Paris to St. Jean Transportation

[WayneShepard]

Does anyone have a suggestion for reasonable transportation from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? We are travelling Monday, Sept 25, 2023. The best I could find is a one-way $220 (Canadian) rail ticket. And it arrives at 18:15. Somehow I expected something better. Thanks

 

[Tincatinker]

Does anyone have a suggestion for reasonable transportation from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? We are travelling Monday, Sept 25, 2023. The best I could find is a one-way $220 (Canadian) rail ticket. And it arrives at 18:15. Somehow I expected something better. Thanks

OK, so you are planning on travelling First class on a Canadian train operating in France that is making an impossible journey because trains from Paris don't go to St Jean. Apart from that you should be fine. Sorry @WayneShepard, I'll now try to be helpful. The French railway systems are operated by SNCF. They have English language options on their websites. You can maximise your options by searching for trains from Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne. In Bayonne you switch to a local comuter train for which advance bookings are not required and an attempt to secure one will probably b*gger up your booking attempt.

https://www.sncf-connect.com/app/en-en/home/shop/results/outward

 

[trecile]

You could travel from Paris to Bordeaux then Bordeaux to SJPdP for less money and better timings.

Links
Paris to Bordeaux

Bordeaux to SJPdP

 

[J Willhaus]

Yes, I think the OP means in Canadian dollars and not a Canadian train.

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi @WayneShepard

You can maximise your options by searching for trains from Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne. In Bayonne you switch to a local comuter train for which advance bookings are not required and an attempt to secure one will probably b*gger up your booking attempt

Having travelled from Paris to SJPP many times, I agree with @Tincatinker Focus on booking your travel from Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne. There are sometimes a few direct trains, but most stop in Bordeaux - some with a change of trains, others not.

If you include SJPP in your ticket (either from Paris or from Bordeaux), you may find that closer to the date your trip is 'cancelled', whereas in fact the only leg 'cancelled' is the very short trip (1 hour) from Bayonne to SJPP. And, in that case, there is almost always a replacement bus provided. That is not uncommon on the line between Bayonne and SJPP and it pops up regularly on the forum.

You can buy a separate ticket from Bayonne to SJPP - usually less than 10 euros, or buy that on the day.

I would book with either Trainline or SNCF. Sometimes when booking from outside Europe, Trainline can be an easier option.

Also, from Bayonne, you have the option of travelling to SJPP with Express Bourricot, though you would arrange that ahead of time.

All the best.

 

[kelleymac]

I agree with the posts above about how to book a train. You might also look at the website Rome2Rio for travel options, and the Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com) for information on trains and ticket specials and deals in europe and the UK. Buen Camino!

 

[WayneShepard]

Yes, I think the OP means in Canadian dollars and not a Canadian train.

You are right. Thanks for the support!

 

[WayneShepard]

Dear friends, thank you for your kind replies and helpful advice. This is my first time on this site; it is awesome. I found particularly useful the suggestion to separate the legs of the train trip and to watch out for "cancelations". I was not aware there was a possible transfer in Bordeaux. Thanks again.

 

[Rick Chollett]

Does anyone have a suggestion for reasonable transportation from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? We are travelling Monday, Sept 25, 2023. The best I could find is a one-way $220 (Canadian) rail ticket. And it arrives at 18:15. Somehow I expected something better. Thanks

Rome2Rio site will give you several options. I use it often when I'm in Europe. IF you arrive in SJPP late at night it will be difficult to find lodging as everything closes early. I had to sleep in the campground with a blanket and tarp and it was quite cold in April when I went.

 

[@Ditts]

Does anyone have a suggestion for reasonable transportation from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? We are travelling Monday, Sept 25, 2023. The best I could find is a one-way $220 (Canadian) rail ticket. And it arrives at 18:15. Somehow I expected something better. Thanks

I travelled by bus from Paris to Bayonne overnight. Long and tedious but reasonably cheap. Then either train or bus to SJPDP not a long journey.

 

[Lakawlakaw]

Generally, you take the train to Bayonne, then another train to SJPdP. Other options from Paris can be the bus, plane, or BlaBla car. Or a train to Bordeaux, then to SJPdP. Or….

In short, sooooo many options. Check out Rome2Rio to see all the ways you can get there.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Does anyone have a suggestion for reasonable transportation from Paris to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? We are travelling Monday, Sept 25, 2023. The best I could find is a one-way $220 (Canadian) rail ticket. And it arrives at 18:15. Somehow I expected something better. Thanks

Bonjour / Bonsoir @WayneShepard ... as you do not specify / indicate if you are looking for a connection from central Paris, or from the airport, note that there is also a direct train from Paris CDG airport to Bordeaux [and beyond] where you then must make the connection to Bayonne and onward to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ... check it out on the SNCF Connect app or Trainline ... very convenient if you are flying in to CDG and looking to get to StJPP in quick time with minimal connections

 

[temiatwork]

or checkout easyjet.com if you want to fly from Paris to Biarritz which can save you time take the bus to Bayonne and train to SJPDP.