Train or Bus

DACamino said:

Our plane gets in to Santiago at 12:55. Need to catch an afternoon train or bus to Ponferrada. Anyone done this? Didn’t want to stay over night.

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You have to get from the airport to the bus station in Santiago either by bus or taxi. A bus ticket costs around 5 Euros, taxi 21 Euros. Via bus it will take around 30 to 40 minutes to the center of SdC, via taxi around 20 minutes.

From there you can travel with Alsa (bus) to Ponteferrada. A trip takes around 3 h 40 to 4 hours, costs around 18 to 27 Euros, depending if you take the direct bus or the one which stops sometimes in other towns on its way to Ponteferrada.

Bus leaves in the afternoon for instance tomorrow at 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., so it should be no problem to travel to Ponferrada the same day.

I think the Alsa bus is going to be your best bet. They have a few buses in the afternoon - I'd probably go for the 15:30 departure. That should give you plenty of time to get off the plane, go through the airport and get to the bus station.

www.alsa.com

The Renfe site shows a train from Santiago to Ponferrada at 17:25.

www.renfe.com

sugargypsy said:

You have to get from the airport to the bus station in Santiago either by bus or taxi. A bus ticket costs around 5 Euros, taxi 21 Euros. Via bus it will take around 30 to 40 minutes to the center of SdC, via taxi around 20 minutes.

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The bus from the airport leaves at 00 and 30 minutes past the hour - takes some 20 minutes to the bus station and, if you get off at Parliament stop and short walk, some 30 minutes to the railway station