Bus and Train Hubs Along The French Camino

[dpatterson0516]

Greetings

I have searched for transportation information along the Camino Frances. I am considering spending time in Paris and at Juno Beach (I'm Canadian) prior to starting the French Camino next fall. I won't be walking the last 100 km. I had that experience 3 times in a 14-month period 2022-2023, resulting in 4 Compostelas and a Salvadoran. I will probably stop before Sarria. I am trying to decide whether to fly to Toronto from Paris or Porto. The deciding factor is the transportation options and costs from my last Camino town to the airport.

If there is a thread that I haven't found. Please let me know. If anyone on the forum has managed a similar situation, I'd love to learn from your experience.
I am a planner and generally research and plan well in advance of my trips and I have walked the Norte, Primitivo, San Salvador, Portugues Coastal from Porto, and Portugues Central from Lisbon (advice on that one: start in Tomar).

The other complicating factor is the Summer Olympics that will be held in Paris next July and August which will put a lot of pressure on French accommodations next summer. That pressure is expected to carry into the fall.

 

[J Willhaus]

There are train and bus connections in Ponferrada and Sarria. Santiago also has bus and train connections. Bus or train to Santiago and then bus to Porto? You could also walk the Invierno from Ponferrada to see something different.

Otherwise, Leon, Burgos, Logrono and Pamplona have train connections and I think Sahagun and Fromista have train stations. I usually fly in and out of Madrid so can't say about connections in Portugal or Paris. Also good bus connections from those cities to Madrid.

 

[CWBuff]

What @J Willhaus said. (Yes Sahagun & Fromista have train stations; IIRC bus as well)

 

[alexwalker]

Greetings

I have searched for transportation information along the Camino Frances. I am considering spending time in Paris and at Juno Beach (I'm Canadian) prior to starting the French Camino next fall. I won't be walking the last 100 km. I had that experience 3 times in a 14-month period 2022-2023, resulting in 4 Compostelas and a Salvadoran. I will probably stop before Sarria. I am trying to decide whether to fly to Toronto from Paris or Porto. The deciding factor is the transportation options and costs from my last Camino town to the airport.

If there is a thread that I haven't found. Please let me know. If anyone on the forum has managed a similar situation, I'd love to learn from your experience.
I am a planner and generally research and plan well in advance of my trips and I have walked the Norte, Primitivo, San Salvador, Portugues Coastal from Porto, and Portugues Central from Lisbon (advice on that one: start in Tomar).

The other complicating factor is the Summer Olympics that will be held in Paris next July and August which will put a lot of pressure on French accommodations next summer. That pressure is expected to carry into the fall.

Train is a great way to travel in Spain. Fast, comfortable, always on time, and you can sip a glass of red/have a sandwich in the restaurant coche.

I do not know your age: If you are 60+, the Spanish railway www,renfe.com has a year-long (12 months from purchase date; you can buy it at any railway station in Spain) offer of 25% discount on train travels in Spain, called Tarjeta Dorada.

A train from SdC to Madrid will take 5 nice hours, and I believe there now also exists a high-speed train that does it in 2-2.5 hours. Explore Madrid for a day or two before returning home, is my suggestion...

There are many places along the CF with railway stations.

Also, for travel planning anywhere, use this website to discover options/prices:

www.RomeToRio.com

Buen Camino!

 

[Anhalter]

While i have not taken a train or bus myself on the Frances i noticed quite the decent infrastructure even in smaller towns. There most likely won't be a bus option in every little village, but i guess you can find one always within a days walk. Might not be many daily connections, but when your plans will get more tangible (that the right word??) you will be able to come up with a viable option. ("ok, i should make my way back in 4-5 days. Oh, there is a bus in Ledigos running twice a day, so i might end my day there in 2 days, take the morning bus to Sahagun, train from there to...")

 

[t2andreo]

Greetings

I have searched for transportation information along the Camino Frances. I am considering spending time in Paris and at Juno Beach (I'm Canadian) prior to starting the French Camino next fall. I won't be walking the last 100 km. I had that experience 3 times in a 14-month period 2022-2023, resulting in 4 Compostelas and a Salvadoran. I will probably stop before Sarria. I am trying to decide whether to fly to Toronto from Paris or Porto. The deciding factor is the transportation options and costs from my last Camino town to the airport.

If there is a thread that I haven't found. Please let me know. If anyone on the forum has managed a similar situation, I'd love to learn from your experience.
I am a planner and generally research and plan well in advance of my trips and I have walked the Norte, Primitivo, San Salvador, Portugues Coastal from Porto, and Portugues Central from Lisbon (advice on that one: start in Tomar).

The other complicating factor is the Summer Olympics that will be held in Paris next July and August which will put a lot of pressure on French accommodations next summer. That pressure is expected to carry into the fall.

From St. Jean Pied de Port, and westward, there are good transportation connections, bus and maybe train, at:

Pamplona
Logroño
Burgos
Sahagun
Leon
Astorga
Sarria

Consult Rome2Rio.com for available means and links to schedules.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[oursonpolaire]

Almost every pueblo in Spain has a bus out in the morning to the nearest local city, and back in the afternoon (subsidized, of course, but local governments are aware that many people do not have cars-- would that Canadian municipalities could figure this out!)

Ponferrada to Porto through Vigo looks like the simplest, but it would depend on your final stage-- otherwise the train from Sarria through Monforte de Lemnos looks easiest.

 

[JerryStroebele]

One month ago today I took the diesel train from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Bayonne and the TGV from there to Paris. Celebrated with a first class ticket (anyway, it was a holiday and second class was sold out). About 130 euros. Delightful. I have uses Renfe from/to Madrid and various cities along the Frances, including Santiago de Compostela. Delightful. Buen Camino and my respects and thanks to Canadians at Juno Beach and Dieppe.

 

[Derek Booth]

When I 'did' the Frances in 2019 I flew from the UK to Bilbao and then bussed down to Pamplona to start there.

With that in mind, I had a look at connections, flight wise from Paris to Bilbao. I have to admit I didn't look for August, looking as I did for April/May 2024 but notwithstanding, there were numerous flights a day. Something to have a look at.