Getting to Hike Pyrenees

Transfers from other locations

Some of our itineraries have transfers from other locations. These are as follows:

Catalan Pyrenees: transfers from Barcelona (central Sants train station and the airport)
Walking in Wine Country: transfers from Barcelona (central Sants train station and the airport)
Picos de Europa: transfers from Bilbao (central train station and the airport)

Please see the details for each itinerary for more information about these transfers.

Flying from the UK

London Stansted to Zaragoza
From the UK the simplest way to get to Zaragoza is on the Ryan Air flight from London Stansted. There are flights 4 days a week (Saturdays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). Flights start from under £100 and are generally cheaper the earlier you book.

Our standard transfers meet the Saturday flights, but we can arrange private transfers from either Zaragoza airport or train station any day of the week.

Saturday flight times (other days times differ):

Arrival: Depart Stansted 11:50, arrive Zaragoza 15:05
Return: Depart Zaragoza 15:40, arrive Stansted 16:45
Our airport transfers meet these flight times.

Zaragoza is a great city with lots to see and it’s worth adding an extra night or two in the city to visit the Goya Museum and the Basilica of the Pilar.

Flying to Barcelona/Madrid
If Stansted isn’t convenient for you there are flights from many UK airports to Barcelona and Madrid. The AVE fast train links either of these cities to Zaragoza where we’ll meet you at the train station.

From outside Europe

Barcelona and Madrid are the two biggest international airports in Spain and if you’re arriving from the US, Canada, Australia or other international destinations they are the best airports to fly to.
There are excellent rail links from both Barcelona and Madrid to Zaragoza where we’ll meet you at the train station.

Alternatively hire a car from Barcelona or Madrid and drive to the Pyrenees. All of the major car hire companies have offices at both airports and it takes around four hours to drive to us (slightly longer from Madrid).
Both cities are fantastic places to spend a few days before or after hiking in the Pyrenees.

Zaragoza rail links

Zaragoza has excellent rail connections with both Madrid and Barcelona on the AVE high speed train. Travelling at over 200 km/h the journey takes only 1 ½ hours from either Barcelona-Sants or Madrid Puerta de Atocha stations with a return ticket costing around 90 euros. There are trains roughly every hour and they are very comfortable.

For more information and train times give us a call or visit www.renfe.com – click on ‘welcome’ for the English version of the site. We have to admit the RENFE site, although the offical rail site, is not the most user friendly, and tickets only go on sale 3 months in advance. You may instead want to look at thetrainline.com which is easier to use and puts tickets on sale earlier.

Read more about getting to us by public transport.

Renting a car

If you’re coming on a self guided holiday then there are a number of airports that are within driving distance.
Zaragoza is the nearest airport although there are only flights from London Stansted and a few other European locations. For information on car hire read our renting a car in Zaragoza page.
Barcelona is the airport most commonly used as there are flights from many UK airports as well as lots of international flights from the USA, Canada and the rest of the world. Barcelona is about a four hour drive from us. All of the major hire car companies have offices at the airport. If you want to rent a car, just drop us an email and we’ll send you a qoute.
If you’re flying into Barcelona it’s just as quick and cheaper to rent a car directly from Barcelona airport rather than go to Zaragoza first – it’s around a 4 hour drive but this works out quicker by the time you factor in time for the train journey and getting between the airport and the train station. In addition you don’t have to worry about matching up your train departure with your flight arrival time.
Principal airports and driving times are:
Barcelona – 4 hours                     Madrid – 4 ½ hours
Toulouse – 4 hours                      Zaragoza – 2 hours
Bilbao – 4 hours                          Pau – 2 hours
Lourdes (Tarbes) – 2½ hours        Pamplona – 2 hours

Bus connections

The bus network in Spain is excellent and tickets are cheap. The nearest bus station is Sabiñanigo and from there you can catch a cab to Biescas or Panticosa. If you’re coming from Barcelona or Zaragoza change at Huesca. If you’re coming from the west (Pamplona or Bilbao) change at Jaca. View routes and timetables at www.avanzabus.com

Ferries

Brittany Ferries have three routes from the UK to Spain: Portsmouth-Bilbao, Portsmouth-Santander and  Plymouth-Santander.  The ferries are a great way to travel and have private cabins, restaurants, bars and viewing decks. All of the routes allow you to take your own car and crossings take around 24 hours.
The drive to Hike Pyrenees from Bilbao takes four hours and four and a half hours from Santander. Visit www.brittany-ferries.co.uk for timetables and prices.

Driving through France

Driving  through France is an option. Allow about 15 hours driving from the northern ports. Taking the ferry one way and then meandering back through France over a few days is an excellent option.