Trying to start in Leon and save a few bucks!

[jrm]

I'm looking to plan a camino from Leon to Santiago in early April. I'm (obviously) trying to travel on as good a budget a possible. Right now, it is looking like I have the most choices in flying from the US if I fly to either London or Paris, and then grab cheap one way flights for either end of the trip... LON/CDG to Madrid and then a train to Leon, and then Santiago to LON/CDG and the flight home to the US. I know this is all very convoluted, and for some reason flying into Leon would add thousands of dollars to the cost and nearly another day of travel. I'm assuming that the airport in Leon is very small and rather out of the way for the various carriers.

Anyways, part of the issue is figuring out how to get from Madrid to Leon. It looks like I may not arrive in Madrid until 8:00pm at the latest. Are there trains from Madrid to Leon that leave after a late flight like that? I'd rather not spend the night in Madrid and lose another day of walking as my time budget is very short. Can anyone help me think through the options I might have? Should I be looking at other routes to get to Leon? Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Leon is down to a small number of daily flights, all by Iberia or its affiliates. You can fly round trip to Madrid, and take a bus or train to Leon, and return from Santiago by bus or train. Bouncing around airports in England is counterproductive!. Have fun!

 

[Mark Lee]

I figured in the long run it would be cheaper for you to fly to Madrid from the US and then take a train or bus to Leon.
I figured cheaper because that would eliminate spending money on flights from London or Paris, or even the possibility of having to spend the night at either and having to drop even more money on a hotel.

 

[alexwalker]

It will no doubt be a night bus from Madrid to Leon. It will also be cheaper than train/plane. Sleep on the bus, get your credential in Leon (or pre-order it from some some org. in USA) next morning and simply start walking. No sweat.

 

[whariwharangi]

Leon Airport is not well served. Probably because there are good bus and train connections from Madrid to Leon. You will be able to get an ALSA bus from Madrid airport T4 to Leon after your 2000 arrival time. Its a 4-5 hour trip however. The Renfe trenhotel leaves Madrid Chamartin at 2230 and arrives Leon at 0307.

You will need a hotel in either Madrid or Leon ... so why kill yourself by traveling till dead.

An alternative to consider is to fly from London or Paris to Bilbao with Easy Jet, Ryan Air, or other discount airline. There is bus and train service from Bilbao to Leon, albeit not as frequently as Madrid to Leon.

1800 Leon

1801 This section describes transportation services in Leon.

Index 1800
1802 Leon Airport
1803 Leon Trains
1804 Leon Bus Services
1805 Leon Urban Bus Services

1802 Leon Airport

Leon Airport (LEN)
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Leon/en/

1803 Leon Trains

Leon Renfe Station
http://www.adif.es/en_US/infraestructuras/estaciones/15100/informacion_000037.shtml

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

Renfe FEVE from Leon to Bilbao
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/feve/index.html

1804 Leon Bus Services

Leon Bus Station
http://www.leon-virtual.es/autobuses/2-7-4-7.htm

Leon bus schedules
http://aautobuses.com/index.php/ciudad/leon.html

1805 Leon Urban Bus Services

Alesa
http://www.alesa-alsa.com/

 

[alexwalker]

You will need a hotel in either Madrid or Leon ... so why kill yourself by traveling till dead.

All the things people know in here...

So now you have it. And a bit of suffering at the start of your Camino may set you in the right pilgrim mood...?

Bus & train services in Spain are frequent, cheap and extremely reliable. Spain is a top notch country to visit, in all meanings.

 

[whariwharangi]

All the things people know in here...

So now you have it. And a bit of suffering at the start of your Camino may set you in the right pilgrim mood...?

Bus & train services in Spain are frequent, cheap and extremely reliable. Spain is a top notch country to visit, in all meanings.

I would call going through US and UK airport security suffering enough ...

 

[brawblether]

I checked the train times for you for a date next week (April won't show up) and there is a Trenhotel train (I travelled on one of the earlier in the year - so impressed!) at 10.30pm departing Madrid Chamartin. It will get you into Leon at 3.07am...I guess you could start walking then...(why not?!)!! The Alsa bus (again for a date next week) says you have a few options which are all from the airport itself and would be your better option I'd say (again arriving in the very early hours):

Madrid - Barajas Airport T4 Leon 21:45 02:45 5h 00min 25.3€
Madrid - Barajas Airport T4 Leon 23:00 03:40 4h 40min 25.3€
Madrid - Barajas Airport T4 Leon 23:59 03:59 4h 00min 32.89€

Good luck!

