Understanding bus transportation

[MARSKA]

I'm hoping someone can help me to understand bus transportation along the CF. I'd really like to be able to ascertain which of the small towns have service and to access timetables. I know that the larger cities have buses but what about places like Uterga, PLR, Torres del Rio, San Juan de Ortega, Villafranca del Bierzo, Trabadelo, Tricastela and other villages (ok so PLR IS a little larger than the others).

For instance, Alsa shows

• Burgos - Barcelona
• Burgos - Benidorm
• Burgos - Bilbao
• Burgos - Madrid
• Burgos - Salamanca
• Burgos - Santander
• Burgos - Vitoria/Gasteiz
• León - Aviles
• Leon - Barcelona
• Leon - Gijon
• Leon - Madrid
• Leon - Oviedo
• León - Ponferrada
• Leon - Salamanca
• Leon - Santander

But not Leon to Astorga or Villafranca de B to Tricastela, or Viana to Najera. I must be missing something.
I get this message from Alsa when I type in the location names:
No se permiten ventas con tanta antelacion
Si lo deseas, puedes modificar tu búsqueda

I have pondered long the Alsa and Monbus websites but I can't seem to figure out the in-between stops along a specified route. For instance, a friend of mine had to take the bus which she boarded in Viana. She got off in Najera. When I try to pull up an Alsa timetable for the bus from Viana to Najera the website tells me there is no service, although I know there IS service. Monbus doesnt show this route either.

I'd like to know where along the CF I can get a bus as I may well change my route/plans mid camino. I do apologize for asking as it seems this info MUST be available. But (sigh) I must not be asking the right questions or looking in the right places or interpreting info correctly.

I think it was Trecile that posted a screenshot and instructions to download the Monbus timetable, but I could not find the specific page she referenced on the Monbus webpage.

 

[nycwalking]

Have you tried Rome2Rio.com?

That website may be of assistance.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I'm hoping someone can help me to understand bus transportation along the CF. I'd really like to be able to ascertain which of the small towns have service and to access timetables. I know that the larger cities have buses but what about places like Uterga, PLR, Torres del Rio, San Juan de Ortega, Villafranca del Bierzo, Trabadelo, Tricastela and other villages (ok so PLR IS a little larger than the others).

For instance, Alsa shows

• Burgos - Barcelona
• Burgos - Benidorm
• Burgos - Bilbao
• Burgos - Madrid
• Burgos - Salamanca
• Burgos - Santander
• Burgos - Vitoria/Gasteiz
• León - Aviles
• Leon - Barcelona
• Leon - Gijon
• Leon - Madrid
• Leon - Oviedo
• León - Ponferrada
• Leon - Salamanca
• Leon - Santander

But not Leon to Astorga or Villafranca de B to Tricastela, or Viana to Najera. I must be missing something.
I get this message from Alsa when I type in the location names:
No se permiten ventas con tanta antelacion
Si lo deseas, puedes modificar tu búsqueda

I have pondered long the Alsa and Monbus websites but I can't seem to figure out the in-between stops along a specified route. For instance, a friend of mine had to take the bus which she boarded in Viana. She got off in Najera. When I try to pull up an Alsa timetable for the bus from Viana to Najera the website tells me there is no service, although I know there IS service. Monbus doesnt show this route either.

I'd like to know where along the CF I can get a bus as I may well change my route/plans mid camino. I do apologize for asking as it seems this info MUST be available. But (sigh) I must not be asking the right questions or looking in the right places or interpreting info correctly.

I think it was Trecile that posted a screenshot and instructions to download the Monbus timetable, but I could not find the specific page she referenced on the Monbus webpage.

I can see Leon to Astorga on the Alsa APP?

 

[Bradypus]

Many of the bus services between the smaller towns are run by very small local companies - not the big groups like ALSA or Monbus. They may only operate a few routes or only run a few services per week. If you have a particular journey in mind then trying searching for "autobus" and the names of the towns/villages concerned. Or use Google Maps to view the places and search for the bus stops. Clicking on those will often pop-up details of the local bus service.

