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Travel from Porto to Santiago de Compostela

Porto, the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon, is known for its port wine production, its huge bridges and its impressive architecture, and if you want to travel to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, you can get there by bus, train, car. , or simple, although each of these options comes with its own set of challenges.

Because Santiago de Compostela is a much smaller city in terms of population, it can be a bit tricky to get to this capital of the Galicia region in northwestern Spain directly from Porto, although all forms of travel should take you. there in a few hours.

The only direct method of travel between these cities is by bus or car. However, there are several train transfers and flight connections you can make to add additional cities to your itinerary to explore more of Portugal and Spain.

By car: drive yourself

While renting a car in Spain or Portugal can be quite expensive, it allows you the most freedom on your journey between these two popular tourist destinations. Also, travel time is much faster by car – the 230-kilometer (143-mile) journey from Porto to Santiago takes about two hours and 15 minutes.

If you want to drive directly, take the A-20 in Porto and follow it to the A-3 / E-1, and stay there until the Rúa do Viaducto da Rocha in Galicia, Spain, where you will transfer to the A-55 for some kilometers before exiting to E-1 / AP-9, which takes you northwest to Santiago de Compostela. Be sure to consult a complete map before setting off, as these instructions only include the major highways involved.

You may consider making a stop along the way if you have a little more time to drive from Portugal to Spain, and the most popular stop on the way between Porto and Santiago de Compostela is Braga in Portugal. Home to the wonderful sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, visiting Braga can be a quick way to get a little more out of your trip.

By bus: take a tour

The cheapest and most direct way to get from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain is by booking one of the buses operated by Flixbus, Alsa, Eurolines France, Eurolines Switzerland and Inter Norte.

Various buses leave Porto at different times from morning to afternoon, depending on the bus service you select, but no matter which one you take, the travel time will be between four and five hours.

Prices range from € 25 to € 34 each way, but some of the bus services offer round-trip tickets at a discounted price.

By train: make a transfer

Although there are no direct trains from Porto to Santiago de Compostela, you can take a train to some Spanish cities with transfers to your destination. You can buy your tickets at the Campanhã train station in Porto, but it is easier to book train tickets in Europe online.

The service on the train operated by Renfe costs between 24 and 35 euros and leaves from the Campanhã station in Oporto at 8:15 am before arriving at the Guixar station in Vigo at 11:35 for a six-hour stopover. The next train leaves Vigo at 6:20 pm and arrives in Santiago de Compostela at 7:56 pm

Alternatively, you can also use the ALSA train service, which costs a few euros more and departs from the Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) station in Porto at 1:25 pm and arrives at 5 at Avenue de Antonio Palacios station. in Vigo; then, you must take the Renfe service mentioned above from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela.

If you have a little more time in Spain, Vigo is a great destination to make a boat stop to the Cíes Islands or spend the night to explore the culture of this city, you can even book individual tickets from Porto to Vigo and Vigo to Santiago to give you more time.

By plane: take a connecting flight

There are no flights from Porto to Santiago de Compostela, but you could make a connecting flight via Lisbon or Madrid, although these layovers could add considerable time to your trip. The total flight time from Porto to Santiago de Compostela, including the layover in Madrid, generally takes between five and 12 hours to complete, but only costs between $ 120 and $ 200 round trip.

Keep in mind that Santiago de Compostela has a relatively small airport, so flights to this popular destination can be limited and sell out quickly; Be sure to book early to save yourself a bit of money and a lot of headaches when you’re ready to get started.

Passport information for travel from Portugal to Spain

As both countries are in the Schengen zone, Europe’s border-free zone, there are no standard border controls between the two countries. However, sometimes there can be random checks, so make sure you have your passport or other national ID with you.

Similarly, your visa or permit to stay in Spain or Portugal is valid for the entire Schengen zone. This means that if (as is often the case for non-EU visitors) you have the right to stay for three out of six months, you can stay in the entire Schengen zone for this time, but you cannot cross the border and return to restart your three months.

It’s also worth noting that even if you were to leave the Schengen zone, as in Morocco, Switzerland, or the UK, this does not reinstate your three-month allowed stay. The three months are in a continuous six-month period – you can exit and re-enter as many times as you like, but you cannot stay more than 90 days in a 180-day period.

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