The weather on the Camino |

This is a question I see quite frequently in Camino-related groups: “I’m doing (add a Camino of your choice here) in (add any month or season). What will the weather be like?” The only true answer to this is: Who knows?!

There are too many factors at play here.

First of all, different parts of Spain have different types of weather. In el norte (north), for instance, la lluvia (rain) is never too far away. El sur (south), however, is drier and it can be much hotter, especially en verano (in summer). Depending on which Camino you choose, and where you start, you could be walking for just a week … or crossing Spain from este (east) to oeste (west) or from sur to norte!

And then, el tiempo (the weather) can be quite unpredictable. The same month, in different years, can be very wet or dry; cool or hot. It’s a bit of a lottery.

I didn’t make these up… and there are many more variations of the same question:

What will the weather be like on the Camino?

I know we want to know what to pack. And, of course, we want to pack as little as possible. But you need to be prepared to carry a few layers and also have some rain gear ready, especially on certain routes.

Just to give you an example: as I’m writing this, the past week has been quite hot in most of Galicia, with maximum temperatures of up to 35ºC (95ºF), even higher in Ourense. While we are roasting here, it has been cloudy and rainy in Asturias. So, you could be walking the Camino del Norte, experiencing rain and not-so-hot temperatures today and, a few days later, you’d be looking for shade and trying not to melt in the sun.

Once you’re closer to your departure time, you can check the weather forecast for the following two weeks in El Tiempo. The home page will give you a general overview, but you can check specific towns by typing the name in the search box on the top left corner.

Talking about the weather

OK. So, we can’t predict next year’s weather on the Camino. But we can still learn a few useful Spanish expressions to talk about it.

In the image below you have the most common phrases. Have a look at them.

You have all the main vocabulary there, but let me give you an extra tip before I go.

If you are hot, please say tengo calor and not what many English-speakers say: estoy caliente. While it is a perfectly correct sentence in Spanish, it doesn’t mean what you think. What you are actually saying is that you are sexually aroused. So, if you’re trying to talk about the temperature… tengo calor is the right phrase!

You could use caliente to talk about the temperature of other things, like a hot shower or a hot drink. But, if you’re talking about yourself (or any other person, for that matter), be aware that caliente has that added extra meaning…

For advice on walking in hot weather, check It’s hot on the Camino.

*one final note: tiempo means weather, but it also means time.

Today’s Spanish words & phrases

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¡Buen Camino!