Getting to and from Spain by land Sea or Air
For reasons of space this information has been removed from the Camino Frances 2008 Guide.
GETTING TO SPAIN, BY LAND, SEA OR AIR
These notes are concerned with getting to the key starting places in Spain and to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, where the route described in the guide starts. They are intended only as pointers to the various possibilities. For firm up-to-date information use the Internet or visit a travel agent.
By Air. There are still the main carriers such as British Airways and Iberia but the coming of the no-frills airlines has revolutionised the ease and the costs of getting to the various starting places.
Ryanair, www.ryanair.com, fly to Biarritz, Santander and Valladolid
EasyJet, www.easyjet.com, fly to both Bilbao and Madrid.
Fares can be very low if you book early enough. The sooner you know your departure date and book the cheaper. EasyJet fly out of various UK airports depending on destination but they also have very cheap internal connecting flights from all over the country. Some of the options that this opens up are:
Ryanair to Biarritz. There is an airport bus to Bayonne railway station from where there are trains to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. See www.voyages-sncf.com for up to date timetables and fares.
Ryanair to Valladolid. There are bus connections to León. See www.alsa.es for details.
Ryanair to Santander. The Continental Auto coach to Burgos goes from the bus station (estación de autobuses), which is near the ferry port. 3 hrs, 12€. A coach leaves for Pamplona at 1230 arrives 1615, 14€. There are also ALSA coaches to León, 3½hrs. from 10€.
EasyJet to Bilbao. The airport bus to city centre 15 mins 1.25€. Or else the nearby metro service from Sondiko station. Turn left out of Arrivals. Cheap and bicycle friendly. The Tourist Office at the airport is open until 2300, reported very friendly.
From Bilbao to Saint-Jean: Coach service to Hendaye. Tickets and bus stop at Termibus by the Hospital Civil de Basuto. 1hr 50mins. 7€. Hendaye by train to Saint Jean via Bayonne is 3½ hrs.
From Bilbao to Pamplona, Roncesvalles or Saint-Jean. Coach service 4 times a day to Pamplona.
Pamplona to Roncesvalles: Local bus service to Roncesvalles, run by Autocares Artieda, www.autocaresartieda.com, Mon-Fri dep.1800, Sat 1600, 4.35€. Check availability early and late season, (948 302 787. Also a taxi service from Pamplona to either Roncesvalles or Saint Jean. It is operated by Francisco Igoa Martinez (649 725 951; he uses an 8 seat VW minibus. The fares for this service are not known but standard rates are in the region of 45-55€ to Roncesvalles and 75-85€ to Saint Jean.
From Bilbao to Logroño direct train, 3 hrs 15.50€, or Burgos direct train 3½ hrs 16€. By ALSA coach from Bilbao to León, 5¼hrs 19€, to Astorga 6½hrs, 23€, to Ponferrada 7½hrs, 26€.
EasyJet to Madrid and then to León by internal Iberia flight. 40 mins. Bus from airport into León - although León airport is actually at Virgen del Camino so you could start there.
By coach from Madrid. There are direct daily services to Astorga and Ponferrada. That particular service goes on to Santiago and A Coruña so it might also serve for the return journey. The long distance coaches in Spain are comfortable, air-conditioned and generally quicker than the trains. To Pamplona, there is a Continental coach service, the bus that leaves at 10.30 arrives at 13.15, 23,52€ .
Overland. Bayonne can be reached either by train or by coach. By catching the first Eurostar train of the day from St Pancras to Paris at 0525 it is possible to reach Saint-Jean in a day, but check train times at www.voyages-sncf.com very carefully. Note that Eurostar does not allow the carriage of knives (or inflammable gases) on its services. A guide to Poste Restante services to France, for your Swiss army knife, is available at www.laposte.fr.
A direct coach service runs to Bayonne from London. Run by Eurolines (National Express) £116 return, £126 July/Aug. Leaves 0730 arrives Bayonne 1530 the following day. 10% discount to YHA members with valid card. There is a direct train service from Bayonne to Saint-Jean.
