Tasting local dishes and exploring diverse culinary options is a delightful aspect of your journey on the Camino de Santiago. The variety of foods you can enjoy varies depending on your Camino route. For instance, in Galicia, the famous octopus dish, ‘Pulpo,’ is particularly recommended in Melide on the Camino Francés.
Prepare to savour some exceptional cod dishes in Portugal, locally known as ‘bacalhau.’ This introduction to regional specialities is just the beginning; every Camino route offers its unique culinary experiences. When you book with CaminoWays.com, not only is breakfast included each morning, but you can also opt for pre-booked dinners at certain accommodations, with our guided tours including dinner as well.
While a diverse selection of foods will be available, we understand the importance of catering to specific dietary needs. If you have special dietary requirements, it is essential to inform the CaminoWays.com Customer Care team in advance. This ensures that your dietary needs are accommodated throughout your adventure, allowing you to enjoy a worry-free and satisfying culinary experience.
For all dietary requirements, our reservations team will inform the accommodation beforehand to ensure that you are well-fed and ready to tackle the trail! We would recommend mentioning it to your accommodation at check-in to ensure they’ve passed the information to the kitchen.
Gluten-Free
We can inform hotels of gluten intolerance, and they will do their best to provide gluten-free bread. Unfortunately, in most smaller places, especially very rural parts of Spain, such gluten-free foods are not guaranteed to be available. We suggest always bringing a few basic products (e.g., gluten-free cereals/bread) with you, and the accommodation will happily prepare them for you.
Lactose-Free
Providing options without dairy should not be a problem. The hotels will do their best to provide lactose-free or non-dairy milk. In the rare case that this type of milk is not available, they will provide an alternative.
Vegetarian
Most pilgrim menus provide a vegetarian option, but it is best to inform the hotels anyway if you have pre-booked your meal. The choice may be limited as meat and fish dishes can be found on most menus in Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Vegan
Hotels can provide Vegan options if requested. Your meal could include roasted vegetables or a salad, but it’s good to remember that options may be limited.
Dining on the Camino is traditional to the area and based on local produce, including meat, fish, poultry, and fresh vegetables/salads. Hotels on the Camino may not cater to a Vegan diet, but many local restaurants and cafes will. Because of this, we suggest that you remove dinners from your booking with us. Each location will give you an ‘Al La Carte’ option. A great App to help you locate Vegan options in all locations is HappyCow.
Shellfish Free
In many towns along the Camino, seafood, especially shellfish, is a speciality and appears on most menus. Guests must remind hotels of any dietary requirements regarding shellfish at check-in. You will usually have the choice of a vegetarian or meat dish instead.
CaminoWays.com will do its best to communicate your dietary requirements to accommodation providers. Of course, if you want to be more flexible in your choices, you can travel on a breakfast-only basis.
When choosing our Country Cottages option on a breakfast-only basis, we suggest arranging your dinner beforehand with the accommodation directly.
Food on the Camino
We know that food is an important part of your Camino journey. You will find traditional dishes at every stop along the way. As you are walking every day, we recommend filling up with plenty of delicious food each evening and bringing snacks as you walk each day for that extra burst of energy.
Breakfast on the Camino
Breakfast is always included, and the hotel determines the type of breakfast offered. Continental breakfast is the norm, as cooked breakfasts aren’t standard in France, Spain, Portugal or Italy. A frequent option will be a buffet-style breakfast, including fruit, bread or toast, pastries or cake, cheese and cold meats, coffee, tea and juice.
Lunch on the Camino
Normally, you will need to organise it independently. We recommend you visit the local shops when stopping in bigger towns to purchase essential supplies, including water, snacks, fruit, etc. Depending on the route chosen, you might be able to stop at cafés or restaurants along the way. Some Caminos offer plenty, while the more remote walking sections will have limited services on the way, so please be prepared.
Dinner on the Camino
If you have dinner in your package, you will be given a set Pilgrim Menu, including different options for the starters, main course and dessert. Dinners are usually served at the accommodation or in a nearby restaurant. Drinks are generally not included, although in some cases, they might be included free of charge at the hotel’s discretion. Per standard, dinners are not included in bigger towns and cities as you will find plenty of options to enjoy and taste local restaurants.
Snacks on the Camino
Snacks are also important during your walking (or cycling) days. You need enough energy and nourishment to be physically capable of making it through the day.
If you are vegan or have any other dietary requirements and want to be more flexible in your choices, it is recommended that you travel on a breakfast-only basis.
Contact us for more information on our walking and cycling tours or to learn more about our Camino de Santiago routes.
