cruiseluv

I don't want to rent a car but will like to go from Santander to Santiago de Compostela( or viceversa) and then on to Madrid. Is there a convenient train connection between Santander and Santiago?

Maribel

cruiseluv.
When traveling in the north of Spain, for the most efficient, speedy public transport, think bus over train. The narrow gauge FEVE train trip to El Ferrol (then bus to Santiago) is very scenic but takes forever, because it's the "milk train".
There's an Alsa bus which leaves Santander at 11:45 a.m, arriving in Santiago at 9:15 p.m. Cost is 36,56 euros.
From Santiago you can fly to Madrid or take an 8 hr. train ride or 8 hr. bus ride.

cruiseluv

Maribel,

Thanks!But, yikes! 9 hrs. by bus! It just looks so much closer in the map. Is there plane service between the two cities( or between any other city in Asturias and Santiago?)

Maribel

cruiseluv,
The plane service from Santander or even from Oviedo (Asturias), via Iberia, would be connecting through Madrid, I believe. Check www.iberia.com

NEDSIRELAND

The Alsa Motorcoaches are comfortable, especially the Clase Supra. That one Maribel told you about should stop for dinner around 1:30 PM (in Asturias) and you can have a Favada Asturiana - then you're really in trouble. When I dine on a Favada my stomach feels like I swallowed a brick and I have to stay close to a restroom.

One of the reasons it takes so long is: the Cantabria expressway ends about the time you get to the rio Deva. Then, except for when you are near cities, you are on 'secondary' (i.e., 2-lane)roads.

You get a movie on the bus (in Spanish, of course) - and the scenery is very nice. It's not that bad! Last year I took the same length trip: Santander to Barcelona. I got there safe & sound

Maribel

NED,
They've been working steadily on the Cantabria autovia A8/E70 now and have extended it quite a bit beyond the Rio Deva now, at least to Colunga, maybe Villaviciosa, so it's faster.

cruiseluv,
I recheced the bus schedule at www.alsa.es
to see if there were any other daily departures and there's just one at 3:30 a.m., arriving in Santiago at 1:30 p.m., which I'm sure you don't want.
Unfortunately neither bus ride is Supra service, basically non-stop or with just a few stops. That's why the ride is sooooo long!
As NED has told you, the Alsa bus service is comfortable and you will stop along the way for a meal. I've taken it from the Asturian coast down to Madrid and also from Santander to Bilbao.

To drive from Santander to Santiago would take you at least 5 1/2 hrs., if not 6. It's a longer haul than it appears on the map.

cruiseluv

Maribel and NED,

Thanks for the info. I might have to rethink this itinerary. I certainly don't mind the bus so much, specially if the scenery is nice , but I'm going with my two kids and I'm not sure if they would appreciate it.

Maribel

cruiseluv,
If you're traveling with 2 children, then I certainly wouldn't subject them to that very long bus ride, and I also wouldn't do the 5 1/2-6 hr. car trip by rental car in 1 day with your children. I'd break up the journey on the western Cantabria coast in scenic Luarca or the modern Parador at Ribadeo.

cova

Hi cruiseluv,
the bus is way too long, specially travelling with children.
If you don't have problems with travelling from Bilbao, there are two options :

- Train from Bilbao to Santiago. It takes almost 11 hours, leaving at 09:05 and arriving at 20:10

- There used to be a direct flight from Bilbao to Santiago, operated by Air Nostrum for Iberia, but I am doing a search in Iberia.com for the next month of November and I cannot find anything. I'll get back to you if it exists.

Rgds, Cova

cooter

I drove more or less this route (we were leaving from closer to El Ferrol than Santiago, but our destination was also Santander) about three months ago. With a car, it was about 6 hours. Galicia and western Asturias was on surface roads. Around Aviles, you pick up a stretch of highway, then are back on surface roads until just past Villaviciosa, where it's highway all the way to Santander. The slowest stretch was in Galicia and western Asutria, where the comobination of really hilly terrain, curvy roads, and lumbering trucks made for slow going. Still, the scenery was nice.

If you are contemplating flying, I think that there's only service to Madrid and Barcelona from Santander airport, and it tends to be expensive. Look into what service is available from Bilbao.

IF by bus, it will stop a couple of times for food and bathroom breaks, so it might not be so hard on the kids.

Still, I would think driving makes the most sense for this trip.