The Xunta albergues don’t take bookings. There are two in Santiago.
Checked 23/09/2026The public albergues (pilgrim hostels) run by the Xunta de Galicia (regional government) can’t be booked. It’s first come, first served. They cost €10 per person per night, open their doors from 13:00 to 22:00, turn the lights off at 22:30 and you have to leave before 8:00. One night only.
If you’ve read that you can book them online, you weren’t misled: there used to be a booking website and it no longer exists. Many guides haven’t removed it.
Order of priority: first pilgrims with physical limitations, then those on foot, on horseback, by bike and, last of all, those with a support car.
Albergue de San Lázaro (Santiago): Parroquia de San Lázaro, 15707. Phone +34 981 571 488. Check-in from 9:00 to 22:00. Showers, kitchen, paid washing machine and lockers. Going by the coordinates the Xunta publishes, it’s about 2.7 km in a straight line east of the Cathedral, where the French Way comes in. It’s not in the old town.
Albergue de Monte do Gozo: Lugar San Marcos, calle Monte do Gozo, 15820. Check-in from 13:00 to 22:00. Showers, kitchen and paid washing machine. Going by the Xunta’s coordinates, it’s about 3.7 km in a straight line east of the Cathedral, where the French Way comes in.
If you come in from the south (Portuguese Way), neither of them is on your way: both are to the east, where the French Way comes in, on the other side of the city.
When you don’t need this: If you arrive in Santiago with a hotel or guesthouse booked, you don’t need this. And if you want to sleep in the old town, neither of the two public albergues is there.
Pending: How many beds each one has and what time they fill up in summer: the Xunta doesn’t publish this. I’ll ask at the door and put it here, with the date.
Sources (every detail on this page comes from here):
- Xunta · the public albergue network (rules and price) · read on 23/09/2026
- Xunta · San Lázaro albergue page · read on 23/09/2026
- Xunta · Monte do Gozo albergue page · read on 23/09/2026
Signed: David, from Santiago de Compostela. If something has changed and I don’t know yet, email me at [email protected].