Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino del Norte app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appGetting here
The ground behind you: what the walk into Pobeña crosses, and where it could have been broken.
Tomorrow from Pobeña
Nothing says you have to stop here, or there. These are simply the towns within a comfortable day's walk, so you can decide tonight.
| Town | km from here | Shared | Private | The walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castro Urdiales | 13.1 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pobeña to Castro Urdiales |
| Santullán | 15.9 | ✓ Yes | — No | The walk from Pobeña to Santullán |
| Cerdigo | 19.9 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pobeña to Cerdigo |
| Islares | 23.1 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pobeña to Islares |
| El Pontarrón de Guriezo | 27.4 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pobeña to El Pontarrón de Guriezo |
| Rioseco | 29.3 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pobeña to Rioseco |
Pobeña is a tiny coastal village — fewer than 200 inhabitants — with a handful of restaurants ranging from simple to surprisingly upscale. Scout them before committing. An albergue serves pilgrims.
From here the camino follows a beautiful cliff-edge path along the headlands, one of the better stretches of coastal walking on the Norte. The path turns inland to pass under the A-8 before arriving in Ontón, where you cross into Cantabria.
To keep on the camino, do not cross the parking lot. Instead look to your right; just past the Residencia Pobeña is a narrow path that takes you uphill for a beautiful walk along the headlands.The camino turns inland and passes under the A-8 just before arriving into Ontón, and along the way you cross into Cantabria.
4. September 2026 - 14:55
Really very decrepit even for someone like me who's been doing the route for 10 years plus dirty. The woman only does it for the money a certain Maya
3. September 2026 - 16:57
Fortunately, it was nice out therefore people were outside around tables. Otherwise, it would’ve been really cramped inside. The bathrooms really do need a remodel. Nice bar and restaurant nearby. Going to the beach was great. The only place for Miles to stay so I had to go there.
12. May 2026 - 19:07
Very good welcome, the hospitalero added 2 mattresses because there weren't enough beds.
3. May 2026 - 6:43
Pobeña albergue is far from “great” - it’s old, cramped, rin down, and uncomfortable. No real common area since kitchen and "lounge" are in one of the dorm rooms so there's nowhere to socialize or get ready in the morning without disturbing others, and forget about trying to cook any sort of meal.
(Fortunately the restaurant and bar in town are excellent - there's nowhere to buy groceries or even snacks though.) Bathroom situation is abysmal - just one toilet each for men and women in a place that sleeps 38 (do the math.) No soap or sanitizer in bathroom sinks, so overall hygiene situation is questionable.The woman who runs it is somewhat of a character and I liked her very much, although the checkin process is slow and laborious - not great when it's raining and dozens of pilgrims have to wait outside to check in.
All in all, it's serviceable, but just barely.
23. August 2025 - 21:25
A lady who seems to live at the albergue checks you in one at a time. Can take very long. She seems incredibly passionate about her job. She tucks you in at night with a very nice buenas noches and shuts the lights off. If you wake up late, she shuns you to leave promptly. She played music and was yelling at 6am while playing Adele on her phone to wake everyone up.
28. May 2025 - 6:56
The hospitalero I found was unhelpful and seemed to be quite unhappy in her role. Otherwise Alburgue was relatively okay
5. August 2024 - 16:55
Coastal road open and very safe - they appear to have repaired it
5. August 2024 - 16:53
We stayed here on 4th August and got a bed however many others missed out. Check in opens at 4pm and by the time we arrived at 2.15 there were already at least 20 pilgrims waiting and there was nearly 40 by the time check in opened. Check in was very slow and inefficient as there was only the one host to check everyone in and many waited in line for up to an hour only to be told there were no more beds. Lovely beach town, only minutes to beach, multiple good restaurants and bars.
8. June 2024 - 17:40
As written here, the albergue is simple but very clean. Keep in mind that there is one very big room with a lot of people. The restaurant around the corner has a value for money pelgrims menu with a lot of options.
16. April 2024 - 13:02
The costal path is blocked with a fence due to danger of stones falling down! Had to walk back !
6. August 2023 - 10:08
Highly recommend staying here! Very friendly host, great restaurants, and we had a relaxing stroll in the evening sun. Great swim spot too.
18. July 2023 - 14:25
This was an incredible albergue, very hospitable and helpful. We also tried the pilgrims menu just behind the albergue that is available and had plenty to eat. The vegetarian options were limited but we were still full for the 12€ set price. Highly recommend staying here! :)
6. June 2023 - 11:50
Pobena There is no need to detour it is only 2 rocks that have falling on a footpath and the walk is beautiful it would be a terrible shame not to do it
17. April 2023 - 13:25
I’m 67 and nervous about heights, but there is no reason to avoid the trail out of Pobena. There is a landslide, but it takes4 steps to walk over it and the railing is still intact. Plus, the trail is gorgeous
14. April 2023 - 20:35
Highly recommend Bar Txiki - $12 euros for a very large dinner that was delicious (your choice of meat with fresh grilled peppers, egg, fries, bread)
11. April 2023 - 16:54
Shortly after the bridge to Pobeña there are signs at the bottom of steep stairs telling you to take a detour because of a landslide. However, it's perfectly fine to walk the old route which ist beautiful! There are just a few rocks really so the landslide is quite small and you can walk past it easily. All pilgrims we met took this route and there wasn't any problem.
9. May 2022 - 19:38
Nice hostal. The village is a little bit too touristic to my taste. There was this guy who offered great vegan meals and gazpacho right to the front of the Albergue. They offer that service on all the stages up to Santillana Del Mar. Recommended!
9. May 2022 - 19:38
Nice hostal. The village is a little bit too touristic to my taste. There was this guy who offered great vegan meals and gazpacho right to the front of the Albergue. They offer that service on all the stages up to Santillana Del Mar. Recommended!
14. April 2022 - 17:28
Very friendly hosts! Washing facilities
14. April 2022 - 17:28
Very friendly hosts! Washing facilities
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
