Get to st jean pied de port from canada

[yuling]

Can anybody tell me what is the most ecnomical way to get to the Camino france starting point St jean pied de port from vancouvet canada? I found flight directly is very expensive.

Another question is can i hide a bike from the beginning and return it at the end of the journey ?

Thanks

Yuling

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Round trip tickets to Madrid seem to be the most economical. You can take a bus/train to Pamplona, then a bus to SJPdP. At the end you can take a very uncomfortable bus overnight to the Madrid airport, or take the train during the day and stay the night in Madrid.

There are bicycle rental companies. Check the Forum for a thread.

 

[AbbyDee]

Can anybody tell me what is the most ecnomical way to get to the Camino france starting point St jean pied de port from vancouvet canada? I found flight directly is very expensive.

Another question is can i hide a bike from the beginning and return it at the end of the journey ?

Thanks

Yuling

I can't help you with the bike. However with the other there are many options. Take a flight to London, and then ryannaire or some other company to Bayonne. Then the train to SJPdP.
Or take a flight to Paris, and from there you have a choice to fly to Barritz then bus it across town to Bayonne and take the train to SJPdP. Or there is a shuttle service from the Barritz airport to SJPdP. Or you can take the train from Paris to Bayonne.

Hope this helps

 

[whariwharangi]

SJPdP is connected to Bayonne by SNCF train usually 4 times daily.

SJPdP is connected to Pamplona by CONDA (ALSA) bus ... several daily in summer and none in winter.

Pamplona is connected to Madrid and the rest of Spain by Renfe Train, ALSA bus, and Autocares PLM bus. There is an airport PNA that has flights from Madrid.

Bayonne is connected to Paris, Irun/Hendaye and the rest of France by SNCF train.

The closest airport to SJPdP is Biarritz BIQ. It is connected to several European airports by discount airlines. There are flights from London, Paris, Dublin, and Madrid to name a few. There is Chronoplus bus #14 connects airport to Gare Bayonne.

The closest airport to SJPdP in Spain is San Sebastian EAS with flights to Madrid and Barcelona. Its located at the border with France at Irun/Hendaye. There are SNCF trains and Transports64 buses to Bayonne.

A major factor in planning is getting home from Santiago. Santiago has an Airport SCQ. Santiago is connected to the rest of Spain, Portugal, and France by Renfe Train. There are buses that connect to everywhere too.

Aena manages Spain's airports. Websites indicate service providers and destinations.
http://www.aena.es/en/madrid-barajas-airport/index.html#

Biarritz BIQ
http://biarritz.aeroport.fr/en/

Paris Airports CDG and ORLY
http://www.parisaeroport.fr/en

ANA manages airports in Portugal
https://www.ana.pt/pt/institucional/home

SNCF train
http://www.sncf.com/

Renfe train
http://www.renfe.com/

Pamplona bus station
http://www.estaciondeautobusesdepamplona.com/Inicio.aspx.html

Santiago bus station
http://www.tussa.org/

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Always hard to say what is least expensive because airlines are always changing prices and running specials. For example, Westjet has a special of CAN$741 return from YVR to Gatwick return, a cheap commuter from there to Bayonne and your total cost is well under $1,000. You can always search for cheaper and hopefully you will get lucky!

 

[JP]

I had a very good price from Air Transat from Montreal to Bordeaux and return from Madrid.

 

[Rick M]

From Vancouver, check out KLM flights to Bordeaux or Biarritz via Amsterdam. Same thing on Air France via Paris, although they don't fly every day. You can also try Gatwick, and pick up a separate cheap ticket from there. Once in Bordeaux or Biarrittz, a train will get you to SJPP. Be flexible on the day of the week you fly to find the best deal.

 

[whariwharangi]

I went Vancouver to Heathrow. National Express bus from Heathrow to Stansted. Overnight Stansted. RyanAir from Stansted to Biarritz. Chronoplus bus 14 to Gare Bayonne. SNCF train from Bayonne to SJPdP.

Homeward bound. Renfe train Santiago to Madrid (where I intended to spend some time) Easy Jet from Madrid to London Gatwick. National Express bus from Gatwick to Heathrow. Heathrow to Ottawa/Vancouver. (I went home early and got lucky to get last seat on a flight just before Christmas via Ottawa).

