In April 2026, a friend who has never been to Europe, and I will walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago. My husband will meet us in Santiago on Friday May 8 and, from there, we plan to travel to San Sebastian and fly home from Bilbao on Tuesday May 12.
I had no idea that Santiago was so far from those coastal cities. Can you recommend the most expedient ways to get from Santiago to Bilbao?
Thank you!
Plane is the fastest way. One of the many Caminos de Santiago (there´re at least 18) crosses the old quarter of Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastian has beautiful hikes covering the Northern Camino.
Thanks; plane it is!
Just a heads up:
Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ) is scheduled to close for runway renovations and infrastructure upgrades from April 23 to May 27, 2026, affecting flights during this approximately month-long period, so travelers, especially Camino de Santiago pilgrims, should plan for alternative transport like buses or nearby airports such as A Coruña (LCG) or Vigo (VGO).
I believe you will need to look into another flight/airport to get from Santiago to Bilbao. Often LCG or VGO fly to Madrid and then you'd need to catch a connecting flight to Bilbao.
Perhaps you can fly home from MAD instead of Bilbao.
Good luck with Google Flights.
Thank you so much! That explains my difficulty finding flights. I think we'll get transport to A Coruna airport and catch a flight from there to Bilbao via Madrid with an hour and 15 minute layover in Madrid. Does that sound practical? Thank you!
