After leaving Santiago de Compostela late May, we plan on having 9 more days. Thoughts are to:
1) travel back to Lisbon, train to Sintra for 3 nights
2) back to Lisbon 3 nights; take bus tours to Nazre, Fatima, maybe Coimbra? Then
3) train/bus to Madrid where our plane leaves. Take day trips to Avila, Segovia. Do evening tapas, wine, history tour.
Good plan? Guest houses recommended in these locations? Any ideas welcome. Thank you!
(we are walking Camino from Porto.)
Scout
When we finished this Camino in 2018, we stayed in Santiago for a couple of days, taking a tour of the cathedral rooftop, visiting museums and going on an all day bus tour to Muxia and Finesterra. Have you planned anything for your stay here?
P.S. I will be arriving in Santiago on 24 May (hopefully).
Plan on flying Lisbon to Madrid. Trains are 9+hours with frequent changes. Flight takes 1 1/4 hours. Otherwise a doable lan but I’d only spend 2 nights max in Sinatra.
Mrs. Jo, I do not see a way to reply to you. Yes, we are staying 2 nights and doing rooftop, portico tour, etc. Accomplished Camino Frances in 2019 also. Buen Camino!
Philip, that was our plan! Just wonder if those day trips are a good idea or too much in our timeframe? Thanks again.
Scout
Fatima and Coimbra are long day trips from Lisbon. It would make more sense to spend 2 nights in Coimbra and visit Fatima from there (and Nazaré if you'd like but you don't have to... You'll see nicer stretches of coast along the Caminho Português if you take the coastal option). Then Lisbon for 4 nights with Sintra as a day trip, then fly to Madrid.
Ávila is not worth the day trip but Segovia is.
Balso, the issue I see is traveling to Coimbra. Looks like you have to go back to Lisbon and then on to Madrid. Thoughts?
Scout
Regina, if you click on my name you can message me.
I have taken the train to Madrid from Santiago. It is restful to look at the land that everyone is walking through. Once you get to Madrid, you can relax a bit and do day trips.
Bon Camino! (are you doing the central route or the coastal)
It's a long day, but you can travel by bus and/or train from Santiago to Coimbra without going to Lisbon first.
This being said, staying in Spain after Santiago will make logistics easier, and there is plenty to see and do between Santiago and Madrid: Lugo, León, Zamora, Salamanca, Ávila, Segovia...
I enjoyed all the places Balso just mentioned. Lugo, Salamanca, and Zamora are worth a night each, whereas León is worth a couple nights. Ávila is worth a couple hours. It would be a shame to by pass all of them simply to get back to Madrid.