 

[OzAnnie]

Marska
There are a number of bus services in spain. Many smaller ones. You can’t always see them on either app. ‘Rome2rio’ or ‘OMIO’ But looking for eg at Viana to Nájera you will see two alternatives bus lines which are not Alsa or Monbus. (Ie La Estella SA & Jiminez movilidad )

 

[C clearly]

It is not so easy to find the local bus information.

If you have a particular journey in mind then trying searching for "autobus" and the names of the towns/villages concerned. Or use Google Maps to view the places and search for the bus stops.

That is exactly what I do. I have even wandered on Google StreetView to find a bus stop/shelter at the edge of a town, looking for the name of a bus company, or I search for "autobus" and the town name!

I can't seem to figure out the in-between stops

Again, it can be hard, and you may need to go deep into the website.

it seems this info MUST be available

Yes, it is likely available from the townhall, but may not be organized on the world wide web! The services are designed for local needs.

Sorry we don't have a quick and easy answer!

 

[good_old_shoes]

In my experience it often helps to ask locals or hospitaleros for such information.

Sometimes there's not even an official bus stop, but still a bus.

You simply have to know when and where the bus will potentially stop - and then wave your arms when the bus arrives, so that it will actually stop... a bit of an adventure every time!

Hospitaleros and locals will usually know if there's a bus, and if, when and where exactly.

I found it easier that way than browsing the internet for information on the many different small bus services.

In the smaller towns, it might be only one bus in the morning in the direction of the next bigger city, and one in the evening in the opposite direction (to get to / from work or school, probably). For example one year I took the bus from Castrojeriz to Fromista. In the morning it only went in the direction of Burgos, but in the evening the other way to Fromista.

 

[J Willhaus]

Some towns will not have bus service. As an example Foncebaden. Some towns on the meseta are also not well served. In other places, ask at the bar or at the albergue. I like to plan things out, too, and have spent many hours looking at bus connections in advance, but in reality, I can't know them all. Eventually I just have to trust that it will somehow work out or that I won't need that knowledge.

Another alternative is simply to ask on the forum here for help for a specific connection on a specific day. Someone almost always knows and responds.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There was a bus line called PLM Autocares where the intials stood for Pamplona, Logroño and Madrid. They also served smaller towns along the way. This line has been taken over by Jiménez Movilidad.

The website for Pamplona's bus station has a webpage with links showing bus companies and the towns they serve:

Operadores y rutas - Estación de Autobuses de Pamplona

www.estaciondeautobusesdepamplona.com

The same may also be true for the bus stations at other major destinations.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I still think that pilgrims should, as far as possible, take rest days instead of buses -- and from that choose distances from their starting points to Santiago that are within their limitations and/or their possibilities, instead of trying to compromise between an ideal and actual reality.

OK if you have all the time in the world, and the will to walk -- then great !!

Also, if your time on the Camino is limited to 2 or 3 weeks /year, and you have a project on that basis that might take a few years -- then excellent !!

I have from time to time been into a bus or two or a few from knee and ankle problems, and I do not regret that as it was from need as such, not convenience. So I'm hardly antithetical to it in "principle" !!

But the Camino simply is just so much better without such mechanized contraptions !!

---

I'd say -- if you need a bus or any other manner of help along the Way -- it will come to you.

 

[David]

You are asking too far ahead - their timetable programme only goes so far ahead. To find out services put in next week or similar so that you can get an idea of what will be on offer and what the prices are.

Being so vast and mountainous and having few (compared to many other countries) train lines the Spanish bus/coach service is outstanding - frequent services, especially inter city, often 24 hours a day; punctual, clean, and very comfortable, oh - and super super cheap!

In many countries bus/coach travel is considered to be more or less for the poor, in Spain it is the go-to service.

 

[C clearly]

In the smaller towns, it might be only one bus in the morning in the direction of the next bigger city, and one in the evening in the opposite direction (to get to / from work or school, probably).

And, in some towns off the beaten path, there may be a bus only once or twice a week, presumably so residents can get occasional errands done - shopping, doctors, etc.

 

[MARSKA]

Thanks everyone! It's good to know that it is a rather obscure system for those who are not local. All of your replies are read and appreciated. I will follow up as needed. What a great group of people you are!!!!

 

[MARSKA]

I also noticed that when I ask google to translate the websites to English, the names of some of the towns are so changed that I don't recognize them.

