Amsterdam to St jean pied de port via Pau

[bpondugula]

Good evening all

Its been a long time since i visited your site and this year we are planning to do the camino from St jean to Santiago de compostela in September.

I was wondering if anyone has travelled from amsterdam to Pau.And From Pau to St Jean by train.

Getting there
--------------
Amsterdam - Brussels by train
Brussels - Pau by Ryanair
overnight in Pau and then take train next day morning to St Jean Pied de port

If there are any other ways to reach St jean faster instead of so many skips, i would be happy to recieve suggestions.
All help would be appreciated.

Regards
Bharat

 

[jabri]

It depends on which time you will arrive in Pau.
In the week the last train for Bayonne (and connection to St.Jean Pied-de-Port) leaves Pau at 16:25, on Fridays there is one leaving Pau at 18:37 to Bayonne with a connection to SJPdP. On Sunday the last train leaves at 19:43 from Pau to Bayonne with connection to SJPdP.
You can check:
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-...ionHoraireAller_header_Consultez les horaires

Jan Brilleman

 

[Anniesantiago]

According to our notes:

We took the Express train from Amsterdam Central Station (8:56 am) to Paris Gare Nord.(1:05 pm)
We then took Metro to the Paris Gare Mont 1et 2.
From there we left at 3:50 pm via a train to Bayonne.
Arrived in Bayone at 8:33 pm.
We went to Hotel Madrid but they were full.
Just across the fountain there was another small hotel that took us.
We left next morning at 12 Noon to SJPP and arrived at 6:30 pm.
-------------------
When you are on the train from Amsterdam to Paris, ask the conductor where you can buy a Paris Metro ticket which you will need to get from Gare Nord to Gare Mont. We think you just get it at the snack bar on the train, but cannot recall.

If you are staying at Esprit du Chemin you can request to have dinner with them on your night of arrival, which is highly suggested. It's a nice way to start your Camino. They also pack a nice lunch for your walk next day.

I hope this helps.

By the way, if you are interested in ancient Hermetic or Alchemical texts, you might want to visit the Ritman Library in Amsterdam. You need to do a Google Search and make an appointment. It is free, but you must have an appointment. It is a wonderful place where you can hold, examine, and read great old texts from a private collection.

 

[Toby]

I would love to get information in English on the cycle route from Holland to Santiago as I have a great ambition to do it having met many Dutch people on my previous Caminos.
Hope someone can help!

Turlough
Ireland

 

[Paulus]

Re: Amsterdam to St jean pied de port via Pau ,

Toby,

Maybe you contact the "Jacobus-genootschap" in Holland via http://www.santiago.nl/.
There are 3 Dutch guides from Clemens Sweerman, called "St. Jacobs Fietsroute 1, 2 and 3". Part one is from Haarlem to Tours in France, part2 takes you from Tours to St.jean PdP and the last part takes you to Santiago.
It is NOT in English, sorry,

Paul

 

[bpondugula]

Hallo

Thanks for the info. sounds better than a flight. Maybe a day in Paris is great along the way

Regards

According to our notes:

We took the Express train from Amsterdam Central Station (8:56 am) to Paris Gare Nord.(1:05 pm)
We then took Metro to the Paris Gare Mont 1et 2.
From there we left at 3:50 pm via a train to Bayonne.
Arrived in Bayone at 8:33 pm.
We went to Hotel Madrid but they were full.
Just across the fountain there was another small hotel that took us.
We left next morning at 12 Noon to SJPP and arrived at 6:30 pm.
-------------------
When you are on the train from Amsterdam to Paris, ask the conductor where you can buy a Paris Metro ticket which you will need to get from Gare Nord to Gare Mont. We think you just get it at the snack bar on the train, but cannot recall.

If you are staying at Esprit du Chemin you can request to have dinner with them on your night of arrival, which is highly suggested. It's a nice way to start your Camino. They also pack a nice lunch for your walk next day.

