SDC to Porto at the end of our Camino?

[Colly]

Hi everyone, five of us are walking the Camino Frances starting on the 21st April so really looking forward to taking the time to enjoy the journey to Santiago from SJPP and meeting people along the way.. At the end in June we will be leaving SDC to go to Porto and wanted to ask if anyone can advise in the best way of traveling there? Time is important so the fastest route would be best, any thoughts please?

 

[mspath]

Check out the travel possibilities on www.Rome2Rio.com
You can easily compare time needed and prices.


Buen camino and Bom caminho!

 

[Colly]

Great, thanks very much!

 

[Jan_D]

For some reason Rome2Rio doesn't show that Alsa does a direct bus service SdC-Porto twice a day (leaving at 10:00 and 12:00 respectively).

The roads through Galicia can be very windy, though, so if you're at all prone to motion sickness then I'd recommend the train. By the way, the train stops/ changes in Vigo, so don't be perturbed if they tell you that "no existe conexión directa" on the Renfe website. You might need to book the second leg with the Portuguese company Comboios.

Note: Portugal is in a different time zone to Spain, so even though the bus schedule says SdC 10:00 - Porto 13:00, this is 4 hours of travel time in reality!

 

[Colly]

Thanks Jan that’s really helpful, especially as a newbie! Do you know if when you change trains that it’s at the same station location in Vigo?

 

[Vacajoe]

I've seen that route listed on blahblah car also (it's a carpool ridesharing app)

 

[Jan_D]

Thanks Jan that’s really helpful, especially as a newbie! Do you know if when you change trains that it’s at the same station location in Vigo?

Just checked and it seems there are high-speed trains almost every hour from SdC to Vigo-Urzaiz station (journey only takes 50 mins from SdC). The trains to Porto leave from Vigo-Guixar, a few streets away (you can check on Google maps, probably around 800m so a taxi might be easier).

Unfortunately there are only two trains per day to Porto, leaving at 8:58am and 19:56pm respectively. To catch the former you'd need to get the 7:30am train from SdC, arriving at Vigo-Urzaiz 8:33, but that's probably cutting it too fine? Alternatively you could catch the later train, or even spend the night in Vigo (I assumed you want to get to Porto as early as possible?) Anyway now I see why people usually end up taking the bus! aaarrrgh

[Fyi it's usually only possible to book trains 2-3 months in advance so things might not come up for the end of June...]

 

[grayland]

I have taken the train to Vigo...then bus to Porto several times.
I have also taken the the train to Vigo...stayed overnight to sightsee and then train to Porto in the morning.
Either way it is not a stressful or difficult trip. The border does make it confusing on the Spanish Renfe site as they will not show the Vigo to Porto route in Portugal.
My solution is to use Trainline.eu (formerly CaptainTrain) to check the schedule and to buy the tickets if the actual dates are known and firm.
I have always had excellent experience with Trainline. I have found that the advantage of Trainline is that they accept U.S. Credit Cards and allow you to print the ticket on-line. The schedules normally show cross border and transfer options as well as bus connections. I find it very useful all around Europe.

https://www.trainline.eu/search/santiago-de-compostela/porto/2018-03-29-08:00

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi everyone, five of us are walking the Camino Frances starting on the 21st April so really looking forward to taking the time to enjoy the journey to Santiago from SJPP and meeting people along the way.. At the end in June we will be leaving SDC to go to Porto and wanted to ask if anyone can advise in the best way of traveling there? Time is important so the fastest route would be best, any thoughts please?

Hello Colly,
ALSA has a bus that leaves SDC for Porto at 1200hrs. I think that is 7 days a week, and certainly every week-day.
The bus calls at Vigo, Porto airport and Porto bus station.
Cost is about €15 per person.
Bookable now on their website, which is in English if required, and you can print your tickets which come with your confirmation e-mail.
I'm assuming your April is this year? If not, you'll need to wait until March 2019 to book.

Buen (bus-filled) Camino

 

[Colly]

Hello Colly,
ALSA has a bus that leaves SDC for Porto at 1200hrs. I think that is 7 days a week, and certainly every week-day.
The bus calls at Vigo, Porto airport and Porto bus station.
Cost is about €15 per person.
Bookable now on their website, which is in English if required, and you can print your tickets which come with your confirmation e-mail.
I'm assuming your April is this year? If not, you'll need to wait until March 2019 to book.

Buen (bus-filled) Camino

Cheers John, yes it is this year, we are very excited.. thanks for your tip I will look on line

 

[Dorpie]

Hi Colly,

I did exactly this trip last year and as Jan_D says the Rome2Rio interface with the ALSA website and the ALSA website itself are for some reason a bit of a nightmare when planning this journey, to the extent that I gave up and just went to the coach station to buy my ticket, which was a lot easier. Afraid I don't know about the train as its timing didn't fit my plans but the coach was nice and easy with some interesting scenery along the way.

Do you have Porto accomodation yet? Can highly recommend this place , though for 5 it may be a little cozy, we were just 3. Still it is literally 1 minute's walk from Ponte Luis I and a great spot to be in.

Buen Camino,

Rob.

 

[Owen Duguay]

I used the bus. Easy and cheap. Buen Camino

 

[Colly]

Hi Colly,

I did exactly this trip last year and as Jan_D says the Rome2Rio interface with the ALSA website and the ALSA website itself are for some reason a bit of a nightmare when planning this journey, to the extent that I gave up and just went to the coach station to buy my ticket, which was a lot easier. Afraid I don't know about the train as its timing didn't fit my plans but the coach was nice and easy with some interesting scenery along the way.

Do you have Porto accomodation yet? Can highly recommend this place , though for 5 it may be a little cozy, we were just 3. Still it is literally 1 minute's walk from Ponte Luis I and a great spot to be in.

Buen Camino,

Rob.

Hi Rob thanks so much for this, I will see if I can book, we do have overnight accommodation as we leave the following day. I’m actually beginning to regret that now as Porto looks lovely but hey ho!!

 

[Colly]

I have taken the train to Vigo...then bus to Porto several times.
I have also taken the the train to Vigo...stayed overnight to sightsee and then train to Porto in the morning.
Either way it is not a stressful or difficult trip. The border does make it confusing on the Spanish Renfe site as they will not show the Vigo to Porto route in Portugal.
My solution is to use Trainline.eu (formerly CaptainTrain) to check the schedule and to buy the tickets if the actual dates are known and firm.
I have always had excellent experience with Trainline. I have found that the advantage of Trainline is that they accept U.S. Credit Cards and allow you to print the ticket on-line. The schedules normally show cross border and transfer options as well as bus connections. I find it very useful all around Europe.

https://www.trainline.eu/search/santiago-de-compostela/porto/2018-03-29-08:00

Many thanks this is really helpful!