From Canada to Valencia?

[Gabyparent]

I'm wondering what is the best way to get from Canada to Valencia? Flight, train? Where to switch?

Also, not knowing exactly how much time it will take me to walk the Camino, do I wait to buy my return ticket in Santiago?

thanks for the help!

Gaby

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Gaby,

I have a vague memory that Canada might be different in terms of buying one way tickets based on some posts on other threads, but for the US, the cost of two one way tickets is going to be many times more than the cost of one RT ticket.

I booked a round trip ticket last year from US to Madrid to Valencia, then the return leg was Santiago to Madrid to US. The price was not much more than a roundtrip ticket from the US to Madrid. By booking my return ticket as starting in Santiago, I was able to get home in one day, which is something you can't do if you have to get from Santiago to Madrid and then get on a plane in Madrid.

I'm not sure how flexible you are for time, but one way to hedge your bets is to calculate the days you expect to take from Valencia to Santiago, add in a rest day or two, and then add in four days to walk to Finisterre/Muxia. This gives you a cushion that you can use up if you are injured, walk more slowly than contemplated, etc, and you can cut the Finisterre bit out if you need those days to get to Santiago.

Do you have a sense of how many kms you will want to walk a day? I can help you with coming up with a ballpark figure based on the locations of albergues, etc, and then you can use that as a guide. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[whariwharangi]

Its hard to get one way flights from Canada. Usually its cheaper and easier buying round trip.

Once in Europe its easy to get around using the discount airlines for one way flights.

So one strategy is to fly to a major center in Europe and use it as a staging point to travel from there by discount to your destination and back again from another center.

For example fly from anywhere Canada to London. Then fly from London to Valencia and, at the end of the camino, from Santiago to London to catch the flight home.

Major centers would be London, Rotterdam, Paris, Stuttgart, Rome, etc.

Expedia.ca is a good tool for comparison shopping.

Here is website for Valencia airport. See the destinations page to find which airline flies where.
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Valencia/en/Home.html

Valencia is not located anywhere near the camino.

As for scheduling, it might be best to plan to stay in Europe for a period of time that allows extra days after the camino. You can buy tickets from Santiago to your staging point the day of travel but it costs more the closer you are to the date of travel. Maximum tourist visa time in Schengen zone is 90 days.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Gaby,
I agree with whariwharangi that you should check out options going via London, but I strongly recommend that you investigate it as an open jaw ticket (that is, Canada to London to Valencia followed by Santiago to London to Canada) and not just as a Canada to London round trip with the flights to and from London added on as separate flights. I have been surprised to see how little the fare increased when I did the open jaw alternative, and it is so much easier because then your travel is all on one ticket and you don't have to worry about missing connections, etc.

The Valencia airport is well connected to the city via metro, and the starting point of the Levante is right there at the cathedral. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[obinjatoo]

You could research the cost of buying round trip with an option to change the return date. But if you have the time and resources, take your time and try not to plan a rigid agenda. If you have never been to that part of the world before, there is plenty to see and do. So if you walk quicker than you thought why not see the south coast or Barcelona or whatever...

 

[lynnejohn]

In my experience, the multi-city tickets from Canada do not save you money. You are better off just making a good estimate of how many walking days + how many rest days + how many sightseeing days you will need, bite the bullet and buy a return ticket. Unless you have a reason other than the camino to go to Valencia, I would suggest Madrid. Train and bus fares from Madrid to wherever you are starting are very reasonable.
I am currently tracking the price of my ticket from Toronto to Madrid in April. Currently it's at $780.
Best of luck - others here will also provide you with useful information.

Buen Camino!

 

[jirit]

Hi Gaby

You have not indicated what Canadian city you would like to leave from

 

[peregrina2000]

In my experience, the multi-city tickets from Canada do not save you money. You are better off just making a good estimate of how many walking days + how many rest days + how many sightseeing days you will need, bite the bullet and buy a return ticket. Unless you have a reason other than the camino to go to Valencia, I would suggest Madrid. Train and bus fares from Madrid to wherever you are starting are very reasonable.
I am currently tracking the price of my ticket from Toronto to Madrid in April. Currently it's at $780.
Best of luck - others here will also provide you with useful information.

Buen Camino!

Lynne, I don't think that multi city means a ticket that goes into one city and returns home out of another city. I think that's an open jaw ticket.

I think that the "multi-city" option on kayak, orbitz, etc, refers only to a continuous journey, such as Toronto-Madrid-Sevilla-Barcelona-Madrid-Toronto.

But if you want to go into one city and out of another city, that's not a "multi-city" ticket, that's an "open jaw" ticket, and I don't think it's available online. You have to buy it through a person on the phone. I am not an expert on travel like some others on the forum, so I hope they will correct me if I'm wrong.

When I priced the open jaw last year for US-Madrid-Valencia with return from Santiago-Madrid-US, I found it was only about $120 more than a round trip ticket to Madrid from the US. It also meant that I could get home to the US in one day. My flight left Santiago at 9 am, I connected in Madrid and went on. If my international ticket just takes me in and out of Madrid, I would never risk buying a one way Santiago to Madrid flight on the day of my departure because if my flight to Madrid is delayed and I miss that international flight, it's not the airlines' problem, it's my problem (my husband learned that the hard way and it was expensive.) But if my international ticket just starts in Santiago, then I am guaranteed I will get home on my ticket, no matter what the delays may be, it will then be up to the airlines to rebook me.

