Bus from Toulouse to Pamplona

[tgam]

I am wondering if anyone has taken a bus from Toulouse to Pamplona? We are starting our Camino in Pamplona and it seems we have a choice of an overnight bus or 7:30 a.m. bus that arrives at 3 p.m. with ALSA. It seems there is one change in San Sebastian to a Conda bus line or an early morning bus.

Is the Toulouse Pierre Semard bus terminal a busy and safe place to be at midnight on a Sunday night? Is the Conda bus transfer done at the same bus station where the Alsa bus arrives in San Sebastian? Can anyone comment on the bus route? Go Euro charges 2/3 the price for the overnight trip. Thank you for your help!

 

[Kanga]

Well, you could walk from Toulouse! The Arles route (one of the four described by Amery Picard) goes through Toulouse and becomes the Camino Aragonés which joins the Camino Francés at Punta La Reina.

Rather than go through San Sebastian (which is a long way round), why not go from Toulouse to Oloron-Sante-Marie (train or bus), then by bus to Canfranc, and from there to Jaca and Pamplona. If using Rome2Rio for some reason it does not show this route. It is absolutely glorious scenery - stunning going up the Valley of the Aspe. See this article from Wikipedia on the Canfranc railway and you will see what I mean:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pau–Canfranc_railway

 

[Castilian]

Hi tgam! Welcome to the forum!

Is the Conda bus transfer done at the same bus station where the Alsa bus arrives in San Sebastian?

Yes, it is.

Go Euro charges 2/3 the price for the overnight trip.

Did you take a look at the fares at the web of Alsa? www.alsa.es/en

Rather than go through San Sebastian (which is a long way round),

IMHO, it's not a long detour. Distance is similar and overall travel time by public transport is shortern making the route changing buses in San Sebastián.

. If using Rome2Rio for some reason it does not show this route.

I'm not a fan of Rome2Rio but in this case I can understand why it isn't showed that route.

 

[whariwharangi]

I am wondering if anyone has taken a bus from Toulouse to Pamplona? We are starting our Camino in Pamplona and it seems we have a choice of an overnight bus or 7:30 a.m. bus that arrives at 3 p.m. with ALSA. It seems there is one change in San Sebastian to a Conda bus line or an early morning bus.

Is the Toulouse Pierre Semard bus terminal a busy and safe place to be at midnight on a Sunday night? Is the Conda bus transfer done at the same bus station where the Alsa bus arrives in San Sebastian? Can anyone comment on the bus route? Go Euro charges 2/3 the price for the overnight trip. Thank you for your help!

CONDA is owned by ALSA. If you go to the CONDA website and look up a schedule you will find yourself on the ALSA site. The transfer to the CONDA bus at San Sebastian is the same spot as the ALSA bus terminates.

San Sebastian has a new bus station located near the San Sebastian Renfe station. All of the bus companies have relocated from the outdoor bus stop at Plaza Pio XII to the new facilities.

If I were going from Toulouse to Pamplona I would do it with SNCF train from Toulouse to Irun/Hendaye, Renfe Cercanias from Irun to San Sebastian, and ALSA/CONDA bus from San Sebastian to Pamplona.

If the service is by SNCF TER train it will terminate in Hendaye. The choice becomes taking Metro Donostialdea from Hendaia (colocated with Hendaye) to Irun Colon (across the street from Irun Renfe) or onward to San Sebastian Amara. The San Sebastian bus station is located across the river from Amara ... about 1 km away.

Overnight bus travel is like being dragged backwards through a hedge.

 

[tgam]

Thank you all... very helpful.

 

[tgam]

I'm not sure what to expect leaving from la gare routiere in Toulouse at 7:30 a.m. by bus. It seems the bus station only opens at 9h30. I hear it is not the safest part of town... Any comments?

 

[Kanga]

I recall some homeless people with very large dogs near the train station, but I did not feel uncomfortable. I do not know if the bus station is nearby. There are usually cafes open near train and bus stations.