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Heading over in Early April and am getting ready to book flights. Seems like most of the US Pilgrims fly into Paris. What about Madrid or Barcelona? And then, transport to SJP?
Where did you get your information suggesting that most US pilgrims fly into Paris? Madrid and Barcelona are both as good as Paris. You might consider London, Bilbao, Bordeaux, and Toulouse too.
The closest airport to SJPdP is Biarritz/Bayonne (BIQ). There are no oversea flights to Biarritz.
There are no flights from Madrid or Barcelona to Biarritz; however San Sebastian Airport (EAS) is located at Irun, quite close to Biarritz.
The schedule for the bus from Pamplona to SJPdP wont be known until it is posted ... usually a few weeks before Easter. It might not be running for your dates of travel in early April. The time of travel by train or bus from Paris is not much less than time of travel from either Barcelona or Madrid via Bayonne.
Major factors to consider are cost and how will you get to your homeward bound flight.
I have details about travel to SJPdP from several airports ... let us know what you decide.
Heading over in Early April and am getting ready to book flights. Seems like most of the US Pilgrims fly into Paris. What about Madrid or Barcelona? And then, transport to SJP?
2350 Barcelona to Saint Jean Pied de Port
Note at time of writing the tracks between Cambo les Bains and SJPdP were washed out in spring 2014. SNCF TER #62 service currently consists of train from Bayonne to Cambo les Bains where passengers to SJPdP transfer to an SNCF operated bus (autocar). Sometimes a bus is used for the entire route.
2351 This section describes transportation options from Barcelona to SJPdP.
Option 2352 and 2353 take about the same travel time either way ... so its dependent on your travel plans which is better
Option 2355 is the easiest way to get from Barcelona to SJPdP. However, bus service from Pamplona to SJPdP is seasonal and limited in number of departures.
Index 2350
2352 Barcelona to SJPdP via Toulouse by Train
2353 Barcelona to SJPdP via Irun by Train
2354 Barcelona to SJPdP via San Sebastian Airport and Bayonne
2355 Barcelona to SJPdP via Pamplona by Train and Bus
2352 Barcelona to SJPdP via Toulouse by Train
SNCF and Renfe operate trains from Barcelona (Sants) to Toulouse (Matabiau). Use SNCF site.
There is a high speed train to Paris that stops in Toulouse. Other trains transfer at break of gauge station Port Bou/Cerbère and require transfer at Perpignan or Narbonne before getting to Toulouse.
SNCF operates trains from Toulouse to Bayonne.
The final leg involves SNCF TER train #62 from Bayonne to SJPdP.
SNCF
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers
2353 Barcelona to SJPdP via Irun by Train
Renfe operates trains from Barcelona (Sants) to break of gauge stations at Irun/Hendaye.
Irun Renfe Station and Gare d'Hendaye are train stations 3 km apart.
Note that an end run might be possible by traveling from Barcelona to Miranda del Ebro (where trains from all over Spain converge) and then to Irun.
Euskotren operates a commuter train from Irun Colon Station to Hendaia Station. Use it if your Renfe train terminates in Irun.
Euskotren Colon Station: exit Irun Renfe Station, turn right, walk across bridge over the tracks and find Colon Station on the left (North) side of the street. Hendaia Station is co-located with Gare d'Hendaye.
SNCF operates TGV, Intercites, and TER trains from Hendaye to Bayonne.
The final leg involves SNCF TER train #62 from Bayonne to SJPdP.
Renfe
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html
SNCF
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers
Euskotren
http://www.euskotren.es/
2354 Barcelona to SJPdP via San Sebastian Airport and Bayonne
Fly from Barcelona Airport to San Sebastian Airport. The airport is located 3 km from Irun train station.
Take local bus or taxi to Irun Renfe station or Gare d'Hendaye.
SNCF operates TGV, Intercites, and TER trains from Hendaye to Bayonne.
The final leg involves SNCF TER train #62 from Bayonne to SJPdP.
Barcelona Airport (BCN)
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Barcelona/en/Home.html
San Sebastian Airport (EAS)
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-San-Sebastian/en/
SNCF
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers
2355 Barcelona to SJPdP via Pamplona by Train and Bus
This option is the easiest way to get from Barcelona to SJPdP. However, bus service from Pamplona to SJPdP is seasonal only and limited in number of departures.
