Input on what can be done after you reach the end of the cam

[StumbleBum7]

Hey so I have some questions. I finally found someone interested in doing the camino with me. However, we are also possibly interested in expanding our trip beyond the end if possible, and simply exploring spain/ europe for a little while if possible. We were thinking of flying into Paris next year, staying there for a day or two in a hostel while exploring and just having a adventure. Then we were going to walk the camino. Looking for a scenic route more or less, though I imagine the Frances route will be the most highly recommended based on us leaving Paris for the route. But if there are other ideas for a great scenic route let me know.

Neither me or my friend are doing this for the religious experience, so if we miss something its not a huge blow to us.

My main question is if we get one way air fare and then try to explore for a bit, how is Europe with that, and can it be done somewhat inexpensively if done properly. We were thinking of leaving the US around late May. Only restriction other then some money limit is we have to be back in the US by like August 10th or so.

Anyways I think I rambled a bit, but any questions regarding what we hope to do please ask. Its probably not the easiest thing to do but was seeing if it seems reasonable at all. Was thinking of looking at websites like couch surfer or not, wouldn't even mind working for a week or two somewhere if the help was needed.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The big picture: you are permitted in Schengen countries for only 90 days out of a year if you are from the U.S. It sounds like your plans are right up to that limit, so keep it in mind. If you will be in these countries longer (most of Europe), you can apply for a Schengen visa from the country in which you will be primarily visiting. You may not be able to get one with a one-way ticket.

You can see a map of the routes in Spain here:
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/

There are four major routes in France that eventually lead to Spain. In addition, all of France is covered with GR (grande randonee) routes. The French love hiking, and flock to these routes at every opportunity. An example:
http://pilgrim.peterrobins.co.uk/routes ... moges.html

Germany, Switzerland, and Italy also have walking routes, as does the United Kingdom.

I think you will find that the mood you create on the Camino Frances does not translate well to follow-up visits to large European cities, but that is a very individual thing. After a week walking the countryside, my first visit to a big city on the pilgrimage was a shock -- the people, the noise, the choices!!!

You won't have a difficult time finding a way to occupy your time. You can read about most of the routes here in the Forum. Then expand your research to the rest of the internet. Only you can determine what is right for you.

 

[Chacharm]

My son and I did the Camino in April and May of this year. We flew into Madrid for a couple of days and then took a train to San Sebastian for a couple of days before starting the Camino in SJPP. We were in Santiago 5 weeks later, then we tooled around Spain and Portugal for another three weeks.
We spent a few days in Santiago meeting up with Camino pals, then we rented a car and drove with a couple of them to Finisterre. We parted with them there and drove down through Portugal to Sevilla and then to Granada for the Corpus Christi festival. Dumped the car there and took a train to Cadiz where we wallowed on the beach for a week. We visited Morocco from there as well. Finally we went to Toledo for a few days and then back to Madrid for a couple of days.
We had originally planned to go to Barcelona - but you'll find that it is very hard to get a train from one spot to another in Spain without going back to Madrid. We could have flown there from Santiago but we wanted to see Portugal.
As I understand it the Via de la Plata (starting from Sevilla) is the most scenic of all the routes. If I get to do the Camino again I will do that route. But it is MUCH longer than the Via Frances or the Via del Norte. But you can start anywhere on it you like that allows for the time you have allotted. And it would be far less crowded. Starting in late May the via Frances gets very crowded and you'll encounter a lot of full albuergues.
If you stay in an albuergue every single night of your Camino and eat a menu de peregrino for dinner you could probably do the whole thing on about 25 euro a day. But we quickly tired of the starchy same-thing-every-day peregrino meals and craved a little privacy a couple of nights a week, so went to hostels and hotels and ate at restaurants here and there.
Have fun!

 

[na2than]

wow...what a treat to have so long to explore.allowing 6 weeks for the camino...you could rent a car and drive back on the coastal route.or more randomly check the interail website and do a whistle stop tour of all europe asfter santiago

 

[nreyn12]

So many choices! If you find you really enjoy walking, you could, of course, continue on to Finesterre after Santiago. Or you could walk back from Santiago for a week or two, to Sarria, Ponferrada, or Leon.

Spain has loads to offer - Granada, Sevilla, Malaga, in the south if you want to dive into the Spanish, non-Camino culture. Or Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian...

My personal recommendation would be to hop a bus from Santiago down into Portugal. Porto is a fantastic city and very affordable. I've heard Lisbon is also great, although I've never been. But from Lisbon it's an easy journey to some of the southern spots in Spain.

