Recommendations for the best way to get from Santiago to Madrid?

[JamieCam]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

 

[Johan]

I took the train from Santiago to Madrid.

I booked the day before.

 

[JamieCam]

I took the train from Santiago to Madrid.

I booked the day before.

Thanks!

How long was the journey?

 

[Tincatinker]

https://venta.renfe.com/vol/search.do?c=_sWTb

 

[Kanga]

Flying is about an hour (but you have to get to and from the airport at either end), the train is about 6 hours.

 

[JamieCam]

Thanks guys

 

[Nina Marshall]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

Hello! I have traveled Madrid/Santiago by train and by bus. I recommend the flight.... if you book early, it should also be quite reasonable. The airport is easily accessible from both cities. The bus takes a long time - ALSA took 8,5 hours and not very comfortable - very little space. We learned that there is an app called blablacar which you can "catch" a ride for a very reasonable fare.

 

[JamieCam]

Hello! I have traveled Madrid/Santiago by train and by bus. I recommend the flight.... if you book early, it should also be quite reasonable. The airport is easily accessible from both cities. The bus takes a long time - ALSA took 8,5 hours and not very comfortable - very little space. We learned that there is an app called blablacar which you can "catch" a ride for a very reasonable fare.

Thank you! Blablacar isn't available in my country (South Africa) but I've had a look at flights and they're not too expensive Thanks for the tips.

 

[Priscilla NC]

I booked a flight from Santiago to Madrid a couple of weeks before I planned to do this. It still cost me under $100 with Iberia -- if I wanted to go late at night, I could have paid far less on Ryan Air. All of these prices were for not checking bags.

Getting to the airport from Santiago could be by bus or by taxi. I took the bus from somewhere downtown, can't remember what it cost, and could have done the taxi from the plaza, where I was staying. I think they quoted just north of 20 euros.

So you do have lots of options.
Buen Camino!

 

[Pruden]

By far BlaBlaCar!!!
You get the app when you get to Spain and you would have a few trips every day to Madrid! Fast cheap and you pay to BlaBlaCar , not to the driver!!
No way is any thing better !
My own experience , my wife , and my daughter

 

[jpflavin1]

By far BlaBlaCar!!!
You get the app when you get to Spain and you would have a few trips every day to Madrid! Fast cheap and you pay to BlaBlaCar , not to the driver!!
No way is any thing better !
My own experience , my wife , and my daughter

Approximate Cost?

 

[jpflavin1]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

Bus, train, plane or BlaBlaCar. I think it all depends on when you need to be there from your arrival in Santiago and cost. I usually make my plane reservation about a week out from Santiago. Train or bus I do after arrival. I am going to look into BlaBlaCar. Be aware that airlines like Ryan air have all kinds of costly restrictions.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Deleted member 36903]

I travelled from SdC to Madrid by early morning train and enjoyed the dramatic scenery. But there is (was?) also a night train - depending on the day you are travelling - which starts in A Coruna. It used to stop in Santiago but now you have to travel to A Coruna to start. The best fares become available several weeks in advance so, use Ticatinker's link to RENFE website to check.

 

[KinkyOne]

Approximate Cost?

I don't know the cost for Santiago - Madrid route on BlaBlaCar but this past summer I paid 21,20€ for the train from Burgos to Sahagun (between two Caminos) and BBC was I think 3-4€ cheaper. Unfortunately no ride was posted when I needed it. Usually you pay with your credit card (maybe also debit???) through BBC on-line service and sometimes directly to driver. I guess that depends on drivers request. You have to register to BBC as are all the drivers. After the ride you collect/post responses, like with Couchsurfing etc. Drivers also posted info what is allowed or is not in their cars like smoking, pets, music etc. I've heard this really works with Spaniards and they are using it a lot. I have similar experience in my country although as a driver. It just works well. But of course as a driver you need an insurance for all the passengers!

 

[timr]

I once took the night bus from SdC to Madrid, and it has horrible!! An old bus, and it began by going up to Coruña before it turned around and came back down again. It seemed to take forever and every time I got to sleep, it seemed, it stopped to allow people to get off and have a smoke. I see it on ALSA just now at (from) €22.25. I wouldn't do it again. I would take Ryanair if possible and get the very cheap and reliable bus to airport twice an hour from Plaza de Galicia (although it doesn't start until about 6am).

 

[gittiharre]

I also took early morning train which cost about euro 40. I really liked the scenery. From station in Madrid you could get a free ride on the local train right into Sol where our apartment was. It was nice and low key and I was grateful not to have to go through airport stress, but that's me.
I live in New Zealand and the flight to Europe is soooo long, so while in Europe I avoid any air travel.

 

[Mark Lee]

I always found flying back to Madrid to be the easiest, and not that expensive. I've flown both Ryanair and Iberia Express.
I got to the airport by the bus (cost of 3 euros). The bus stop at the plaza is only about a 10 minute walk from the cathedral.