This route is efficient. There are lots of flights Vancouver to London; most flights to Paris, Madrid, etc travel via London. However, London is expensive. The bus between airports cost as much as the (cheap) flights with EasyJet and RyanAir. UK customs is like Canada where they ask an impertinent quiz ... unlike Europe where they efficiently look at your document and stamp it. The bonus for travel via London is its out of Schengen area, London is connected by cheap flights to all of Europe making it a good way point, and they speak English (a bonus when jet lagged).

 

[Kennedy1]

I am flying from Halifax to Dublin via St. John's on May 1 for $610. Plus $69. For seat assignment return. from there I fly with Ryanair to Biarritz. For me this was the cheapest I could find.

 

[Kennedy1]

I forgot to put, the flight is with WestJet.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I forgot to put, the flight is with WestJet.

From Montreal to Dublin with West Jet it's a 17 hour flight!
Mind you, with Air Canada we habe to fly to Germany and then to Spain, so that is also not happening. So I have started flying Airtransat which is a direct flight to Madrid, Malaga or Barcelona.

Now, prices people are posting may be very different than what is currently available on the market as to get super prices you need to book weeks in advance.

 

[jmcarp]

Can anybody tell me what is the most ecnomical way to get to the Camino france starting point St jean pied de port from vancouvet canada? I found flight directly is very expensive.
...

Try rome2rio.com. They will give you numerous alternatives for airlines, trains, bus, or auto rental.

 

[NorthernLight]

Depending on when you book, you may find good deals with Air Transat. Fly in to Paris or Bordeaux, train to Bayonne/SJPDP, walk to Santiago, bus to Porto, Portugal and fly from Porto back to Canada, again with Air Transat.

Porto is a short bus ride from Santiago and the bus stops at that airport before arriving in Porto city.

 

[JulieandPeter]

What month will you be travelling? In September, Norwegian Air will be flying round trip and nonstop from Seattle to London (Gatwick) for $650 (if you want meals and checked luggage OR $480 round trip if you carry on your luggage, pay for food on board, and do not care where you sit). This price is for departing 9/27 and returning 10/27. Fall might also be better for cycling because there will be fewer people on the Camino, however, there may be more difficult cycling conditions (rain and mud). Best of luck to you and happy planning!

 

[camino-david]

As others have said, consider your return flight. IMHO, I would fly to Madrid, then bus or train Pamplona and bus to St Jean. When your Camino is finished, it is easy to get from Santiago to Madrid by train or bus. To get the cheapest flights, use Skyscanner which will show the cheapest flights in every month, and then see if your Camino will fit between those dates.
For example: Lufthansa/Air Canada, Dep.Vancouver 1 May to Madrid, 1 stop at Toronto; return by Lufthansa/Air Canada 1 June from Madrid; 1 stop at Toronto, Total cost $1373. There are other airlines on same dates for $1374. With these prices in mind, go to one or more local travel agents to see if they can beat the price. Arrival time in Madrid is 0755 so it is possible to get to St Jean the same day depending on when you travel. But you would need a rest day to recover from the jet lag.
I have used hypothetical dates to get an idea, but you can put in your own dates on Skyscanner, and they will give you the fares for all airlines on that date

 

[camino-david]

I forgot to reply to your question about a bike, and I am sorry that I cannot give you a definite answer. But I have met two pilgrims on bikes they had obtained whilst on the Camino. One man hired his bike and it cost a lot of money, something like 350 euros. The other bought his new bike for around 200 euros from Decathalon (the largest sports store company in the world) and gave it away in Santiago. Decathalon is a very large sports dept store and I believe there is a branch in St Jean as well as other cities along the Camino. I have been using the web to find the locations of Decathalon's stores, but the site is down at the moment. They definitely have a store in Pamplona

 

[Canucks]

We did Vancouver to Paris, hopped a train upon arrival to Bordeaux. Stayed in Bordeaux that night to help with jet lag. Bordeaux to Bayonne to Sjpdp. Started walking the next day.
A bad decision we made on another Camino was to fly to Paris, train to le puy, and start the next day. We found the extra rest day was extremely valuable.

 

[NorthernLight]

There is a sporting goods store next to the supermarket in SJPDP, but it isn't a Decathlon. I don't remember seeing bikes in it. There's one in Pamplona.

Another upside to a flight back from Porto, is you add another country to your trip! Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and gorgeous. Clearly, I am a fan.