As for one-way tickets to Europe, I have a friend who does only that, from the US, and she has never had any problems. You can use a site like http://www.mobissimo.com to find current best fares.

Nancy

 

[StumbleBum7]

Thanks for all the kind replys! Its looking like we may leave late May, and try to be back in 5-6 weeks now. Which while sad we can't do longer, it will still be nice. Main issue is the money. It seems like it will be relatively cheap along the camino when there, but once were off it it could be pricey.

If we continue the whole way to the end of the camino and continue to Finistere, are there options to hop a bus to a major city from there? Or possibly to Portugal? I will only be 24 so not sure of the car rental rules, but I know in the U.S. It is 25 so that may be out of the question. But I wouldn't mind visiting a area non camino related after the end if there is something nearby that also has a way to fly close by so we can get a return flight then.

So many options! If we can keep cost down we could easily expand our time, but at this point im thinking 6 weeks will be the upper limit sadly

One other BIG question I have. Airfare... When is a good time to try to buy, how far in advance for a good deal? Im located in York, PA. So it would be easiest to fly from somewhere like Baltimore or New jersey. Even New York if needed, though it cost $51 train ride to get there, but maybe it offers cheaper flights? Im not much a flyer honestly so very inexperienced in that regard.

Also if we were to go the whole way to Finistere do you think it would be cheapest to find a return flight from somewhere near there? Or get a flight/bus to a major hub like Paris/Madrid/Barcelona and then get a flight back from there?

If that doesn't make sense please just ask me to clarify, I may have rambled. Very excited about this and trying to plan it so that once I book a ticket I can't back out! But also trying to keep airfare down to hopefully around $1000 if thats reasonable. And then another $1200 for the camino and other expenses

Another question I thought of. It seems like people are saying leaving late may will be busy. If we were to leave around May 14th ish would that lessen the traffic at all? My classes would be done around May 5th, so anytime after that i could leave. Possibly as early as may 9th if that would make it slightly more enjoyable

 

[David243]

My wife and I are walking the Camino June-July and are flying back to the U.S. August 8th (leaving us over a week after our walk to Finisterre/Muxia)...we plan to spend a about 4-5 days on the beach somewhere. We used to live in Spain and while we were there we fell in love with the town Conil de la Frontera. It's about a 45 minute bus ride from Cadiz and is a very relaxed beach town...would definitely recommend this area due to its tranquility and nice beaches. Hostal Playa Sur is a nice place to stay, and if you go further south to Canos de Meca you can rent a cabin or something right near the beach. We will either go to this area after our Camino or go to a different beach in Spain we haven't been to. You should definitely look into it, though! They have buses through ALSA from Santiago to Cadiz that go overnight if you are interested...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If we were to leave around May 14th ish would that lessen the traffic at all? My classes would be done around May 5th, so anytime after that i could leave. Possibly as early as may 9th if that would make it slightly more enjoyable

The number of pilgrims increases throughout May, so the earlier, the better. In the past, only in late June, July, and August do some albergues begin to fill. However, more pilgrims are starting to leave early to avoid the rush, creating earlier traffic jams! You will enjoy the walk regardless, so don't worry about it. Buen camino.

 

[StumbleBum7]

My wife and I are walking the Camino June-July and are flying back to the U.S. August 8th (leaving us over a week after our walk to Finisterre/Muxia)...we plan to spend a about 4-5 days on the beach somewhere. We used to live in Spain and while we were there we fell in love with the town Conil de la Frontera. It's about a 45 minute bus ride from Cadiz and is a very relaxed beach town...would definitely recommend this area due to its tranquility and nice beaches. Hostal Playa Sur is a nice place to stay, and if you go further south to Canos de Meca you can rent a cabin or something right near the beach. We will either go to this area after our Camino or go to a different beach in Spain we haven't been to. You should definitely look into it, though! They have buses through ALSA from Santiago to Cadiz that go overnight if you are interested...

That sounds like a great thing to look into! As long as it isn't to pricey I think that could be a great way to end out trip. I will have to look into the prices/availability of buses from Finisterre area if we continue on to there. Thanks for the unique input. If we did that the camino would have a bit of everything. Paris for a couple days, then the walk. Then beach... possible Leon or something in between for a day. Can you get airfare from the beach area or do you have to get a bus to somewhere further away?