I hope this helps.

By the way, if you are interested in ancient Hermetic or Alchemical texts, you might want to visit the Ritman Library in Amsterdam. You need to do a Google Search and make an appointment. It is free, but you must have an appointment. It is a wonderful place where you can hold, examine, and read great old texts from a private collection.

 

[Bridget and Peter]

"St. Jacobs Fietsroute 1, 2 and 3". Part one is from Haarlem to Tours in France, part2 takes you from Tours to St.jean PdP and the last part takes you to Santiago.

Or you can head for the Vezelay route as we have. I'm not sure exactly how the various dutch pilgrims arrived at Namur and the Meuse valley, where they pick up the GR654 route. As cyclists we used the 654 as a guide, finding our own route on minor roads etc. There is a French TopoGuide to the 654 from Namur to Vezelay. It has maps.

The following is in french, too, but you can easily follow the various alternate routes it suggests, or use a translation site like babelfish.
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/gerard-du-c ... lgique.htm

Although the dutch pilgrims follow the pilgrimspad south east across Holland to Namur, we cycled from Hook of Holland south down the North Sea cycle route to Bruges, then followed canal and river towpaths from Bruges all the way to the Ardennes. In Wallonia we used the wonderful RAVeL (sic) guides. From there we used large scale maps as well, but then I love maps!
The following site on Cycling Belgium's waterways was a great starting place for research - and in English!
http://www.gamber.net/cyclebel/index.htm

From Vezelay the Chassain Guide (in French) also has maps. Again as a cyclist you will likely look for minor roads sometimes. The Chemin is well marked anyway after Vezelay.

Our blog is complete for our journey in 2007 from home to Reims, but I haven't got very far yet on 2008, Reims to Flavignac (near Limoges). We met a few dutch walking pilgrims going all the way, but most pilgrims were French.

PM us for more info on our routes

 

[Toby]

Thanks for all your advice, some good pointers there for me.
I hope to do the route with my three sons. Each of them has done one camino with me in different years and I think they would love to try it from Holland!
Many thanks
Turlough O Brien

 

[berth41]

Hello ,
Bus transportation Cycletours has a bus going directly from Amsterdam to Saint Jean , with or without bikes . Check their site .
Regards

 

[Donovan]

Transavia (http://www.transavia.com) have a direct Amsterdam to Pau flight about four times a week. An alternative to starting from SJPP would be to take the train from Pau to Oloron Ste Marie, then a bus to Somport and walk the Camino Aragones, joining the Camino Frances at Puenta la Reina. I walked this last September and thought it an outstanding route

 

[bpondugula]

Hallo Donovan

Transavia stopped flying to pau , I dont see Pau in either their winter schedule or summer schedule.

Thanks

Bharat

Transavia (http://www.transavia.com) have a direct Amsterdam to Pau flight about four times a week. An alternative to starting from SJPP would be to take the train from Pau to Oloron Ste Marie, then a bus to Somport and walk the Camino Aragones, joining the Camino Frances at Puenta la Reina. I walked this last September and thought it an outstanding route

 

[Donovan]

Bharat,

Ok - sorry about the misinformation. I used this route in September '08, so it must have been quite recently cancelled.

Do you particularly want to go to Pau? In 2006 I went Amsterdam to SJPP as follows: Thalys (train) to Paris, then SNCF (train) to Bayonne and the small train to SJPP. Left Amsterdam about 7:30am and arrived SJPP about 8:00pm

Buon camino

Donovan

 

[Bridget and Peter]

If there is a choice between flying or taking the train - as there is with travelling Amsterdam - SJPDP, for example- can I humbly suggest people consider the environmental factors?


