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Flights From Santiago

siobhanbalmain

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
St Frances April (2017)
Bon Camino,

I had an epiphany about two weeks ago and decided to book the Full Camino St Francis starting 25th April (Yikes not much time for research)!

I have been lucky enough to stumble across this forum and have been able to find some amazing tips and information.

I have been looking at flying out from Santiago to Paris and the only two options I have on the day (that I can see are Vueling or Iberia). I was wondering if anyone had flown them as on line reviews (in general) have been quite scathing and noting that they are terribly un reliable. I only have a few days till my return flight to Sydney from CDG and don't want to get caught in Santiago.

Has anyone flown either of the airlines or is there a more reliable method to get back to Paris (I was going to fly out of Santiago on the morning of 3rd) and I fly out of CDG at lunch on the 5th
 
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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I flew Vueling from Santiago to Paris last year. Its a short flight, and was unremarkable. I can certainly recommend it. I suggest that you do NOT book this flight yet. Do it from the trail. If you are starting from Sarria, you know when you want to head home, but if you are starting further back, you do not know when you will get to Santiago, or how long you will want to stay. When you get close, you will definitely know. In all likelihood, your plans will change once you get out there, and pressing yourself into a schedule at this point is something you may regret.

The urge to plan and organize is strong for some people, but I promise you, it all melts away with the miles on the Camino. Anticipate more. Plan less.

Buen Camino!
 
Hi Siobhan, welcome to the forum! If you have a plane to catch from CDG on a set date, then I strongly advise that you also book your journey from Santiago to CDG before you leave home. It can be REALLY expensive if you leave it till the last minute. Happy planning!
Jill
 
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I am sure the two days contingency is plenty. When people moan about unreliability they are talking about hours not days. Also I think it doesn't occur to people to write reviews of good flights (it's not like restaurants) so the reports are probably skewed.

[BTW quick tip it's not St Francis - it is 'Frances' - the Spanish word for 'French'. The saint you're thinking of is St James which is 'Sant Iago' in Spanish]
 
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Back in 2013 I flew Vueling back to Paris (CDG) from Santiago.
It's a short flight, and it was okay. No problems at all. No complaints.
I took the public bus to the Santiago airport. It only cost 3 euros and was about a 45 minute ride. The bus stop is about a 10 minute walk from the cathedral. I got to the airport 2 hours before my flight took off. It's not a huge airport and easy to get around and user friendly. The bus drops you off right in front of the departures terminal.
When you get to Santiago, go to the tourist office there. It's very close to the cathedral. They will give you a map and show you where the bus stop is, etc. They are very helpful and gracious.
ultreia
 
Both are basic and reliable, and there is not really a third airline choice!! Have a buen camino.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I have flown with Vueling several times and never had a problem. Service was good, planes clean, all good. I will fly with them again from Santiago back to Barcelona.
 

Other options include:

-fly from Santiago to Paris via Madrid Barcelona or London ... all of which routes have more flights daily than the direct route.

-take Renfe train to either Irun/Hendaye or Barcelona. Then take SNCF train to Paris.

-as a sub option ... You could opt to take the bus from Hendaye to Biarritz Airport from whence Air France Hop flies to directly to Paris frequently.
 
Just a another note here. If your flight out of Santiago is early in the morning, you will need to get a taxi to the airport there, as the buses stop running between midnight (I think) and 6:00 am (I think).
Last time I flew out of there I had an early Ryanair flight to Madrid, so I caught one of the last buses at around midnight and just crashed on a row of chairs for a few hours at the airport before my flight the next morning.
A lot of fellow pilgrims had the same idea. There were several of us snoozing in the terminal.
 
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You will have no problem flying from Santiago on the 3rd to catch a flight from CDG on the 5th.

Icelandic volcanoes etc permitting.
 
Best to purchase your flight sooner rather than later. It may give you more incentive to reach your destination, too.
 

Thank you ! I also noted that I had spelled Buen incorrectly too! I really did only decide a couple of weeks ago - I clearly still have have some research to do
 
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Thanks to all for your replies much appreciated!

What an amazing community of people. As I have already locked in my flights back to Sydney I will definitely feel much more comefortable booking the flight. And with so many of you having flown them feel much better about doing that now too.

buen camino
 

Enjoy your preparations!
 
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