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Ponferrada or Villafranca del Bierzo

Davideansa

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
from Oporto to Santiago
Hi all,

I need to take a bus from Ponferrada to Villafranca to handle my camino in time (unfortunately I don't have many days and I need to skip one day from the book to reach Santiago in time for my flight).
The connection between the 2 villages is good, thanks to a bus from Alsa.
I can either leave from Ponferrada in the early evening and spend the night in Villafranca or spending the night in Ponferrada and leaving early morning to Villafranca.
Which is your suggestion for spending the night? Which of the 2 is the nicest village?

thank you!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Both are nice places to spend the night - I've stayed in both myself. I prefer Villafranca - it's a large town at the base of a mountain, with a charming main square surrounded by restaurants with outdoor terraces. Ponferrada is a small city - so it is much bigger and busier - not nearly as charming. But it has good restaurants and plenty of shops if you need to stock up on or replace anything. It also has the Templar Castle, which is good to visit. Both are good places for an overnight. I'd choose based on how your timing shapes up once you get there. The ALSA bus has several departures each day from Ponferrada to Villafranca.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
They are quite different, in my opinion Villa Franca was nicer, and I'm glad I stayed there, but do have a look over the Templar castle whilst in Ponferada.
 
Hi all,

I need to take a bus from Ponferrada to Villafranca to handle my camino in time (unfortunately I don't have many days and I need to skip one day from the book to reach Santiago in time for my flight).
The connection between the 2 villages is good, thanks to a bus from Alsa.
I can either leave from Ponferrada in the early evening and spend the night in Villafranca or spending the night in Ponferrada and leaving early morning to Villafranca.
Which is your suggestion for spending the night? Which of the 2 is the nicest village?

thank you!
You mentioned "the book". Does that mean that you are following stages in the Brierly (or other guidebook) exactly? Depending on where you are planning to start the Camino it's possible that you can walk your own stages without skipping anything.
 
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,-
Villafranca definitely. Either way enjoy a few glasses of Bierzo red wine while you are there!
 
+1 for Villafranca unless you want to visit the castle in Ponferrada. Plus, I just think I'd prefer taking the bus the previous afternoon and being able to wake up and walk as per normal routine rather than taking a morning bus.
 

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