Questions from a potential first timer

[barnaby123]

Hello!

I was speaking with a coworker today about good places to solo travel in late September/early October and he mentioned Camino de Santiago. I'm looking to fly out of NYC on a Saturday and fly back to NYC on the following Saturday. Of the paths I've been reading about Sarria seems to be ideal for my time limit.

Some questions...
- Is Sarria -> Santiago good from a timing perspective? Are there other routes people would recommend?
- What is the best way to get to Sarria from NYC and then get home to NYC from Santiago?

I'll probably have more questions as I do more reasearch and/or people reply to this thread.

Thanks!

 

[scruffy1]

Buen Camino! Try and give yourself a bit more time, flight days are often "dead" days, out from NYC to Spain and on to Sarria - a small town not exactly a major hub of transportation, Santiago has a lovely little airport very user friendly but flying to say Madrid to catch your return flight may be expensive, buses and trains will knock off at least another 5-7 hours - meaning you are left with five days to walk, 20k every day - doable. Will you enjoy the Camino, experience SdC? Doubtful. Try a Friday afternoon flight over and a Sunday flight back to improve your Camino.

 

[Jan_D]

Yes, as scruffy1 has said: there are no direct flights from NYC to SdC, and there are no direct buses from SdC to Sarria over the weekend (although it seems there are a couple of trains in the evening). So you'd need to budget for two days of travel.

You can check travel options on Rome2rio.com. For more specific dates, times and prices, the Spanish train company is Renfe.com, and the bus company is Monbus.es. Good luck!

 

[David Makepeace]

You could also look at the Camino Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago. It is just over 120 kms which qualifies you for your Compostella! Can be done in 5 days walking. Buen Camino.

 

[John Sikora]

Perhaps the worst mistake you can make when you walk a Camino is to not allow enough time to enjoy the Camino as a journey where you are not pressured by time. The Spanish/Portuguese/French countryside, people, food, and environment is simply wonderful. If you spend all your time walking you'll either be too busy or too tired to just enjoy what you are passing through.

 

[barnaby123]

Hmm, so it definitely seems like I need to allow myself more time. What time allotment would be recommended for Sarria -> Santiago with 2 dead days of travel getting to Sarria and another 2 dead days of travel for leaving Santiago?

 

[Anniesantiago]

Just fly in and out of Santiago via Madrid. If you get a flight to Madrid round trip, then you can get a flight on Ryanair or Iberia in and out of Santiago. With your schedule it CAN be done, but what would be the point if you're rushing so fast you don't see anything????

 

[Jo Jo]

We also live in NYC. My suggestion is to fly out Friday night late. There are lots of redeye flights from JFK that will get you into Madrid/Barcelona in the morning. That saves you a travel day. Then take Ryan Air (check their baggage policy) or similar to SdC, bus to Sarria or Tui (Portuguese route, also nice). 20K/day is not difficult walking. 25K/day is pretty typical for most pilgrims.

 

[Walking Lover]

Hello!

I was speaking with a coworker today about good places to solo travel in late September/early October and he mentioned Camino de Santiago. I'm looking to fly out of NYC on a Saturday and fly back to NYC on the following Saturday. Of the paths I've been reading about Sarria seems to be ideal for my time limit.

Some questions...
- Is Sarria -> Santiago good from a timing perspective? Are there other routes people would recommend?
- What is the best way to get to Sarria from NYC and then get home to NYC from Santiago?

I'll probably have more questions as I do more reasearch and/or people reply to this thread.

Thanks!

Check out the Camino Ingles. You can get a flight from London to Coruna and a return flight to London from Santiago.

 

[Pink Girl]

Perhaps the worst mistake you can make when you walk a Camino is to not allow enough time to enjoy the Camino as a journey where you are not pressured by time. The Spanish/Portuguese/French countryside, people, food, and environment is simply wonderful. If you spend all your time walking you'll either be too busy or too tired to just enjoy what you are passing through.

I agree with John. In my opinion, one week isn’t enough time to fully enjoy the Camino. i know people who do two weeks and these people come back every year to finish different sections. I’d suggest either saving your travel days for when you have more time or exploring a different part of Europe. You could honestly spend an entire week in Barcelona and feel a bit rushed. The Camino is not about getting to Santiago, it’s about the way and I worry you’ll regret rushing through it. Buen Camino!

 

[JulieandPeter]

My recommendation is St. Jean Pied de Port to as far as you get in the time you have (hopefully Viana). You can fly round trip to Biarritz (it is easy to get from the Biarritz airport to SJPDP and there are buses from Logrono and Pamplona back to Biarritz). The scenery on this part of the route is spectacular. My guess is you will come back for another seven days and start where you left off. Buen Camino!

 

[Oregon's Mark]

My recommendation is St. Jean Pied de Port to as far as you get in the time you have (hopefully Viana). You can fly round trip to Biarritz (it is easy to get from the Biarritz airport to SJPDP and there are buses from Logrono and Pamplona back to Biarritz). The scenery on this part of the route is spectacular. My guess is you will come back for another seven days and start where you left off. Buean Camino!

I think this is a great idea! Redeye to Madrid, then bus to SJPP. Much more fun part of the Camino than Sarria to Santiago.

 

[Tom Leonard]

Hmm, so it definitely seems like I need to allow myself more time. What time allotment would be recommended for Sarria -> Santiago with 2 dead days of travel getting to Sarria and another 2 dead days of travel for leaving Santiago?

I did Sarria/Santiago in 2015 and had the same time schedule ( from Boston ) . My biggest regret was I did not allow enough time to " smell the roses " . It is not a race ! Leave NYC behind and jump into the International arena of pilgrims and Galicia's natural beauty .
I flew to Madrid , took train to Sarria , flew Santiago to Madrid afterwards.

 

[nycwalking]

I flew JFK to Madrid most flights arrive early morning.

From airport you can train, or bus to Sarria. Or, fly to Santiago then train to Sarria.

If you can manage at least ten days that gives you walk, rest, and travel time. Sarria to Santiago is doable in five days.

Buen camino.

 

[kjpyle]

Take JulieandPeter's advice - Start in St Jean Pied de Port and go as far as you can while enjoying the Camino world. We met plenty of people who did the Camino in stages across several years. To rush from Sarria to Santiago just to get a certificate isn't really doing the Camino. Enjoy it. Buen Camino!

 

[Anamya]

For a short timeframe, I would suggest doing the Camino Portuguese route from Tui to Santiago. Easy to get a flight to Santiago (or Porto, in Portugal), train to Tui, and then 6 days walking to Santiago.

Lovely route, mostly flat, great food, lots of accomodation options.