Flying in to Pamplona?

susanglori · May 2, 2014

I am ready to book my flight! I will leave on August 25 and return on October 1st. I think. Is flying in to Pamplona a good option? Will 35 days be enough/too much/too little to go to Santiago and possibly on to Finisterra? I don't want to rush it but ......

tyrrek · May 3, 2014

Pamplona airport is tiny with few flights. If you find one at a convenient time and price you'll be quite lucky, but great if you do! I think you'd connect in Barcelona if travelling from abroad. Are you walking from there or from SJPP? If starting from Pamplona you might make it to Finisterre without going more than average daily distances. Buen Camino!

susanglori · May 3, 2014

Thanks,Tyrrek. Well, since I wrote that I've decided to go in to Madrid so I can go home from there as well. I will catch a train/bus to Pamplona to start, then train/bus back from Santiago to come home.

whariwharangi · May 3, 2014

Only you can decide if flying to Pamplona is a good option. It depends on cost and your timings. Some airlines offer open jaw tickets ... fly in to Pamplona and fly out of Santiago.

35 days is sufficient time to walk from Pamplona to Santiago. I would suggest 35 days is not enough time to walk to Finisterre unless you plan to put in a few longer days.

susanglori · May 3, 2014

how do I find these "open jaw" tickets? that would be awesome!

pbucilla · May 3, 2014

I am flying through Madrid and on to Pamplona. Walking from SJPP to Santiago and flying home from Santiago through Madrid and back to the States. I booked my ticket through travelocity. It wasn't cheap but by the time I booked, I was looking for easy rather than cheap. Also I figured by the time I factored in the trains, accomodation, and food, etc, it wasn't that much more expensive. This worked for me.

annakappa · May 3, 2014

If you fly with Iberia, you can add on the flight to Pamplona. It practically costs the same a the bus fare, without the hassle.
We fly with Iberia from S. José, then fly to Iberia and then open jaw back to Madrid from Santiago and then back home. We hardly pay more than our basic transatlantic flight. Anne

whariwharangi · May 3, 2014

susanglori said:
how do I find these "open jaw" tickets? that would be awesome!

Using Expedia.com you can get open jaw tickets using the multiple destinations feature.

susanglori · May 3, 2014

I checked both Travelocity and Expedia. For about $225 more than just round trip to Madrid I can get from home to Madrid to Pamplona and then Santiago to Madrid and home. Awesome!!

WanderingNotLost · May 3, 2014

Susan, I see you are from KY. I'm just north of you in OH. I booked my June flights through travelocity from US to Pamplona. Flights over takes me from Columbus to Chicago to Madrid to Pamplona with manageable connection times.

As stated above check multi-destination box then enter location info. Flight #1 will be from KY to Pamplona. Flight #2 will be from Santiago (SCQ) to KY. System will then show you flight options and costs for multiple airlines.

Play with dates. Day of week matters. Iberia code shares with American and British Airlines and has been running some deals. When I compared total cost of all air travel vs a mix of planes and trains any slight difference in cost was offset by the extra time and ease of travel of flying for each leg.

One suggestion. Look to book the 9:30am flight out of Santiago. The bus to the airport starts at 6am from a square/park a short walk from the old city. Very easy, but it takes about 30mins which makes the earlier flight impossible.

santiago_67 · May 3, 2014

Last year I booked my flights through kayak.com - that site has the multi-city option. I flew Miami to Madrid and on to Pamplona and then returned Santiago to Madrid and back to Miami. American Airlines to Madrid then Iberia to Pamplona. Iberia Santiago to Madrid and to Miami.

PANO · May 3, 2014

Last September, I chose to fly into Pamplona and do the CF from there in 30 days, 2 resting-days included. Check flights at www.vueling.com, their hub is in Barcelona, so it makes sense to take your main flight to there. They charge very reasonably and per leg, so you can fly at your convenience out of SdC, booking online 2-3 days ahead is safe, no need for a travel agent . For the side trip to Finisterre and Muxia, we rented a small car and split the cost into 4. (www.sixt.es, about 45 Euro plus 10 Euro for gas = 14 Euro per person, cheaper than the bus ticket) The rental is based on 24 hours, so I kept the car over night and dropped it at the airport at my departure next day.

Vonners · May 4, 2014

I walked the Camino this time last year and flew into Madrid and took the train to Pamplona. It took me 30 days to walk to Santiago with one rest day. I had planned more rest days but found once I had met so many nice people and formed a camino 'family' I didn't want to lose touch with them so kept walking. I found on my rest day I was agitated and felt like I should be walking (as you get into a routine) - and kept thinking that my new found friends were getting further away from me! 30 days is enough to get to Santiago but you need to be reasonably fit I think. I had a couple of shin splints along the day and had to slow down. Not sure what it is like now but I also found there were many more pilgrims than I expected and consequently there was a little pressure to get a bed. If you stop walking to get a bed in the early afternoon there is that question of what do you do for the rest of the day. Anyway it's a memorable experience and something you'll never forget (or believe that you did!).

CaptBuddy · May 5, 2014

Iberia has a 50-60 minute flight from Madrid. One arrives Pamplona at 10 AM, another arrives about 1 PM (local time).

whariwharangi · May 5, 2014

susanglori said:
I checked both Travelocity and Expedia. For about $225 more than just round trip to Madrid I can get from home to Madrid to Pamplona and then Santiago to Madrid and home. Awesome!!

Train from Madrid to Pamplona is 76 Euro
Train from Santiago to Madrid is 70 Euro

Buses Madrid T4 to Pamplona is 33 Euro

So flying might be more convenient (check your itenerary for wait times) but its not cheaper.

CaptBuddy · May 5, 2014

whariwharangi said:
Train from Madrid to Pamplona is 76 Euro
Train from Santiago to Madrid is 70 Euro

Buses Madrid T4 to Pamplona is 33 Euro

So flying might be more convenient (check your itenerary for wait times) but its not cheaper.

Whari, 146 Euros is about $200. For an added $25 the OP can fly to Pamplona, and return to Madrid from Santiago. It may be worth the wear-and-tear.

WanderingMind · May 5, 2014

I booked a train from Atocha in Madrid to Pamplona for 41 euros($65) through http://www.raileurope-world.com/. It is a little less than buying it directly through Renfe.

santiago_67 · May 6, 2014

I have been checking flights for my fall Camino and I am only finding a difference of $70 to fly on to Pamplona from Madrid. But I want to be clear that is just changing planes in Madrid Barajas airport with no days of sightseeing in Madrid.

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