Santiago to Sarria - MonBus, BlaBlaCar or something else??

[Rodrigma716]

Hi all! I am trying to finish up the last bit of planning for our upcoming Camino, in two and a half weeks, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. We are kinda doing things a little backwards, as we are flying into Santiago and need to get to Sarria to start our Camino. I have booked tickets on the MonBus, for me and my son, but the bus doesn't get into Sarria until just after 1pm, and we plan to start our Camino when we arrive. I see that BlaBlaCar may be a possible option to get us to Sarria much earlier in the day, but I have never hear of it. Since I will be traveling with my 12 year old son, I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the safety of BlaBlaCar. Is it like an UBER or LYFT? Thanks, in advance for any guidance!

 

[trecile]

Do you have to start the same day that you arrive in Santiago/Sarria? If you have time in your schedule I strongly urge you to slow down and spend the night in Sarria before you start.

 

[Blintintin]

It is a legitimate shared ride program, and very popular and well-used and trusted in Spain, You have to 'enter' the trip you want to take, (date , departure and destination locations, # people, and luggage, etc.) and registered BlaBlaCar drivers who may be travelling the same route, may choose to 'offer' a ride that matches close to yours, and you can choose to express an interest in their offer, and they can choose to accept you or not. Be prepared, because it's not necessarily door-to-door service, rather they often have specific pick up/drop off location suitable to them/their route, and that may not necessarily be close to your exact locations ..so you may need to taxi/walk etc before and after the ride. I have used it only twice, both within Spain and to Portugal, and it worked out brilliantly, (safe, comfortable, good experience, great price, and I was lucky, .by chance their pick up/drop off points were perfect for my needs.) it's well worth the try. LIke Uber and other platforms, you each create a profile, you can review each others profile, and can also rate your driver/passenger.

 

[Rodrigma716]

Do you have to start the same day that you arrive in Santiago/Sarria? If you have time in your schedule I strongly urge you to slow down and spend the night in Sarria before you start.

Yes, as much as I hate it, we are on somewhat of a set schedule due to onward travel after our Camino.

 

[trecile]

Yes, as much as I hate it, we are on somewhat of a set schedule due to onward travel after our Camino.

How many days have you planned for the Camino?

 

[Rodrigma716]

It is a legitimate shared ride program, and very popular and well-used and trusted in Spain, You have to 'enter' the trip you want to take, (date , departure and destination locations, # people, and luggage, etc.) and registered BlaBlaCar drivers who may be travelling the same route, may choose to 'offer' a ride that matches close to yours, and you can choose to express an interest in their offer, and they can choose to accept you or not. Be prepared, because it's not necessarily door-to-door service, rather they often have specific pick up/drop off location suitable to them/their route, and that may not necessarily be close to your exact locations ..so you may need to taxi/walk etc before and after the ride. I have used it only twice, both within Spain and to Portugal, and it worked out brilliantly, (safe, comfortable, good experience, great price, and I was lucky, .by chance their pick up/drop off points were perfect for my needs.) it's well worth the try. LIke Uber and other platforms, you each create a profile, you can review each others profile, and can also rate your driver/passenger.

Fantastic! Thanks for the information, I will give it a go.

 

[Rodrigma716]

How many days have you planned for the Camino?

We have planned for 6 days. Unfortunately, we have preplanned onward travel that limits our time to spend much more than that on our first official Camino (we were there and did a very short part in 2022). We were also really reluctant to start our Camino on a Friday, so we are planning for a Thursday start. We've been walking and conditioning for months now, so we should be fine with the walking aspect...it just stinks that we are going to have to "rush" our first day. But, hopefully we can get a ride earlier, with a BlaBla Car, so as not to rush things. Thanks!

 

[trecile]

We have planned for 6 days. Unfortunately, we have preplanned onward travel that limits our time to spend much more than that on our first official Camino (we were there and did a very short part in 2022). We were also really reluctant to start our Camino on a Friday, so we are planning for a Thursday start. We've been walking and conditioning for months now, so we should be fine with the walking aspect...it just stinks that we are going to have to "rush" our first day. But, hopefully we can get a ride earlier, with a BlaBla Car, so as not to rush things. Thanks!

Just don't overdo it the first day! Sarria to Santiago is very doable in 5 days, so I hope that you aren't planning to walk far the first day.

 

[Rodrigma716]

Just don't overdo it the first day! Sarria to Santiago is very doable in 5 days, so I hope that you aren't planning to walk far the first day.

Thank you, yes, that is our plan. We are looking forward to enjoying our time and not trying to rush through it. It definitely is a fine balance, for sure.