By Sea. P&O Ferries sail twice a week to Bilbao from Portsmouth. The ferry port is in Santurzi, 15km from city centre. There are coaches, or the RENFE Cercanias rail service into the centre. Access to regular starting points as given above.
Brittany Ferries operate from Plymouth to Santander. The Continental Auto coach to Burgos goes from the bus station (estación de autobuses), which is near the ferry port. 3 hrs, 12€. A coach leaves for Pamplona at 1230 arrives 1615, 14€. There are also ALSA coaches to León, 3½hrs. from 10€.
For timetables of Spanish railways and of the main bus companies go to www.renfe.es, www.alsa.es and www.continental-auto.es. The ferry companies are at www.brittanyferries.com and www.poferries.com. European railway timetables may be available in your local library. The Rough Guide to Spain gives useful public transport information and has town maps.
GETTING BACK HOME
The extent to which this presents a problem depends on a number of factors, primarily whether you are on foot or on a bicycle and on what return arrangements you made as part of your initial journey planning. If you have the time and the budget, you may have planned simply to walk or cycle back to your starting point and then reverse your outward travel arrangements.
A simple, option is to fly back to UK direct from Santiago. Seat availability will be the key here, and the suggestion is to go either direct to the Iberia Office in Santiago in c/General Pardiñas 36, or to one of the travel agents in Santiago: Viajes Piña, c/Republica de El Salvador 6, will book not only flights but all forms of travel except the FEVE trains (see below). Bikes are carried subject to the usual restrictions. The airport bus has 3 stops: at junction of c/General Pardiñas/Rua de Republica de El Salvador (near Iberia Office) and near both the main railway station and the bus station. Cost 1€. The Tourist Office has details of the bus timetable.
Ryanair also fly daily from Santiago to Stansted, three times a week to Liverpool and, from 26 February 2007, three times a week to East Midlands Airport.
Iberia fly from A Coruña to Gatwick. (Bus or train from Santiago to A Coruña, bus to airport.)
You can use the internet to book your return flight on a budget airline as soon as you are reasonably certain of your date of arrival in, and departure from, Santiago, e.g. in León, and then book yourself a return coach seat to the appropriate city.
You should not have too many problems in arranging to travel either by coach or train to Santander for a ferry, Bilbao for ferry or plane or Madrid for a plane. For instance you could get an ALSA coach direct from Santiago to Bilbao. It is a 13 hour journey and costs 41€. Quicker than the ferry is the coach service from Santiago to Paris and London operated by Eurolines and ALSA, fare 75€. You can also use this service to go as far as Hendaye on the Spanish/French border from where you could pick up a train. If you decide to take this option it is best to go in person to the bus station at San Caetano or else to use an ALSA agent such as GP Viajes, Avda. Rodrigo de Padrón, 10-bajo, ( 981 565 239, next door to Cafe/Bar Marte. Bicycles are carried on long distance coaches in Spain. You are advised to buy your ticket soon after arrival in Santiago (see the leaflet The Cycling Pilgrim for more details).
For travelling from Santiago by train or bus you might even do some research before you set off by using the internet. www.renfe.es, www.alsa.es . You can book train and some coach tickets on line.
There is a regular direct RENFE train between Santiago and Irún on the Spanish/French border. It takes 11½ hours but there is a buffet service. The current fare is 41€. This train also links to Bilbao (10½ hours. 42€). To get to Santander will involve a change either at Palencia or Burgos. Train leaves Santiago at 0900, Palencia arr. 1555, dep. 1855, arr. Santander 2216. Fare 43€. For information on taking cycles on RENFE trains see The Cycling Pilgrim.
Note: if you are planning to travel on a Spanish train at a busy time of year it is as well to remember that each ticket carries a reserved seat number. When all seats are sold there are no more tickets. Pilgrims have been known to have to wait 3 or more days for a seat from Santiago to main destinations in Spain. The advice is to book as early as you can. You can do it from any station in Spain.
