Here at Macs Adventure, we understand that our customers have hectic lives! Planning any Camino adventure takes a lot of time and patience. Therefore we have we have put together a Camino travel guide which will hopefully reduce the hassle and help in the initial planning stages of this once in a lifetime journey.

Travelling to Spain is very straightforward with their national airline Iberia offering a vast network of flights from across the globe. Both the UK and Europe have a wide selection of low-cost carriers which serves the country. Transport in general in the country is reasonably priced, quick and efficient therefore getting to the start and getting home from the finish of your Camino should be simple!

The rail network reaches the principal towns, and the expanding high-speed network makes travelling even quicker from Madrid. Visit RENFE for timetables and fares. Buses in Spain are very reliable and connect almost all of the country’s towns and villages, many of the more rural areas are only accessible by bus. Visit ALSA, Monbus and Avanzabus for timetables and fares.

For those of you that are planning to start your journey on the French side from St Jean Pied de Port, France has one of the most extensive train networks in Western Europe, therefore travelling within France should not pose too much difficulty. The rail network reaches the main towns, and with the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train") it makes travelling even quicker from the major French cities.  Visit SNCF for timetables and prices. Below is some information regarding your travel options to/from the Camino de Santiago.  You may also find www.skyscanner.com and www.rome2rio.com useful resources to assist with your travel planning.

How to get to/from St Jean Pied de Port:

Biarritz airport (55km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offer direct flights to Biarritz from London Stansted & Gatwick. Flybe also provides a direct service from Birmingham.  If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Biarritz airport website to see what airlines suit you best. From Biarritz airport, you can reach St Jean Pied de Port by firstly taking the airport bus (Line C) to Bayonne (30 mins).  You can view timetables and fares  at Chronoplus.  From Bayonne, you can catch the mountain railway to St Jean Pied De Port (1H30). Schedules and fares can be viewed at SNCF. If travelling from overseas the best option is to fly into London or Paris and catch a low-cost flight to Biarritz. Alternatively, take the TGV from Paris to Bayonne (5H), then take the mountain train to St Jean Pied de Port as above.

How to get to/from Logroño:

Bilbao airport (140km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Vueling airlines offer direct flights to Bilbao from Manchester, London Stansted & Heathrow.  If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Bilbao airport website to see what airlines suit you best. From Bilbao, you can easily get to Logroño (1H45) by bus with ALSA. If travelling from overseas the best option is to fly into Madrid and catch an Iberia or Vueling flight to Bilbao and travel as above.  Alternatively, take the train from Madrid (4H) with RENFE.

How to get to/from Burgos:

Madrid airport (260km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offer direct flights to Madrid from Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, London Stansted, Luton & Gatwick.  Other carriers include Iberia and BA.  From outside the UK, you can fly to Madrid direct with many European and International airlines.  Check the Madrid Airport website to see what airlines suit you best. From Madrid, you can easily get to Burgos (3H) by bus with ALSA or by train (3H30) hours with RENFE.

Bilbao airport (160km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Vueling airlines offer direct flights to Bilbao from Manchester, London Stansted & Heathrow.  If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Bilbao airport website to see what airlines suit you best. From Bilbao, you can easily get to Burgos (2H) by bus with ALSA or by train (2H30) hours with RENFE.

How to get to/from León:

Madrid airport (330km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offer direct flights to Madrid from Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, London Stansted, Luton & Gatwick.  Other carriers include Iberia and BA.  From outside the UK, you can fly to Madrid direct with many European and International airlines. Check the Madrid Airport website to see what airlines suit you best. From Madrid, you can easily get to León (4H-5H) by bus with ALSA or by train in less than 3 hours with RENFE.

León airport (8km)

León has an airport offering a limited service to and from Barcelona with Air Nostrum.  If travelling from overseas, you may prefer to fly into Barcelona and catch an internal flight to León.

How to get to/from O’Cebreiro:

Santiago airport (165km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offers direct flights to Santiago from London Stansted and London Gatwick. If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Santiago Airport website and check what airlines suit you best. If you are travelling from overseas, you have a few options.  You can fly into London and catch a Ryanair or EasyJet flight to Santiago.  Alternatively, you can fly into Madrid and catch an internal flight with either Ryanair or Vueling airlines.  Otherwise, take the bus from Madrid which will take approximately 5 hours.  Bus timetables and fares can be viewed at ALSA. From Santiago de Compostela you can easily get to O’Cebreiro (3H15) by bus with ALSA. NOTE: On the ALSA website O’Cebriero is called ‘Piedrafita do Cebreiro’, and from here it is a 5km walk uphill to the village of O’Cebriero.   We would highly recommend that you take a taxi up to the village from Piedrafita do Cebreiro’.

How to get to/from Sarria:

Santiago airport (100km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offers direct flights to Santiago from London Stansted and London Gatwick. If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Santiago Airport website and check what airlines suit you best. From Santiago de Compostela you can reach Sarria by taking a bus to Lugo (2H15) with ALSA, then catch the local Monbus to Sarria (35mins). Alternatively, we can arrange private transfers from Santiago de Compostela Airport.  Prices start at £130 per vehicle (1-4) passengers and must be pre-booked in advance. If you are travelling from overseas, you have a few options.  You can fly into London and catch a Ryanair or EasyJet flight to Santiago and travel as above.  Alternatively, you can fly into Madrid and take the train from Madrid to Sarria.  This will take around 7 to 9 hours.  Timetables and fares can be viewed at RENFE.

How to get to/from Santiago de Compostela:

Santiago airport (12km)

If flying from the UK, low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair offers direct flights to Santiago from London Stansted and London Gatwick. If you are coming from Europe, then please look at the Santiago Airport website and check what airlines suit you best. If you are travelling from overseas, you have a few options.  You can fly into London and catch a Ryanair or EasyJet flight to Santiago. Alternatively, you can fly into Madrid and catch an internal flight with either Ryanair or Vueling airlines. Otherwise, take the train from Madrid which will take approximately 7-8 hrs.  Train timetables and fares can be viewed at RENFE. We hope this is of some help and for any further information on the Camino de Santiago, don't hesitate to get in touch with one of our specialists.  

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