After the Camino

[Camino2014]

Hello all!

I have about 7-10 days after the Camino Frances to visit other places in Europe, and would like to take advantage of it!!

I've researched Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Portugal, London.... even Switzerland!! But it's just too hard to pick!

So..... Which do YOU recommend as the best place(s) to see?

Having never been to Europe aside from a quick layover in Frankfurt Airport, I would love some help!

Of course, my main focus is the Camino, and all other things are secondary to the pilgrimage, but why not use the extra time I have to explore the wonderful cultures of the continent.

Thanks and buen camino.

 

[Choweth]

Portugal- the beaches look magical!


{Candace, Texas, USA)
http://www.pilgrimontherun.com
-a blog about life, a bucket list, and a future pilgrimage-
KIK: candacehoweth91

 

[Pieces]

depends on what you want really...

big city life is hard aftre the Camino I find, so maybe start in smaller Lisbon and move on to rome or paris...

 

[StuartM]

Buy a rail pass and just go wherever you fancy. I don't know if it is still published or if it has become an app now but the Thomas Cook European train timetable was the bible of rail travel. You see so much more and in Europe train journeys aren't much longer than flying.

The capitals usually get the focus but don't forego other places in favour of them.

 

[nreyn12]

I second the vote for Portugal. With an easy bus trip from Santiago you can be in Porto sipping port wine on the banks of the river Douro overlooking the beautiful historic city. The beach is right around the corner, the architecture is both modern and old, the people are lovely, and it is surprisingly affordable.

If you can still stand being in a shared dormitory, there are some fantastic hostels in Porto, like Dixo's and Garden House. The Camino Portuguese goes through Porto, so you could even meet up with some pilgrims as they pass through or start their Caminos.

I didn't get down to Lisbon, but that also is just another easy bus ride away.

 

[tyrrek]

As you've not been to Europe before I'd suggest somewhere in northern Europe to see a bit of the diversity of the place. I'm going to bang the drum for my home country of....Scotland! You can fly to Edinburgh from Madrid or Santander. Edinburgh is beautiful, but if you want more peace you could head up to the Highlands. You could even walk part of the West Highland Way if you still have itchy feet. English speaking (although the English may contest that) .

Buen Camino!

 

[JohnMcM]

I'll second tyrrek's suggestion

 

[natefaith]

What kind of thing are you looking for? Beach vacation, seeing a big city and exploring museums and history, etc., or hiding out in a remote part? As others have said, once you're done with your Camino a big city may be jarring - or not - depending on your personality.

I also love Scotland (Edinburgh and Isle of Skye are fantastic - and quite opposite in feel), and as we lived in Amsterdam for 6 months we can recommend that city as well - lots to see and do, and the canals photograph so well. At the risk of gushing, one of my favorite cities of all is Paris - there's something magical about it, and the Musee D'Orsay is my favorite museum in the world (like I said, totally gushing here). Paris is definitely worth seeing if you've never been. However, it is a BIG city and can be a bit overwhelming.

If you have time to get out to Switzerland, the mountains are stunning and the scenery is gorgeous. We've been to Interlaken twice and can recommend that part as well - however, it's shockingly expensive.

When will you be traveling? If it's summertime, southern Italy can be hot and humid and not as enjoyable as when it's not so hot, and Madrid can also get close to 100 degrees. I guess that would be something else to keep in mind.

Well, let us know what kinds of things you're looking for and we'll see if we can give you more ideas! With Europe, as long as your sense of adventure is alive, you really can't go wrong

 

[Camino2014]

I'll be arriving in Lourdes in early June of 2014, walking from there to Santiago, and then whatever happens next is still up in the air.

I really want to go somewhere with a lot to do and a lot of culture, but somewhere that can be seen in just 5 days (at least the highlights).

I've really been looking into taking the train from Santiago to Madrid, spending 5 days in Madrid with day trips to Segovia, Avila, and Toledo, then taking the night train to Paris and spending 5 days there. Then it'd be back to the USA.

However, this itinerary is pretty expensive, at least for my budget. Coming from the USA, everything is expensive to do, so I'm looking for the cheapest option with regards to taking a flight back home!!

Should I do an open jaw ticket? Is there something cheaper than Paris and Madrid (flying from Houston)?

Thanks!

 

[dariosilva]

After our Camino last year, my kids (mid 20s) took train through Portugal and loved it. They then made their way to Greece and had a wonderful time. May I suggest train trip down through Portugal and then over to Barcelona. Gaudi's work is a must see and the Basilica Sagrada Familia is a must see. Since last year, my experience has been that there is no end to the Camino. We continue to be a pilgrim people ie the Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City was built to resemble a tent. buen camino

 

[Terrri]

Luckily you have lots of time to decide.

I am more of a slow traveler and like to visit just one country at a time. Spain is so much more than the camino. I also found Spain alot cheaper and also it was nice sticking to just Spanish and not having my brain having to worry about a third or fourth language.

The busses in spain are way cheaper than we could ever travel in Canada and I would have to say also more comfortable. We went on a train from Barcelona to Madrid but traveled in the cheap section and the busses we took were much more comfortable. I couldn't have handled a longer train ride without upgrading to a more expensive ride.

My best advice is don't try to see it all and have the mindset that you will be back.

 

[jirit]

If you are starting in Lourdes then I am going to assume you will arrive in Paris. Lourdes is lot easier to get to from Paris as compared to some of the other major cities, however depending on the airline you might find ideal to take a connecting flight to nearby Toulouse and then train to Lourdes from there. The TVG from Paris to Lourdes via Bayonne can be expensive unless you buy the tickets in advance. A connecting flight from Paris to Toulouse or Bayonne might be cheaper.

