Driving to start of Camino Frances

[caminofamily]

Hello, I am starting to walk the Camino in August with my family (husband and 2 of my teenage sons). We will be driving to Saint Paul de Pied and walking to Pamplona. I wondered if anyone has experience of this and where they parked their car. My husband has suggested driving to Pamplona and parking there and getting a taxi/bus back. I wondered if anyone could kindly offer some advice. Our other option which has been suggested is to park for the day at each stage and take it in turns to get a taxi back each evening. Having walked parts of the Camino with friends before I'm not sure I'd have the energy! Any advice would be great. Many thanks in advance.

 

[henrythedog]

Help us out with a little more information.

You’re starting in St Jean? Always worth checking.

You are walking onwards from Pamplona, right?

Why (in practical terms, not personal) do you need to have a car with you throughout your Camino?

Have you discounted just taking a driving holiday somewhere else?

The taxi back-and-forth thing could be done; although there are stretches where taxis are less easy to find. One of you could drive ahead and walk back half-way to join the others (I can’t believe I’m actually suggesting that) or you could just park the car at any decent sized airport or railway station and retrieve it later, when you’re finished.

There must be some subtlety in your arrangements that I’m missing, because at the moment it seems you’re making it rather more difficult than it needs to be.

 

[Vacajoe]

I think you’d loose the joy of simply walking if you had to taxi back and drive forward every evening. Train/bus/blablacar travel to SJPdP cannot be that much more expensive than driving there once parking, tolls, west and tear are considered, especially if you then fa or in the cost of a taxi and additional driving each night

 

[caminofamily]

Hi, thank you for your response. We are driving from Calais to the start of the Camino before driving on to another part of Spain after reaching Pamplona for the second part of our holiday. I have been walking the Camino in stages with my two sons and friends (so far we have walked from Najera to Leon) over the last two years before lockdown and wish to walk from St Jean to Pamplona this summer and from Pamplona to Najera later in the year.

I don't wish to have the car with me on the Camino at all but the auberge that we have booked for our first night does not offer any parking. Thank you for suggesting the train station. I think I will contact them to see if they have parking for 4 days. I have also contacted a camp site that was recommended in a thread and am waiting to hear back from them too!

Thanks again for your reply

 

[henrythedog]

OK, that’s a relief. You’re just walking St Jean to Pamplona.

I suggest that you and the teenagers chill out for the day in St Jean and send Mr Caminofamily to park the car in Pamplona, either at the train station, airport or a campsite and then get the bus or a taxi back to join you.

If it goes wrong, which it very probably will not, it was his idea.

 

[caminofamily]

That sounds like a good plan!

 

[J Willhaus]

Probably also long term parking at the airport in Pamplona.

 

[Corned Beef]

Probably also long term parking at the airport in Pamplona.

If you want to park at the start, there is similar long term parking at Biarritz airport. You can get the Express Bourricot shuttle taxi to SJPP

And the return journey using Rome2Rio

Explore 2 ways to travel from Pamplona to Biarritz Airport (BIQ) with Rome2rio via bus, car

ALSA operates bus services once daily from Pamplona to Biarritz Airport (BIQ) (2h) with tickets starting from $12.

www.rome2rio.com

 

[Søren Olsen]

Hello, I am starting to walk the Camino in August with my family (husband and 2 of my teenage sons). We will be driving to Saint Paul de Pied and walking to Pamplona. I wondered if anyone has experience of this and where they parked their car. My husband has suggested driving to Pamplona and parking there and getting a taxi/bus back. I wondered if anyone could kindly offer some advice. Our other option which has been suggested is to park for the day at each stage and take it in turns to get a taxi back each evening. Having walked parts of the Camino with friends before I'm not sure I'd have the energy! Any advice would be great. Many thanks in advance.

hi there
there is a longtime free parking in SjPdP - we used it 2 months ago, we had our car parked there for 2 weeks.
Parking Fauvettes:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.dk

But... you are required to go visit the Gendarm before you leave SjPdP - they will take a copy of the reg.paper of your car, and have your mobilnr. in case they need to contact you - they do drive by the parkinglot, just to check all the longterm parked cars there

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.dk

we took the Alsa bus from pamplona (12.00 every day) back to SjPdP..
buen camino

 

[The Austrian]

Help us out with a little more information.

You’re starting in St Jean? Always worth checking.

You are walking onwards from Pamplona, right?

Why (in practical terms, not personal) do you need to have a car with you throughout your Camino?

Have you discounted just taking a driving holiday somewhere else?

The taxi back-and-forth thing could be done; although there are stretches where taxis are less easy to find. One of you could drive ahead and walk back half-way to join the others (I can’t believe I’m actually suggesting that) or you could just park the car at any decent sized airport or railway station and retrieve it later, when you’re finished.

There must be some subtlety in your arrangements that I’m missing, because at the moment it seems you’re making it rather more difficult than it needs to be.

I am arriving by car as well and contacted the tourism office. Their reply below:

You have 2 options:

• contrôle auto Donibane, chemin de la Nasse 00.33.5.59.37.11.75 ; they propose secured parking, inside 6€/day and outside 3€/day

• free parking "Les Fauvettes", you need to inform the police with your car information (05.59.49.20.10)

 

[caminofamily]

hi there
there is a longtime free parking in SjPdP - we used it 2 months ago, we had our car parked there for 2 weeks.
Parking Fauvettes:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.dk

But... you are required to go visit the Gendarm before you leave SjPdP - they will take a copy of the reg.paper of your car, and have your mobilnr. in case they need to contact you - they do drive by the parkinglot, just to check all the longterm parked cars there

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.dk

we took the Alsa bus from pamplona (12.00 every day) back to SjPdP..
buen camino

Thanks so much that sounds like a good plan. We will have driven a long way so stopping in SjPdP might be a good idea!

 

[caminofamily]

I am arriving by car as well and contacted the tourism office. Their reply below:

You have 2 options:

• contrôle auto Donibane, chemin de la Nasse 00.33.5.59.37.11.75 ; they propose secured parking, inside 6€/day and outside 3€/day
• free parking "Les Fauvettes", you need to inform the police with your car information (05.59.49.20.10)

Thank you so much - both sound like good plans. My teenage sons will have ben in the car for quite a long time! Parking in SjPdP sounds the best way forward!

 

[Casserole]

If you want to park at the start, there is similar long term parking at Biarritz airport. You can get the Express Bourricot shuttle taxi to SJPP

And the return journey using Rome2Rio

Explore 2 ways to travel from Pamplona to Biarritz Airport (BIQ) with Rome2rio via bus, car

ALSA operates bus services once daily from Pamplona to Biarritz Airport (BIQ) (2h) with tickets starting from $12.

www.rome2rio.com

Thank you for these suggestions!! I know this is an old thread, but I have been trying to figure out the same things as caminofamily. This thread just made my life a whole lot easier!