Need info on traveling by train from Madrid to SJPP in April

[Tracy Flanagan]

Hello! I arrive to Madrid on 14-April of this year and plan on meeting my friend there for a couple of days.
We would like to take the train from Madrid the morning of 17-April. In my research it looks to be one that takes
approximately 12 hours with two train changes and reaching the destination in the early evening.
Is this from the main train station in center of town? I see there is another station south of Madrid for more local.
Any recommendations for a place to stay close to the train station that we could enjoy exploring Madrid for a couple
of days prior? Something around 100 Euros more or less?
I was thinking we would arrive evening by train on the 17th, enjoy SJPP the 18th then start our walk to Roncesville on
the morning of the 19th. I will make reservations for this Albergue in advance as well as the next few days. I would
like to stay two nights in Pamplona. Any recommendations for place here? I also have the Wise Pilgrim app I will be using for future reservations along the camino.
Any thoughts, ideas or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

Hi, there are several posts about the subject. Here's one for staying in Madrid https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/staying-in-madrid.84211/

Most people take a train to Pamplona and then there's a bus that leaves about 1 o'clock that goes to SJPP. If you look at the Rome to Rio, app or website, it should give you some information. It's best to book trains and buses in Spain directly on the Spanish websites: Renfe.es or alsa.es

A search on the Rome to Rio website showed five departures for Madrid to Pamplona at about 3 1/2 hours each. Some direct, some stopping in Zaragoza. Starting at €18. If you're taking the traint all the way from Madrid to SJPP you're transferring into the French train system, and that takes longer and it's more expensive

There's a lot of information on various posts about the details. Take a look at this :

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/travel-from-madrid-to-st-jean-pied-de-port.80933/

 

[Kiwi-family]

I'd be digging deeper into the train options. My experience has been that it is about a three hour trip from Atocha station and costs under 20Euros. There are loads of accommodation options, limited only by what you want to spend.
I'm not sure if you are familiar with the gronze site....here is their list of accommodations in Pamplona: https://www.gronze.com/navarra/pamplona-iruna#albergues The site is in Spanish but is very easy to navigate even if you don't speak Spanish.
It sounds like you are getting off to a relaxing start - enjoy!

 

[Tincatinker]

StJPdP is in France, not Spain. Getting there by rail/bus combination is always going to be an adventure. The simplest version of all the possibilities is likely to be train Madrid to Pamplona, bus to St Jean. Unfortunately the bus from Pamplona has left at midday for the last few years so you’ll need a really early start from Madrid or an overnight in Pamplona. Train to Irun, Hendaye, bus to Biarritz, shared taxi (Express Bourricot) to StJ might work. Otherwise train Hendaye to Bayonne, train to St J. Other possibles include flight Madrid to Biarritz and Express Bourricot

Or you could just start walking from Pamplona

 

[peregrina2000]

Any recommendations for a place to stay close to the train station that we could enjoy exploring Madrid for a couple
of days prior? Something around 100 Euros more or less?

Trains to Pamplona from Madrid leave from the Atocha train station. Atocha is very well connected to all parts of Madrid by metro, bus and the commuter rail line called Cercanías.

There are plenty of places to stay near Atocha, particularly now that the Reina Sofía Museum has become such a tourist magnet, and it is essentially across the street from Atocha. But if you’re going to be touring Madrid for a few days, I would think about picking a place to stay that is near the sites you want to visit. If art museums are your thing, then stay put right near Atocha, because the Prado, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía are all within spitting distance. If you want to be more in the historic center of the city, I’d look for a place near Puerta del Sol. Atocha will be a very short cab ride from most of historical Madrid.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I recommend the Madrid to Pamplona train, spend a night or two there, take the noon (or so) Alsa/Conda bus to SJPdP. Less travel time means more sightseeing time. If you start your camino from Pamplona you avoid lodging congestion for the first few days.

I wrote a post recently about transportation from Pamplona. It mentions Roncesvalles a lot but is useful for information about getting to SJPdP also.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/where-to-land-and-transfer-to-roncesvalles.84350/#post-1205680

 

[Saint Mike II]

I think the train option from Madrid have been well covered. If you overnight in Pamplona then you can do a little sightseeing in the afternoon and early morning. This will avoid any requirement take a rest day in Pamplona. Buen Camino

 

[J Willhaus]

Ok, you may be looking a little early for train tickets. They usually are not released until a month or so before your journey. There's an early direct train from Atocha which as @Stephan the Painter says gets in with time to catch the bus. Later trains may require a connection or require you to take a taxi or stay an extra day in Pamplona.

You can also take a bus which is often just as nice and cheaper both Alsa and Jimenez bus lines go from Madrid to Pamplona. Jimenez has an early bus at 7:30 from Avenue de America's. Artives at 1:30.

 

[J Willhaus]

We often stay at the AC hotel Atocha. I am a Marriott member so often stay on points. Another option is Oxygen which is a pod hostal. Clean, quiet, secure. Steps from lau dry, groceries, restaurants, and the station.

