Cheap National Express Coach UK to Bayonne

[Wildling]

Hello,

This is my first post so please bare with me!

I'm planning to start my Camino from St Jean in July 2016 and was having some problems finding easy / cheap ways to get from the U.K to St Jean (time is not an issue but I'm on a tight budget!). Due to my location I would be looking at flying from Liverpool or Manchester to Paris but all of the flights seemed to be at inconvenient times (+ cost of checking in my bag) meaning an overnight stay in Paris (further cost) then a fairly pricey train to Bayonne. So I've been looking at alternative options and found the National Express Coach goes from The North of England all the way to Bayonne for about £90! That means I will be able to get all the way from Chester to Bayonne (then the short train to St Jean) for about £100 - bargain!

Yes it takes a while (about 36hrs!) but you get a 2hr stop in London, then a 5hr stop in Paris - time to refuel and maybe see the sights in Paris. I also think slow travel is underrated !

Anyway, I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for cheap travel alternatives also, does anyone have any experience of this journey already???

Buen Camino.

 

[mspath]

Wildling,

Welcome to the Forum!
Perhaps other readers would be interested in the link to your transport site. The price seems reasonable but 36 hours without a proper bed might be difficult to manage!! Do let us know how it all works out.

Good luck with your plans and Buen camino!

 

[Wildling]

Thank you for your reply @mspath

Yes, 36hrs on a coach is probably not going to be all that comfortable, but I'm happy to forsake comfort to keep within my budget (at the moment I'm in my 20's but 20 years from now I'll probably think the other way round!). My experience of coach travel also tells me you tend to meet a wide variety of people, so I'm looking forward to that element too!

If anyone is interested the link to the national express website is included below, just enter your starting place, destination and dates

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

 

[Bradypus]

Hope you enjoy your journey. If you actually prefer coach travel it is worth considering. Not a real saving on cost alone though. I think that by the time you factor in food and drink and other expenses along the way you will find that flying would have been as cheap or even cheaper. For example: I've just looked up flights from Manchester to Biarritz in July. Starting at £69 with Iberia, with an overnight stopover in Madrid. Even after paying for return metro fare to Madrid city centre, a hostel bed for the night, and bus/train fare from Bayonne to St Jean you would probably get change from £100 and have a more comfortable journey. Won't see as much on the way though.

 

[nidarosa]

Hi @Wildling and welcome! I live between Chester and Liverpool and chose to fly from Manchester to Biarritz, then bus to Bayonne and train to St Jean. We booked months before and got a good price, and it went very smoothly and quick so not a lot of extra money spent on food, drinks or accommodation along the way. Since then I have learned to travel with hand luggage only, which also saves a lot, especially if you need two or more flights to get somewhere. At your age I would probably have done what you do but now I am er ... not your age anymore, I prefer my travel to be as quick as possible with as few legs as possible, saving time and energy if not money. Thanks for the link though, I would never have thought to look at the National Express. Have you looked at the ALSA bus network in Spain? If you can get cheap EasyJet tickets from Liverpool to Madrid, you might also get a cheap bus ticket to Pamplona and go on from there.

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Voyages-SNCF offer bargain train fares and they are usuall released two months before travel date, but I just checked their website which offers Paris to bayone (dep. 17.25 arr. 22.32) for £33.50, or London (Eurostar) to Paris, Paris (TGV) to Bayonne £89.50. Both these journeys were for July 5th. But cheaper fares will come available nearer to July, it is just a question of checking the site. You can also key in your journey details so that an email is sent to you when the cheaper tickets are released.

Whatever form of transport you take, Buen Camino!

 

[Al the optimist]

Have you checked RyanAir from Stanstead to Biarritz? Depending on when you are going it might be a similar price, especially when you take your "refuelling" costs into account.

 

[David]

I don't fly in aeroplanes so that is out of my answer. I would go for train travel - really cheap if you book ahead ... go to this site to see all the options http://www.seat61.com/ - utterly brilliant site!!

 

[Wildling]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply

I've checked out the bus, train and flight suggestions mentioned, will definitely keep them in mind. The other plus point with taking the National Express coach is that you arrive in Bayonne at 08.30, which means I could have the whole day in St Jean to rest, visit the Pilgrims office etc. I understand it will be busy in July so I wouldn't want to get there too late in the day and have the stress of trying to find somewhere to sleep. I also want to take walking poles, pen knife etc which means I would have to check my bag in on any flights.