Travel from Barcelona to Pamplona by Renfe train or by bus. Trains leave from Barcelona Sants. Buses leave from Estacion de Autobuses Barcelona Nord and Barcelona Sants. ALSA (via transfer at Zaragosa) and ViBASA are major service providers on this route.
There is seasonal bus service from Pamplona bus station to SJPdP provided by Conda. Conda is owned by ALSA. See international schedule on ALSA website. Purchase ticket at Pamplona bus station.
At time of writing bus schedule from Pamplona to SJPdP: 1000 13 June to 31 August 2014, 1430 1 June to 30 September 2014 (extended to 7 December 2014), and 1730 17 March to 30 September 2014. Schedules are usually updated only 30 days in advance.
Renfe
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html
ViBASA (Monbus website)
http://www.monbus.es/es
ALSA
http://www.alsa.es/en/
Conda
http://www.conda.es/
If that's what you are looking for, then fly into Madrid, bus to Pamplona and reserve the services of Pension Corazon Puro. They pick you up at the bus station in Pamplona, put you up for the night, feed you dinner and breakfast and drop you off in the morning within sight of the pilgrim's office in St. Jean. It was too dang easy and about the same cost of getting to St. Jean yourself if you add up the meals, bus ride and overnight accommodations.The return flight is certainly a consideration just for convenience. From ATL the cost to Barcelona, Madrid or Paris is about the same. Guess what I'm looking for is the ease (relative I know) of transportation to SJP from all these arrival cities and then the departure back to the States. I've learned elsewhere on the forum about train transport to SJP from Paris but, haven't been able to find anything from the Spanish arrival cities. Frankly, I just want to get there and start...
Whari..... Wow!
Heading over in Early April and am getting ready to book flights. Seems like most of the US Pilgrims fly into Paris. What about Madrid or Barcelona? And then, transport to SJP?
The return flight is certainly a consideration just for convenience. From ATL the cost to Barcelona, Madrid or Paris is about the same. Guess what I'm looking for is the ease (relative I know) of transportation to SJP from all these arrival cities and then the departure back to the States. I've learned elsewhere on the forum about train transport to SJP from Paris but, haven't been able to find anything from the Spanish arrival cities. Frankly, I just want to get there and start...
A large percentage of this forum and this entire thread deals with the obsession of getting to SJPdP!
Its been said here many times: There is absolutely no historic or other compelling reason to start the Camino in this particular village. The accomplishment of the Camino is far grander than this peculiar focus on the 25 km mountain stretch from SJPdP to Roncesvalles (considered as "the real starting-point" by most Spanish peregrinos). The romantic notion of "crossing the French-Spanish border" shared by many overseas pilgrims is a non-event.
The real experience of the Camino does not occur over a few kilometres on a particular stretch but within the short distance between a pair of ears!
It seems such a pity to distract from the real purpose of enlarging your lifetime existence with self-imposed logistical problems of reaching an obscure little village in the pyrenees whilst struggling with jet lag and to start an 800 km journey with a most rigorous and at times dangerous stretch for which many are physically unprepared and ill (too heavy-) equipped.
Coming from abroad, the airports of Madrid and Barcelona are natural, well connected hubs, from where there are excellent connections to Pamplona (Roncesvalles if you prefer) and all logical reasons indicate that one starts the classic camino from right there. (Or in fact from any other point on the long way to SdC) "The Way" is not, –should not be–, a marathon with a dictated starting point, but a personal spiritual exercise.
That said, the hike over (a tiny portion of-) the Pyrenees in the good seasons is of course a wonderful experience and for many well worth the detour.
My point merely is, that first-time peregrinos reading this forum may get the impression that reaching and starting from SJPdP is a "must", which of course it is not.
Wishing everybody a buen camino, regardless from where it is started.
Begging to differ; there are excellent and fast train connections between Barcelona and Pamplona, less than 3 ½ hours with 2 - 3 stops, just pick the right one.....The train from Barcelona is longer and what I consider a (milk run). Train stops everywhere.....
Heading over in Early April and am getting ready to book flights. Seems like most of the US Pilgrims fly into Paris. What about Madrid or Barcelona? And then, transport to SJP?
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