Inicio | Oxygen Hostel Cápsulas - Madrid

Reserva de tus próximas vacaciones en nuestros cápsulas Oxygen Hostel Cápsulas - Madrid. No es necesario que vayas a Japón para vivir esta experiencia. Nosotros, los mejores precios y la mejor comodidad en el centro de Madrid.

www.oxygenhostelcapsules.com

 

[Stivandrer]

Always start w consulting rome2rio.com first.
As already stated there is an early train directly to Pamplona, then bus to SJPdP

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid/Pamplona#r/Train/s/0

 

[Rmarkob]

...The simplest version of all the possibilities is likely to be train Madrid to Pamplona, bus to St Jean. Unfortunately the bus from Pamplona has left at midday for the last few years so you’ll need a really early start from Madrid or an overnight in Pamplona.

That's exactly what I did in Sep 2021. Based on my Dulles-Madrid mid-morning arrival time, bus from Barajas to Atocha, high-speed train from Atocha to Zaragoza, then slow(er) train from Zaragoza to Pamplona, I didn't arrive in Pamplona until 9:30pm. Since I had been traveling for 24 hours and was in need of a bed and shower, I booked a hotel close to the Pamplona train station. I then spent the morning wandering around Pamplona until the early afternoon bus to SJPP.

I originally intended not to stay in Pamplona again after starting my Camino. COVID closures and capacity restrictions caused me to modify my original stage selections so another night in Pamplona was unavoidable after a short (15k) walk from Larrasoaña. That turned out to be serendipitous, as I met some new friends who enriched my Camino for the next several weeks, and with whom I am still in touch. I even walked 11 days on the Chemin Le Puy in 2023 with one of them.

 

[JJW]

The bus station in Pamplona is much closer to the centro than the train station, so you can easily walk to your lodging. You can also buy your ticket to SJPP at the same bus station. If you want 2 days in Pamplona you can do it on the front end with plenty of time to see the city, provision up, and catch your bus to SJPP. The bus drop in SJPP is also much closer to the centro then the train station there is.

 

[Tincatinker]

Always start w consulting rome2rio.com first.
As already stated there is an early train directly to Pamplona, then bus to SJPdP

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid/Pamplona#r/Train/s/0

I would always have made this same recommendation. R2R used to be one of those beautiful, open access, information sharing sites that were created using the power of the internet and "Bots". It's now owned by OMIO, a secondary ticket retailer. There are times now when it will not show a route for which it cannot sell you a ticket. Though I have to clench my teeth even as I type Godgle and Godgle Maps have cornered the market in non-market driven advice

Nevertheless it is probably more useful than my general advice which is to go to where your starting and ask a local how you get to the next place. I accidentally directed a lorry driver through a pedestrian precinct once - that was my usual route....

 

[pritchoutdoors]

Always start w consulting rome2rio.com first.
As already stated there is an early train directly to Pamplona, then bus to SJPdP

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Madrid/Pamplona#r/Train/s/0

Hi -

First post here and in the stages of planning. On Rome2Rio, the earliest option for 11th May is showing as 8.25am, which would then miss the midday bus to SJPdP.

Is it that the timetable isn't out yet?

Flying looks to be an alternative option (8am flight, gets in around 9am, so plenty of time for the bus), but the price has jumped from £45 pp to £97 since last week!

 

[J Willhaus]

Our train last summer left around 7 am and arrived at about 10 ot 10:30.

 

[Tincatinker]

Hi -

First post here and in the stages of planning. On Rome2Rio, the earliest option for 11th May is showing as 8.25am, which would then miss the midday bus to SJPdP.

Is it that the timetable isn't out yet?

Flying looks to be an alternative option (8am flight, gets in around 9am, so plenty of time for the bus), but the price has jumped from £45 pp to £97 since last week!

You’ve answered your own question. Try again later. The timetable is not “out” yet.

And as a by the way- every time you search the price of a flight it will have increased. Right up to the day before the flight at which point it will plummet. It’s fun innit

 

[Tracy Flanagan]

Trains to Pamplona from Madrid leave from the Atocha train station. Atocha is very well connected to all parts of Madrid by metro, bus and the commuter rail line called Cercanías.

There are plenty of places to stay near Atocha, particularly now that the Reina Sofía Museum has become such a tourist magnet, and it is essentially across the street from Atocha. But if you’re going to be touring Madrid for a few days, I would think about picking a place to stay that is near the sites you want to visit. If art museums are your thing, then stay put right near Atocha, because the Prado, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía are all within spitting distance. If you want to be more in the historic center of the city, I’d look for a place near Puerta del Sol. Atocha will be a very short cab ride from most of historical Madrid.

Excellent information. Many thanks!

 

[pritchoutdoors]

You’ve answered your own question. Try again later. The timetable is not “out” yet.

And as a by the way- every time you search the price of a flight it will have increased. Right up to the day before the flight at which point it will plummet. It’s fun innit

Not quite. Started at £44, then jumped to nearly £100. Last night gone back down to £50, so flights now booked.

Just need to decide whether to do the bus or taxi from Pamplona