Roa, Salas de los Infantes and Espinosa de los Monteros: getting from the Ribera, the Demanda and Las Merindades to the hospital, Burgos station and the airports

Why do these three towns need different answers?

Burgos is one of the largest provinces in Spain, and these three towns show it: between Espinosa de los Monteros, almost on the border with Cantabria, and Roa, on the banks of the Duero, you have to cross the whole province from north to south. Salas de los Infantes lies to the south-east, on the Soria road, near the Sierra de la Demanda and the Arlanza valley. Each has its own axis: Roa lives looking towards Aranda de Duero and the A-1; Salas, towards the N-234 and the capital; Espinosa, towards the northern valleys, the Burgos road and, for many things, Bizkaia and Cantabria. That is why this guide does not try to join them into one route, but deals with each case separately and leaves what they do have in common for the end.

What they share is a reliance on the capital for whatever cannot be sorted out locally. The Hospital Universitario de Burgos is the reference hospital for the whole province and takes patients from very distant areas, for whom an appointment usually takes up the entire day. Rosa de Lima station, in the north of the city and far from the historic centre, handles the fast trains to Madrid via Valladolid, and no town in the province has a direct, frequent connection to it. On top of that, away from the A-1, public transport between districts is thin and usually means going through the capital. In that setting a car with a driver is not a luxury, but the way to make in a day a journey that by coach would take half a day or would not fit the appointment.

How does someone from Roa get around: Aranda, Burgos or Madrid?

Roa is a historic town of the Ribera del Duero, with remains of its walls, the former collegiate church of Santa María and the headquarters of the Regulatory Council of the Ribera del Duero designation of origin. For everyday life its reference is Aranda, a short distance away: that is where the shops, a good part of the errands and the Hospital Santos Reyes are, and Sacyl lists the Roa basic health zone in that hospital's area. A transfer from Roa to Aranda costs from 39,09 €, useful for an appointment or for someone who does not drive. For specialities not handled in Aranda, patients go to the university hospital in Burgos, and then the trip gets longer and it is worth booking both ways with time to spare for the wait.

Towards Madrid, Roa has the advantage of being in the south of the province: you pick up the A-1 at Aranda and head down over Somosierra, without going through the city of Burgos. The A-1 enters Madrid from the north, so Barajas is close at hand via the M-40 without crossing the city, and Chamartín station is 168 km from Roa. The Somosierra pass is the stretch that changes most in winter, with snow or ice possible early in the morning. Wine also creates the opposite journey: visitors who come from Madrid or from the station and want to tour Ribera wineries without driving back. Wineries run on fixed timetables, so the practical thing is to book the visits first and give the driver the order of each one.

What are the options from Salas de los Infantes, between the Arlanza and the Demanda?

Salas de los Infantes sits on the N-234, the road linking Burgos with Soria, and is the largest town in its surroundings, with the Sierra de la Demanda to the east and the Arlanza valley to the west. Its name recalls the legend of the seven princes of Lara, and its dinosaur museum displays finds from the area, which draws families with children. For hospital care, the reference is the university hospital in the capital, and an appointment becomes a full-day trip for anyone who does not drive or would rather not in winter. Between Salas and Burgos the coach has few departures, and they do not always fit an early appointment or a return after a test that runs long, which is exactly when the car solves the problem.

Salas's position also makes it a starting point for two of the province's most requested visits: the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, known for its Romanesque cloister and the Gregorian chant of its monks, and Covarrubias, a medieval town in the Arlanza valley. They lie in an area of minor roads with no practical regular transport, and a transfer from Salas to Silos costs from 32,81 €. Anyone staying in Salas or in the Demanda villages can link both visits in a day with the pickup agreed at the end. Towards Madrid, from Salas you can head down towards the Ribera to pick up the A-1 at Aranda or go up to Burgos; the route engine works out the shortest way for the exact address.

How do you get out of Espinosa de los Monteros, in the north of Las Merindades?

Espinosa de los Monteros is the home of the Monteros de Espinosa, the former personal guard of the kings, and lies in the north of Las Merindades, among green valleys and passes leading to Cantabria. It is one of the towns furthest from the capital, and the way to Burgos runs on mountain roads that can be icy in winter. An appointment at the university hospital means about 108 min each way in daytime, plus the wait and the return, so it takes up the entire day. For someone who lives alone or is older, the sensible thing is to book both ways at once and tell the driver the appointment may run late, so the pickup can be adjusted without any rush.

Espinosa has a station on the narrow-gauge line linking Bilbao with León, with very few services a day and timetables published by Renfe; it is useful for some trips towards Bizkaia, but it does not connect with high-speed services. For the fast train to Madrid you have to go to Rosa de Lima in Burgos, and from Las Merindades there is no coach that arrives in time for the first trains. In summer the area fills with second homes and traffic flows the other way: families arriving from Bilbao, from Madrid or from Burgos station with luggage for several weeks who need a car with enough boot space. It is worth saying when booking how many people and how much luggage are travelling, and whether a child seat is needed.

Which airport suits each town: Barajas, Bilbao or Villafría?

The answer changes from one town to the next. For Roa and Salas de los Infantes, Barajas is the natural airport, with the A-1 as the axis: from Salas the journey takes around 172 min in daytime, with a pickup at home and a drop at the terminal. For Espinosa de los Monteros the sums are different: Barajas is 328 km away, and Bilbao airport, at Loiu, with far more routes than any airport in Castilla y León, is usually a good deal closer. Before booking it is worth comparing flights at both airports and, if your destination flies from Bilbao, asking for the price with the exact address in the calculator, which gives the fixed figure from any town in the area.

Burgos airport, at Villafría, east of the capital, has very little commercial activity, so before booking a transfer there you need to confirm that the flight really leaves from that terminal; Aena publishes the routes in force at each airport. For early flights at Barajas, no train from the province arrives in time, and from Roa or Salas a car from home avoids spending the night before in Madrid. On the way back it works the same way: the driver waits in arrivals with a name sign and follows the flight if it is delayed. The price is per car, so a family coming home from holiday shares a single amount, something a coach or train ticket, paid per person, does not allow.

What changes with winter, summer and trips for families and older people?

In winter, frost and fog are common across the province in the morning. The Somosierra pass on the A-1 can have snow or ice, which affects anyone leaving Roa or Salas for Madrid, and the roads in Las Merindades mean going more slowly on the mountain stretches. For an early flight or train it is worth leaving earlier and checking road conditions with the DGT. In summer the calendar fills up differently: in late June the San Pedro and San Pablo festivities in the capital stretch the nights out, in August the Sonorama festival fills Aranda, close to Roa, and in September and October the grape harvest multiplies winery visits in the Ribera. On those dates it is worth booking the transfer well in advance.

For older people living in these towns whose family is far away, the transfer to an appointment can be booked from another city, with the traveller's phone number so the driver can let them know on arrival. If a wheelchair-adapted vehicle is needed, say so when booking. It is not medical transport: it is a car with a driver to get to and from an appointment, and it does not replace an ambulance when the patient's condition requires one. For families, the useful thing is to mention the number of child seats and the luggage, especially on holiday trips to Las Merindades. In every case the price is fixed before confirming, with VAT and an invoice if requested, and the waiting and cancellation conditions are on the help page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Sacyl · Hospital Santos Reyes de Aranda de Duero: área de influencia y zonas básicas de salud (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Turismo de Castilla y León · Roa en la Ruta del Duero (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Renfe · horarios de alta velocidad desde Burgos y de la línea Bilbao–León (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Aena · aeropuertos de Madrid-Barajas, Bilbao y Burgos (consulted on 29 October 2026)