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| Home > City Guide - Santiago de Compostela - Getting There By Water | ||
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Getting There By Water Galicia has a strong maritime tradition and, although inland, Santiago de Compostela is close enough to the Galician coast to have several ports of access for smaller vessels. Vigo, Pontevedra and A Coruña are the chief local ports. The nearest major ferry ports are Santander (tel: (942) 214 500) and Bilbao (tel: (944) 234 477), both on the north coast of Spain. Facilities at Santander include a cafeteria, supermarket and Hertz car hire. Bilbao is much smaller with only basic facilities. The drive from both ports is popular, albeit long, because it gives drivers the choice of following the old Pilgrim’s Way or the north coast route along Spain’s Costa Verde. There are separate port authorities for the various ports and harbours around Spain – Santander (tel: (942) 203 600; website: www.puertosantander.es) and Bilbao (tel: (944) 871 200; website: www.bilbaoport.es). Ferry services: Britanny Ferries (tel: (0870) 556 1600, UK number; website: www.brittanyferries.co.uk) runs services from Plymouth to Santander (March-November/December), while P&O Ferries (tel: (0870) 242 4999, UK number; website: www.poportsmouth.com) has regular crossings from Portsmouth to Bilbao. Arrival/departure tax: None. Transport to the city: The usual approach to Santiago de Compostela is by road (journey time – 9 hours) and there are two buses a day from Santander (journey time – 11 hours). Trains leave daily, twice from Santander via Palencia (journey time – 12 hours) and once from Bilbao (journey time – 11 hours). |
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