Travel
You will be most likely coming in by plane, as railway connections between Spain and the rest of Europe are not many. Here is some information that may be useful to you if you are:
Flying to A Coruña
There just a few international flights to A Coruña (Paris, Dublin, Milán and Geneva), so you will probably be coming from the two major airports in Spain, Madrid or Barcelona. Don't worry, the layover isn't usually long, and when you get here, you can take a bus directly to the city.
When you arrive to the airport, you can get to the city by taxi (expect to pay around 16€), or by taking bus A4 (1,60€, to be paid in cash), which can take you to an stop where you can take the urban bus. This bus runs every half an hour from 7:15 to 22:15, with extra departures at 6AM and 11PM.
Flying to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela has a much bigger international airport, as it is Galicia's capital. If you fly directly to Santiago (there are more international destinations available).
When you get to Santiago de Compostela, you can take line 6A from the airport directly to the train station (1€, paid in cash), where you will find frequent trains to A Coruña, for as low as 6€ and half an hour of train travel. Just be sure to buy your train ticket in advance, as otherwise you may not get one, in which case you will be able to travel by bus, conveniently located just besides the train station.
Flying to Madrid
After landing in Madrid, you can easily get a train to Coruña. It is quick, just 3h30 and easy to get to, and you just need to get a ticket in advanced. We recommended buying yours through the national operator's webpage: renfe.com.
Every train towards A Coruña departs from Madrid Chamartín. You can easily get there from the airport using:
- Cercanías: Renfe's commuter train service.
- Departing from Terminal T4 at Madrid Barajas Airport, you can take line C1 to Madrid Chamartín - Clara Campoamor (3 stops - 15 minutes). Then you just change to the High Speed platforms and board your train.
- If you land in Terminals T1, T2 or T3, there is a free bus to reach T4: more info.
- Expect your Cercanías ticket to cost 2,60€ and to be available from 5:40 to 23:48. You may get a single ticket ("billete sencillo") on Renfe's ticket machines (with an extra charge of 50 cents for a reusable +Renfe y Tú card), or go through the turnstiles with a contactless card both to enter and exit the Cercanías stations.
- Your AVE train ticket includes a 4-hour cercanías voucher you may use to get to the station(more info).
- Metro: You can take L8 from any terminal towards Nuevos Ministerios, and take L10 there towards Hospital Infanta Sofía. Take into account the Metro has a 3€ airport surcharge and the trip takes longer, so you are encouraged to use Cercanías instead if possible.
- Bus: ⚠️ Note there is no direct bus service from the airport to Chamartín. Private transfer services may exist (offered by some airlines or travel agencies), but EMT Madrid's "airport express" line takes you to a different station (Atocha) and costs 5€. You are encouraged to use Cercanías if possible.
To purchase the AVE train ticket you can do so through Renfe's webpage. There are usually two service options AVE and AVLO (and maybe some others connecting with regional services). Pick the one that suits you better based on the time you plan to arrive. The main difference between Renfe and AVLO is the latter charges you an extra for larger suitcases since it's a "low cost" service. You may also choose a fare that allows to change your ticket, if you're worried about arriving late.
Flying to Barcelona
Rail connections with Barcelona are sadly less than ideal compared with Madrid. You may have luck getting a flight from Barcelona to A Coruña for a similar price to the train options.
To get to A Coruña by train from Barcelona you have to go through Madrid. All trains towards Madrid depart from Barcelona Sants, which you can get easily by:
- Rodalíes: The Catalan Commuter train service departs from T2
- If you arrive on terminal 1, you need to use the free airport shuttle to get to Terminal 2 and catch the train there.
- Take line R2 Nord from the Aeroport T2 to Barcelona Sants (3 stops, 25 minutes). Then, just transfer to the High Speed platforms and board your train.
- Expect your Rodalies ticket to cost 5,50€, and to be available from 5:30 to 23:26 (approximately every 15 minutes, exact timetables here).
- Your AVE train ticket includes a 4-hour cercanías voucher you may use to get to the station(more info).
- Metro: You can take L9 Sud (orange line) towards Zona Universitaria at either terminal, and switch in Collblanc to L5 (blue line) towards Vall d'Hebrón. The price is 5,90 € taking into account it's a special airport fare.
- Aerobús: There are bus services (TMB line 46 and Aerobús A1) but they leave you at Plaça Espanya, 15 minutes away from Sants (walking). Additional services may exist offered by airlines or travel agencies, but you should consider the train instead. You are highly encouraged to use Cercanías.
To buy the AVE train ticket you can do so through Renfe's webpage. All services towards A Coruña are connections going through Madrid. While there are cheaper operators that run between Barcelona and Madrid, from Madrid to Coruña there are only Renfe trains. Be careful when combining operators, as the connection isn't guaranteed. If you get your tickets toghether from Renfe, your connection is guaranteed in case the first train runs late as long as you bought the tickets as a single journey.
Traveling by bus to A Coruña
You can check the bus options in this Ministry of Transportation website: https://apps.fomento.gob.es/portalsitranbus/servlet/ServletController?modulo=Localidades&accion=inicio
While this is an option, we recommend traveling by train, as it is cheaper and quicker.
Traveling by car to A Coruña
If you travel by car you'll be best by arranging a parking spot near your accomodation. Most hotels will have something available for a fee, and our recommended accomodation Residencia Rialta includes free parking.
During the event there will be parking spots in front of the building