Getting to Santiago de Compostela from Lisbon
 

What is the best way to travel from Lisbon, Portugal to Sangiago de Compostela in Spain?

By train, the direct route is via Porto, but it's not possible in one day because the trains from Porto to Vigo are only twice daily, early in the morning and in the evening. I'd suggest getting an afternoon train from Lisboa to Porto, stopping for the night (it's a fascinating city) then continuing the next morning. See www.bahn.de for schedules.
There may be alternatives by bus.

Can you rent a car?

Its about a 6 hour drive, so possible in one very long day.

Better still, break the journey (there is a lovely Parador in Tui, just on the border) and take the coastal route from Tui to Santiago - its a lovely journey.

I have taken a bus from Santiago to Lisbon. It is run by the ALSA bus company, and it was fine. They stop for a lunch break at a roadside place. If you go to www.movelia.es you can plug in Lisbon as "origen" and Santiago Compostela (no "de") as "destino" you will see the Lisbon to Santiago times.

I put in a search and found that the bus leaves Lisbon at 10, arrives Santiago at 7:45 (but Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal). It's 41 euros.

There are two places to get the bus in Lisbon. One is the Sete Rios bus/train station (metro stop Parque Zoologico) or the Parque de Nacoes, which is way out of the center but a very pretty place to visit, and boasting a new flashy station designed by Calatrava.

It's not an exciting ride, but it gets you there.

Here is what we wrote on another forum. So far it is the definitive answer.
The trip is not so easily done by public transport. The services are limited.
There are two ways to travel either by train or by bus. The train trip requires a change at Vigo. Travelling by bus may require you to change, depending on your final destination.
The purpose of the posting is to help you find the specific information relevant to your trip. It is therefore recommended that you view the following web sites so that the information is related to your trip and up to date.
www.cp.pt for the Portuguese train timetables.

http://www.renfe.es/ for the Spanish train timetables.

http://www.alsa.es for the bus timetables.
Other things to note are;
Sunday and Public holiday services are usually reduced, when compared with the rest of the week.
There is an hours difference between the two countries.

If you hire a car then it has to be returned to the same country or face ah hefty charge.

Ian and Irene

The so-called International train from Porto to Vigo is not very nice: it's slow and it's very crowded. You must buy a First Class ticket to be guaranteed a seat.

You could take a (3-hr) Alfa Pendular Lisbon to Porto and an Alsa bus to Santiago. Or, if you choose to fly, the Alsa bus that serves that route has a stop at Oporto airport then continues to Valenca de Minho, Vigo airport and Santiago. There's a 10:45 AM bus that arrives Santiago at 15:15 (Spain Time). That would be the quickest way!

On the Alsa schedule for Portugal, they use Oporto (i.e., not Porto).

"Best" is a relative term; what does "best" means to you? My "best" would be driving with sightseeing stops in Oporto and Viana Do Castelo (2 hours from Santiago). Beware of Portuguese drivers; let them go their merry way.

Thanks to everyone who replied about how to get to Santiago de Compostela. Wow, I'm amazed at all the prompt answers received at this forum. I appreciate the tips.

There is a tradition of walking there.