Although trains may seem to take longer, with longer check-in times and travelling to and from airports which can be long distances from where you want to be the difference can be minimal. And on a train you have more room (both for sitting and moving around ), better views of the passing countryside and towns, your baggage is at hand, you will arrive in the city (or small town) centre. You are more likely to arrive hot and bothered and with a headache (or a cold) from the recycled air in the cabin. Train fares, as with planes, will vary with when you travel and when you book; bargains are there to find.
Go to http://www.seat61.com for lots if info about train travel in Europe and all round the world. It's amaxingly informative and inspires me to all sorts of fantasy journeys.

 

[bpondugula]

Hallo Donovan

It would be a great to leave Amsterdam in the morning and arrive in SJPP in the evening. There is a Thalys from Schiphol at 06:30 to Paris Nord 10.35 and

11:50 Paris MontParnasse to Bayonne
17:01 Bayonne
18:12 Bayonne 19:35 St Jean Pied de Port

My only worry is the transfer between Paris Nord and Paris Montparnasse. I have been on Thalys and most of the time, there was a delay of minimum 30 mins.

I would rather spend my time on the camino than spending time missing a train.


Regards
Bharat

 

[bpondugula]

Hallo Bridget & Peter

Absolutely agree with you on the environmental factors by flying and all the hassle about taking off your shoes, belts, laptops, waiting at the airports, trains would be an alternative for travel . The only problem is the speed of travel and the costs. Travel on a train can be relaxing except when its jam packed.

This trip to the SJPP, i am taking the train from Amsterdam to SJPP.

Rgards
Bharat

If there is a choice between flying or taking the train - as there is with travelling Amsterdam - SJPDP, for example- can I humbly suggest people consider the environmental factors?


Although trains may seem to take longer, with longer check-in times and travelling to and from airports which can be long distances from where you want to be the difference can be minimal. And on a train you have more room (both for sitting and moving around ), better views of the passing countryside and towns, your baggage is at hand, you will arrive in the city (or small town) centre. You are more likely to arrive hot and bothered and with a headache (or a cold) from the recycled air in the cabin. Train fares, as with planes, will vary with when you travel and when you book; bargains are there to find.
Go to http://www.seat61.com for lots if info about train travel in Europe and all round the world. It's amaxingly informative and inspires me to all sorts of fantasy journeys.

 

[Donovan]

Hi Bharat,

I'm pretty sure that is the same schedule I used. The Thalys was about 15 minutes late into Paris but I made the changover from Gare du Nord well in time for the Bayonne train - from memory had about 15 minutes to spare. My French is basic so I had taken the precaution of getting detailed instructions on how to handle the Paris metro from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse. It worked for me. If I had had to figure out a route, where to but a ticket, which platform etc. I think I would have been in trouble

Buen Camino
Donovan

 

[bpondugula]

Thanks Donovan

I have looked around and i can buy the train tickets in the netherlands.
I am looking around to buy metro tickets so i dont have to look for one at Paris

Regards
Bharat

 

[jabri]

You can buy the Paris metro tickets at the bar in the restauration part of the train, the Thalys, from Amsterdam.
Jan Brilleman

 

[bpondugula]

Hallo

Then this makes my planning to the camino complete (atleast on paper).

Regards
Bharat

 

[PILGRIMSPLAZA]

Re: Amsterdam to St jean pied de port via Pau ,

St. Jacobs Fietsroute 1, 2 and 3

Clemens Sweerman just won the Cycle Holiday Trofee on the yearly Amsterdam Cycling and Walking Fair. Also on behalf of many thankful Santiago pilgrims: Congratulations, Clemens!

 

[Nora]

Hello traveler,

just another suggestion that will be appreciated most by travelers who don't have much money and don't mind traveling in a not so very comfortable way: you can also book a bus ride to Pau with Eurolines. It's not very expensive, but not very comfortable either as i assume from my sister who used eurolines several times to get to Paris. I'm not sure about the exact costs, but I reckon it must be less than 100 euros to get from Amsterdam to Pau. you can easily book at http://www.eurolines.com
They leave from almost anywhere in Europe. As well in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Brussels...

just to give more options. and in that way maybe make it more difficult..

Buen Camino,

Nora