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Suggestion for How Much Time to Plan for in Santiago de Compostela?

  • Thread starter Former member 99404
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Former member 99404

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I plan to arrive in Santiago on December 23, 2021 from Pedrouzo and then to fly to Madrid to join friends who live there for the holidays the next day. I will be walking solo and am not sure when to book my flight out of Santiago. My choices are 7:10 and 14:10. One is very early; the other leaves me with perhaps too much time on my own on Christmas Eve. I don't want to rob myself of time in Santiago, yet, I'm not much for hanging out in cities on my own, when I have the option of being with friends in Madrid. What do you experienced pellegrinos suggest, as far as time spent in Santiago de Compostela?

Gracias.
 
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My planned reply, having only initially seen the title of your thread and not the content was 2-3 days.

Given that it’s your destination and if it has any greater significance for you than ‘just another town I’d encourage you to try for a little longer than you’ve planned; but given the date of your planned arrival that’s not really practicable.

i wouldn’t fancy getting to the airport in time for a 0710 flight personally. The 1410 would give you a few hours in Santiago which is better than nothing I suppose.
 
SDC does not have a big centre in the old town. It's nice, we stayed two days in October, and that was enough for us.

It really depends what you want to get out of your visit.

As above, 0710hrs seems very early but it depends if the earlier flight makes any difference to where you are going to be arriving.
 
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You are asking if you should get up in the middle of the night, to get to your friends' place by mid-morning, or get up later for a leisurely breakfast and short walk in Santiago before seeing your friends in mid-afternoon. I guess it depends on how important it is to squeeze out a few extra hours to see your friends.
 
If you think you may return to Santiago following another camino, maybe this time stay at a hotel near the airport and catch that earlier flight...
 
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Are you presuming that you will be able to obtain a Compostela the day you arrive, then stay overnight and depart to Madrid and beyond the next day? That is a couple of assumptions too far, at least IMHO.

Bear in mind that the Pilgrim Office is open on Christmas Eve, but has a reduced staff and limited hours. If you are interested in obtaining a Compostela you must plan ahead.

This said, take the later flight. Early morning flights are always sketchy, especially in winter. If Madrid has delays for any reason the early flight cannot get to Santiago to depart at 0730. Again, plan ahead. The 1410 flight gives you more flexibility.

How this helps,

Tom
 
I plan to arrive in Santiago on December 23, 2021 from Pedrouzo and then to fly to Madrid to join friends who live there for the holidays the next day. I will be walking solo and am not sure when to book my flight out of Santiago. My choices are 7:10 and 14:10. One is very early; the other leaves me with perhaps too much time on my own on Christmas Eve. I don't want to rob myself of time in Santiago, yet, I'm not much for hanging out in cities on my own, when I have the option of being with friends in Madrid. What do you experienced pellegrinos suggest, as far as time spent in Santiago de Compostela?

Gracias.
Our first time in Santiago we stayed two nights. It was enough...for a first time...and I'm sure you will enjoy being with friends in Madrid at Christmas time. For our second visit, we spent four days, which included walking back to Monte Gozo to watch the sunset from the hill with the pilgrim statues on it...unforgettably beautiful, seeing the sites in Santiago itself and hiking beyond Santiago to parks and hills nearby which also provided unique views and photos, while providing an opportunity to be with local residents rather than pilgrims/tourists. Spending more days also meant we kept seeing fellow pilgrims we had met along the way arrive in Santiago. It was great fun embracing, having coffee and sharing tales of the camino.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I'd stay 3 nights.
And reconsider the flying part, because the train to.Madrid is a joy.

I'm not much for hanging out in cities on my own, when I have the option of being with friends in Madrid
Santiago is a different kind of city experience: you'll probably keep running into camino friends.
 
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I plan to arrive in Santiago on December 23, 2021 from Pedrouzo and then to fly to Madrid to join friends who live there for the holidays the next day. I will be walking solo and am not sure when to book my flight out of Santiago. My choices are 7:10 and 14:10. One is very early; the other leaves me with perhaps too much time on my own on Christmas Eve. I don't want to rob myself of time in Santiago, yet, I'm not much for hanging out in cities on my own, when I have the option of being with friends in Madrid. What do you experienced pellegrinos suggest, as far as time spent in Santiago de Compostela?

Gracias.
You do not want to take a train? The fast train takes a little over 4 hours and very comfortable. There is a very early train around 7:00 am, around 11:00 am, around 4pm, one late in the evening etc. (sorry I don't have the exact departure times. It's difficult to find a time table online and can't make a seat reservation online. There are around 4 departures each day. If you count the time to get to the airport, going through the security, etc., it does not take much longer than flying. It also has a dining section. The train station is about 15 minutes walk. I always buy a ticket in advance. If you are over 60, you can buy a DORADA card for 6 Euros, which is good for 1 year for deep discounts on various trains, and get 25% off right there. It cost me around 43 Euros. to Madrid
 

