods and feelings - there is nothing better than walking on your own two feet at your own pace to bring body and soul back into harmony.

The main component of your travel documents, which you will receive from us, is the pilgrim's folder. In addition to the program of your pilgrimage, you will also find information about your accommodation, a small language guide and much more. You will receive the folder from your tour guide on the first day of your trip. However, it does not replace the purchase of a pilgrim guide. Please note: The pilgrim's folder also contains a list of participants, in which the contact details of all fellow travelers in a group are published. If you do not agree to your data being passed on, please make a note of this on the relevant form when you register in writing.

Together with the pilgrim's folder, you will receive the pilgrim's identity card from your tour guide on site.

The travel documents also include an annotated list of things to take with you to prepare you for the pilgrimage. You will receive this list from us before you start your journey or you can download it here as a PDF document: Take-along list.

The travel documents also include the legally required travel insurance certificate, which we will send you together with the booking confirmation after your written travel registration.

The pilgrim's identity card (Spanish: la Credencial) is carried by pilgrims on the Way of St. James to certify their pilgrimage. There are various opportunities along the way to have the card stamped. At the end of the pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela, a pilgrim's certificate (**La Compostela") is issued upon presentation of the ID card at the pilgrims' office.

You will receive the certificate together with the pilgrim's folder from the tour guide at the beginning of your trip. The pilgrim's identity cards that we provide you with are officially issued by the Cathedral of Santiago. We ourselves purchase the passes from the St. James Association, which runs the pilgrims' hostel in Astorga, and thus support their commitment to pilgrims to Santiago.

If you would like to order a pilgrim's pass before you start your journey, you can do so in our own online store(PilginoShop) or from one of the following German St. James societies:

German St. James Society
Tempelhofer Straße 21
52068 Aachen
Tel.: 0241 - 47 90 127

Franconian St. James Society
Ottostraße 1
97070 Würzburg
Tel.: 0931 - 38 66 38 70

St. James Brotherhood Düsseldorf
Rathausstraße 29
42659 Solingen
Tel.: 0212 - 81 57 47

Freundeskreis der Jakobuspilger Paderborn
Pilgerbüro, Am Niesenteich 9
33100 Paderborn
Tel.: 05251 - 46 25

Of course you can also order the pilgrim's pass from one of the foreign St. James Societies.

As a member of a statutory German health insurance scheme, you are covered by health insurance in Spain and Portugal in the same way as in Germany. You only need the European Health Insurance Card, which generally corresponds to the normal health insurance card. Treatment in EU countries is normally free of charge, you only have to pay for any medication you may need. However, these costs will be reimbursed by your health insurance company in Germany.

If you are insured with a private health insurance company, please contact them directly beforehand.

If you want to insure yourself against the risk of necessary repatriation, you will need separate travel health and repatriation insurance. This is usually valid for a whole year for all trips taken during that year. You should therefore find out whether you already have such insurance.

We strongly advise you to take out travel cancellation and curtailment insurance. You can find information on this in the Europäische Reiseversicherung booklet that we have provided. (If you do not have this booklet, please let us know so that we can send it to you).

We recommend that you take out the all-round carefree package from Europäische Reiseversicherung. In addition to international travel health insurance and travel cancellation and curtailment insurance, you will also receive luggage insurance at favorable conditions.

The flights you have booked are then included in the travel cancellation insurance recommended by us if you increase the sum insured accordingly by the flight price and transfer the resulting premium to the insurance company.

We will send you the legally required travel insurance certificate together with the booking confirmation after your written travel registration.

You can take out travel insurance with our partner ERGO here:

https://www.reiseversicherung.de

After your registration and receipt of the booking confirmation sent by us, please transfer the deposit for your trip amounting to 20% of the tour price. Please transfer the remainder of the tour price no later than three weeks before the start of the tour.

Payment by credit card is currently not possible.

If you would like to prepare for your pilgrimage, we recommend the following books, some of which you can also order in our PilginoShop:

Way of St. James in Spain

Spanish Way of St. James by Cordula Rabe (Bergverlag Rother): This is a classic pilgrim's guide to the complete Spanish Way of St. James. In addition to descriptions of pilgrims' hostels, it contains lots of information about the towns and cities on the way to Santiago. This booklet also contains good maps and lots of information about the route.

Coastal Way of St. James by Raimund Joos (Bergverlag Rother): A compact travel guide that describes pilgrims' hostels as well as providing information on the towns and cities along the way. It also includes maps with information on the individual routes.

Way of St. James in Portugal

Caminho Português by Raimund Joos (Conrad Stein Verlag): A classic pilgrim's guide with very detailed route descriptions and information on hostels and the infrastructure along the Portuguese Way of St. James. Enriched by outlined maps and information on the towns and cities along the Way of St. James and their sights, this booklet is an indispensable companion on the Camino.

General information

Pilgrims on the Way of St. James by Raimund Joos (Conrad Stein Verlag): This book provides you with a brief description of the various European pilgrimage routes and gives you lots of tips, e.g. on choosing the right time to travel, the length of the pilgrimage and how to prepare for the journey.

Small pilgrim language guide by Raimund Joos (Conrad Stein Verlag): This small phrasebook will help you to make yourself understood correctly in Spanish in the special situations typical for pilgrims.

Way of St. James - History and culture of a pilgrimage by Klaus Herbers (Verlag C.H. Beck): A small pocket book that offers everything you need to know about the history of the Way of St. James and the cult of St. James in a compact format.

Der Weg der Jakobspilger - Eine Bilderreise by Klaus Herbers (Ellert+Richter Verlag): For all those who prefer a book with lots of photos and less text.