 

[J Willhaus]

I also noticed that when I ask google to translate the websites to English, the names of some of the towns are so changed that I don't recognize them.

Yes, that happens on Gronze.com, too, but I can usually figure it out or switch it back to Spanish so I can see the untranslated name.

 

[MARSKA]

Very helpful! I had no idea there were so many bus companies in Navarra!
https://www.estaciondeautobusesdepamplona.com/operadores-y-rutas/

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Very helpful! I had no idea there were so many bus companies in Navarra!

FYI, one listed is Alsa/Conda. On newer webpages you see the Pamplona-SJPdP bus service with that name or just Alsa. Older webpages use only Conda. Alsa (and maybe a partner) bought out Conda. Navarra had restricted service between Pamplona and SJPdP so it was only international service as they had licensed other bus lines for the Navarra service.

I also noticed that when I ask google to translate the websites to English, the names of some of the towns are so changed that I don't recognize them.

Added for fun:
There is a creek in Arkansas named "Low Freight" that Google translates as "Faible Fret". The creek name though is derived from a mispronounciation of the previous French name "L'eau Froide" (Cold Water).

 

[Kiwi-family]

@MARSKA can I encourage you with my little experience? When we arrived in O’Cebreiro on a Saturday my daughter tripped and hurt her arm. The next morning it was still sore, and we decided to walk to Triacastela, thinking she would come right once she was distracted. She didn’t grumble all day but was clearly favouring the arm - and the same on Monday morning, so we went to the medical centre there. The doctor took one look at it and advised going to a medical centre in Sarria. We spoke no Spanish and I didn’t have a phone, so this was going to be interesting. He wrote the address on a piece of paper, showed us where to wait for a taxi and we decided that I would take the two little girls (6 and 8 years) while the other six kids (10-17 years) would walk to Sarria with Daddy and Grandpa. Because it was two of the stages we had been planning to be done in one day, I took octogenarian Grandpa’s pack so it would be easier for him. Little did I know how much walking I would end up doing that day!
As promised, a taxi eventually arrived and dropped us right at the medical centre where we were very well cared for - in fact, one doctor personally accompanied us to the department he was sending us to when he saw I really didn’t understand. An X-ray showed a break, but they don’t set casts at Sarria. We were told we would have to go to the hospital at Lugo. Now remember, this was my first time in Spain and the only research I had done was Madrid and the places we were passing through. And remember - no Google maps. So for all I knew, he might as well have been sending me to Mars! But he drew a map of the route from the medical centre to the bus stop and wrote what I presumed was the bus number we needed to catch and off we went with me carrying my pack, my daughter’s pack slung over one arm and lugging along Grandpa’s too. Because I thought I could carry a bit more (insert sarcasm alert) we stopped and bought some food on the way (thank goodness for that). Quite the adventure.
There was a bus and it dropped us right at the hospital where we walked a few kilometers between departments and eventually emerged with one arm in a cast and a real sling (instead of the towel we had been using)
It was going to be a long wait for the only bus to Sarria and I decided the girls could use a break so I hauled a taxi. The driver refused to take me - he insisted it would be too expensive! I nodded, shrugged my shoulders, put a questioning look on my face, pointed at the cast and packs and piled everyone in! I gave him the name of the albergue and off we went. When we got to Sarria he stopped the meter, admitted he didn’t know where we were going and hopped out to ask someone on the street a couple of times. We were just cruising up a hill when lo and behold the rest of our family appeared on the street! It couldn’t have worked out better! That night we ate out (a rare occurrence for us) and in the middle of dinner the youngest boy got cramps in his legs so bad that he sobbed and sobbed and his eldest sister carried him back to the albergue.

On our most recent Camino that same son, now 16, woke one morning with a burning fever. By now we could speak some Spanish and the hospitalero described where we would find the bus stop and told him which bus to catch, while the rest of us walked our 30km for the day. How we had all changed in those intervening years!

It will work out!!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

In the smaller towns, it might be only one bus in the morning in the direction of the next bigger city, and one in the evening in the opposite direction (to get to / from work or school, probably). For example one year I took the bus from Castrojeriz to Fromista. In the morning it only went in the direction of Burgos, but in the evening the other way to Fromista.

