visiting from australia. where should we fly into

[jw2222255555]

Hi everyone! My parents will be doing a senior guided camino walk later this year and it will be their first time visiting Spain. They are also looking to visit Madrid and Barcelona either before or after their walk. The meeting point will be in Sarria and finishing in Santiagio. Do you have any recommendations on which city to:
1. fly into first
2. fly out to afterwards before returning to Australia

I have visited the main cities of Spain myself, but have not done this trail so I am not sure what is most ideal. It seems that the travel from Barcelona to Sarria is very long? I was thinking that they should fly into Madrid first to explore, then train to Sarria. On the way back, fly from Santiago to Barcelona then back to Australia from there.
I would love to hear your experiences please. English is a second language for my parents and they dont speak Spanish so ideally less transfers would be more suitable i think?
Thank you ! I would really appreciate some insight

 

[dick bird]

Your plan is probably the best. Madrid is central so Sarria would be easier to get to from there. Barcelona is way over on the east coast but is a big city with international connections. Singapore Airlines and Emirates both fly from Barcelona I think with connections back to Australia..

 

[dougfitz]

Don't discount doing some of the travel within Spain by train or even bus, particularly if your parents want to see some of the Spanish countryside.

I have arrived in Spain through both Barcelona (from Dubai) and Madrid (from Paris) travelling from Australia. I think you will find all the major international carriers flying from Australia will have connexions into entry points like Barcelona and Madrid, and then onto other places in the Iberian peninsula.

 

[TashH]

I flew from Adelaide with Qatar. Stopped in Doha then on to Madrid. I then made a seperate booking to fly on to Porto where I started my Camino. At the end, I caught a train from SdC back to Madrid.
I looked at carriers that could get me there with the least amount of stops.
I’d be tempted to make Madrid the base and do Barcelona as a side trip either before or after the Camino.
Or, book a flight to Madrid for the way there. Book a flight home from Barcelona. I assume that will make the flights a bit more expensive though.
Play around with a few airlines that fly direct out of Australia from wherever your parents are closest.
If Perth, could fly direct to London. Then book seperate ticket to Madrid at start, then fly back to London from Barcelona at the end of the trip.
Essentially, there are a multitude of ways!

 

[Ellann]

Another option is to fly with Lufthansa in alliance with Singapore Airlines, but probably two stops, first in Singapore. I flew to Porto with Lufthansa to walk Portuguese Camino. As per other responses there are many options.

 

[mgnswaus]

Hi everyone! My parents will be doing a senior guided camino walk later this year and it will be their first time visiting Spain. They are also looking to visit Madrid and Barcelona either before or after their walk. The meeting point will be in Sarria and finishing in Santiagio. Do you have any recommendations on which city to:
1. fly into first
2. fly out to afterwards before returning to Australia

I have visited the main cities of Spain myself, but have not done this trail so I am not sure what is most ideal. It seems that the travel from Barcelona to Sarria is very long? I was thinking that they should fly into Madrid first to explore, then train to Sarria. On the way back, fly from Santiago to Barcelona then back to Australia from there.
I would love to hear your experiences please. English is a second language for my parents and they dont speak Spanish so ideally less transfers would be more suitable i think?
Thank you ! I would really appreciate some insight

I highly recommend Korean and Asiana airlines. Leave Australia early morning, land Incheon late afternoon. Taken to great hotel, buffet dinner and breakfast then return to airport for middle of the day flights to European destinations. Excellent service with the bonus of no jet lag….

 

[Saint Mike II]

From personal experiences Emirates Airlines is your best option. Two flights per day into both Madrid and Barcelona. Plus it’s one stop from all mainland capitals to Dubai. Sydney & Melbourne both get three flights per day, Brisbane & Perth two, not sure how many for Adelaide. One little tip for Barcelona, beware of pickpockets!

 

[StephenBurnett]

I’m flying Singapore from Melbourne to Barcelona return this year. Last year the Singapore flight flys melb-Singapore-Milan-Barcelona-Madrid. The Madrid extra leg was a couple of hundred dollars more. Flying out at 3:30 Melb tine was good and returns to Melb at 8:30 pm also good . There are plenty of good trains you can book in advance in Renfe to get to your start, the from SdC to Madrid stay a while and then plenty of options for trains to Barcelona both Renfe and Iyro. The train system is so much better than Australia. Book well ahead for cheaper prices. Don’t worry too much about not being able to speak Spanish as train stations understand English very well and signage is good too.

it really depends on flight availability and cost as the internal transport system is good.
PM me if I can help further.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Do you have any recommendations on which city to:
1. fly into first
2. fly out to afterwards before returning to Australia

I'm noticing that the thread is veering off into a 'Which airline to fly' discussion.
I agree with @dick bird. Madrid will definitely be the best place to fly into.
And Barcelona is so different from the other cities you will see, it will be an exciting place to end your Camino.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

I like to fly into Madrid (Emirates from Perth) and take a bus immediately to Burgos. This means avoiding the hassle of going into Madrid City Centre. From Burgos, there are many public transport options. Bus is easier, since the train station is out of town and the bus station is very central. On the way home, the bus and train stations are close together south of central Santiago. There will be lots of pilgrims taking the train to Madrid at this point. This train line goes through Ourense with its hot springs and also Segovia with its Roman aqueduct.

 

[aussie62]

I live in Sydney and I found Barcelona was a better option for me . I found more airlines to fly with were going to Barcelona . The 2nd decider was that there was a lot of flights from Barcleona to Leon which was my starting point last year . When i finished i fly back to Bar ..stayed overnight at the airport and flew home next day . Its pretty brutal getting there but when you live down under you live with it

 

[OZAJ]

Where I fly to varies, but mostly I fly home to Sydney from Barcelona. There are cheap flights from SJpdP to Barcelona. An enjoyable last few days in Spain. The cathedral has what is probably my favourite baptismal font.

 

[AussieSunnygirl]

I have flown from Brisbane to Madrid and out of Barcelona to Brisbane, and will fly into/out of Madrid this coming April on my second Camino, though, starting in SJPDP as opposed to Sarria. Before flying home, we will be catching a train from Santiago back to Madrid, stay overnight and fly home from there (trains depart Santiago to Madrid at least two or three times per day - check schedules for seasonal information). You can catch a relatively inexpensive flight from Santiago to Barcelona/Madrid if you'd prefer to fly.

 

[jw2222255555]

thank you everyone for your advice!

 

[trecile]

Where I fly to varies, but mostly I fly home to Sydney from Barcelona. There are cheap flights from SJpdP to Barcelona. An enjoyable last few days in Spain.

I think that you must mean cheap flights from Santiago to Barcelona.

 

[OZAJ]

I think that you must mean cheap flights from Santiago to Barcelona.

Yes, you are quite right.