LIVE from the Camino Santiago to Santander

[MaryJoan]

Hello....this is our first Camino and although our planned route is coming on fine we are now experiencing a problem with organising transport from Santiago to Santander where we pick up our flight home to Edinburgh [Sunday 24the September 10.45 am]; we had planned to travel on 23rd staying a night in Santander. Does anyone have any advise. Thank you

 

[WGroleau]

Hello....this is our first Camino and although our planned route is coming on fine we are now experiencing a problem with organising transport from Santiago to Santander where we pick up our flight home to Edinburgh [Sunday 24the September 10.45 am]; we had planned to travel on 23rd staying a night in Santander. Does anyone have any advise. Thank you

It's better to ask a new question on it's own topic. I'll be in Santiago till the 27th. I an probably help if you haven't been successful by the time you arrive.

 

[Tia Valeria]

There are 2 ways of travelling and both need more time than maybe you are allowing.
The ALSA bus goes to Santander via Leon and may involve changes of bus.
Also you can take the bus to Ferrol and the slow train from Ferrol via Oviedo to Santander. The morning train from Ferrol takes about 7 hours before it goes through Oviedo about 2pm and then takes a further 4 hours to reach Santander. We have usually broken the journey in Oviedo, Leaving Ferrol on the afternoon train and then Oviedo early next morning. Note that there are very limited 'through' trains.
There are many options for B&B in Santander itself - we have stayed at the Celuisma Alisa (not far from the rail and bus stations) which costs around 60€ for B&B, but there are cheaper options.

 

[Staggerlee]

There's a train from SDC at 08:30. Change at Palencia. Arrive Santander 18:15ish. For some reason you have to buy separate tickets for each leg via the RENFE website.

Buen Camino

 

[KinkyOne]

Hello....this is our first Camino and although our planned route is coming on fine we are now experiencing a problem with organising transport from Santiago to Santander where we pick up our flight home to Edinburgh [Sunday 24the September 10.45 am]; we had planned to travel on 23rd staying a night in Santander. Does anyone have any advise. Thank you

Hi, MaryJoan,

The fastest would be flying from SdC to Santander. At the moment Iberia has a flight from SdC via Madrid for 172€ (www.skyscanner.net).

I'm not a bus fan but ALSA has two buses on Sept 23rd with 19 stops along Camino Ingles, Primitivo and Norte. The ride takes 9h40' and it follows the North coast so I believe very scenic (https://www.alsa.es/checkout?p_auth...nTrip=false&promoCode=&jsonAlsaPassPassenger=). The best would be the one that leaves at 9am. The price is 50€.

 

[FLEUR]

We travelled this way last October. 08.30.train from Santiago changes as described. Breakfast at Santiago station. Lunch at Palencia station and tea at Santander. It's a long day but the trains are good. You can walk back and forth to the buffet car for a bit of exercise. Film shown on one train and ear phones handed out FOC.

We used our Spanish senior rail cards and bought both the tickets at the RENFE town office the day before.

We took the ferry home to Portsmouth from Santander the next day.

 

[FLEUR]

The railway and bus stations are in the middle of town. There are lots of hotels in Santander and I would think a bus or taxi to the airport would be doable. A pleasant place to spend a night.

 

[whariwharangi]

You could try Renfe train from Santiago to Leon and ALSA bus from Leon to Santander. However, I doubt you'll get a better schedule than the train via Palencia as described already. The only other viable option is ALSA from Santiago to Santander ... a long bus ride.

 

[gerardcarey]

I recently took the train. As mentioned above changed at Palencia. An enjoyable daylight journey.
Regards
Gerard

 

[WGroleau]

The ALSA bus goes to Santander via Leon and may involve changes of bus.

Their website says no. One bus, twice a day, with nine stops--or four stops. (It was confusing. Maybe it's two buses that leave at the same time in the morning, one with four stops and one with nine. Then do it again in the evening.)

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Hi MaryJoan. I took the Alsa bus from Santiago to Santander, it was cheap because I booked ahead and am an older person. It is a beautiful trip, at some points nearly heart-stopping because of the height of the road above the valleys below, but it is long, and when I travelled in 2015 there was no on-board toilet as you might have expected there to be provided on a long-distance coach.There was a stopover in Oviedo when all onward passengers had to leave the bus and wait for it to return later. Additionally, luggage is stored in the compartment accessed from outside and as there are frequent stops this made me a bit uneasy about the security of my backpack - but that's probably a neurosis hangover from having lived in a city for too many years.

I stayed overnight at Hospedaje Magallanes (listed on booking.com) and it was cheap, clean and comfortable. I know that other pilgrims who have stayed there share this view.

I hadn't considered taking the train to Santander in 2015 but, based on the posts above, it would seem that that would be a more comfortable option, although you would probably miss out on the spectacular coastal scenery of the bus route. Buen camino!

 

[WGroleau]

... when I travelled in 2015 there was no on-board toilet as you might have expected there to be provided on a long-distance ...,

Every ALSA bus I have been on (several) in 2016 and 2017 has had un aseo, but instead of being at the far back like U.S. buses, it's next to the exit steps.

..., luggage is stored in the compartment accessed from outside and as there are frequent stops this made me a bit uneasy about the security of my backpack. ...

This made me nervous, too, but I carried on my most expensive stuff, and I watched people getting off. If I had seen anyone take my mochila, I would have taken a photo of them, but it was only clothing and toiletries. If someone tried to take my bicycle, I would have been off the bus fast, and since it takes a long time for the inexperienced to unfold it, they would not have escaped!

 

[Tia Valeria]

Their website says no. One bus, twice a day, with nine stops--or four stops. (It was confusing. Maybe it's two buses that leave at the same time in the morning, one with four stops and one with nine. Then do it again in the evening.)

The ones we found needed a change in Ponferrada. So ALSA does the journey, but not all on one bus. One went via A Coruna and Lugo, the other more direct hence the different number of stops.