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You do not want to take a train? The fast train takes a little over 4 hours and very comfortable. There is a very early train around 7:00 am, around 11:00 am, around 4pm, one late in the evening etc. (sorry I don't have the exact departure times. It's difficult to find a time table online and can't make a seat reservation online. There are around 4 departures each day. If you count the time to get to the airport, going through the security, etc., it does not take much longer than flying. It also has a dining section. The train station is about 15 minutes walk. I always buy a ticket in advance. If you are over 60, you can buy a DORADA card for 6 Euros, which is good for 1 year for deep discounts on various trains, and get 25% off right there. It cost me around 43 Euros. to Madrid
Loved the fast train from Santiago to Madrid. Probably no more time over all than than flying. So much more comfortable as opposed to an airplane cylinder!
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Our first time in Santiago we stayed two nights. It was enough...for a first time...and I'm sure you will enjoy being with friends in Madrid at Christmas time. For our second visit, we spent four days, which included walking back to Monte Gozo to watch the sunset from the hill with the pilgrim statues on it...unforgettably beautiful, seeing the sites in Santiago itself and hiking beyond Santiago to parks and hills nearby which also provided unique views and photos, while providing an opportunity to be with local residents rather than pilgrims/tourists. Spending more days also meant we kept seeing fellow pilgrims we had met along the way arrive in Santiago. It was great fun embracing, having coffee and sharing tales of the camino.
Thank you! I hope that if I enjoy this camino I will be back in Santiago and can spend more time there. I decided to stay one night and fly back to Madrid early the next afternoon.
 
We've done both from Santiago to Madrid. The train wins hands down.
Next time I will do the train for sure. When I tried to find trains today, I could find nothing with a duration of about five hours. Maybe I was on the wrong site.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
You do not want to take a train? The fast train takes a little over 4 hours and very comfortable. There is a very early train around 7:00 am, around 11:00 am, around 4pm, one late in the evening etc. (sorry I don't have the exact departure times. It's difficult to find a time table online and can't make a seat reservation online. There are around 4 departures each day. If you count the time to get to the airport, going through the security, etc., it does not take much longer than flying. It also has a dining section. The train station is about 15 minutes walk. I always buy a ticket in advance. If you are over 60, you can buy a DORADA card for 6 Euros, which is good for 1 year for deep discounts on various trains, and get 25% off right there. It cost me around 43 Euros. to Madrid
Good to know about the DORADA card. I felt anxious about getting things sorted in advance, so I booked a flight. Couldn't figure out how to find the schedule and book it online.
 
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That's similar to what I found, too. So perhaps I have the best option given the date. Thank you for circling back.
 
Next time I will do the train for sure. When I tried to find trains today, I could find nothing with a duration of about five hours. Maybe I was on the wrong site.
I am not surprised that you couldn't find anything online. Not all trains are listed online, not even on Eurail site or other sites that sell train and bus tickets. It's like Booking.com does not list all the available properties or even available rooms on each hotel. One really doesn't know until inquire within the train station. I do find it very odd, but I learned to be patient with the Spanish rail system. I have taken fast trains from SdP to Madrid many times, and know that there are about 4 fast trains daily in average. Are you able to call the train station? You cannot reserve a seat over the phone but they can tell you the schedule. They are not the most friendly people over the phone but by being persistent, I was able to get the information I needed. When I say not "friendly" I don't mean that they are really "unfriendly", rather it is just they way they handle things. They don't mean to be "unfriendly" in English terms that we are used to.

Of course I understand that you should do what is best to you, what you feel comfortable.
 
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Calling overseas is not preferred, given work and other encumbrances. Thanks for your input!
 
I looked for trains for December 24th, and only found a 9+ hour journey.
The Renfe train tables/ticket purchasing options for Santiago to Madrid are a bit odd. In fact, it starts to be odd from the 21st of December onwards. I also see news articles that say that the AVE high speed train will run from Madrid to Santiago and back from the 21st of December onwards. The whole journey will take about 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Apparently tickets will be on sale from the 23rd of November onwards.

Anyway, that's what I see on the web. I have no further insight into all this.

 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Renfe pone a la venta 250.000 billetes a 15 euros para promocionar la alta velocidad gallega

However, I cannot see how and where one can buy a ticket for 15 € for a high-speed train trip. Not on the RENFE website as far as I can see. The promotion sale runs for two weeks apparently.

The article (link above) includes the timetable for HS train trips between Madrid and Galicia. It is also nowhere to be seen on the RENFE website, as far as I can tell.

A daily train will leave Santiago at 10:20 and arrive Madrid at 13:42. There are three other connections for Santiago-Madrid on most but not all days of the week.
 
The tickets for High Speed train trips for Madrid-Santiago or Santiago-Madrid for 15 € and from December 21 until well into 2022 can be purchased now. I entered a request for a trip in December. There is a waiting list. 3848 persons are in front of me. But the waiting time is short.

It will become harder and harder to justify short-distance flights ...

Renfe Waiting list.jpg
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Next time I will do the train for sure. When I tried to find trains today, I could find nothing with a duration of about five hours. Maybe I was on the wrong site.
Unfortunately, you were on the right site but just too early. I must say I find it weird that the Renfe website does not let you look at timetables, you can only see train times when tickets are for sale and they weren't in this case because of the promotion campaign that was launched only today. Pity!

For info, here are the available departure times, travel times and prices for a fast train trip from Santiago to Madrid on December 24, 2021:

Fast train to Madrid.jpg
 

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