FEVE trains www.feve.es, not part of RENFE, offer a narrow gauge service all along the north coast of Spain from Ferrol to both Santander and Bilbao. It is a leisurely journey through beautiful scenery and, if you have the time, a trip to be recommended. The journey times are Ferrol-Oviedo 7½ hours. Oviedo to Santander 4½ hours. Santander-Bilbao 2½ hours. It is possible to travel from Ferrol to Santander in one day, provided that the train from Ferrol to Oviedo is not late. Bicycles are carried if space is available.
The timetable is:
dep. Ferrol 0810 arr. Oviedo 1428
dep. Oviedo 1535 arr. Santander 2016
If you prefer a more leisurely approach, the other train of the day from Oviedo leaves at 0905 and arrives Santander 1346, continuing on to Bilbao, arriving at 1646.
It is not expensive. Ferrol-Santander 30€. If you are over 60 you can travel half price on FEVE once you have bought a senior citizen’s ‘blue card’ for 2€. All FEVE timetables are at www.feve.es.
For an overnight stay in Oviedo there is the Albergue de Peregrinos El Salvador at San Pedro de Mestallón 1, or the Hotel Favila, c/Uria,37, ( 985 259 455 Double rooms 33€, close to the bus and train station.
There is a Youth Hostel in Bilbao, Albergue Bilbao (Aterpetxea Bilbo in Basque), Carretera Basurto-Castrexana 70, 48002 Bilbao. A YHA or IYHF card is required.
If you are not travelling on the ferry then from Bilbao there is another narrow gauge railway to San Sebastian where you change for Hendaye. It is run by the Basque company ET. In Santiago the Tourist Office should have a copy of the current timetable, or you can phone FEVE in Ferrol (981 370 433 or www.euskotren.es).
If staying overnight in Santander the following have been recommended: Pensión Santillana, c/lsabeI 11, 18-1, near bus station and ferry port (942 228 737. Double 30€. Pensión at Calle Cadiz 7, 30 accepts bikes in rooms, Hotel Alisas, c/ Nicolas Salmerón, ( 942 222 750, 100m from station, single 30€ is clean and quiet. Also the Albergue de Peregrinos de Santander in 9-11 Rua Mayor where it is possible to stay more than one night if you are waiting for the ferry. It is open 1600-2000.
Car hire:
One final option that has been growing in popularity in recent years is to hire a car from one of the major operators, such as Hertz or Avis, for a one-way trip from Santiago to, say, Bilbao, or wherever you arrange. A useful tip is to hand in the car at an airport where these sorts of firms always have offices. This saves having to drive into a major city. If you are not flying out from there it is a simple matter of a taxi, airport bus or bike ride into town. Having a car for a day or two also enables you to pick up on places you may have missed on your pilgrimage. You can either book the car in Santiago or else before you leave home. If you need to amend your prior booking you can do so as you pass Santiago airport on your way into the city as a pilgrim. Car rental is reasonably priced in Spain, but if you wish to leave your car at an office outside Spain, you will have to pay a large premium. Spectacle wearers should be prepared to demonstrate that they have a spare pair of glasses when collecting their hire car.
Additional help on booking from the UK (thanks to Martyn Tonks)
Rail reservations can be made in the UK: at any Flight Centre shop which deals with planes and trains or via the web - www.flightcentre.co.uk - and at most Thomas Cook outlets. Thomas Cook have officially given up dealing with trains although they still publish the European Rail Timetable which is updated each month.
For those with access to London at RailEurope, 178 Piccadilly, London. www.raileurope.co.uk
Another travel agency is Trainseurope www.trainseurope.co.uk which is very useful with help required and for reservations and tickets on 0871 700 7722 or email them at info@trainseurope.co.uk. Another agency that deals with trains in Europe is Journeycall Ltd, Brumac Centre, Lourencekirk, AB30 1AJ at Tel : 09065 500 000. www.NationalTravelHelpline.com
European train tickets can be obtained at almost any time up to the time of departure at European railway stations and tickets can be obtained for travel all over Europe. However, there are bargains to be had when booking in advance when many tickets become a lot cheaper. There are also reductions in price for certain categories of people, like those pilgrims aged over 60 and for groups travelling together. One can also buy rail-rover tickets that might be an attractive option if planning to do some travel in France or Spain afterwards.