This is exactly the situation in rural Portugal, and I'd bet, all over Spain as well. The local bus servics are designed 1/ to get students to school and home, from the small villages to the bigger towns, and 2/ (to some extent) to let workers get to a bigger place that's on a bus route/train route to somewhere where they can work.

The services are almost always there, but often not very convenient for peregrinos or other travellers. They are locally funded and almost always targeted to the needs of local residents.

 

[Joe Walsh]

@MARSKA can I encourage you with my little experience? When we arrived in O’Cebreiro on a Saturday my daughter tripped and hurt her arm. The next morning it was still sore, and we decided to walk to Triacastela, thinking she would come right once she was distracted. She didn’t grumble all day but was clearly favouring the arm - and the same on Monday morning, so we went to the medical centre there. The doctor took one look at it and advised going to a medical centre in Sarria. We spoke no Spanish and I didn’t have a phone, so this was going to be interesting. He wrote the address on a piece of paper, showed us where to wait for a taxi and we decided that I would take the two little girls (6 and 8 years) while the other six kids (10-17 years) would walk to Sarria with Daddy and Grandpa. Because it was two of the stages we had been planning to be done in one day, I took octogenarian Grandpa’s pack so it would be easier for him. Little did I know how much walking I would end up doing that day!
As promised, a taxi eventually arrived and dropped us right at the medical centre where we were very well cared for - in fact, one doctor personally accompanied us to the department he was sending us to when he saw I really didn’t understand. An X-ray showed a break, but they don’t set casts at Sarria. We were told we would have to go to the hospital at Lugo. Now remember, this was my first time in Spain and the only research I had done was Madrid and the places we were passing through. And remember - no Google maps. So for all I knew, he might as well have been sending me to Mars! But he drew a map of the route from the medical centre to the bus stop and wrote what I presumed was the bus number we needed to catch and off we went with me carrying my pack, my daughter’s pack slung over one arm and lugging along Grandpa’s too. Because I thought I could carry a bit more (insert sarcasm alert) we stopped and bought some food on the way (thank goodness for that). Quite the adventure.
There was a bus and it dropped us right at the hospital where we walked a few kilometers between departments and eventually emerged with one arm in a cast and a real sling (instead of the towel we had been using)
It was going to be a long wait for the only bus to Sarria and I decided the girls could use a break so I hauled a taxi. The driver refused to take me - he insisted it would be too expensive! I nodded, shrugged my shoulders, put a questioning look on my face, pointed at the cast and packs and piled everyone in! I gave him the name of the albergue and off we went. When we got to Sarria he stopped the meter, admitted he didn’t know where we were going and hopped out to ask someone on the street a couple of times. We were just cruising up a hill when lo and behold the rest of our family appeared on the street! It couldn’t have worked out better! That night we ate out (a rare occurrence for us) and in the middle of dinner the youngest boy got cramps in his legs so bad that he sobbed and sobbed and his eldest sister carried him back to the albergue.

On our most recent Camino that same son, now 16, woke one morning with a burning fever. By now we could speak some Spanish and the hospitalero described where we would find the bus stop and told him which bus to catch, while the rest of us walked our 30km for the day. How we had all changed in those intervening years!

It will work out!!

Thanks for this story which gives practical advice about what the OP asked about. Other posts that recommend checking with albergues, bars, estaciones, and other locals should also be helpful, more so than suggestions that advise to just walk because it is better. Some areas like Navarra are super easy to get from town to town by bus. So when you get somewhere and it is unclear how to find the transportation you need, check with the locals who are usually happy to help.

 

[Camo]

IMHO best starting point is Google Maps, eg for Leon to Astoria we have this and looks like train is best just now but that changes for time of day, weekends etc

 

[Camo]

IMHO best starting point is Google Maps, eg for Leon to Astoria we have this and looks like train is best just now but that changes for time of day, weekends etc

But on the downside this "Transit" service is not available in all areas along Camino Frances. As you will see from the example below it is very detailed even right down to the times at the stops on the way which means it needs close cooperation between the Google "transit partners" and the local services and so far I have found a large section in the middle where it does not YET work.