• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Questions from a potential first timer

barnaby123

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
None
Hello!

I was speaking with a coworker today about good places to solo travel in late September/early October and he mentioned Camino de Santiago. I'm looking to fly out of NYC on a Saturday and fly back to NYC on the following Saturday. Of the paths I've been reading about Sarria seems to be ideal for my time limit.

Some questions...
- Is Sarria -> Santiago good from a timing perspective? Are there other routes people would recommend?
- What is the best way to get to Sarria from NYC and then get home to NYC from Santiago?

I'll probably have more questions as I do more reasearch and/or people reply to this thread.

Thanks!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Buen Camino! Try and give yourself a bit more time, flight days are often "dead" days, out from NYC to Spain and on to Sarria - a small town not exactly a major hub of transportation, Santiago has a lovely little airport very user friendly but flying to say Madrid to catch your return flight may be expensive, buses and trains will knock off at least another 5-7 hours - meaning you are left with five days to walk, 20k every day - doable. Will you enjoy the Camino, experience SdC? Doubtful. Try a Friday afternoon flight over and a Sunday flight back to improve your Camino.
 
Yes, as scruffy1 has said: there are no direct flights from NYC to SdC, and there are no direct buses from SdC to Sarria over the weekend (although it seems there are a couple of trains in the evening). So you'd need to budget for two days of travel.

You can check travel options on Rome2rio.com. For more specific dates, times and prices, the Spanish train company is Renfe.com, and the bus company is Monbus.es. Good luck!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
You could also look at the Camino Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago. It is just over 120 kms which qualifies you for your Compostella! Can be done in 5 days walking. Buen Camino.
 
Perhaps the worst mistake you can make when you walk a Camino is to not allow enough time to enjoy the Camino as a journey where you are not pressured by time. The Spanish/Portuguese/French countryside, people, food, and environment is simply wonderful. If you spend all your time walking you'll either be too busy or too tired to just enjoy what you are passing through.
 
Hmm, so it definitely seems like I need to allow myself more time. What time allotment would be recommended for Sarria -> Santiago with 2 dead days of travel getting to Sarria and another 2 dead days of travel for leaving Santiago?
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Just fly in and out of Santiago via Madrid. If you get a flight to Madrid round trip, then you can get a flight on Ryanair or Iberia in and out of Santiago. With your schedule it CAN be done, but what would be the point if you're rushing so fast you don't see anything????:confused:
 
We also live in NYC. My suggestion is to fly out Friday night late. There are lots of redeye flights from JFK that will get you into Madrid/Barcelona in the morning. That saves you a travel day. Then take Ryan Air (check their baggage policy) or similar to SdC, bus to Sarria or Tui (Portuguese route, also nice). 20K/day is not difficult walking. 25K/day is pretty typical for most pilgrims.
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
Hello!

I was speaking with a coworker today about good places to solo travel in late September/early October and he mentioned Camino de Santiago. I'm looking to fly out of NYC on a Saturday and fly back to NYC on the following Saturday. Of the paths I've been reading about Sarria seems to be ideal for my time limit.

Some questions...
- Is Sarria -> Santiago good from a timing perspective? Are there other routes people would recommend?
- What is the best way to get to Sarria from NYC and then get home to NYC from Santiago?

I'll probably have more questions as I do more reasearch and/or people reply to this thread.

Thanks!
Check out the Camino Ingles. You can get a flight from London to Coruna and a return flight to London from Santiago.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Perhaps the worst mistake you can make when you walk a Camino is to not allow enough time to enjoy the Camino as a journey where you are not pressured by time. The Spanish/Portuguese/French countryside, people, food, and environment is simply wonderful. If you spend all your time walking you'll either be too busy or too tired to just enjoy what you are passing through.

I agree with John. In my opinion, one week isn’t enough time to fully enjoy the Camino. i know people who do two weeks and these people come back every year to finish different sections. I’d suggest either saving your travel days for when you have more time or exploring a different part of Europe. You could honestly spend an entire week in Barcelona and feel a bit rushed. The Camino is not about getting to Santiago, it’s about the way and I worry you’ll regret rushing through it. Buen Camino!
 
My recommendation is St. Jean Pied de Port to as far as you get in the time you have (hopefully Viana). You can fly round trip to Biarritz (it is easy to get from the Biarritz airport to SJPDP and there are buses from Logrono and Pamplona back to Biarritz). The scenery on this part of the route is spectacular. My guess is you will come back for another seven days and start where you left off. Buen Camino!
 
Last edited:
My recommendation is St. Jean Pied de Port to as far as you get in the time you have (hopefully Viana). You can fly round trip to Biarritz (it is easy to get from the Biarritz airport to SJPDP and there are buses from Logrono and Pamplona back to Biarritz). The scenery on this part of the route is spectacular. My guess is you will come back for another seven days and start where you left off. Buean Camino!
I think this is a great idea! Redeye to Madrid, then bus to SJPP. Much more fun part of the Camino than Sarria to Santiago.
 
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,-
Hmm, so it definitely seems like I need to allow myself more time. What time allotment would be recommended for Sarria -> Santiago with 2 dead days of travel getting to Sarria and another 2 dead days of travel for leaving Santiago?

I did Sarria/Santiago in 2015 and had the same time schedule ( from Boston ) . My biggest regret was I did not allow enough time to " smell the roses " . It is not a race ! Leave NYC behind and jump into the International arena of pilgrims and Galicia's natural beauty .
I flew to Madrid , took train to Sarria , flew Santiago to Madrid afterwards.
 
I flew JFK to Madrid most flights arrive early morning.

From airport you can train, or bus to Sarria. Or, fly to Santiago then train to Sarria.

If you can manage at least ten days that gives you walk, rest, and travel time. Sarria to Santiago is doable in five days.

Buen camino.
 
Take JulieandPeter's advice - Start in St Jean Pied de Port and go as far as you can while enjoying the Camino world. We met plenty of people who did the Camino in stages across several years. To rush from Sarria to Santiago just to get a certificate isn't really doing the Camino. Enjoy it. Buen Camino!
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
For a short timeframe, I would suggest doing the Camino Portuguese route from Tui to Santiago. Easy to get a flight to Santiago (or Porto, in Portugal), train to Tui, and then 6 days walking to Santiago.

Lovely route, mostly flat, great food, lots of accomodation options.
 

Most read last week in this forum

My name is Henrik and I will be coming down to SJPdP from Sweden on March 26 and start walking on March 27. I don't really have any experience and I'm not the best at planning and I'm a little...
When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I'd like some recommendations about where to find the most current and up to date information about albergues that are actually open. I'm currently walking the camino Frances, and I can't even...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
Today is March 21, 1024 If you’re starting El Francés around this time, be warned that quite a few stretches between Rabanal del Camino and Molinaseca are in pretty bad shape. Lots of mud, and...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top