Where to get a pilgrim passport in Oviedo and farther on Camino Primitivo in 2024 – All options

Getting a pilgrim passport, called also “pilgrim credential” is one of the first things to do before embarking on your Camino. And while you can always buy the credential online (good option for those who do not mind paying $15 shipping on a $3 item), or even create your own at home (an excellent option for all creative pilgrims), in my humble opinion though, the best option is getting the pilgrim passport directly in Spain. This is true especially when you embark on your pilgrimage from a major city, such as Oviedo, the official starting point of Camino Primitivo.

Before we look at the places where you can get the pilgrim passport, I want to emphasize one thing: Do not be worried if you talk little Spanish, or do not speak Spanish at all. People in the places  where you can get the credential are used to foreign pilgrims. And while you may not have a deep meaningful conversation about life with them (due to the language barrier), they will understand what you want, even if you just say “pilgrim passport”, or “pilgrim credential”. Just have a positive body language and you’ll be fine anywhere in Spain :).

* Do not forget to check also: Camino Primitivo Guide, stage by stage, in 12 days. Maps, elevation profiles, distance between towns, places worth seeing each day, alternative routes, and much more… Free and online, no need to download anything.

Cathedral of Oviedo – A beautiful place to visit and also a place to get your credential

The place I recommend to get your passport from is the Cathedral of Oviedo, located in the very city center, and impossible to miss :). Just for the case, however, here you have the location on Google maps: Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo. You can get the credential there anytime within the opening hours, which is from 10am to 1pm, and then after siesta from 4pm to 5pm, closed on Sunday.

Please note that these are the official visiting hours of the cathedral, but you may be lucky and get the credential even on Sunday, when there is a mass in the cathedral almost every hour (at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1:30pm and 6:30pm). The price was 2.50 euros when I was there the last time, but I’ve heard rumors it will cost 3 euros from 2024 season. Well, everything is getting more expensive, and Camino is no exception to the rule :).

One thing many people do not know is that getting a pilgrim credential is actually the most economical way of visiting the cathedral! Pilgrims get a free entry, as long as they either present a credential from Camino de San Salvador (the one that starts in Leon and ends in Oviedo), or say that they are embarking on Primitivo and want to buy a new pilgrim passport. Normally a visit of a cathedral costs 7 euros, so you can actually get it for two fifty as a pilgrim, and have your credential to it. Not too bad of a deal in my book!

– Cathedral in Oviedo, a picture taken on an overcast day during my first visit of the city, August 2015, before embarking on Camino Primitivo

Getting the pilgrim passport in a municipal albergue in Oviedo

Another option of getting a pilgrim credential for your Camino Primitivo is in a municipal albergue, called “Albergue de peregrinos de El Salvador“. It is located at the edge of the city center, about 15 minutes walking distance from the cathedral (or one kilometer if you prefer). You can check the exact location on Google maps here: Albergue de peregrnios Oviedo on Google Maps.

A few things to say about this albergue. First of all, it opens every day at 4pm and closes at 9pm. It is open all year long. The staff isn’t very flexible though, and while you can get a credential in the cathedral even outside of the opening hours, here it is impossible. Also if you do not want to stay in the albergue, but only want the credential, I recommend you arriving a bit later (for example at 6, 6:30 pm), because when the receptionist is busy with registering pilgrims who stay there (most are there from 4pm or even before), they aren’t too much in a mood of attending you for a purpose of  “just” selling you the pilgrim passport. BTW, here is already costs 3 euros, so it is even more expensive than in the cathedral. 

Speaking about the municipal albergue in general, it has mixed reviews and reputation. Pilgrim should not be demanding, and for 8 euros/night one cannot expect miracles, but it is true that some installations are really old, and the place doesn’t have much of what we call “pilgrim spirit”. Having said all of that, for me personally the place is good enough for one night stay. One thing I want to point out that the rooms are small, typically each with 3 or 4 beds only, which is a stark contrast to must municipal albergues, where they simply try to cram in as many beds in each room as possible. Hence the chances of experiencing a snoring concert in the night are much smaller, and if you actually arrive in a low season, you can sometimes have a room for your own…

Options of getting a pilgrim passport on Camino Primitivo after Oviedo

If you, for any reason, do not get a credential in Oviedo (for example arriving to the city early in the morning, or during the siesta time, and wanting to start walking instead of waiting for hours for either the cathedral or the albergue to open), you can leave Oviedo, and get your credential later on. Bear in mind though that they may not let you sleep in some places without the credetnail, and you may seek private albergues/hostels/hotels until you get your credential. However, below is the list of places after Oviedo where you should also have an option of getting the credential:

1. Albergue de peregrinos de Salas – municipal albergue,  47 kilometers from Oviedo (typically walked in two days). Location on Google maps here. Opening hours: from 12pm to 10pm. Price of credential: donation based.
2. Albergue de peregrinos Mater Christi, parochial albergue, 67 kilometers from Oviedo, location on Google maps here. Opening hours: from 12pm to 11pm. Price of credential: unknown.
3. Albergue de peregrinos de Grandas de Salime, municipal albergue, 128 kilometers from Oviedo, location on Google maps here. Opening hours: from 13:30pm to 10pm. Price of credential: 3 euros.
4. Albergue-Pensión Porta Santa, O Cadavo, private albergue, 178 kilometers from Oviedo, location on Google maps here. Opening hours: from 12 pm to 10pm. Price of credential: 3 euros.
5. Parroquia de Santiago A Nova, Lugo, a church in Lugo, 207 kilometers from Oviedo (and 99 kilometers before Santiago), location on Google maps here. Opening hours: daily from 8:30am to 1:30pm and 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Price of credential: donation based/unknown.

Final word on getting a pilgrim credential in Oviedo and on Camino Primitivo in general

As you can see, you have plenty of options to get a credential on Camino Primitivo. I still recommend getting it in the cathedral of Oviedo, and connecting it with the discounted visit of the cathedral. But you can also try the municipal albergue, or one of the six other options on the way. Please, if you know about any other place between Oviedo and Lugo where one can get a pilgrim credential (place that isn’t on our list already), let us know so we can make the list most complete. Thank you, and buen Camino!

Matej

May also interest you:

• Camino Primitivo guide – 12 stages, maps, gpx, elevation profiles, distances between towns, alternative routes, places worth seeing each day & much more.
• What is the best time to walk Camino Primitivo?