 

[jsalt]

Thank you! Blablacar isn't available in my country (South Africa) but I've had a look at flights and they're not too expensive Thanks for the tips.

Hi, if you are travelling from South Africa, check www.iberia.com/za and:

In the box, top left, where it asks: Where can we take you?
Click on: I will be stopping over.

Route 1: Select: Johannesburg to Spain / Madrid

Route 2: Select Spain / Santiago de Compostela to South Africa / Johannesburg

Then choose your flights, e.g.:
Journey 1: 21:10 – 06:30
Journey 2: 17:35 – 09:55

The current price is coming up with R8,912, which INCLUDES the Santiago to Madrid leg.

Then choose your seats!

N.B. They do not fly every day.
They fly JNB / MAD on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
They fly MAD / JNB on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays

Jill

 

[intrepidtraveler]

When I returned to Madrid from SdC in October of 2015 I flew Iberia Express. It cost about $95USD and took a little over an hour.

 

[JamieCam]

Thanks all

 

[Robo]

By far BlaBlaCar!!!
You get the app when you get to Spain and you would have a few trips every day to Madrid! Fast cheap and you pay to BlaBlaCar , not to the driver!!
No way is any thing better !
My own experience , my wife , and my daughter

Is BlaBlaCar like Uber? Haven't heard of it before.

And for the OP, I flew SDC to Madrid. Easy and cheap. Though we tend to forget (for short flights) that the 'door to door' time is often not much quicker than a train get to airport, check in at least 1 hour before, delays etc etc.

 

[whariwharangi]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

I like the train.

I walked into the train station and bought a ticket for a train that left a couple hours later. I traveled in December so demand might have been lower than in summer.

Train goes to Madrid Chamartin. If you are looking for a hotel take Cercanias or Metro to the Sol area. There is only the 4 star hotel at Chamartin.

You can buy tickets same day for train or plane, however you will need to be prepared that services are full. Price goes up, particularly for the Ryan Air service, as the plane gets full.

 

[alipilgrim]

BlaBlaCar is a ride-share program. For example, if someone is driving from Santiago - Madrid and wants company or someone to share the expense, they'll post their itinerary on Blablacar and try to pick up a couple of passengers.

 

[camino07]

I took the train for the first time in October and will now always do this . So easy and cheap. 5.15 am,think it took around 5 hrs . Was shown how to get straight to Barajas on a Cercanias train.
Only problem for me was it was pitch black until Zamora and then fog so no nice view from the window. Travel agent in Santiago booked it for me.

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm a little late to this thread, but wanted to add one thing. When you book your international ticket, you should investigate the cost of flying into a city close to your starting point and then home from santiago to Madrid, etc. This is called a "multi-city" or "open jaw" ticket. There may be very little price difference between that ticket and a round ticket in and out of Madrid.

My ticket this year will take me into San Sebastián and out of Santiago, through Madrid both ways, and it was not much more expensive than a round trip into Madrid.

When you buy a separate Santiago-Madrid ticket, the risk of missing your flight out of Madrid is on you. If it's one ticket, the airline will rebook you. If you go in the night before that won't be a problem but then you have the added expense of a night in Madrid (which is of course a great place to spend a few nights).

This option is economical mainly for those who fly a One World airline because they code share with Iberia.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[JamieCam]

I'm a little late to this thread, but wanted to add one thing. When you book your international ticket, you should investigate the cost of flying into a city close to your starting point and then home from santiago to Madrid, etc. This is called a "multi-city" or "open jaw" ticket. There may be very little price difference between that ticket and a round ticket in and out of Madrid.

My ticket this year will take me into San Sebastián and out of Santiago, through Madrid both ways, and it was not much more expensive than a round trip into Madrid.

When you buy a separate Santiago-Madrid ticket, the risk of missing your flight out of Madrid is on you. If it's one ticket, the airline will rebook you. If you go in the night before that won't be a problem but then you have the added expense of a night in Madrid (which is of course a great place to spend a few nights).

This option is economical mainly for those who fly a One World airline because they code share with Iberia.

Buen camino, Laurie

Thank you, Laurie

 

[alipilgrim]

I booked a ticket 2 days ago from Santiago - Madrid on Iberia for $53 USD. That included one checked bag, I could choose my seat, and already printed my boarding pass - for a June flight! It's a 6:45am flight, getting into MAD at 8am. I do have a 11am flight out of MAD that same day so I do hope nothing goes wrong with the flight...

 

[JamieCam]

I booked a ticket 2 days ago from Santiago - Madrid on Iberia for $53 USD. That included one checked bag, I could choose my seat, and already printed my boarding pass - for a June flight! It's a 6:45am flight, getting into MAD at 8am. I do have a 11am flight out of MAD that same day so I do hope nothing goes wrong with the flight...

I bought a plane ticket this morning on Iberia Express for €35 - scored a half price deal I'm taking my backpack on as hand luggage so I didn't need to go for the checked bag option.

