best way to get to O Cebreiro?

[dustylee]

I plan to walk for 2 weeks & have been thinking to start in O Cebreiro & then walk to Finisterre, but it looks like getting to O Cebreiro from Madrid is a bit difficult--buses only leave early from the airport & I am afraid I might miss the connection. The other option is to fly into Santiago & take a bus from there, but I feel like I do not want to be in Santiago until the end. Are there buses from the airport or would I need to go into the city & get a bus from there? Any recommendations? I don't want to lose a day in transit in the airport in Madrid, so not sure what to do.
Dusty

 

[sillydoll]

The most direct way is to fly to Santiago. The airport is 10km out of town so you won't really see anything of the city (close your eyes until you have landed! It looks as though the buses leave from the bus station which is way out of the city so it won't spoil it for you.
ALSA buses from Santiago to Piedrafita: 8am 9am 2pm 5pm 21h30 - take 3.5 hrs.
There are 2 ALSA buses from Madrid to Piedrafita O'Cebreiro (about 4.5km from O’Cebreiro) at 9h35 and 23h59 - about a 7 hour journey. http://www.alsa.es

 

[KiwiNomad06]

At O'Cebreiro itself, if you end up taking a taxi the last bit to the top, you need to be aware that you might not get a bed in the municipal albergue. When I was there, it was very busy, and anyone who hadn't walked there had to wait until the end. There was a Spanish family with several teens who had taken a taxi to the top to start from there the next day, and they ended up sleeping outside as there were no more beds left. (Other options on the mountain appeared to be quite pricey.)
Margaret

 

[Ribeirasacra]

I had replied to a similar question before. Here is the post.
el-camino-frances/topic8617.html