Santander has an important network of infrastructures that makes it an easily accessible city. There are several ways of travelling to Santander, including plane, train and coach.
Plane
The closest airports to Santander are (a) Seve Ballesteros-Santander and (b) Bilbao International.
(a) Seve Ballesteros-Santander airport
Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport (IATA: SDR; OACI: LEXJ) is located 5 km from the city center and the university campus. The airport offers flights to various Spanish and European cities through airlines such as Iberia/Air Nostrum, Volotea, Ryanair, and Vueling. Destinations can be found here. To get from the airport to the residence, you can either take a bus or a taxi.
- By bus. Airport -> Santander Main Bus station -> Mi Campus Santander residence
- From the airport to Santander main station (Estación de autobuses de Santander), take the direct S4 bus of the company Alsa. The journey takes under 15 minutes and the bus stop is situated in front of the airport arrivals hall exit (see images below). Buses operate every 40 minutes from 7:20 to 22:30 (see the timetable; select ‘Aeropuerto [Maliaño]’). Tickets, priced at around 3.20€, can be purchased directly on board, with both cash and card payments accepted.
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- From the Main Bus station head for Calvo Sotelo 1 bus stop (link) to take the 6C1 bus of TUS Santander Company (blue and white buses). Then, get off at Cardenal Herrera Oria 26 (in front of Mi Campus Santander residence). The ticket price is 1.30€ and can be purchased directly from the bus driver. Note that this bus operates from 07:05 to 21:35. To estimate the arrival time at Calvo Sotelo stop, add 25 minutes to the times listed here.
- By taxi. Taxi service from the airport to the city is about 20€.
(b) Bilbao International airport
Bilbao International Airport (IATA: BIO, OACI: LEBB) is about 120 km from Santander. It has flights to several Spanish and European cities. Destinations can be found here. There are two options to get from the airport to the residence: by bus and by taxi.
- By bus. Airport -> Bilbao Intermodal Station -> Santander Main Bus station -> Mi Campus Santander residence
- From the Airport to Bilbao Intermodal Station, take bus A3247 of the company Bizkaibus. It takes less than 40 minutes. The bus stop is located in front of the exit of the arrivals hall; follow the instructions in the airport. Buses operate every 15-20 minutes. You get off the bus at the fourth stop, also named Bilbao Intermodal. Tickets can be bought in the arrivals zone of the airport near the playground. See the schedule here. Tickets are about 3€.
- From Bilbao Intermodal to Santander Main Bus station (Estación de autobuses de Santander), take a bus from the Alsa company. It takes 90 minutes to get to Santander. Tickets can be bought in advance here: (Point of departure: Bilbao Intermodal; Destination: Santander). The ticket is about 12€.
- From the Main Bus station head for Calvo Sotelo 1 bus stop (link) to take the 6C1 bus of TUS Santander Company (blue and white buses). Then, get off at Cardenal Herrera Oria 26 (in front of Mi Campus Santander residence). The ticket price is 1.30€ and can be purchased directly from the bus driver. Note that this bus operates from 07:05 to 21:35. To estimate the arrival time at Calvo Sotelo stop, add 25 minutes to the times listed here.
Train
Santander has two railway stations corresponding to two companies (RENFE and FEVE), located in two close buildings.
- RENFE connects Santander with Madrid, Palencia, Valladolid and Alicante. This railway company has a radial track network, the centre of which is the capital of Spain. Tickets can be obtained here: https://www.renfe.com/es/en FEVE connects the city to Bilbao, Oviedo and other towns in Cantabria.
- FEVE connects the city to Bilbao, Oviedo and other towns in Cantabria.
- From the Main Train station head for Calvo Sotelo 1 bus stop (link) to take the 6C1 bus of TUS Santander Company (blue and white buses). Then, get off at Cardenal Herrera Oria 26 (in front of Mi Campus Santander residence). The ticket price is 1.30€ and can be purchased directly from the bus driver. Note that only cash payments are accepted for ticket purchases.
Coach
The coach station is in the city centre, near the train station. Santander is connected both nationally (Madrid and Barcelona) and internationally (e.g., France) by bus. Bus availability can be found at: https://transportedecantabria.es/web/ctl/resultados/-/buscador [Origen (Point of departure), Destino (Destination), Fecha (Date)]. After the search, you will find the company offering that service in the column (empresa). Most of the trips are offered by Alsa, and tickets can often be obtained online: https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/home
From the Main Bus station head for Calvo Sotelo 1 bus stop (link) to take the 6C1 bus of TUS Santander Company (blue and white buses). Then, get off at Cardenal Herrera Oria 26 (in front of Mi Campus Santander residence). The ticket price is 1.30€ and can be purchased directly from the bus driver. Note that only cash payments are accepted for ticket purchases.