Bus Ticket to Pamplona

[mlhhome]

Good Morning,
I am more than ready to begin my Camino. My backpack is packed (17 lbs), my boots are broken in (200 miles), my airfare is purchased and hopefully all my affairs are in order. My biggest issue is purchasing a bus ticket from Madrid to Pamplona. Based upon earlier wise postings, I will not purchase my ticket in advance and instead buy the ticket at the ALSA ticket office in the T4 terminal after my arrival.
My question... is this an arduous task? I love the idea of "catching" the bus at the terminal and avoiding any unnecessary complexity.

Thanks again for all those who share their wisdom and experience!

Mike Harrison

 

[Javier]

Hello from Pamplona.-


http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa/tem ... cachetoken

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Mike,

I can only tell you what my experience was at the bus station in Madrid.

I had hoped to get a certain bus. Assumed there was plenty of time to get the ticket. There was plenty of time plus maybe an extra hour, but because of foreigners who could not understand Spanish and were taking so very long to purchase their tickets I missed my bus and had to get the next one.

However whilst on the second bus I noticed just before it took off that a few people came along (Spaniards) and purchased their ticket from the driver. There were still plenty of seats vacant.

So I wondered if I had requested the person behind me to hold my place in the queue and had run down to the get the previous bus I might have managed to get it.

If I am travelling through Madrid in the future I will try and purchase my ticket in advance.

So now I have been no help at all at all.

Buen Camino,

Lydia

 

[fraluchi]

http://www.alsa.es/

Javier, the last time I was at Barajas, Alsa had an automatic ticket dispenser at the airport exit near the bus terminal. It was unfortunately out of order, and I had to enter the terminal, go upstairs to the agency, and had to wait a long time in line. (as was Lydia's experience!?)
Do you know whether the ticket dispenser is working again?

 

[GomarbellaMike]

About bus bookings from Mardrid to Pamplona, I'll be doing that journey on 28th April 2012. I'm travelling up from the south of Spain to meet my brother in St Jean Pied de Port, he's coming in from the UK via Biarritz and the two of us will set off on bikes the next day.

I've got an online booking page which gives the same service as the Alsa site and I see that that I need to get to the Transport Interchange in Madrid at Avda America, 9, 28002 Madrid. The journey takes five and a half hours and costs €28.37. I've used the page before to book seats travelling in the south of Spain and it works fine. You simply print off the booking confirmation page to hand to the bus driver, no need to queue at the ticket office.

Thanks to information from this great forum, I have just been able to email transport company in Pamplona who will take me the rest of the way to St Jean, hopefully in a shared taxi. Cross fingers about the bike.

If you have any questions about your bus travel to and from the Caminos, let me know via the contact page on the site below and I'll do my best to answer them. ¡Buen camino! Mike

http://www.gomarbella.com/marbella/onli ... -spain.htm

 

[fraluchi]

I've got an online booking page which gives the same service as the Alsa site and I see that that I need to get to the Transport Interchange in Madrid at Avda America, 9, 28002 Madrid. The journey takes five and a half hours and costs €28.37.

This is correct, except that the original question was about taking a ticket at Madrid Airport's T4 terminal.
From the airport, there are several daily bus services to Pamplona. Check http://www.Alsa.es.

 

[GomarbellaMike]

You are quite right, I checked again on the online booking site and Madrid Airport is given as a departure point for Pamplona, very convenient indeed. Thank you, I have learnt something new.

I emailed the French transport company whose details were given on this forum and she can pick me at in Pamplona at 12.30 to take me to St Jean Pied de Port. If I bus from Madrid to Pamplona with my bike and allow five and a half hours for this journey, I'll have to come up to Madrid from Marbella, the day before in time to get on the bus in Madrid. I wonder if you can suggest bike friendly accommodation near the Transport Interchange in Madrid?

In case it is of interest to other readers, I'll paste in below my reply from Caroline of the French transport company.


Hello,
i can pick up you at 12h30 in Pamplona, not later, after this i am full. The transport costs 84€ with your bike. I try to make groups to share the cost. But, now, i don't have more person,
Caroline

Express Bourricot Transport de bagages et personnes, séjours culturels

Caroline Aphessetche
Maison Celhaya, rd 933
64220 St Jean Le Vieux
France

Tél: (+33) (0)6 61 96 04 76
Email: apcaroline@hotmail.com