Bilbao to Najera September 2013

[blueboots]

We'll be arriving in Bilbao on 26th Sept and heading to Najera to pick up where we finished last year. I searched the questions to find out the best way to get from Bilbao to Najera or Logrono but all the info seems to be from a few years ago. Can anyone tell me the current position on the best way to get from Bilbao to Najera (or Logrono) on 26th Sept. please?

 

[mspath]

blueboots,

There is no direct train from Bilbao to Najera, but RENFE offers two trains on 26 September from Bilbao to Logrono at 06:40 and 15:28 ; journey time is roughly 2 1/2 hours. Tourist class prices vary from 13:30 to 22:20. See this English RENFE site >> http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/ for more information.

Margaret Meredith

 

[Loretta Jane]

In 2010 two friends of mine took a bus from Najera to Haro and then Bilbao to get a plane back to Germany. So I guess you can get that one in reverse. Not sure if it is on a bus website. I find bus schedules in Spain very curious. Sometimes you just can't find a route online, but when you are in a small place there is service. I finished my hospitalera stint there in Najera and got a bus passing through right back to Madrid and never saw that one on a schedule. I got to Najera from Logrono on bus from Madrid but had to change to a local bus in Logrono going to Najera.

 

[blueboots]

Thanks for the replies, fellow travellers, the problem is that our plane arrives in Bilbao at about 15.30 so the train won't suit. I'll try the bus route via Haro, which I didn't know about. If anyone has any more suggestions, that'd be great!

 

[jprogers]

Hi
I can't give any personal experience on those precise locations but I can tell you that we walked from Irun to Santa Domingo de Calzada this past June (walked through Haro) . After the walk we wanted to go back and visit Haro and were able to get a local bus to Haro from Santa Domingo deC. There are many local buses that will probably not be on the internet . The buses may only be once or twice a day. However there was definitely a bus that travelled the Camino route from Logrono to Burgos and we saw pilgrims take the bus.
The ALSA website http://www.alsa.es/en/ (in english) is informative but you need to trick it. The travel date has to be within the month. So if you put the 5th September (same day of the week) it gives a few buses a day with 2 of them later in the day - bus from Bilbao for Logrono (1hr 45 min). at 17.00 and a bus at 20.00 The site transfers to the Movelia site but that's fine)
If you play around on the website put Bilbao to Haro you get the same bus times (17.00 and 20.00) so maybe you go via Haro or there are lots of buses.
Logrono would probably give more options as it is a larger town. Once at Logrono or Haro you may need to wait a day. The other bus information will be at the bus station so when you arrive you can check it out. Buses are pretty good and are on time from our experience. We travelled on buses all over Spain in June and didn't have to prebook any seats (it does depend on if there is a fiesta I guess) and also found out the info as we went at the bus stations. There are many many many bus companies in Spain.
I digress here but when we were in Haro and wanted to go by train to Madrid - the solution (and the hotel staff had the best ideas) was a E25 taxi ride to Miranda de Ebro and then train to madrid. The taxi driver played amazing salsa music the entire ride and gave us the CD!!) These are the things you remember.
Cheers Jill

 

[blueboots]

Thanks Jill for your info. I've worked out my route and hope the plane is on time but if not, I'll just find another way - the beauty of the camino is not worrying!

 

[MendiWalker]

There is a bus from Bilbao to Logroño . It leaves from the bus terminal and the company is La Union Alavesa , normally just called La Union.
You have direct buses leaving Bilbao at 7:30, 12:30, 15:15, 17:00 and 20:00. the trip takes about 1 hour & a half. There is also another bus which
goes thru small towns and takes a lot longer which leaves at 10 am.
Buen Camino!