Since you plan to finish in Santiago then Madrid is an obvious gateway and departure point back home. But by July Madrid will be hot, so this maybe something to consider. I agree with some other posters, and thus I would head into Portugal by bus and travel south to Porto and then Lisbon where again you probably depart from there, and travel back to the USA. Porto is another possible gateway too.

If you are on a limited budget is can be both expensive to train or fly to other destinations in Europe, especially the UK, Scotland, Germany and France. Instead I would use the time to either explore other regions of Spain or Portugal, both countries relatively less expensive to visit and travel through.

Leave the rest of Europe for another trip.

 

[wayfarer]

Don't listen to those Scots, come to Ireland.

 

[supersullivan]

2nd Wayfarer's suggestion and although sightings are much less frequent in recent years, late summer still offers the best chance of a leprechaun sighting especially if you use Guinness spectacles. :wink:

Enjoy your camino and wherever fate sees you travelling after.


Seamus

 

[natefaith]

If you want to explore culture and history you're definitely coming to the right place (Europe). Last year (or was it 2 years ago?) the Cathedral in Santiago celebrated its 800th anniversary - amazing! One other thing to consider is that right after your Camino, you may want to stay in Santiago for 2 - 3 days to really decompress, see pilgrim friends and have closure, enjoy Santiago, and reflect on your journey without having to worry yet about getting to where you're going next. In that case, something closer like Portugal, Spain, or France might be ideal for you. If you want to explore northern Spain where it won't be so hot (inland Spain really can be miserable in summer), San Sebastián, Santander, Cathedral Beach in Ribadeo, are all nice to see. Enjoy all the planning - that's always half the fun for us!

 

[natefaith]

BTW - Ireland's not that far from here and Aer Lingus flies direct from Santiago to Dublin, usually for good prices. Seems like you have lots of choices - fun times!

 

[Daxzentzu]

I must say that I developed my love for the highways and byeways in the Derbyshire Peak District and I'd love to share it with others so why not the UK Pennine Way
The Coast to Coast per Bradshaw or my absolute favourite The Lyke Wake Walk in North Yorkshire - Osmotherly to Ravenscar then turn South to the Viking settlement of Whitby.

Enjoy

Dax

 

[Camino2014]

Thanks to all for your ideas/suggestions! I've decided to keep it toned down and remain in Spain for my trip rather than trying to stuff it full with other cultures... Spain has enough cultural variety as it is! (i.e. Basque, Catalan, Galician....)

Most likely, I'll be spending a few days in Galicia after I arrive in Santiago and then taking a train to Madrid, seeing what I can there, and finally taking another train to Barcelona where I will fly home.

Thankfully (as another forum member pointed out), I have quite a bit of time to get things sorted out! :mrgreen:

Buen Camino!

 

[whariwharangi]

I would suggest walking to Finisterre.

But if you are set on travelling to see the sights .. I would recommend several days in Granada, Andalusia. The Alhambra is just one of the treasures to be found there.

Or visit Alicante Almeria or Malaga and spend sometime on the beach. The Mediterranean sea is good for sore feet.

 

[Magnara]

Don't do what we did...we wanted to visit a friend in Lisbon, and couldn't find a good public transport way to do it, so we hired a car. From walking speed to driving at 150km an hour on the freeway and being continually overtaken as locals zoomed past us - it was terrifying. Too much of a "speed shock". I would recommend doing something slow and getting back to speed much more graudally!
Maggie Ramsay
"The Italian Camino" (Amazon)

 

[clearskiescamino]

After the Camino...? I started planning my return!

 

[natefaith]

Don't do what we did...we wanted to visit a friend in Lisbon, and couldn't find a good public transport way to do it, so we hired a car. From walking speed to driving at 150km an hour on the freeway and being continually overtaken as locals zoomed past us - it was terrifying. Too much of a "speed shock". I would recommend doing something slow and getting back to speed much more graudally!
Maggie Ramsay
"The Italian Camino" (Amazon)

That's so funny - we just hosted some pilgrims in our home. They had walked from St. Jean, and after they arrived in Santiago we took them to Finisterre in the car. Since they hadn't been in a car for over 30 days, they were a bit woozy and disoriented. They marveled at how quickly they could cover 90 kms (1 hour) in the car when on the Camino it would've taken them 3 - 4 days to walk it. I've never heard the term "speed shock" but think it describes the feeling perfectly!

 

[Terrri]

We went to Barcelona and Madrid at the end of our trip and right away noticed the difference in the language in Barcelona.

Just over 100 euros each for the one way train ride from Barcelona Sants station to Atocha station. Well worth the time saved when our remaining days were getting scarce.

 

[waveprof]

San Sebastian/Donostia. Or the Basque coast in general. Just my .02.

 

[clearskiescamino]

I stayed a day in Bilbao afterwards. Lovely city. Pity it rained for the whole day :/

 

[helemcc]

Hi Camino 2014, a small group of us did Sarria to Santiago in early June - as first timers on the Camino we left ourselves with 3 + days in Santiago - it was great to spend this time in a beautiful city, loads to see and do - from there some of us took the fast bus to Porto and spent another few great days there. Porto is a great with its old city - Douro river cruises - port houses and good food and wine. So if you can the trip to Porto was just €31 - one way on the Alsa bus (pre-booked day before travel) and well worth it. Great air connections from Porto airport also. So head for Portugal if you can. Buen Camino in 2014. We will also return for another section in 2014.