Walking to Santiago de Compostela airport

[MarieLauFlorin]

I would like to walk to the airport when returning from my next camino. I know everything about the good airport shuttle bus, but I would like to try walking.
1. Is the route marked?
2. Does anyone have a description of the route?
3. Does anyone have a map of the route or a GPS track of the route?

Thanks...

 

[peb]

You walk the Camino Frances backwards, as the Frances skirts round the airport when it comes into Santiago.

Therefore, do not know which Camino you are walking next, but if it is the Frances, you will have already walked from the airport to Santiago, and therefore you will be walking the same route twice, except against the crowds. I would take the bus.

 

[Koidream]

You do pass the airport... at the backside. I am sure taking a plane on that spot can be dangerous
I am pretty sure there are signs to the airport starting from Compostella. But I suppose it is not the safest way to travel to the airport.

Here is already an idea of the route (stolen from Google maps): Walking to Airport

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

How funny. I have already walked the last part of Frances, from where it joins Primitivo. Never saw any airport.... probably beacuse I was listening to the life story of a catholic priest I met that day... Have walked twice back to Monte de Gozo so I know some of the way then. And as I have the Frances map in my phone, I will walk with that. Thanks a lot...

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

Half the truth what is posted above.
You do pass the airport... at the backside. I am sure taking a plane on that spot can be dangerous
I am pretty sure there are signs to the airport starting from Compostella. But I suppose it is not the safest way to travel to the airport.

Here is already an idea (stolen from Google maps):

Walking to Airport

Well, then I will wait for an answer from someone that has walked there. People say it is not dangerous in any way.

 

[Koidream]

Did you open the link?
It is the walking route from santiago to the airport.

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

You walk the Camino Frances backwards, as the Frances skirts round the airport when it comes into Santiago.

Therefore, do not know which Camino you are walking next, but if it is the Frances, you will have already walked from the airport to Santiago, and therefore you will be walking the same route twice, except against the crowds. I would take the bus.

#4
How funny. I have already walked the last part of Frances, from where it joins Primitivo. Never saw any airport.... probably beacuse I was listening to the life story of a catholic priest I met that day... Have walked twice back to Monte de Gozo so I know some of the way then. And as I have the Frances map in my phone, I will walk with that. Thanks a lot...

Did you open the link?
It is the walking route from santiago to the airport.

NOW I got it / tanks so much. I did not see the link at first...

 

[Koidream]

You're welcome.
Buen Camino Peregrina

 

[Phil71]

Marie. Do it. I did last year and I loved it. As I was against the traffic I met up with so many people I'd seen over the last few weeks. It's a straightforward walk for the most part. Just follow the Frances route in reverse. You can't get lost, just look for where the pilgrims are coming from. Stay on route to Lavacolla then turn right on the main road straight to the airport. This is the potentially dangerous bit. Busy road with no separation for walkers. I think it's about 3km. I stayed in lavacolla then did this stretch at 5am. You might want to just get a taxi for this bit.

 

[Felipe]

A nice and interesting idea. I´d add to @Koidream and @Phil71 suggestions that (according to Google Maps, too) you can follow the Camino in reverse until just before it crosses the N-634 at Lavacolla, then trace your own path through the villages, almost to the airport. This could be more pleasant and safer. I'd print or take a digital copy of the map, because it is easy to get lost in the maze of village streets.
Best regards from Felipe, who likes to plan imaginary trips.

 

[Davie Blisters]

@MarieLauFlorin
I did the reverse Frances route in 2017 because of the bus strikes.
Very easy walk, spending a lot of time explaining to Santiago-bound pilgrims that I was not going the wrong way. It did however, give me chance to practice my language skills in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, et al...…....…….
A tip given to me by a local was to turn right immediately after spotting the scanning tower of the airport - this is short-cut avoiding most of the busy road mentioned previously. Also be aware that you need to bypass the original Airport building (not adequately signposted in 2017).
Buen Camino

 

[Shades of Narnia]

Marie. Do it. I did last year and I loved it. As I was against the traffic I met up with so many people I'd seen over the last few weeks. It's a straightforward walk for the most part. Just follow the Frances route in reverse. You can't get lost, just look for where the pilgrims are coming from. Stay on route to Lavacolla then turn right on the main road straight to the airport. This is the potentially dangerous bit. Busy road with no separation for walkers. I think it's about 3km. I stayed in lavacolla then did this stretch at 5am. You might want to just get a taxi for this bit.

If you stay at the Lavacolla Albergue, the owner freely offers to drive you over that 3km stretch of highway as early as 5am....

 

[Phil71]

Well i wish I'd known that last year....

 

[tpmchugh]

I would like to walk to the airport when returning from my next camino. I know everything about the good airport shuttle bus, but I would like to try walking.
1. Is the route marked?
2. Does anyone have a description of the route?
3. Does anyone have a map of the route or a GPS track of the route?

Thanks...

Just walk back to Lavacolla. Its strange how no-one I know, myself included, has ever walked back to the airport. They have just walked 800 km and a wee walk back to the airport is too much. Hard to believe, isn't it

 

[agu]

Did you open the link?
It is the walking route from santiago to the airport.

The route is correct up to first roundabout. But you will go to the Terminal are you?
So you will follow the sidewalk up to second roundabout. Right after this roundabout you will cross the road, turn right and follow the signs leading to the Terminal.
For me was pleasure to walk to the Airport after I completed my Camino last year.
Yes, from Lavacolla to first roundabout there is no sidewalk on the road, but the walk was not too dangerous.

 

[Shades of Narnia]

Well i wish I'd known that last year....

I have walked too, but not at 5am I walked 'the day before' to see if there were lockers at the airport. Not. I would have left my pack for the next day

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

The route is correct up to first roundabout. But you will go to the Terminal are you?
So you will follow the sidewalk up to second roundabout. Right after this roundabout you will cross the road, turn right and follow the signs leading to the Terminal.
For me was pleasure to walk to the Airport after I completed my Camino last year.
Yes, from Lavacolla to first roundabout there is no sidewalk on the road, but the walk was not too dangerous.

Thanks a lot. These corrections, are they for the Google maps route that there has been linked to?

 

[agu]

Thanks a lot. These corrections, are they for the Google maps route that there has been linked to?

Exactly!
Sorry, I didn't mention, my correction is for the route on the Google Maps after the first roundabout near the airport.

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

Exactly!
Sorry, I didn't mention, my correction is for the route on the Google Maps after the first roundabout near the airport.

Thanks. I think I will track my route when I do it in order to be able to share the correct route with other pilgrims.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Easy walking, but not much to see...

Enjoy !

 

[Diem]

Hi everyone, 2024 update to this thread.

I walked last Wednesday from Santiago to the airport, I'm glad I did as it was nice to see many people near the end of their journey. I also met another Pilgrim (Jamie) who was walking back too, so it was another nice conversation.

I can confirm that walking back to Lavacolla on the Frances, then taking an easterly route using the map above from Felipe worked.

Once you reach the roundabout at the end of this map, cross over toward the military airport.
From there, turn right toward the main airport. There is a barrier protecting the walker from the highway.
At the gas station, don't take the first exit (which goes to the Cargo/old terminal), but take the next exit (you'll see the green sign above the highway). At this point there is a specific walkway in parallel to the highway to the terminal.

It was just under 14km. Upon reaching Lavacolla, before turning off toward the airport, if you keep going a couple of hundred metres on the way, there's a restaurant where I stopped off for a quick lunch.