I still have 3 months to plan so I might change my mind again in that time - I will keep checking for any cheaper alternatives

 

[Maxie]

I fly from Bristol to Bordeaux then train to SJPDP.
EasyJet 10.10 Bristol arrives Bordeaux 12.15 flight cost from £27 to about £40. Local bus to train (Gare) station 1 euro takes 50 mins. Bordeaux to Bayonne train leaves at 15.45. Change at Bayonne for SJPDP , 30 min lay over (It's a very easy change, Bayonne is a small station) arrives SJPDP 19.15 cost £25 booked through Loco2.

Hope this helps.

 

[Maxie]

Just checked flights for July, I didn't factor in that it's high season, cheapest is £51.

 

[Dinkumdigger]

I have twice travelled from Scotland to StJPP for less than£100.I book tickets a couple of months ahead.
National Express night coach to London Victoria,walk to St.Pancras and stay in the youth hostel opposite the station.
Early a.m. Eurostar to Paris,TGV to Bayonne and local train to St JeanPP.In bed by 10pm!

 

[angus55morrison]

Hello,

This is my first post so please bare with me!

I'm planning to start my Camino from St Jean in July 2016 and was having some problems finding easy / cheap ways to get from the U.K to St Jean (time is not an issue but I'm on a tight budget!). Due to my location I would be looking at flying from Liverpool or Manchester to Paris but all of the flights seemed to be at inconvenient times (+ cost of checking in my bag) meaning an overnight stay in Paris (further cost) then a fairly pricey train to Bayonne. So I've been looking at alternative options and found the National Express Coach goes from The North of England all the way to Bayonne for about £90! That means I will be able to get all the way from Chester to Bayonne (then the short train to St Jean) for about £100 - bargain!

Yes it takes a while (about 36hrs!) but you get a 2hr stop in London, then a 5hr stop in Paris - time to refuel and maybe see the sights in Paris. I also think slow travel is underrated !

Anyway, I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for cheap travel alternatives also, does anyone have any experience of this journey already???

Buen Camino.

If I were you I'd try to get to Stanstead and get an Easyjet flight to Biarritz giving you more time on your Camino for probably not much more money.Buen Camino.

 

[Devon Mike]

From the UK living in Devon, my choice is to take the Brittany Ferries sailing from Plymouth to Santander then make my way to Bayonne by bus and train.

 

[Wildling]

Thank you for your suggestions - this forum is so helpful! It's giving me lots of different ideas, I'm thinking now maybe a combination of coach and flight - a flight from MAnchester to Paris (with checked in bag) is around £50 if I arrive later in the day, I can then get the national express coach (or the European equivalent) to Bayonne, again arriving around 8.30am which would allow the whole day to rest before starting in St Jean, whilst only costing a further €25.

I like rail travel but the euro star and trains from Paris seem quite pricey - does anyone know if it's cheaper to book in advance or book when you get there?

 

[mspath]

It is cheaper to book rail tickets in advance except for the local TER line 62 trains from Bayonne to SJPdP which are always the same price. There are no reserved seats on the line 62; seating is open as in a tram. Bicycles are also easily transported on the line 62.

 

[Wildling]

Thank you @mspath , I've just had a look at some other trains available. The overnight train from Paris to Bayonne looks pretty good value if booked in advance - less than £40 for a couchette, arriving in Bayonne early morning.

 

[mspath]

Glad you found it! Often I have taken that overnight from Paris/Austerlitz to Bayonne; one can even choose an all-women sleeping car. The train arrives in Bayonne in time for breakfast at the station before the late morning TER to SJPdP.

Good luck and Bon voyage!

 

[Wildling]

Glad you found it! Often I have taken that overnight from Paris/Austerlitz to Bayonne; one can even choose an all-women sleeping car. The train arrives in Bayonne in time for breakfast at the station before the late morning TER to SJPdP.

Good luck and Bon voyage!

Thank you @mspath, you are a fountain of knowledge! I've never been on an overnight train so the prospect sounds quite exciting, I think it will definitely be the best option for me, all things considered! Thanks again for your help !

 

[mspath]

Sleeping compartments in 2nd class have 6 bunks and in 1st class 4. The best berths/bunks are the lowest. The sooner you reserve the easier it is to get your choice of bunk. This is not the Orient Express but it is comfortable. Every bunk has its own light and thin sleeping bag + pillow. Space is tight so put you pack at the foot of your berth and your hiking poles on the side of the berth against the wall. You will be sleeping in your clothes; I wear tights, hiking socks and a long sleeve technical tee shirt since the night air can be chilly.

