Traveling from Oslo/Norway - starting in Sarria - how to get there?

[ShermanCostello]

Hello everybody, I am planning for my first Camino in March, the short version from Sarria (as I can't be gone more than 11 days maximum).

The thread title explains my questions - what is the recommended travel route to get to Sarria?

Another question - is it recommended to book all accomodations in advance via this site, or can I do it along the way?

All other kind of advice is of course also appreciated

Sorry if this has already been answered in another thread, I couldn't find anything on this specific topic after some searching however, so I hope it's ok with this post.

Best from Norway

 

[Mark McCarthy]

There are two main options. Fly to Madrid and take the train from Madrid Charmatin railway station directly to Sarria (www.renfe.com) or fly to Santiago itself and take the bus or a taxi to Sarria. A taxi to Sarria takes about 90 minutes and costs about €130. The bus goes directly from Santiago airport to Lugo bus station and there you must change bus for Sarria. This takes about 3 hours. The bus cost about €15 in total. For bus from Santiago airport to Lugo check http://www.empresafreire.com for the bus from Lugo to Sarria check http://www.monbus.es/en. I am organising a group in April and flying into Madrid and out of Santiago.

 

[ShermanCostello]

There are two main options. Fly to Madrid and take the train from Madrid Charmatin railway station directly to Sarria (www.renfe.com) or fly to Santiago itself and take the bus or a taxi to Sarria. A taxi to Sarria takes about 90 minutes and costs about €130. The bus goes directly from Santiago airport to Lugo bus station and there you must change bus for Sarria. This takes about 3 hours. The bus cost about €15 in total. For bus from Santiago airport to Lugo check http://www.empresafreire.com for the bus from Lugo to Sarria check http://www.monbus.es/en. I am organising a group in April and flying into Madrid and out of Santiago.

Hello, Mark, thank you for good information. This looks very manageable.

One more question: - ideally i would like to a walk bit further than the Sarria - Santiago trip - are there any logical destinations earlier on the track I could start / where train/bus from Madrid/Santiago connects with? Looking for 2-3 more days of walking.

 

[Mark McCarthy]

O Cebreiro is a nice place to start. You can get a ALSA bus (www.alsa.es) from Madrid airport to a town nearby called Pedrafita do Cebreiro and then taxi for the remaining 5km up to O Cebreiro. This gives you an extra 2 days of walking. The only issue is there are only two buses a day from Madrid airport to Pedrafita do Cebreiro at 10:00 and 23:59.

 

[ivar]

I would say Norwegian or Vueling to Barcelona, then to Santiago... and bus from there to Sarria. Or via Madrid as described above.

God tur!

 

[ShermanCostello]

Thanks, both of you, this is very helpful. I'll compare prices and decide between the different alternatives.

But for accommodation along the walking trip in the different towns - should I book in advance? If so, from which portal?

 

[Mark McCarthy]

Thanks, both of you, this is very helpful. I'll compare prices and decide between the different alternatives.

But for accommodation along the walking trip in the different towns - should I book in advance? If so, from which portal?

Depends on which type of accommodation you want to use. If you want a private room with en-suite bathroom each night then I would definitely book ahead. If you want a more flexible approach and are happy to stay in pilgrim hostels then in April you will not need to pre-book. For booking Gronze.com has most of the links to hostel websites. The Kindle version of some of the guide books also link to the website, email addresses and phone numbers of the pilgrim hostels (albergues). Only a small percentage of albergues are on booking.com .

 

[Marbe2]

April 1 is Easter. There were very many pilgrims on this section last year. Many of the main towns were completely filled. If you are walking the last week of March or fiirst week of April, I would make reservations ahead of time.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hello everybody, I am planning for my first Camino in March, the short version from Sarria (as I can't be gone more than 11 days maximum).

The thread title explains my questions - what is the recommended travel route to get to Sarria?

Another question - is it recommended to book all accomodations in advance via this site, or can I do it along the way?

All other kind of advice is of course also appreciated

Sorry if this has already been answered in another thread, I couldn't find anything on this specific topic after some searching however, so I hope it's ok with this post.

Best from Norway

You can check the following website aswell,
www.Gronze.com and www.Rome2rio.com

Wish you well,Peter.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Best of luck and Buen Camino

 

[wisepilgrim]

As mentioned above, it matters greatly if it is the early half of March or the last week of March when it comes to reservations. If it is the former, I would say that a reservation is not necessary.

 

[ranthr]

If you go by air to Madrid, you can get a bus from T4 to Leon , Astorga or Ponferrada or a train from Madrid Chamartin to the same towns.
Astorga to SdC would take 9 to 10 days and is the best of the Camino Frances, from Ponferrada 7 to 9 days and from Sarria 4-5 days.

 

[ranthr]

I would book ahead on www. renfe
.es for traintickets, promo tickets are the cheapest, and on alsa. es for bus tickets. Both renfe and alsa have apps.

 

[ShermanCostello]

Thanks to everybody here for excellent advice! I'm planning to head out on March 1st and arrive at my starting destination on March 2nd, and then start walking on March 3rd. Back home in Norway on the 10th or 11th.