Coach Rental Across Spain

Santiago de Compostela Airport, for Pilgrims and Their Families

Plenty of people landing at Santiago are pilgrims, or families coming to meet one at the cathedral. With 2027 a Holy Year, the city will be busier than usual, and a pre-booked minibus spares your group the queue for taxis.

At the airport

The single terminal has Arrivals on level P0. Aena has described a bus bay with twelve spaces in the barrier-controlled express area in front of Arrivals; its current pages do not detail it, so the operator confirms where your vehicle stops and where you meet. The express areas are meant for short stops, with a longer stay charged.

Mercedes-Benz Vito passenger van, front view
Mercedes-Benz Vito passenger van, front view

Into the old town

It is roughly 14 km to the Praza do Obradoiro, around 30 minutes. The old town is pedestrian, so vehicles do not reach hotels inside it. Groups get off at the coach bay on Xoán XXIII avenue, some 200 m short of the cathedral, where each entry allows 15 minutes; walk in from there and ask the hotel about moving the luggage separately.

Book rooms early. A Holy Year brings more pilgrims and groups, and hotel demand climbs from the end of 2026.

The terminals in brief

  • One passenger terminal (Arrivals on level P0, Departures on level P1)

Worth knowing at Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport

  • There is no railway station at the airport.
  • City bus line 6A links the airport with Santiago; other buses run to Lugo (via Arzúa and Melide) and to the A Coruña bus station.
  • The airport is about 10 km north-east of the city, in the municipalities of Santiago de Compostela, O Pino and Boqueixón.

Beyond Santiago

Galicia rewards a few days with a driver. From the city, Cambados and the Rías Baixas wine villages are about 62 km, and A Coruña about 75 km. Fisterra, the cape on the Atlantic, is about 86 km, close to 1 h 50 min on slow roads, so make it a full day.

What travellers ask us

Could we manage by public transport?

City bus 6A links the terminal with Santiago, and other buses run to A Coruña and Lugo, but there is no train. With rucksacks and walking poles, a bus is fine; with elderly parents it is a stretch.

Can we be collected at the end of the Camino rather than the airport?

Yes. Give the operator the town and the day you expect to finish, and the pick-up is planned there. The Monte do Gozo, on the Camino Francés, is where pilgrims first see the cathedral towers.

Our group walks with backpacks. Does that change the vehicle?

Backpacks take more room than people expect. A minibus seats 9 to 16, but with every seat taken its rear space is limited, so count the packs when you ask for a quote.

Why is 2027 a Holy Year?

Because 25 July, the feast of Saint James, falls on a Sunday in 2027. More pilgrims and groups come all year, so book rooms and transfers early and keep your dates firm.

Other places for your group

Other vehicles with a driver