What are my Madrid to Sarria options?

[amgrem]

We will arrive in Madrid 10/2/24 at 8:45am, we will start walking from Sarria the next morning 10/3/24. What are our best options at getting there? I know we can get a flight at 11:45am from Madrid to Santiago for like 40.00. My biggest concern is getting from Santiago to Sarria. Another option I saw was a bus or train straight from Madrid to Sarria but I can't find a schedule for train times.

 

[CWBuff]

Hello and welcome to the Forum
For preliminary ideas of how to get from point A to point B you can use Rome2Rio - it works pretty good and lots of Forum members use it
re: schedules for the train times - you are from US so i take it 10/2 means October 2nd. if so - you are too early for those schedules to be posted. In Europe they get published just a couple of months ahead

Good luck and Buen Camino

 

[alexwalker]

Options from Terminal 4 in Madrid airport:

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid-Airport-MAD/Sarria

 

[amgrem]

Options from Terminal 4 in Madrid airport:

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid-Airport-MAD/Sarria

Thanks, I was looking at this site. I guess my worry is that from what I can tell there is only one train a day going to Sarria from Santiago.

 

[alexwalker]

Thanks, I was looking at this site. I guess my worry is that from what I can tell there is only one train a day going to Sarria from Santiago.

Rest, get over jetlag and explore Madrid for a day or two...

 

[Tincatinker]

Thanks, I was looking at this site. I guess my worry is that from what I can tell there is only one train a day going to Sarria from Santiago.

There are multiple train connections between Madrid and Sarria. There is only one direct train. The alternatives require a change in Ourense. There are multiple train connections between Santiago and Sarria, again, there is only one direct train. The alternatives require a change in Ourense. When it comes to buses the availability becomes more generous but there is only one direct bus a day. The alternatives require a change in Lugo.

I don’t think I would make an assertion as to when I might start walking from Sarria until I had established how I would get there.

 

[J Willhaus]

There is usually a direct train to Sarria that usually leaves about 1:15 from Chamartin station in Madrid and arrives around 6 p.m.

Another way is to fly to Santiago and then take a bus. The only way to take the bus in the afternoon is to go to Lugo and then transfer on another bus to Sarria.

I think the train option would be the easiest.

 

[trecile]

You will have to wait a while for the October train schedules. But I don't imagine that the schedule will be much different than it currently is. Check this month's schedule for the same day of the week.
Make sure that you use the correct date format - day/month/year.

 

[trecile]

I just checked Renfe for Madrid - Sarria for next Wednesday, and there's a train at 1:15 pm that takes 4 hr 38 minutes that you should be able to catch comfortably after your flight arrives if the schedule is the same in October.

Renfe | Train tickets AVE, Avlo Low Cost (with No Booking Fees)

Buy cheap train tickets AVE, Avlo high speed Low Cost ✓ Timetables, Fares and Discounts ✅ No Booking Fees! ▷ ( Renfe.com )

www.renfe.com

 

[amgrem]

Rest, get over jetlag and explore Madrid for a day or two...

We plan on exploring on the back end. 2 of us are meeting up with our retired friends that are completing the full route.

 

[alexwalker]

We plan on exploring on the back end. 2 of us are meeting up with our retired friends that are completing the full route.

If you are 60+, you can buy a Tarjeta Dorada (gold card) which gives you 25% or more discount on all train travel in Spain for a year.

Tarjeta Dorada Discounts, Seniors, Retirees, AVE (high-speed) | Renfe

Discount with Renfe Tarjeta Dorada for seniors and retirees ✅ Up to 40% off on AVE (high-speed), Alvia, Avant (mid-distance high speed), Larga Distancia and Media Distancia (long and mid-distance) trains.

www.renfe.com

 

[amgrem]

There is usually a direct train to Sarria that usually leaves about 1:15 from Chamartin station in Madrid and arrives around 6 p.m.

Another way is to fly to Santiago and then take a bus. The only way to take the bus in the afternoon is to go to Lugo and then transfer on another bus to Sarria.

I think the train option would be the easiest.

I was thinking the same thing this would be easiest. Also thinking if we land at 8:45am in Madrid, take the 11:45 flight to Santiago we could then bus from there to Sarria via Lugo and we could get there quicker and give ourself more time to relax.

 

[J Willhaus]

I was thinking the same thing this would be easiest. Also thinking if we land at 8:45am in Madrid, take the 11:45 flight to Santiago we could then bus from there to Sarria via Lugo and we could get there quicker and give ourself more time to relax.

Not necessarily quicker with a plane and bus since you have to go to Lugo and transfer, but maybe. Either way it will be a long day for you...you can sleep or doze on the train or a bus.

 

[amgrem]

Not nessisarily quicker with a plane and bus since you have to go to Lugo and transfer, but maybe. Either way it will be a long day for you...you can sleep or doze on the train or a bus.

Thank you! Lots of things to consider.

 

[Kathie63119]

Train worked well for me on the same route! Book directly through Renfe when the schedule is posted.

 

[kurtwiedeman]

I want to get on that direct train from Madrid to Sarria at 1:15pm on April 15th, 2024....but it does not show on Renfe website. it shows up only one date 7-10 days out.....Does this mean I need to wait until a week before to book it?

 

[J Willhaus]

I checked and it looked like you may need to take an earlier train and transfer at Ourense. There are some "works" on the line which decrease the number of trains per day to Santiago although the number of tickets are the same, but that may have impeded the the Sarria direct train. Not sure. Last summer we had to get on a bus at Ourense due to some train works on that stretch. The bus was engaged by Renfe so we did not have to buy a separate ticket.

As an explanation, the same line serves Santiago and Sarria, but diverge at Ourense.

 

[paddington]

I want to get on that direct train from Madrid to Sarria at 1:15pm on April 15th, 2024....but it does not show on Renfe website. it shows up only one date 7-10 days out.....Does this mean I need to wait until a week before to book it?

For some reason, renfe has been very delayed in posting the direct Madrid to sarria train . I emailed them about this a couple of weeks ago and this was the response
“Due to the reorganisation being carried out on these services, ALVIA train no. 04114 (the direct train) is available until 31 March.
This does not mean that it will not be offered for sale or that it will not run, but rather that the necessary adjustments are still being made for its final configuration.
The departments responsible cannot give us a specific date when it will go on sale, so we advise you to check availability periodically through our sales channels.”

I am wondering if they will get back to posting this train after the Easter holiday weekend