Cheapest way to get from Santiago to Paris.

[MoniRose]

I'm flying in and out of Paris and want to know the least expensive way to get back to Paris after my Camino. Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! - Monica :arrow:

 

[David]

Hi Monica, I found it strangely difficult to get back to France if one is short of time, especially cheaply!

When I did my first Camino I was living in France (department 16). I was going to fly back but I found that I would have had to fly to England, then fly to Paris, then get into the city, then get a train .... multimultieuro cost!
I worked out the time and cost to train across to the border - via Madrid I seem to remember, which seemed a little crazy .. connections and cost again against me.

So - believe it or not - the cheapest 'fast' answer for me was, I hired a car - the smallest and cheapest they had, on a one-way rental .. drove back across Spain to the northern border with France (Irun), crossed over by taxi for just a few euros and picked up a French train to Angouleme ....

I didn't want to fly anyway, I've only flown once, from Melbourne to Sydney in 1966 and not since.
They fall out of the sky you know (and are the absolute worst polluters on the planet) :|

Sorry that my journey story was so rubbish, not exactly relaxing reading for you! - I really would like to hear of an easier way to get back to France from Santiago.

 

[David]

Just had a look at coach possibilities .. our (UK) National Express now own Eurolines and you can coach from Santiago to Paris for about 100 Euros - couldn't do that a few years ago!

Have a look at http://www.eurolines.fr/fr/

Hope this helps :wink:

p.s. if you don't read French go to the site using Chrome Browser and there will be an option to translate across the top of the page.

 

[tyrrek]

Vueling Airlines. Some days it's direct from Santiago-Paris, and others you have to go via Barcelona. Midweek dates (Tues-Thurs) seem cheapest. It's around 100 Euros + baggage.

Buen Camino!

 

[efdoucette]

I flew Veuling this past Oct for ~100 US. Doesn't run every day, you have to research a little.

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Vueling fly to Paris via Barcelona.

Air France are the only ones to fly directly between Galicia and Paris. (from Vigo)
But you will not find the fares very cheap.

I understand that most French visitors to Galicia (if flying), use Oporto airport in Portugal. There seems to be a choice of airlines and is certainly cheaper.

Oporto is just a few hours bus ride from the boarder with Galicia.

 

[viajero]

Easyjet flies from Porto to Paris.

 

[CaminoGen]

Last June, I flew Iberia from Santiago to Paris for 70$ CA! The kayak.com search found this price on Expedia.com. It was perfect because I didn't need to lose a day for traveling back: I left Santiago at 5:30PM and arrived in Paris at 8:30PM. Took the free shuttle to an F1 Hotel and took it the next morning for my 11 o'clock flight home to Montréal. That'll be the way I do it again in 2013.

 

[MayorTed]

I'm flying in and out of Paris and want to know the least expensive way to get back to Paris after my Camino. Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! - Monica :arrow:

Hi Monica

I am planning to do the Camino next Spring and was wondering exactly the answer to your question. Can you please tell me what you ended up doing> Thanks very much.

 

[whariwharangi]

Hi Monica

I am planning to do the Camino next Spring and was wondering exactly the answer to your question. Can you please tell me what you ended up doing> Thanks very much.

Your options are limited.

There are direct flights from Santiago and Vigo to Paris. There are indirect flights that may be cheaper via London, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Renfe operates trains to Irun/Hendaye and Barcelona. SNCF operates trains from Irun/Hendaye and Barcelona to Paris.

Some people take the bus. ALSA operates buses from Santiago to the frontier at Irun and is owned by National Express, which operates buses in France.

Bus might be cheapest in terms of ticket price but most expensive in terms of time and travel costs such as food and accommodation enroute.

Santiago Airport Destinations
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Santiago/es/Page/1056530002731/

Vigo Airport Destinations
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/A...e/1056530002574//Destinos-del-aeropuerto.html

Renfe
http://www.renfe.com/

SNCF
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers

ALSA (use international tab)
http://www.alsa.es/en/

 

[OzAnnie]

Hi mayorted,

Vueling. Check out buying ticket online (cheapest if you can do it well in advance).
Look up their site and check out for best day of the week for it. I've used them 2 years in a row.
I've found the direct Vueling flight to CDG is really cheap, when done at right time ,whereas the long one via Barcelona can get quite pricy. Prices can change a lot when you're looking. Don't give up though. Just timing it.
Also, online if you know u will be checking in luggage, make sure you include that online and pay upfront. Doing this later can add a lot to cost of the whole flight .
Online -You can print your boarding pass at time of booking or do it from hotel in Santiago .



If you don't need to go to Paris, and you haven't locked in your main flight to Spain , check out flights to Madrid as starting point. Easier access on return
Buen Camino

 

[Jacobus]

Hi mayorted,

Vueling. Check out buying ticket online (cheapest if you can do it well in advance).
Look up their site and check out for best day of the week for it. I've used them 2 years in a row.
I've found the direct Vueling flight to CDG is really cheap, when done at right time ,whereas the long one via Barcelona can get quite pricy. Prices can change a lot when you're looking. Don't give up though. Just timing it.
Also, online if you know u will be checking in luggage, make sure you include that online and pay upfront. Doing this later can add a lot to cost of the whole flight .
Online -You can print your boarding pass at time of booking or do it from hotel in Santiago .



If you don't need to go to Paris, and you haven't locked in your main flight to Spain , check out flights to Madrid as starting point. Easier access on return
Buen Camino

I also flew Veuling. Santiago to Paris direct. Can't remember what I paid but it was not expensive. Ip rebooked the flight before leaving Canada during the planning stage. That allowed for firm departure and arrival times.
They have a user friendly web site.
Jim

 

[MayorTed]

Thank you for your replies. Very much appreciated. It's a year away and I'm already so excited!

 

[MoniRose]

Hi Monica

I am planning to do the Camino next Spring and was wondering exactly the answer to your question. Can you please tell me what you ended up doing> Thanks very much.

Because I arrived on a Sunday, my train options were limited. Instead, I waited at CDG about 5 hours and then flew to Bairritz. I arrived in Bairritz about 3:30 and at precisely 4:00, the agreed upon time, I took a prebooked shuttle to St Jean. I am sorry that I cannot remember the contact info for the shuttle, but I'm sure someone on this forum knows! You will need to book in advance to guarantee your spot.

Another option would be to train into Paris and then transfer to another that is heading south, but I don't know when/when those connections are.

To get back to Paris, I flew from Santiago, through Barcelona, and then into Orly. I stayed a week and then took the train back to CDG.

It all worked like clockwork for me.

 

[MayorTed]

Hi mayorted,

Vueling. Check out buying ticket online (cheapest if you can do it well in advance).
Look up their site and check out for best day of the week for it. I've used them 2 years in a row.
I've found the direct Vueling flight to CDG is really cheap, when done at right time ,whereas the long one via Barcelona can get quite pricy. Prices can change a lot when you're looking. Don't give up though. Just timing it.
Also, online if you know u will be checking in luggage, make sure you include that online and pay upfront. Doing this later can add a lot to cost of the whole flight .
Online -You can print your boarding pass at time of booking or do it from hotel in Santiago .



If you don't need to go to Paris, and you haven't locked in your main flight to Spain , check out flights to Madrid as starting point. Easier access on return
Buen Camino

Thanks very much OzAnnie. I just came back from Greece and learned the hard way about not checking in online, paying for a bag online etc etc. The flights are cheap as long as you remember to do absolutely everything online! That is a great reminder.