Tips to do the Camino
Share
This small town in the province of Pontevedra, with just over 17,000 inhabitants, is located on the Spanish border with the neighbouring country, that is, Portugal, which is linked by road to Valença do Miño. Many pilgrims, who start their journey in Lisbon or Oporto, enter Galicia by crossing the iconic International Bridge to begin the final stages of the Portuguese route. Tui boasts excellent connections by any means of transport due to this border aspect.
How to get to Tui by air
The three closest airports to Tui are Oporto, Vigo and Santiago. Although from any of these airports, there are one or several transport combinations available: train, bus or taxi.
The best option is Vigo Airport, only 25 km from the town where the Camino (Way) starts. A city bus, that is, L9A, will take you to the Plaza Eugenio Fadrique. The fare costs 1.35 Euros and buses run every 30 minutes from Monday to Saturday and Sunday afternoons (morning services on Sundays and public holidays, every 60 minutes).
Once in Vigo, you can take a train to Tui. There are two trains per day ... the first train departs in the morning and the last train in the evening. The journey taking 42 minutes and fares cost approximately 4 Euros. However, it should be noted that the city of Pontevedra has two train stations: Vigo - Urzaiz and Vigo- Guixar. For direct services to Tui catch the train from the first station. To get to the station from the airport, take the city bus and get off at the "Urzaiz 13" bus stop so as to catch a connecting bus (L8, L16 or L24 lines).
If you would rather travel by road, Automóviles de Tuy has a line which connects Vigo with Tui with different weekday and weekend timetables. Ticket prices are approximately 3.15 Euros. You can also travel by taxi. The price can vary between 35 Euros on work days and 45 Euros on weekends and public holidays.
The other option is landing at Santiago. The Lavacolla Airport is located 124 km away from Tui and has several Freire company lines that travel into the city for €3 per journey, with stops at both the bus and train stations for the purposes of travelling onwards to Vigo.
If your adventure begins in Oporto, 119km from Tui, the Alsa bus company has direct connections to Valença do Minho or to Tui. Although should you prefer you can also travel by train to these municipalities.
But if you don't want to rely on timetables and rush start the trip, you can always rent a car from any airport.
By train
Located some 3.7 km away from Tui, is Guillarei (Pontevedra), an important railway point. Most trains stop at this town. The Renfe railway lines that start their journey in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante or Bilbao stop there.
You can travel to Tui by taxi from this station. Fares can vary between €6 and €9. But if you can't wait to start the Camino (Way), you can also leave the station on foot.
By bus
There are several companies that link Vigo with major Spanish cities. With Alsa you can get to Tui from Madrid, Seville or Bilbao. Furthermore, you can travel from the latter city and Barcelona with Mombus Vibasa national bus services.
How to get to Tui from Madrid or Barcelona?
If your Camino (Way) starts in any of these two cities, your trip to Tui will be easier. Both by air as well as by train or bus there are several options for choosing the one that best suits your plans.
From Madrid to Tui. The easiest option is a direct train to Guillerai. You can also go by bus, although the drawback is that there is no direct route to Tui From the Madrid Estación Sur (bus station), there are bus lines that connect with Vigo. However you must afterwards connect with the Avanza Bus services for travelling onwards to Tui. This company offers an Express service, the journey takes 7 hours. The regular trip takes nearly 9 hours.
The fastest option is to travel by air. From the capital you can get to the Peinador Airport with: Iberia, Vueling and Air Europa. The first two companies and Ryanair also have direct flights to Santiago.
From Barcelona to Tui. From the city of Barcelona you can catch a plane to Vigo or Santiago, given the fact that more than 1,000 kilometres separate both cities. Iberia, Ryanair or Vueling are the companies which fly this route and the trip only takes 1 hour and 50 minutes.
You can also make the journey by train. Just like from the capital, there is a train line that leaves the Barcelona-Sants Station and arrives at Guillarei. Although it's not the best option if you're in a hurry. The journey takes 14 hours. The journey will be a bit shorter if travelling by bus from Barcelona to Vigo, as the journey time is two hours shorter.
With these guidelines, getting to Tui will be easy and once you're on the left bank of the Miño River, you can start your Camino (Way). There are six stages ahead of you, some 120km, in which you can enjoy the Galician landscape, gastronomy and culture. Remember that if you do not want or cannot carry your backpack on your back, the luggage transport service (Paq Mochila) is available on the Portuguese Way from Tui
If you haven't yet finished organising your trip, in "El Camino con Correos" (The Camino (Way) with Correos") we provide all the information you need as regards the Portuguese Way Stages and the accommodation options available on the route. But if you're still not sure, the Postman's Tips will help you in not missing out on a single thing.
Your email address will not be published.
Mandatory fields are marked with *
