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Hi Leandra, as you've seen there are a number of ways to do this trip, this is what I've done in the past:
1. Fly to Paris, stay a couple of nights to get over jetlag.
Take the TGV (fast train) from Paris Gare Montparnasse to Bayonne, then local train from Bayonne to SJPP; Or, overnight train...
This is such a terrible accident, Australian news is currently reporting 45 dead and many more badly injured. My prayers and thoughts go out to the injured, the families of those involved, and those helping with the rescue operations.
Trudy
Just take your passport. As a foreigner your drivers licence will not always be accepted as ID. In addition, it's actually a legal requirement to keep your passport on you at all times. EU citizens, with the exception of the UK, have ID cards which they can be asked to show at any time. The...
Another option is to fly Qantas to Paris - this involves a Qantas flight to Singapore changing to an Air France flight to Paris (it's a Qantas codeshare flight so all on the one Qantas ticket). Then, perhaps after a couple of nights in Paris to get over jetlag, take the TGV from Gare...
It's not just Ryanair but something that all international airlines do, and it's definitely not a scam. Airlines are responible for the validity of their passengers, and it's a requirements that all passports and visas be checked before passengers can board the aircraft.
If a passenger lands...
I've stayed at the Ibis Paris Tour Montparnasse at 22 Avenue du Maine which is only a two minute walk from the station. Rooms are reasonable, a bit on the small side but that's normal in Parisien hotels, and I'd certainly stay there again. Ibis also have another hotel nearby, Ibis Paris Gare...
I've done this twice. First time I flew Melbourne to Madrid via Frankfurt. Stayed in Madrid for three nights to recover from jet-lag, then took the bus from Madrid to Pamplona, and picked up the evening bus to Roncesvalles. While that's where I was stopping, other pilgrims then took the...
You can certainly book on the French website, http://www.voyages-sncf.com and get the price quoted there. I book all my French train tickets this way and when booking select 'France' as my country (I'm actually in Australia). This way I can pick up the tickets at any French train station, or...
There are no buses from Paris to Bayonne, you will need to take the train. And I really suggest you book a ticket in advance. Is there any chance you can stay in Paris for a couple of nights, you'll be really jetlagged and it's not really a good idea to begin walking straightaway. Or at least...
Hi Therese, I've flown from Australia to both Paris and Madrid before walking the Camino.
From Paris I got the TGV to Bayonne, then took the local train to SJPP (think it's a bus now). You can find TGV train timetables at http://www.voyages-sncf.com
From Madrid it was a matter of getting...
An alternative would be to stay in Madrid for a couple of nights to recover from jetlag. Then get the 10.30am bus from Madrid to Pamplona, wait a couple of hours (time to look around the city), take the local bus from Pamplona to Roncesvalles (it will be full of pilgrims, can't miss it!), and...
Flying will certainly be the fastest and least stressful way to get from Rome to Lourdes. There are flights from Rome to Toulouse. At Toulouse you take a shuttle or taxi to Toulouse Matabiau station and then the train directly to Lourdes. I've taken the Toulouse-Lourdes train several times...
The train is another option. There is a daily train departing Santiago at 9am, arriving at Hendaye around 8.30pm. it will still be too late to get to Bayonne, but better than arriving after 10pm. Stay overnight Hendaye and go on to Bayonne and SJPP by local train in the morning.
I could...
Hi Dawn, think the reason the RENFE website is not listing the TrenHotel on 29 or 30 October is due to them not selling tickets online more than 60 days in advance. The train is showing up on the DB Bahn international website for those days so, if you can, check RENFE again in a few days time...
Ivar is right, you can buy train tickets at any Spanish train station or RENFE office. On several occasions I've bought Spanish train tickets this way.
But if you want to buy tickets before arriving in Spain try your luck with the RENFE website...
Hi, I've always flown Qantas which limits the European destinations. First time I flew Qantas from Sydney to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Madrid on Iberia. Both flights booked together through Qantas. This meant that if there was any delay, missed flights etc at Frankfurt, Qantas would...
Hi Dawn, glad to see you'll soon be on your way again.
Train passes usually work well on long distance travel, but trains in Spain are cheap compared to the rest of Europe, and I don't think a pass is really worthwhile. Point-to-point could be cheaper, and with a pass you will still need to...
It's a long trip by train, about 24 hours but if you like train travel, as I do, it's worthwhile. The train leaves Santiago at 9am arriving at Hendaya/Hendaye (French side of the border)around 8.30pm. At Hendaye you change to the night train (couchette) to Paris Gare d'Austerlitz arriving...
Suzanna, you can get the train directly from Lourdes to Bayonne, and change there for the train to St Jean Pied de Port. The staff at Lourdes train station are really helpful, and you should have no problem booking this ticket.
The bus is much more practical as it terminates in the centre of Pamplona. There are several buses per day, whereas I think there are only three trains. The train trip takes 4 hours compared with 5 by bus. But the buses are very comfortable.
If you want to book the bus in advance, buy the...
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