Storing a car and excess gear

[Hamish72]

Hi
My partner and I are starting our first Camino in mid Sept from SJPP. We will be arriving by car as we are currently traveling long term in Europe. Does anyone have any suggestion on where to store our car, and excess gear (including valuables).

Is it better to store it in Santiago or SJPP? We plan to go to Portugal after, so thinking Santiago maybe better. If so, can we get public transport back to SJPP? Has anyone used any specific companies before?

Any advice welcome, as my searching has come up empty so far.

Gracias!
Hamish

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Hamish, I would look for storage in Santiago as you intend to travel on from there. @ivar does luggage storage, the details are in the menu above or PM him. He mey also be able to advise on the car.
Buen Camino.

 

[Camembert]

I travelled several times by car and campingtrailer(caravan) through Spain and Portugal among others 2 months ago.
Once I walked the camino Inglès in the north of Galicia and parked the whole lot on a camping site .the camPing owner took us by car to Ferrol to our startingpoint and after acomplishing our camino we came back by public transport and continued our campingtrip to Portugal.

You only will have a car (your own or a rental car ?)
The Spanish, Portuguese and French cities and towns have complicated (read chaotic) infrastructures.
They regulairy are very busy ,full with traffic. Few parkingplaces.
There are parking garages but I am still sweating by the idea of not damaging my car and not to be damaged by others in that horrible garage in Bilbao.we never use parkinggarages, besides they are very expensive.
What we do is looking on beforehand on Google maps and look for a more quiet suburb of a city or town or even a bit further in a village as we did in Lisbon to park our car and took public transport.
We paid a small amount to travel from Vila Franca de Xira where we stayed to visit Lisbon and Sintra by commuter train. 3 days by traveling by transport n costed us 15 € each !
Cheaper than driving by car and less stressed driving in those terrible trafficjams and paying parkingfees.
For a longer stay you could ask a carworkshop of your carbrand to store your car in his yard and pay a small amount for parking. Or a shop of the brand of your rentalcar.
I did it once in the busy town of Viseu. No problem.it takes some preparation but it is worth. We do not mind to walk a couple of kilometers from a quieter suburb with enough parkingplaces into a center.
I also only accept a parkingplace in line behind each other.
Not next to each other, avoiding banging doors to my side of my car. Untill now my car has no blushes ,denses of scratches from parking. And that after two and a half year owning the car. Fingers crossed.
Your excess gear you could leave at Ivar's. Owner of this forum. See above. Lots of pilgrims forward their luggage to him and pick them up after acomplishing their camino

I should look around Santiago instead of SJdP as you go to Portugal
And travel back to to your starting point in France or Pamplona (horrible town to park too. I was there last may. Burgos. Same thing . we parked 3 kms out of the center.

Bom caminho

 

[beiramar]

Few parkingplaces.
There are parking garages but I am still sweating by the idea of not damaging my car and not to be damaged by others in that horrible garage in Bilbao.we never use parkinggarages, besides they are very expensive.
What we do is looking on beforehand on Google maps and look for a more quiet suburb of a city or town or even a bit further in a village as we did in Lisbon to park our car and took public transport.
We paid a small amount to travel from Vila Franca de Xira where we stayed to visit Lisbon and Sintra by commuter train. 3 days by traveling by transport n costed us 15 € each !
Cheaper than driving by car and less stressed driving in those terrible trafficjams and paying parkingfees.

I did it once in the busy town of Viseu. No problem.it takes some preparation but it is worth. We do not mind to walk a couple of kilometers from a quieter suburb with enough parkingplaces into a center.
I also only accept a parkingplace in line behind each other.
Not next to each other, avoiding banging doors to my side of my car. Untill now my car has no blushes ,denses of scratches from parking. And that after two and a half year owning the car. Fingers crossed.
Burgos. Same thing . we parked 3 kms out of the center.

You seem to be quite sensitive to the parking issues but be careful to not make other people scared as well. Parking in the city center anywhere on the Iberian Peninsula is perfectly fine. Of course there's traffic but parking houses and park spots are just as anywhere else.
Many parking houses also offer permanent spots.

 

[PaulB Hayward]

I have twice left my Jeep in SJdP on a campsite; the owners look after vehicles whilst you are away....and cheap too.
Then, its the bus back from wherever I get to> On my second visit, I bused to where I left off last time, so I picked up the Camino from where I last walked to; it worked well.
All the Best,
Paul.

 

[whariwharangi]

Parking SJPdP
http://www.espritduchemin.org/en/node/141

Parking Santiago Airport
http://www.parkvia.com/en-GB/airport-parking/santiago-de-compostela

Renfe train from Santiago to Irun/Hendaye.

Metro Donostealdea (Euskotren) from Irun Colon to Hendaia. Colon is NE across the street and the railway bridge from Irun Renfe Station. Hendaia is colocated with Gare d'Hendaye.

SNCF train from Gare d'Hendaye to Bayonne.

SNCF train from Bayonne to SJPdP.

Alternatively fly from Santiago SCQ to Madrid MAD.

Fly Madrid to San Sebastian EAS. San Sebastian Airport is located about 5 km from Gare d'Hendaye. Take a taxi.

There are flights Madrid to Biarritz BIQ. Take Chronoplus bus 14 from Airport Anglet BIQ to Gare Bayonne.

 

[pvh]

Getting from Santiago to SJPdP (to deliver/collect your car) is not straightforward by public transport if I recall. I'm sure there are threads on the forum about it though. Perhaps someone here knows better than me?
One solution would be if you are hiring a car, you could deposit one car in St Jean (or probably Bayonne), send your excess luggage to Santiago, then collect another car in Santiago.

 

[mspath]

You might drive to Santiago and leave your car in a safe parking.

Next take the daily RENFE Intercity train, which every morning leaves Santiago 10:06 and arrive in Irun/Hendaye roughly 11 hours later. Seats on RENFE should be booked at least the day before you plan to travel.

Spend the night in Hendaye and continue by train to Bayonne and SJPdP the following morning. In Hendaye a simple, pleasant hotel close to the railroad station is the Hotel de la Gare.
http://www.hoteldelagare-palombebleue.com/

There also is a pilgrim albergue in Hendaye.
http://www.irunhondarribiahendaye.c...5&alojamiento=peregrinosHendaya&cat=8&lang=fr

 

[Bruce Minty]

I have twice left my Jeep in SJdP on a campsite; the owners look after vehicles whilst you are away....and cheap too.
Then, its the bus back from wherever I get to> On my second visit, I bused to where I left off last time, so I picked up the Camino from where I last walked to; it worked well.
All the Best,
Paul.

Hi Paul. Which campsite did you leave your jeep at? I've written to a couple of campsites in the SJdP area, but haven't received a reply. Regards, Bruce