 

[David243]

That sounds like a great thing to look into! As long as it isn't to pricey I think that could be a great way to end out trip. I will have to look into the prices/availability of buses from Finisterre area if we continue on to there. Thanks for the unique input. If we did that the camino would have a bit of everything. Paris for a couple days, then the walk. Then beach... possible Leon or something in between for a day. Can you get airfare from the beach area or do you have to get a bus to somewhere further away?

The closest airport would be Jerez, followed by Sevilla. Ryanair flies from Santiago to Sevilla and from there it would be a bus ride or train to Cadiz (bus through ALSA, train through RENFE). Or, you could take a bus through ALSA from Santiago to Cadiz. From Cadiz you can take their local bus to Conil de la Frontera. The hotel we stayed at there, Hostal Playa Sur, was very inexpensive and the gentleman (British guy) who runs the place is VERY nice and welcoming. Most things in Conil seemed pretty reasonably priced for being a beach town, which is another reason why we liked it. Here's a few pics I took!

 

[StumbleBum7]

It looks very promising for sure... Only thing im concerned about is how much extra it would be to get a flight to the US. I'd imagine that airport you mentioned (Sevilla) may not offer flights to the US. and if they did it would be more expensive.

I don't mind not finshing in Finisterre if it means it would be easier to get a plane/bus ride to the beach areas. Plus it would give us more time to enjoy the beach town. Do you happen to remember roughly how much the hotel cost a night there? My main concern like I stated is just planning a way home which isn't super expensive, so if thats possible from there We may spend a good week at the beach area

 

[David243]

Do you happen to remember roughly how much the hotel cost a night there? My main concern like I stated is just planning a way home which isn't super expensive, so if thats possible from there We may spend a good week at the beach area

Here's the website for the place I mentioned that lists their rates: http://www.hostalplayasur.com/joomla/en ... rices.html

If you go down to visit some Andalucian beaches, your best bet would be to fly back to the US from Madrid and to take a bus/train from Cadiz to Madrid. The bus we took back to Madrid from Cadiz was even overnight, so we didn't have to pay for a hotel that night!

Just an idea. Although I'm sure you would love it down there, it may be more cost/time efficient to maybe check out San Sebastian or somewhere in northern Spain, or even to check out some fares through Ryanair to the Canary or Balearic islands...? There are plenty of options

 

[StumbleBum7]

a heads up, im on a school pc mac and can't figure out why i cant use caps or all my puncuation marks so this looks rather sloppy.

im trying to look into the whole idea of a train ride to either cadiz or san sebasian but i'm having trouble using their websites. guess i dont know enough spanish. but nothing is comeing up as far as fares when i search to depart from the santiago de compestela and arrive in cadiz or san sebastian. just curious how much it would cost/time it would take. would be nice to travel to southern part of spain to see more if it woudn't take to much time or cost much but it looks like it would take a whole day from the trip from what i'm seeing. even just a train ride to madrid or something to visit a larger city for a couple days would be a great chance. may cut down cost going directly to madrid then flying home.

any idea how to go about looking up fares to see what a rough cost/time it would be so i can try to factor that into planning it. i certainly don't want to end just at santiago i'd love to see an extra piece of the country while i'm there since staying a extra few days isn't to expensive. its just the airfair to and from.

i apoligize again for the lack of punctuation.

 

[nreyn12]

I'm going to stick in another vote for Porto in Portugal. It's an easy bus ride from Santiago, and the hostels are fantastic at 15-20 euros per person per night. Porto is a university city so it's very vibrant, culturally active, and full of out-on-the-town opportunities with lots of young people. It is also located at the mouth of the River Douro, which gives it beach access and the potential for lots of sunshine.

From Porto you could easily get a bus back to Santiago, or fly Ryanair to Madrid, or drop down to Lisbon, giving you three good departure options.

My favorite choices for hostels are Garden House Hostel and Dixo's Oporto Hostel. You can check them out and book at http://www.hostelbookers.com/.

Nancy

 

[StumbleBum7]

Thanks for the additional input!!!

Does anyone have a good site to help plan the days out so i can try to plan post camino travel to madrid or the beach (depending on beach cost... i just may not want to pay travel from camino end, to beach, then back to madrid)

Also I will make a post in the seperate forum, but I was wondering if any of you have heard anything of the Camino Del Norte. I figure its the only other route easily accesible (I hope) from Paris. Only reason I'm considering it is to avoid some of the numbers of travelers and make it a more hopefully scenic route. I just hope their are still interesting small towns to stop it along the way.