Bus vs. Train - Pros and Cons?

[Angelrawr]

Hi everyone!

I'm Angela and I'm new to this forum. Nice to (cyber)meet you! In order to start my walk from Burgos, I plan to travel from Madrid to Burgos either by bus or train. I was originally planning to take a train from renfe to do that, but I ran across a post from ivar saying buses in Spain in general are better than trains due to the speed. However, I found that the buses (from ALSA) and trains I'm looking at basically take the same time and have more or less the same costs. I personally like the idea of a train better because I like to have wide seats- but then again, I've never been on a Spanish train (besides the metro) so I don't know what to expect.

Would you mind giving some pros and cons for riding on buses vs. trains? I would also love to know what you personally prefer.

Sincerely,

Angela

P. S. If you wanted to know, I'm going mid-September this year!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I like taking the bus from the airport because it leaves from the airport which is more convinient then hopping on the subway to get to the train station in the center of town.

But of course one also has to take into account flight arrival times and bus/train schedules.

Flights from home for me arrive midday, early afternoon, and by the time I climb on the bus I am so tired that I fall asleep immediately and don't notice the width of the seats. But you're right, the train is more comfortable, but you have to get it .

One thing to keep in mind is the time the albergue you will be staying at that night closes its doors: that's the inly real deal breaker in the debate.

Enjoy your Camino!

 

[dougfitz]

I have used the train for inter-city travel and then used bus, etc. If you prefer train, the station at Burgos is now a little way from the city centre. You will walk longer distances, but at the start you might want to get a taxi to the centre of town. The bus station is quite close to the centre of the old city, albergues, etc.

 

[Former member 22438]

Spanish trains are very comfortable(as the Portuguese are) and I allways prefer trains above buses.
I don't know your age and don't ask about it but RENFE has a reduction for "aged" 65+ travellers . If so simply mention " tercera edad" At the ticket office and show your ID.
At buses it works too as I remember I bought my ALSA ticket from Santiago to Porto.
At many places it works so . We got the "descuento tercera edad " also at the bullfighters arena in Sevilla. Here the minimum age was 62 years !
So allways ask for it if you are in the third part of your life (as tercera edad means )
Bom caminho

 

[Felipe]

I, generally, prefer trains (much more comfortable, and I feel they have something inherently romantic ) but a lot depends of convenient schedules and terminals.
Buses from central Madrid need to sort out the traffic, which could be slow some days and hours. Fortunately, you can take some buses right in the airport; see ALSA schedules.
Burgos Rosa de Lima (that is the Burgos train station' name, take notice if you buy the ticket) is in the middle of nowhere; I remember that buses take you to Plaza Mayor (that is downtown), with final destination in Plaza España (but ask first, anyway). Taxis, obviously, are faster.
Burgos bus station is near the cathedral, just a 10 minutes walk; you will see it immediately.
In this case, I'd prefer the bus, if a convenient service in the airport is available.

 

[Castilian]

Hi angelrawr! Welcome to the forum!

You can take a bus at the airport itself (terminal 4) and it leaves you in a -way- more central area of Burgos than the train. Buses are comfy but, IMHO, not as comfy as the Alvia trains.

Burgos' train station is an edge of the city what means either a long walk to the center, or taking an urban bus or a taxi. To take the train from Madrid to Burgos, you would need to commute from the airport to Chamartín train station. The easiest way to make it (if you don't want to pay the 30 Euros taxi fare) is to take a Cercanías (commuter) train out the Terminal 4 of the airport. Be sure to book an Alvia train from Madrid to Burgos because MD trains take much more time, have less on-board services and are less comfy. If you book an Alvia train from Madrid to Burgos, you Cercanías ticket from the airport to Chamartín train station would be free as long as you don't get it more than 4 hours before the departure of your Alvia train. Alvia trains are, IMHO, more comfy than buses and they don't have risk of traffic jams.

Buses from central Madrid need to sort out the traffic, which could be slow some days and hours. Fortunately, you can take some buses right in the airport; see ALSA schedules.

...but those buses that you take at the airport either go later to the downtown or came from the downtown.

 

[whariwharangi]

Train is faster and considerably more comfortable than bus.

Bus is cheaper and runs more frequently than the train allowing greater flexibility in travel plans.

