Santiago to Sarria - MonBus, BlaBlaCar or something else??

Rodrigma716 · May 4, 2024

Hi all! I am trying to finish up the last bit of planning for our upcoming Camino, in two and a half weeks, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. We are kinda doing things a little backwards, as we are flying into Santiago and need to get to Sarria to start our Camino. I have booked tickets on the MonBus, for me and my son, but the bus doesn't get into Sarria until just after 1pm, and we plan to start our Camino when we arrive. I see that BlaBlaCar may be a possible option to get us to Sarria much earlier in the day, but I have never hear of it. Since I will be traveling with my 12 year old son, I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the safety of BlaBlaCar. Is it like an UBER or LYFT? Thanks, in advance for any guidance!

trecile · May 4, 2024

Do you have to start the same day that you arrive in Santiago/Sarria? If you have time in your schedule I strongly urge you to slow down and spend the night in Sarria before you start.

Blintintin · May 4, 2024

It is a legitimate shared ride program, and very popular and well-used and trusted in Spain, You have to 'enter' the trip you want to take, (date , departure and destination locations, # people, and luggage, etc.) and registered BlaBlaCar drivers who may be travelling the same route, may choose to 'offer' a ride that matches close to yours, and you can choose to express an interest in their offer, and they can choose to accept you or not. Be prepared, because it's not necessarily door-to-door service, rather they often have specific pick up/drop off location suitable to them/their route, and that may not necessarily be close to your exact locations ..so you may need to taxi/walk etc before and after the ride. I have used it only twice, both within Spain and to Portugal, and it worked out brilliantly, (safe, comfortable, good experience, great price, and I was lucky, .by chance their pick up/drop off points were perfect for my needs.) it's well worth the try. LIke Uber and other platforms, you each create a profile, you can review each others profile, and can also rate your driver/passenger.

Rodrigma716 · May 4, 2024

trecile said:
Do you have to start the same day that you arrive in Santiago/Sarria? If you have time in your schedule I strongly urge you to slow down and spend the night in Sarria before you start.

Yes, as much as I hate it, we are on somewhat of a set schedule due to onward travel after our Camino.

trecile · May 4, 2024

Rodrigma716 said:
Yes, as much as I hate it, we are on somewhat of a set schedule due to onward travel after our Camino.

How many days have you planned for the Camino?

Rodrigma716 · May 4, 2024

Blintintin said:
It is a legitimate shared ride program, and very popular and well-used and trusted in Spain, You have to 'enter' the trip you want to take, (date , departure and destination locations, # people, and luggage, etc.) and registered BlaBlaCar drivers who may be travelling the same route, may choose to 'offer' a ride that matches close to yours, and you can choose to express an interest in their offer, and they can choose to accept you or not. Be prepared, because it's not necessarily door-to-door service, rather they often have specific pick up/drop off location suitable to them/their route, and that may not necessarily be close to your exact locations ..so you may need to taxi/walk etc before and after the ride. I have used it only twice, both within Spain and to Portugal, and it worked out brilliantly, (safe, comfortable, good experience, great price, and I was lucky, .by chance their pick up/drop off points were perfect for my needs.) it's well worth the try. LIke Uber and other platforms, you each create a profile, you can review each others profile, and can also rate your driver/passenger.

Fantastic! Thanks for the information, I will give it a go.

Rodrigma716 · May 4, 2024

trecile said:
How many days have you planned for the Camino?

We have planned for 6 days. Unfortunately, we have preplanned onward travel that limits our time to spend much more than that on our first official Camino (we were there and did a very short part in 2022). We were also really reluctant to start our Camino on a Friday, so we are planning for a Thursday start. We've been walking and conditioning for months now, so we should be fine with the walking aspect...it just stinks that we are going to have to "rush" our first day. But, hopefully we can get a ride earlier, with a BlaBla Car, so as not to rush things. Thanks!

trecile · May 4, 2024

Rodrigma716 said:
We have planned for 6 days. Unfortunately, we have preplanned onward travel that limits our time to spend much more than that on our first official Camino (we were there and did a very short part in 2022). We were also really reluctant to start our Camino on a Friday, so we are planning for a Thursday start. We've been walking and conditioning for months now, so we should be fine with the walking aspect...it just stinks that we are going to have to "rush" our first day. But, hopefully we can get a ride earlier, with a BlaBla Car, so as not to rush things. Thanks!

Just don't overdo it the first day! Sarria to Santiago is very doable in 5 days, so I hope that you aren't planning to walk far the first day.

Rodrigma716 · May 4, 2024

trecile said:
Just don't overdo it the first day! Sarria to Santiago is very doable in 5 days, so I hope that you aren't planning to walk far the first day.

Thank you, yes, that is our plan. We are looking forward to enjoying our time and not trying to rush through it. It definitely is a fine balance, for sure.

ajoneser · Tuesday at 4:04 AM

Anyone had issues flying American Airlines or Iberia (American Airlines Partner) from the states and back for there Camino 2024? I booked our flights through AA.com 7 Months ago from DFW to...

laurenligreci · Monday at 7:06 PM

Hello! Another SOS coming from me as per usual. I got a text this morning from SATA/Azores that they cancelled my direct flight from Boston MA USA to Porto on Wednesday. They haven’t provided...

Landry · Wednesday at 6:32 PM

Question from an inexperienced overseas traveler: Do you purchase travel insurance along with your airline ticket purchase when it is offered or do you purchase it separately? I only need the...

papuletka · Wednesday at 12:09 AM

Hi All, I'm so grateful for this forum! So, long story short, I'm very reliant on a particular protein powder which you can't buy in Spain. I'm planning to arrive with some at Irun, and then...

temecularevev · Wednesday at 11:02 PM

Wife and I would like to take the train from Santiago to Barcelona after our pilgrimage. Online information has been confusing. 11 hours to 6 hours? Through Madrid? Where to buy tickets. Which...

Yardner · Tuesday at 7:27 PM

My son and I will be traveling to Madrid in late June and then subsequently starting the Camino in Leon. We arrive mid afternoon and want to stay the night in Madrid the travel by train the next...

Santiago to Sarria - MonBus, BlaBlaCar or something else??

Rodrigma716

New Member

trecile

Moderator

Blintintin

Member

Rodrigma716

New Member

trecile

Moderator

Rodrigma716

New Member

Rodrigma716

New Member

trecile

Moderator

Rodrigma716

New Member

Latest Camino Photo

Most read last week in this forum

Problems with Iberia and American Airlines (standby seats and lost luggage)

SATA/Azores Cancelled Flight

Travel Insurance

Post items from the UK to Spain (at the mid-point of Camino del Norte)

Train Advice - Santiago to Barcelona

Accommodations in Madrid

Similar threads

Santiago to Sarria - MonBus, BlaBlaCar or something else??

New Member

Moderator

Member

New Member

Moderator

New Member

New Member

Moderator

New Member

Most read last week in this forum

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency