return to Madrid from Santiago De Compostela after completing Pilgrimage

[rdgmann]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

 

[Robo]

I have used the cheap flights. Worked well.

 

[Karl Oz]

If you are using the Renfe website then you can expect peculiar search results. Apparently the app works better, but I have not tried it. Have a look at Rome2Rio and that may yield something more useful.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

Despite the issue with the scheduling site, the train to Madrid is a great way to get there. I wouldn't be to concerned about trying to get tickets this far in advance. My son and I reserved our tickets 72 hours ahead of our departure from Santiago de Compostela, and had no problems at all. We arrived around noon, dropped our stuff off at our hotel, then spent the day and evening in Madrid.

 

[Former member 35551]

I can book June 28th on the Trainline EU app right now.

This is one of my favorite travel apps. Simple, elegant design. Everything you need and no extra stuff. I've been using it for several years for train travel in and between Italy, France, Spain and Germany but I think it works for all of western Europe.

 

[rdgmann]

I can book June 28th on the Trainline EU app right now.

This is one of my favorite travel apps. Simple, elegant design. Everything you need and no extra stuff. I've been using it for several years for train travel in and between Italy, France, Spain and Germany but I think it works for all of western Europe.

Thanks for looking as well, however I can see nothing on Trainline eu, either on their website or phone app. I have searched with others such as rome2rio and Loco2 and come up with nothing from them either.
I am not certain how you managed to get some results but I come up empty.

 

[AndrewDavOz]

There are a number of trains every day, apparently. One problem I had was that I was selecting the wrong destination station in Madrid. The renfe site didn’t help, it just indicated no trains. Select Madrid Chamartin. But still nothing past the end of May. Seat61 indicates that the site is slow to update... just try closer to the required date.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

I don’t think you can book more than a month ahead.

 

[paddington]

There is construction along part of this route scheduled through May 23. The note on the Renfe site indicates that the passengers will leave the train and be bussed for a portion of the journey . You can see this comment if you look at the trains on the Renfe site through May 23. (Click on the red ! Next to the train )
For some reason Renfe has not yet posted the trains for this route after May 23. Some speculation that they are waiting to see when the construction will be completed.
I am traveling on May 25 and I finally gave up waiting for the train and I booked tickets on the bus .
I used loco2 for the first time this week to book a couple of trains in the uk and I found it easy to use so you might try that site once you see your train show up on the Renfe site for the date you want to travel .

 

[mark connolly]

I with Robo on this one. Both times I took a flight from Santiago to Madrid. Yes, they do leave at ungodly hours, but it is only an hour and a half flight; as opposed to a eight to ten hour train ride. Just remember to arrive in Madrid at least two days prior to your departure.

Good Luck.

Mark

 

[Saint Mike II]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

Hola @rdgmann . The reasion RENFE not showing any trains after May23 as they are probably sorting out the summer timetable. I think it will change on 1 June or a little later; 27/28 June should not be high season so I suggest you go to the RENFE booking office in Leon and book your seats. I did this back in 2017 although I had to go back twice as the Customer Service person (woman) spoke no English and pretended not to understand my SPanish. If you can look up a train that is close to the time you want to depart SDC and use that info. I ended up using google chrome and translated my request into Spanish - it worked. Buen Camino

 

[Former member 35551]

Thanks for looking as well, however I can see nothing on Trainline eu, either on their website or phone app. I have searched with others such as rome2rio and Loco2 and come up with nothing from them either.
I am not certain how you managed to get some results but I come up empty.

My bad. I rechecked and this time I noticed that all the results I was getting were for ALSA and Flixbus. Sorry about that.

 

[paddington]

I with Robo on this one. Both times I took a flight from Santiago to Madrid. Yes, they do leave at ungodly hours, but it is only an hour and a half flight; as opposed to a eight to ten hour train ride. Just remember to arrive in Madrid at least two days prior to your departure.

Good Luck.

Mark

hi Mark

I am wondering at your comment "to arrive in Madrid at least two days prior to your departure". Is that to allow for sight seeing in Madrid? or for another reason? thanks

 

[LTfit]

I always book through the Renfe website but as someone said, this can only be done a month in advance. Alsa on the other hand does allow you to book early. If the choice is between train or bus I would definitely advise taking the train. I have done both and given the length of the trip the train wins hands done. The Alsa night bus was a horror, making stops everywhere and turning on the lights each time. I arrived at 5 a.m. totally exhausted.

Flights from Santiago to Madrid are usually quite expensive unless the Ryanair flight/times works for you.

 

[gloria lowe]

I took that train in early June last year and it was full on the day left. Many people who hadn’t booked ahead did not get on the train. I had booked ahead at a train station I was walking by one day.

 

[DBride]

I took Ryan air flight to Madrid. But I have to take taxi to there because my flight was very early in the morning.

 

[Pilger99]

The Alsa night bus was a horror, making stops everywhere and turning on the lights each time. I arrived at 5 a.m. totally exhausted.

Flights from Santiago to Madrid are usually quite expensive unless the Ryanair flight/times works for you.