Madrid to Burgos is a no-brainer. It takes less time to get to Madrid Avenida de America using EMT Madrid #200 bus, where the bus to Burgos loads, than it does to get to the train stations. Some buses to Burgos pick up at Madrid airport and the bus station is downtown Burgos. The time factor due to these conveniences on what amounts to a short 3 hour bus journey outweigh any advantages the train might confer.

 

[donnercruiser]

I used this year march a bus to Leon cause i missed the last train from Madrid. I catched a "Supra" Bus from Alsa. Very comfortable wide seat with Wifi and TV onboard. I can recommend the bus as long as it is "Supra".

Regards and a good way

Olaf

 

[Laurie Sanantone]

Hi and welcome! I made this trip in May and used the ALSA bus. I'd definitely do it again. The bus leaves from the T4 airport terminal, costs €25 or less, and you can check out their schedule online. I bought my ticket ahead but you can also buy in the terminal near where the buses leave. Only takes 2.5 hours, and I think you'll find train time (taking bus into Madrid, train time, etc.) will take longer. Best is that the bus station in Burgos is just a 10-minute walk from the cathedral and a lot of the hotels/albergues (you could check yours on a map). Burgos train station is farther away and you'd have to take a taxi drivers there. Happy trails!

 

[Angelrawr]

Hi everyone! Wow is my reply late! Thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of helpful replies.

I also meant to ask about the ride from Santiago to Madrid. Could I bother you one more time to see what that's like?

 

[whariwharangi]

Hi everyone! Wow is my reply late! Thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of helpful replies.

I also meant to ask about the ride from Santiago to Madrid. Could I bother you one more time to see what that's like?

Train from Santiago to Madrid is faster and considerably more comfortable than bus.

ALSA bus is 10 to 21 hours depending on schedule.

Renfe train is 5 to 10 hours depending on schedule.

There are flights from Santiago to Madrid that might be cheaper and suit your schedule.

 

[RRat]

Train is faster, buses are more often. You can catch the bus a block away in 20 minutes or have to grab a taxi to the train depot for a ride 3 hours later. This is an extreme example but it demonstrates its a decision that is better decided when you're on the ground. I have no problem sleeping on a bus so an overnight ride saves me an hotel stay.

 

[henrythedog]

I write from a position of 50% ignorance (which might actually be better than my long-run average) as I’ve never used long distance busses in Spain - always the train. I have travelled by train, many times in all directions including on sleepers (trenhotel).

In my experience:

You can get up and walk around on a Spanish train.
There is a clean functioning washroom
The seats are generally large and comfortable
There is a buffet car, bar or at a minimum a snack vending machine.
They keep reasonable time
The sleeper trains are excellent

The Madrid to Santiago train ride is great. (I’ve actually only done it the other way round.)

The first 25% of the journey (from Santiago) takes about 60% of the time as the route winds through the excellent mountain scenery roughly following the border with Portugal . Once the route flattens the speed picks up tremendously*. It’s a great route.


* The trains in Spain speed mainly ‘cross the plain. (I’m available for weddings and bar mitzvahs, try the chicken and don’t forget to tip your waitress)

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Total ALSA bus fan, here! ALSA buses are invariably clean, surprisingly comfortable, often faster than the train, usually cheaper, and they get me to some places trains don't so frequently go.... And being able to climb off the plane when I arrive at Barajas and then climb right onto a bus trumps almost everything else, for me.

That said, I'd think twice about the long Santiago to Madrid haul. Never done that one!

 

[Marbe2]

The original question goes back to 2016. Not sure anyone is in need of a reply at this point? However, Covid 19 will still be with us in 2021. The trains appear to have better spacing and better ventilation than buses. Something to consider this year.

 

[Mycroft]

Hi everyone! Wow is my reply late! Thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of helpful replies.

I also meant to ask about the ride from Santiago to Madrid. Could I bother you one more time to see what that's like?

Last year I took ALSA from Santiago to Madrid airport. It was the overnight bus. It was AWFUL!! The seats were majorly uncomfortable, they stopped at odd times so one was not able to sleep much, then before dawn they dropped us off outside Madrid and told us to get off but nothing else. Someone fluent in Spanish and English found out we were to wait there for another bus that would take us to the airport. The drivers were rude and impatient. I hope I never need to take ALSA again.

 

[Marbe2]

There are currently seats for as little as 22 euros in September 20 21 on some airlines between SdC and Madrid. Seat reservations for a few euros more. Prices will get higher as departure gets closer, but if you know when you plan to return to madrid, why not book a return flight?