Bayonne to Saint Jean Pied de Port

[john pa]

Bayonne to SJPDP

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Bayonne to SJPP on the day is not a problem.

 

[Rick M]

You do not need to buy TER (local train) tickets in advance. You can buy them at the station in Bayonne before you board the train. Check the schedules before you go though, there are only a few per day. Also, this route cancels sometimes when the tracks are down. In this case, you buy a ticket anyway, and they use a bus instead. You catch it just outside of the station.

Buen Camino!

 

[john pa]

You do not need to buy TER (local train) tickets in advance. You can buy them at the station in Bayonne before you board the train. Check the schedules before you go though, there are only a few per day. Also, this route cancels sometimes when the tracks are down. In this case, you buy a ticket anyway, and they use a bus instead. You catch it just outside of the station.

Buen Camino!

Thanks Rick will buy our tickets on the day. Much appreciated.

 

[willydp]

I don't want to make publicity & I don't know you are flying in to Bayonne, but you can also use this service:
http://www.expressbourricot.com/
Here you can see other people that are arriving and using carpool: http://www.beilari.info/en/node/191.

 

[Kiwi-family]

It's a beautiful walk along La Voie de la Nive.

 

[john pa]

I don't want to make publicity & I don't know you are flying in to Bayonne, but you can also use this service:
http://www.expressbourricot.com/
Here you can see other people that are arriving and using carpool: http://www.beilari.info/en/node/191.

Thanks for the useful info.

 

[john pa]

It's a beautiful walk along La Voie de la Nive.

Never thought of that, maybe next time. have a couple of bookings so maybe don't have the time. Estimated time to walk? Just thinking maybe we can. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Felipe]

It's a beautiful walk along La Voie de la Nive.

Definitely in muy bucket list, since I took the lovely train ride to SJPP.
And, friends, Basque gastronomy is really, really great.

 

[JabbaPapa]

If you have enough time, I'd certainly suggest walking to SJPP -- but as for getting tickets for public transport, it's actually better to get them at the last moment, as perhaps you may find on the day that you'll need or want to stick around in Bayonne an hour or two longer than you might imagine beforehand, for a meal, or a drink, or just some sightseeing. Also, this will keep you reactive to conditions as they exist on the day, which might include lateness getting in, unexpected local industrial action, delays getting out, and so on and so forth.

Also, unlike mainline trains, local transport prices are not cheaper if you purchase them in advance.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Never thought of that, maybe next time. have a couple of bookings so maybe don't have the time. Estimated time to walk? Just thinking maybe we can. Thanks for your reply.

It's 63.5 K, so three days -- or two perhaps, but I'd suggest 3

The itinerary is :

Bayonne
Ustaritz
Cambo-les-Bains
Macaye
Hélette
Irissarry
Saint-Jean-le-Vieux
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Bayonne - Ustaritz (16 km) ; Ustaritz - Hélette (24,7 km) ; Hélette - St Jean Pied de Port (22,8 km)

There's some elevation and so some climbing, but that'll mainly constitute good preparation for the Pyrenees crossing

It would be a couple of extra days, out from Bayonne to SJPP over 3 days rather than 1, so maybe you can squeeze it in -- the first 16k stage is do-able on the day of your arrival at Bayonne

 

[willydp]

And having an extra day off in SJPdP before the climb or walk straight to Orrisson

 

[LesR]

Not understanding the lie of the land and unwilling to throw myself totally in the lap of the gods, I have purchased tickets Paris to Bayonne and Bayonne to SJPP on line from the Australian mirror of the RailEurope website (http://www.raileurope.com.au/)

On-line booking was easy and quick, and dealt with timetable issues well. Paris to Bayonne tickets were emailed immediately (print at home), and the Bayonne to SJPP tickets were printed in Melbourne and arrived two days after booking.

If you have the flexibility and willingness to accommodate some uncertainty in the interests of unplanned experiences, then booking locally would be good, but I have accommodation booked in SJPP and Orisson (SJPP to Roncesvalles in one day was possibly a bridge too far for my body) so I opted for certainty...

 

[willydp]

@LesR
I would do the same when I lived downunder
Ease of mind

 

[Annie Little]

If you download the app called : trainline EU .... it is great ..... you can buy tickets via the app or just use the app to see all train timetables .... I love it ... so easy .... and when I have had a change of plans I can cancel ticket and got a refund ...

Ultreia

 

[whariwharangi]

You can pay for it in advance but you still don't get a ticket until you arrive at Bayonne and present your purchase number.

You might as well wait till you get to Bayonne.

You can't get a reservation for TER trains; its a commuter line. Tickets, once obtained, are good for 90 days.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

You can pay for it in advance but you still don't get a ticket until you arrive at Bayonne and present your purchase number.

You might as well wait till you get to Bayonne.

You can't get a reservation for TER trains; its a commuter line. Tickets, once obtained, are good for 90 days.

Don't forget, unless your ticket is pre-dated, French railway tickets need to be validated (compostage de billets) before boarding the train otherwise you could use that ticket over and over again . . .



Or get fined if a ticket inspector isn't of a charitable frame of mind.

Similarly the bus ticket from Biarritz airport to Bayonne needs to be validated too (usually just behind the driver's seat).

 

[soraya]

I need suggestions about how to transfer from Irun to SJPP, please?

 

[Pilger99]

You may have found the answer already, but it's not complicated.
1.cross the french border and hop into any train towards Bayonne
2. change the train and go to SJPP

If you like bus more, go to Pamplona (train/bus) and take a bus to SJPP.