If you can, spend a bit more money for the supra bus. More space and no stop between A Coruña and Madrid (~7 hours, arrival 6:30am). Unfortunately not always available.

At least Iberia and Air europa compete with Ryanair inland and even more airlines offer conections with europe, therefore the fare Santiago - Madrid isn't too expensive. E.g. Logroño has a totally different price

 

[LTfit]

If you can, spend a bit more money for the supra bus. More space and no stop between A Coruña and Madrid (~7 hours, arrival 6:30am). Unfortunately not always available.

At least Iberia and Air europa compete with Ryanair inland and even more airlines offer conections with europe, therefore the fare Santiago - Madrid isn't too expensive. E.g. Logroño has a totally different price

As always depends when you are booking. I tried to get to Madrid from Santiago this past April after Easter and flights were about 300 euros . There were in fact no buses and no available trains, from any destination around Santiago (Vigo, etc). We tried every possible connection. I ended up getting a local train to Vigo and catching a ride to Madrid via blabla cars (my first). Rode with three Spanish university students and was dropped off close to Atocha. 30 euros! Then caught the cercanias to Barajas.

For me the fastest option is to fly directly from Santiago to Amsterdam with Vueling but they only have two flights a week. Sometimes it is even cheaper than taking the train or bus to Madrid then a flight to Amsterdam.

 

[Tincatinker]

Looks like Iberia have a flight at 09:10 for €90. Other airlines are available....

 

[mark connolly]

@paddington. Its because, if they cancel your flight, the day before you depart from Madrid, you will miss your flight home.

Mark

 

[Walking Lover]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

Flying is cheap.

 

[Mackie]

I've taken the train from Santiago to Madrid twice after my Camino but that was in October, 2011 and October, 2016. I went to the train station the day before my departure and purchased my ticket. No prior reservation. No problem whatsoever.

 

[rdgmann]

Thanks everyone for your great input, looks like Renfe has opened up the date I am looking for and will book tickets in advance, train was my preferred method of transportation.

 

[robert hailwood]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated. Wh
thanks.

I took the ALSA bus, which was a comfortable 6 hour journey. It runs daily.

 

[mikebet]

When I was looking into this I found that Friday/weekend flights went up spectacularly in cost compared to mid-week. Since we were leaving Santiago last Friday (May 3) we took the train instead, Santiago to Ourense, then transfer to another train to Madrid Chamartin. One advantage to taking the train from Santiago is that you can walk to the station instead of a taxi ride to the airport. And there is a dining car where you can get a beer or two to wash down your bocadillo en route. Nice.

 

[Larry OHeron]

I've taken both the bus and train. Both are equally good alternatives.
If you spending time in Madrid, go to Puerta del Sol and rub the bear's butt. It will bring you good luck in the future.

 

[Susan M Fron]

I with Robo on this one. Both times I took a flight from Santiago to Madrid. Yes, they do leave at ungodly hours, but it is only an hour and a half flight; as opposed to a eight to ten hour train ride. Just remember to arrive in Madrid at least two days prior to your departure.

Good Luck.

Mark

Did you mean 2 days, or hours?

 

[mikebet]

Renfe from Santiago to Madrid is about 6 hours, IIRC, even with the transfer at Ourense. Given the fact that you don't have to take a taxi to the airport an hour or two early to be sure to get through security, etc. , there isn't THAT much difference in time. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than flying, as well as being vastly more comfortable.

 

[Juspassinthru]

AndrewDavOz,

I’ve found that if you actually sign up on ether the Renfe App or online, you get better results than if you use the site as a visitor. Getting signed up was a bit of a challenge but not impossible. Also, the DB App (German Rail) is comprehensive and easy to use, even for Spain.

 

[Walking Lover]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

Gly.

 

[Jodean]

Would take a train anytime over flying. The amount of time involved is not that different (add in the time and cost to get to the airport, the amount of time you need before the flight, the flight itself and once you arrive at your destination the amount of time and cost to get into the city from the airport), it is vastly more comfortable, and certainly better for the earth. Added plus, you get to see the countryside. The train to Madrid only takes 5-6 hours.

 

[paddington]

Gly.

I just looked and Lots of trains are showing up on the Renfe site for June 28th from Santiago to Madrid- charmartin station. Not sure if the trains were just added to the schedule or if you were looking at another Madrid station ? I am not seeing them all on the loco2 website but they might show up there in a day or so.
Hope this helps .

 

[Goran]

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

A couple of us will be starting the Camino Frances on May 22nd, we have until June 27 to complete our pilgrimage. On June 28th we must travel from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid as we have a flight to catch on June 29th. Was hoping to take the train however Renfe is only showing trains up to May 23rd at this time, there are no trains scheduled after that date. For peace of mind I was hoping to have the return trip back to Madrid booked before we fly to Spain on May 20th. I have read that Renfe can be slow posting train schedules but was wondering if others have heard of some problems with rail service which is why there are no trains listed after May 23rd.
Could book a cheap flight but they leave at god aweful hours, either 6am or 11 pm for the cheap seats.
Any advise from anyone is appreciated.
thanks.

On Friday I have booked a train ticket on the RENFE website for the 29th of June from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid.