I’m flying to Valencia today to travel around other parts of Spain with a buddy. valencia is my other potential destination city to settle down in. I’ve tried Seville and Barcelona. Santiago de Compostela so far is my favorite, Seville and Barcelona were too metropolitan for me.
So, how do you get from Santiago de Compostela to the airport? You can take a cab by using a taxi app or walking over to a taxi stand. I don’t like using car for environmental reasons. I usually use public transport and except for a few glitches, it wasn’t too bad of a trip.
The bus ticket was only €3 and the travel time was 20 minutes. I decided to buy the ticket online which was a great idea in hindsight.
Bus: Empresa Freire
The longer destination buses are operated by private companies and Empresa Freire is the one that goes to the the Santiago de Compostela airport – SCQ.
You can buy the ticket online and you’ll be sent a link for the pdf file to download. Unfortunately, you’ll need to print it. The bus dude had a heart attack when I showed up with the barcode on my phone.
Poor guy, he wasn’t even able to scan it, he tried. But I got to the bus late so he just let it go. Do people still use printers? I haven’t owned one in 4 years.
Why did I get to the bus late? I’d been waiting in the bus station for 25 minutes, just not in the right place. The private buses leave from downstairs – one level below the main bus station. The regular city buses stop on the main level.
Santiago de Compostela Bus Station
This bus station I’m referring to is the main bus station; everyone just calls it “the bus station”. From here you can go to A Coruña and Vigo. It was an easy walk to the station since I happen to live nearby.
There are multiple private bus companies operating and they each have a counter. But buy your tickets ahead of time because the hours of the counters vary.
I was leaving at 6:50am and all of the counters were closed. Not sure how I would have bought my ticket. Maybe there were automatic ticket booths downstairs. I probably could have paid inside the bus as well? No idea.
Santiago de Compostela Airport – SCQ
Like most European airports, taking flights around Spain is very easy. The bust takes you straight to the gate and you go upstairs to the departures.
I flew on Ryanair. No need to take off your shoes or jackets or belts. You just put down your bag, it goes through the xray machine, and you walk to your gate.
Unlike the bus ticket, your airline ticket can be on your phone and you can scan it in order to get into the terminal. You’ll show your ID once at the gate.
From Airport to the City
For those who want to take the bus from the SCQ airport into the city, it’s super easy. There is only one exit from that airport and it takes you right to the bus station.
You can pay for a ticket either in cash or using your credit card, €3. The bus then takes you into the city. Done.
2 replies on “Santiago de Compostela Bus to the Airport – SCQ”
Cool doc. Sounds like traveling is a breeze. How’s Valencia?
Great city, it’s huge. Solid public transportation, a lot less air pollution than I expected. A shit ton of tourists, mostly German, in the city center. Very friendly Spanish people, mostly young. Everyone is fit and slender and walks around. Food is expensive at restaurants by Spanish standards but cheap by US fine dining standards. The clubs are amazing! Open until 7am. Great techno and house music. The city has a ton of bike paths and a lot of people on electric scooters. Tons of cabs everywhere. Lot of rich people everyone, dressed up, shopping at fancy clothing boutiques. Feels very safe, people walking alone late at night.