Here's hoping everything works out with your flights. Buen Camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

I booked a ticket 2 days ago from Santiago - Madrid on Iberia for $53 USD. That included one checked bag, I could choose my seat, and already printed my boarding pass - for a June flight! It's a 6:45am flight, getting into MAD at 8am. I do have a 11am flight out of MAD that same day so I do hope nothing goes wrong with the flight...

alipilgrim, sorry to derail the thread -- but it's great to see you are headed back to the Camino! Which one? When? Any chance we could meet up in late June in Santiago? Buen camino, Laurie

 

[alipilgrim]

Hi Laurie! I've decided to go back and finish the VdlP (I stopped in Salamanca last time). I figured with my dodgy ankle the several flat days from there north would be a good introduction to walking long-distance again. Because of that, I'm afraid I'm going a bit earlier than I originally planned - April 26th, returning June 7th, so I'll miss you in Santiago. I've only planned the VdlP, yet I've booked to be away for 6 weeks so I will have 3 more weeks of walking available - I've yet to decide where else to walk: Portuguese? Ingles/Muxia/Finisterre? Salvador/Primitivo? All will depend on how my ankle does. I might just end up on a 5 week holiday... Perhaps if I'm feeling strong I could meet up with you somewhere?

 

[gracyelezebeth]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

I did it by train in aug 2016. Very comfor

 

[gracyelezebeth]

I took the morning train And it took about about 5 hrs only . Very comfortable.

 

[Gerhard58]

Thank you! Blablacar isn't available in my country (South Africa) but I've had a look at flights and they're not too expensive Thanks for the tips.

hello my friend from South Africa. I'm quite surprised that you tell me that BLABLACAR is not available in South Africa. As I understand you , you have problems with finding Blablacar in France and Spain ? I just Googled it and it registered in about 2 minutes and I have already tested it for possible rides from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid. At This very moment there are about 147 rides available from Santiago to Madrid starting at 31 to 36 Euros during the first to third week in February 2017 And these rides are just advertised for early in February so I'm sure that if you will find rides at every date that you want !You will be able to find rides in cars to Madrid or anywhere that you want to travel. Please try it out it seems like it is quite a good at because I will use it going do the Camino in April this year. I hope this is of some use to you!!

 

[Gerhard58]

I just want to mention that I think that you might make a price comparison of the buses, trains, flights to see compare prices. it might be cheaper to fly from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid ! but I'll leave that up to you . I just think that BLABLACAR is another alternative from Paris or Madrid to the starting point of the Camino Frances or any other Camino route.

 

[jsalt]

I bought a plane ticket this morning on Iberia Express for €35 - scored a half price deal I'm taking my backpack on as hand luggage so I didn't need to go for the checked bag option.

I've just seen that price too, well done!

 

[Cathy K.]

I booked a ticket 2 days ago from Santiago - Madrid on Iberia for $53 USD. That included one checked bag, I could choose my seat, and already printed my boarding pass - for a June flight! It's a 6:45am flight, getting into MAD at 8am. I do have a 11am flight out of MAD that same day so I do hope nothing goes wrong with the flight...

Hello,Ali!
I do have exact flight time.
Returning to US. On April 13th.
My question is what time should I provide the taxi the night before.
Should I ask how long will it take to the airport by taxi, so I could time it for taxi.
Thanks, Cathy from KY.

 

[alipilgrim]

Hi Cathy, I'm sorry but I can't answer your questions as this will be my first time actually flying out of Santiago. Buen Camino!

 

[camino07]

Hello,Ali!
I do have exact flight time.
Returning to US. On April 13th.
My question is what time should I provide the taxi the night before.
Should I ask how long will it take to the airport by taxi, so I could time it for taxi.
Thanks, Cathy from KY.

It won't even take 30 mins in the taxi(depending on time of day). I like to be at the airport very early but make sure you are there at least an hour before takeoff. Fare is around 22E

 

[Cathy K.]

It won't even take 30 mins in the taxi(depending on time of day). I like to be at the airport very early but make sure you are there at least an hour before takeoff. Fare is around 22E

Thanks,Camino 07.
My time of flight is 0645, so I will time it accordingly.
Thanks again.
Cathy.

 

[dqduncan]

I hope I'm posting this in the right place

I will be traveling to Madrid on the day I plan to arrive in Santiago. What is the best way to get there? Train? Flight? Should I book in advance or can I book a couple of days before I get there?

Thanks!

Don't know if you ever got an answer and you asked it a while back, so this may not help. Anyway, I did Ryan Air, booked in advance, boarding pass printed IN ADVANCE of arriving at airport, and my bags definitely within the size restrictions. This way, no extra fees which Ryan Air will hammer you with if not careful. One thing I did pay for was at the airport: shrink wrapping my pack with walking sticks collapsed on the side. It's a way to insure your bag for safe handling.

But, and it's a big but...I'd really try to figure out a way NOT to dash right away. Savour your journey. I was going to do the same thing and figured out a way to chill out. So worth it. There's lots to think about after your walk.

Buen Camino!

David