Have a good trip!

 

[serg_zone]

I'm flying from London to Biarritz (a few mins away from Bayonne) for $110 on July 5th. I'm not really convinced you're saving all that much on that 36-hour bus ride especially if you factor in the comfort level and food you'd have to pay for during your trip. You'll probably be over your budget.

 

[Satírico]

Yeah, I was gonna ask, why not take the coach to London area and get a direct flight from there to Biarritz?

 

[David Hobson]

Hello,

This is my first post so please bare with me!

I'm planning to start my Camino from St Jean in July 2016 and was having some problems finding easy / cheap ways to get from the U.K to St Jean (time is not an issue but I'm on a tight budget!). Due to my location I would be looking at flying from Liverpool or Manchester to Paris but all of the flights seemed to be at inconvenient times (+ cost of checking in my bag) meaning an overnight stay in Paris (further cost) then a fairly pricey train to Bayonne. So I've been looking at alternative options and found the National Express Coach goes from The North of England all the way to Bayonne for about £90! That means I will be able to get all the way from Chester to Bayonne (then the short train to St Jean) for about £100 - bargain!

Yes it takes a while (about 36hrs!) but you get a 2hr stop in London, then a 5hr stop in Paris - time to refuel and maybe see the sights in Paris. I also think slow travel is underrated !

Anyway, I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for cheap travel alternatives also, does anyone have any experience of this journey already???

Buen Camino.

Hi, I am going a section from Aire sur l@Adour to Logrono starting 7th May. I got flights To/From Gatwick for Bordeaux at the start and Bilbao at my finish. Flights were less than £50 each way. I am hoping to use BlaBlaCar for the internal transfers, both expected to be around £10.
Hope the weather is improving.
regards
David

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Hello,

This is my first post so please bare with me!

I'm planning to start my Camino from St Jean in July 2016 and was having some problems finding easy / cheap ways to get from the U.K to St Jean (time is not an issue but I'm on a tight budget!). Due to my location I would be looking at flying from Liverpool or Manchester to Paris but all of the flights seemed to be at inconvenient times (+ cost of checking in my bag) meaning an overnight stay in Paris (further cost) then a fairly pricey train to Bayonne. So I've been looking at alternative options and found the National Express Coach goes from The North of England all the way to Bayonne for about £90! That means I will be able to get all the way from Chester to Bayonne (then the short train to St Jean) for about £100 - bargain!

Yes it takes a while (about 36hrs!) but you get a 2hr stop in London, then a 5hr stop in Paris - time to refuel and maybe see the sights in Paris. I also think slow travel is underrated !

Anyway, I wanted to share in case anyone else is looking for cheap travel alternatives also, does anyone have any experience of this journey already???

Buen Camino.

September 13 2001 (two days after 9/11) - got dropped off at Dover to catch the coach - delayed due to security problems.

Arrived in Calais after rough sea crossing - coach needed to refuel so sat around reeking fuel depot for nearly an hour.

Got to Paris late and nearly missed connection, no time to eat.

Stopped for dinner at truck stop on autoroute near Orleans.

Back on the road, couldn't get to sleep or even comfortable.

Started raining near Bordeaux, coach windows dripping with condensation.

Got dropped at Bayonne station at 3am in pouring rain.

Station didn't open until 5am.

Staggered into buffet for coffee and croissant, watched cockroach crawl across the counter (never understood why they callled reefer butts "roaches" until then).

Felt like death warmed over and you're thinking of adding another 300 miles on top of that?

Worst. Journey. EVER (and I've driven on the M25)

If I were an impoverished student desperate to get to my father's death bed before he passed on and it was the only way I could do it - maybe, otherwise: Don't. Do. It.

 

[Wildling]

Thanks for your thoughts guys !

Update - I just booked my transport! I'm flying Manchester to Paris, arriving just before 5pm. I'm then catching the overnight train, Paris to Bayonne, leaving just before 22.00 and arriving 8.30am - just in time for breakfast before getting the mid morning train to St Jean leaving me the rest of the day to relax before starting walking the following morning. All for less than £100!

I'm so excited!

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

Great news! So glad that you were able to get a reservation; your camino has now begun.

 

[Wildling]

Thank you!

I forgot to add I used this website to book my train ticket, it's slightly cheaper than the sncf website (which have just released a lot of discounted summer tickets) ...https://www.captaintrain.com/en

It also lets you add your preference for top/bottom, women only couchette etc - thought I'd add in case it helps anyone else!