$780 RT to Madrid seems very cheap to me. Do you have your dates yet? Buen camino, Laurie

 

[lynnejohn]

Yes multi-city and open-jaw are confusing (to me anyway). I have tried both when researching complex vacations for my friends and have never had much luck. Currently trying to do a Florida-Barcelona and Venice-Toronto as an open jaw (for a a friend, not me) and as you say, not possible online. So far that trip runs about 1300 for two one-ways. But I digress....
Yes, 780 is pretty good, I think. Both SwissAir/AirCanada or Brussels/JetAirways offer at that price. I'm tempted to buy now, but the near future for family members is still uncertain , so I think I'll hope the price stays and wait until after the new year. So far it's April 22 - June 18 from Caceres - you know, the town of stopping and starting for both of us!

 

[Gabyparent]

Ok, so I live in Ottawa, but it's easy for me to drive down to Montreal if needed, or get to Toronto. I tried general googling for flights, and I end up having some stops in Switzerland and US, ans such. Is it better if I specifically ask to go to London or Madrid? How does it work to take the metro in Valencia?

I'm still working on buying the guide for the camino, so I'm thinking that when I get it I will have a better idea as to how much time I can estimate the walk will take me thus book a return flight. How I saw it is that if I land in Valencia, I need to leave from valencia. Therefore, would I take a train from Santiago to Valencia at the end of my camino?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[peregrina2000]

Gaby, my advice is that you should call the airlines and ask the price of a Canada to Valencia outbound coupled with a Santiago to CAnada inbound. If that's too expensive, the look at going in and out of Madrid. Madrid is the most centrally located city between VAlencia and Santiago, so it will likely be the best way for you to get in and out of Spain. You could also price a ticket in and out of London and then see what it will cost to go London to Valencia and Santiago to London. There are so many options, but many of them are not going to show up on the internet searches, so you should call some airlines directly. Or if you still have access to a good travel agent (I've been assured they do still exist), this is a perfect job for one of them.

The metro from the airport into town is quick and easy, there is clear signage at the airport, and it's easy to understand and ride.

 

[jirit]

Hi Gaby

I also checked a few different airlines (Air Transit, KLM, etc) looking for an open jaw combination that will work.

The first thing you need to understand you do not need to leave and arrive in the same city (i.e. Valencia for example)

I am assuming you want to start in Valencia - unfortunately none of the major airlines do not appear to fly into Valencia via Montreal or Toronto.

The best approach might be to get a flight into Madrid as Laurie as suggested and train over to Valencia.

For your return you could do a number of things:
Return from Santiago by train to Madrid - it is an easy 5 hour trip back - I just did this spring
Fly on one of discount airlines to another major gateway like Paris, etc and fly back to Canada

None of the trans-atlantic airlines fly out of Santiago back to Canada, so if you want to fly out of Santiago then you must use on the smaller regional airlines or the Spanish airline first to a european gateway like Madrid, Barcelona, etc

Air transit flys out of Montreal and Toronto to Madrid but their flights do not start until mid May (maybe a bit too late in the season for you?)

The easiest flight is into and out of Madrid from either Montreal or Toronto (Ottawa may work too but my experience means leaving from Ottawa you will first go to Montreal or Toronto and then take an overnight flight to Europe)

KLM is a good option for this type of flight.

 

[whariwharangi]

Ok, so I live in Ottawa, but it's easy for me to drive down to Montreal if needed, or get to Toronto. I tried general googling for flights, and I end up having some stops in Switzerland and US, ans such. Is it better if I specifically ask to go to London or Madrid? How does it work to take the metro in Valencia?

I'm still working on buying the guide for the camino, so I'm thinking that when I get it I will have a better idea as to how much time I can estimate the walk will take me thus book a return flight. How I saw it is that if I land in Valencia, I need to leave from valencia. Therefore, would I take a train from Santiago to Valencia at the end of my camino?

Thanks for the help!!

I travelled from Vancouver. I found most flights required a stop in London or Paris before going on to Madrid. I ended up round trip London Heathrow Air Canada. I stayed at London Stansted and flew on to Biarritz (BIQ) with RyanAir the next day. I took the train from Santiago to Madrid then flew from Madrid to London Luton with EasyJet. I could have gotten back to London from Santiago. Total cost of travel was about the same as if I had bought the ticket to Madrid.

The bus between London airports runs frequently and is expensive. You need to allow several hours if you do this.

Train system in Spain is very well connected. Santiago to Valencia may require a transfer but it is likely only one full day of travel.

Renfe train:
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

 

[lynnejohn]

I used to stop at Heathrow, and once, after landing (Air Canada) in Heathrow, took that expensive shuttle to Stansted to catch a Ryanair flight. Had to overnight at an airport hotel because of arrival and departure times. Just the worst beginning ever to any of our caminos. Plus Heathrow is crazy-making for me. Now I take flights that stop at any other European city, for only a few hours before landing in Madrid. Much smoother, and I arrive in Madrid in a better mood.
I fly out of Toronto, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, currently Toronto to Madrid is $780. SwissAir/Air Canada stops in Geneva, and Brussels/Jet Airways stops in Brussels. I'm starting the VDLP at Caceres, and the train from Madrid to Caceres is €26,55
Having said all that, I know that many people prefer to stop at Heathrow. À chacun son goût.

 

[whariwharangi]

Metro Valencia
http://www.metrovalencia.es/page.php

Wikipedia description of Metro Valencia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia_Metro_(Spain)

Schematic Map
http://www.metrovalencia.es/descargas/pdf/Plano_zonal_Metrovalencia_2013.pdf

Near as I can tell it works like the Toronto Subway or the Ottawa Transit buses.