CaminantesHolidays and fiestas on the Camino in 2027: the days the shops shut on your walk
By August Frederik Kramer · Last updated 6 November 2026
Which route?
Any day in 2027; the walk follows our stage plan, one stage a day.
Camino Francés, starting 4 July 2027
6 of 36 days
when the shops may be shut. Sundays: 6. Public holidays: 0.
A big fiesta on the way: San Fermín in Pamplona / Iruña, day 3.
Each square is a day of your walk. Tap one.
Day 3, Tuesday 6 July: you sleep in Pamplona / Iruña. San Fermín in Pamplona / Iruña, 6 July to 14 July: beds fill, so book ahead.
Spain’s public holidays are regional: 23 April shuts the shops in Castilla y León and nowhere else. So which days of your walk are holidays depends on where you sleep each night. Start the Camino Francés on any day of 2027 and 57% of the time at least one public holiday lands on your walk, on top of the Sundays. Start on 14 March 2027 and it is 3: San José, Jueves Santo and Viernes Santo.
Route by route
Every start day of 2027 on each route, walked on our stage plan with no rest days. The longer the route, the more holidays it catches; Easter is the week that stacks them. The most on one walk is 4: Camino del Norte and Vía de la Plata.
| Route | Days | Start days with a holiday | Most on one walk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Francés | 36 | 57% | 3 (14 March 2027) |
| Camino Portugués | 31 | 56% | 3 (8 November 2027) |
| Camino del Norte | 39 | 63% | 4 (24 March 2027) |
| Camino Primitivo | 15 | 34% | 3 (12 March 2027) |
| Camino Inglés | 6 | 16% | 2 (1 January 2027) |
| Vía de la Plata | 47 | 64% | 4 (20 March 2027) |
The fiestas that fill the beds
A public holiday shuts the shops; a big fiesta fills the beds, and the town is loud until late. The calendar marks five, each from its own source: San Fermín in Pamplona / Iruña (6 July to 14 July, spain.info (Turespaña)), San Juan y San Pedro in León (20 June to 30 June, Turismo de León), São João in Vila Nova de Gaia (23 June to 24 June, Câmara Municipal de Vila Nova de Gaia), Santiago Apóstol in Santiago de Compostela (25 July, spain.info (Turespaña)) and San Froilán in Lugo (4 October to 12 October, spain.info (Turespaña)). On the Francés, 21 of the 330 start days put a night in one of them.
What the calendar leaves out
Every town also takes two local holidays of its own, usually the days of its patron saint. They are not on this calendar: when we checked on 6 November 2026, most regions had not yet published their towns’ days for 2027. Ask at the albergue the day before.
2027 is also a Holy Year, so expect more pilgrims than usual all year: what the Holy Year changes.
When the shops open and shut on an ordinary day: Spain’s clock on the Camino.
Which month suits which route, for heat, rain and crowds: the best time to walk the Camino.
Spain’s national and regional holidays for 2027 are from the BOE, BOE-A-2026-21254. Portugal’s are from the Código do Trabalho, article 234, with Good Friday and Corpus Christi worked out from Easter. The nights are our stage plan, one stage a day. Checked on 6 November 2026.
Common questions
Are shops open on public holidays on the Camino?
Often not. A public holiday in Spain works much like a Sunday: many shops are shut, so buy food the day before. Which days are holidays depends on the region you sleep in that night.
How many holidays will I meet on the Camino Francés in 2027?
It depends on the day you start. Over every start day of 2027, 57% of Francés walks meet at least one public holiday on a weekday or a Saturday, and the most is 3, starting on 14 March 2027.
Which fiestas fill the beds on the Camino?
The calendar marks five: San Fermín in Pamplona / Iruña (6 July to 14 July), San Juan y San Pedro in León (20 June to 30 June), São João in Vila Nova de Gaia (23 June to 24 June), Santiago Apóstol in Santiago de Compostela (25 July) and San Froilán in Lugo (4 October to 12 October). Book ahead for a night in any of them.
Keep reading
Swimming on the Camino: where to get in the water, day by day
Pick your route and tap a day: the river beach, beach or public outdoor pool on it, how far off the path, and on a day with none, the next one ahead.
Wine on the Camino: how much of each route is wine country
The Camino Francés walks 229 km inside protected wine regions, 64 of them in Rioja. Pick your route and slide along it to see which region you are in.
The emptiest Camino: how many people live along each day
Half the villages the Camino Francés walks through have fewer than 29 people. Guess how many live in eight of them, then find the emptiest day: 22.4 km past one village.
Take it with you
Caminantes is free, works offline, and plans your stages around your own legs rather than a guidebook's.