 

[tyrrek]

The problem with London is that there are 3 different airports that could be involved. From the States you're most likely to arrive at Heathrow, possibly Gatwick. The budget flights to northern Spain leave mainly from Stansted with some from Gatwick. There's an hour or two bus transfer between them all. IF the Gods of Aviation Scheduling are on your side, this can add the options of flying to Asturias, Santiago or even Santander (with Ryanair and Easyjet). However it can be very convoluted with non-daily routes etc, and there's no comeback if you miss a connection due to delays etc. Unless there are significant savings to be made, try to keep it simple. Buen Camino.

 

[FlyingScotsman]

I'm looking to plan a camino from Leon to Santiago in early April. I'm (obviously) trying to travel on as good a budget a possible. Right now, it is looking like I have the most choices in flying from the US if I fly to either London or Paris, and then grab cheap one way flights for either end of the trip... LON/CDG to Madrid and then a train to Leon, and then Santiago to LON/CDG and the flight home to the US. I know this is all very convoluted, and for some reason flying into Leon would add thousands of dollars to the cost and nearly another day of travel. I'm assuming that the airport in Leon is very small and rather out of the way for the various carriers.

Anyways, part of the issue is figuring out how to get from Madrid to Leon. It looks like I may not arrive in Madrid until 8:00pm at the latest. Are there trains from Madrid to Leon that leave after a late flight like that? I'd rather not spend the night in Madrid and lose another day of walking as my time budget is very short. Can anyone help me think through the options I might have? Should I be looking at other routes to get to Leon? Thanks!

 

[FlyingScotsman]

Hi jrm,

this is the web site for the RENFE Spanish trains - Madrid to Leon journey time about 3 hours first train in the morning is 07:45 arriving 10:45. There is also the overnight but you arrive in Leon at 03:10, better to overnight in Madrid and leave early next day and start walking from Leon at 10:45, still gives you a good 5 hours walking time, 14miles (22km)

http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/horarios.html

 

[Mark Lee]

Leon is down to a small number of daily flights, all by Iberia or its affiliates. You can fly round trip to Madrid, and take a bus or train to Leon, and return from Santiago by bus or train. Bouncing around airports in England is counterproductive!. Have fun!

Yeah, you will use up a lot of time switching airports in London, and can be a bit of a hassle.

 

[Anniesantiago]

jrm, where do you live? If you are in the USA, I'd suggest (like others) you fly into MADRID, and bus or train to Leon from there. Just know that they do NOT announce stops on some trains so if you're arriving in Leon at night, pay attention, and ask a local about the stop.

 

[jpflavin1]

I'm looking to plan a camino from Leon to Santiago in early April. I'm (obviously) trying to travel on as good a budget a possible. Right now, it is looking like I have the most choices in flying from the US if I fly to either London or Paris, and then grab cheap one way flights for either end of the trip... LON/CDG to Madrid and then a train to Leon, and then Santiago to LON/CDG and the flight home to the US. I know this is all very convoluted, and for some reason flying into Leon would add thousands of dollars to the cost and nearly another day of travel. I'm assuming that the airport in Leon is very small and rather out of the way for the various carriers.

Anyways, part of the issue is figuring out how to get from Madrid to Leon. It looks like I may not arrive in Madrid until 8:00pm at the latest. Are there trains from Madrid to Leon that leave after a late flight like that? I'd rather not spend the night in Madrid and lose another day of walking as my time budget is very short. Can anyone help me think through the options I might have? Should I be looking at other routes to get to Leon? Thanks!

JRM:

Not sure where you are flying from in the U.S. but you should be able to get a ticket to Madrid as cheaply or cheaper than London or Paris. This would avoid all transfers or other flights to potentially be missed or delayed. If as you say your flight arrives at 8pm, there is a night train from Madrid Chamartin station at 22:30 to Leon. Depending on what terminal you arrive, you have three options to get from the airport to Chamartin.

If T4 arrival, go down stairs and catch the Cercanias train which run every half hour on the :28 and :58. You can buy you ticket there all the way through to Leon. If arriving T1, you can catch the airport bus which runs about every 15 minutes, maybe less frequently at that hour, from T1 to T4. Go downstairs at T4 , well marked, and catch the train. You can also take a cab (30 euro's) to Chamartin, I recommend the train if you have time.

Upon arrival in Leon you have at least two choices. Start walking or go to the Albergue which will be closed or find a local hotel or someplace open.

I like to start walking. This will take some planning since it will be dark. That said, a good map could guide you through Leon. You could also take a cab to the next village on the Camino and walk from there.

I would recommend you get your credential prior to leaving the states. You can get on through this site or from APOC in the states.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[kellyz]

Have you searched open jaw flights on consolidators? I recently found flights from NYC to Leon/Santiago to NYC for $1,000 in June. It's cheaper than flying to Madrid and taking trains or buses to and from the Camino, I think.