From Northern Canada

[JeanneA]

My name is Jeanne. I am planning on the camino in late May/early June. Two of my daughters will start with me and the third will join us for the last week. We are from Yellowknife NT in Canada. Looking for info on the best place to fly into from Toronto (to start from St Jean). Any good ideas?
Jeanne

 

[ivar]

Hi and welcome to the forum Jeanne!

You will find many of your answers by doing some searches in the search boxes towards the top right of the forum. Also, the Confraternity of Saint James has a good FAQ section here:
http://www.csj.org.uk/faqs.htm
..that answers a bunch of frequently asked questions.

Regarding where to fly into, I know of many that fly into Paris and then take the train down to SJPP. Have a look here for some more on that.

Happy planning and Buen camino!
Ivar

 

[colinPeter]

Hello Jeanne,
You can also fly from Paris to Biarritz (BIQ), although you do have to change Airports (Shuttle bus from CDG to Orly), then on to SJPP. Mind you, I haven't actually done it yet, but plan to in 3 weeks.
Buen Camino
Col

 

[Arn]

Jeanne and family...what a great opportunity you will all have along the Way!

Please tell us a bit about why you've decided to walk the Camino.

Ivar and Colin have given you some good info and you have plenty of time to research other topics on the Forum.

Buen Camino

Arn

 

[lanval]

Hello Jeanne!

I did exactly what Col mentions when I walked last spring.

I would recommend printing out a map of the CDG airport. I found it useful. I knew where the plane was landing and where the shuttle top was. I then marked my route out on the paper and had it in my pocket.

There are a multitude of private shuttles that will take you form airport to airport, but most are much more expensive than the normal service.

CDG Map: http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Images/Transportation/Air/CDG_all_terminals_map-lg.gif

Here is the Shuttle info from the Discover France website:
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Transportation/Air/airports_Paris1.shtml#

Air France also runs an express shuttle directly from Roissy/CDG to the Orly-Ouest and Orly-Sud airport terminals. Hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with departures every 30 minutes, and travel time is about 50 minutes. A one-way ticket costs €16 for adults, €8 for children (ages 2-11). Groups enjoy a 15% discount. You can catch the bus at the following airport locations:

* Aérogare/Terminal 1: exit door #34 on the arrivals level
* Aérogare/Terminal 2F: exit doors #B2, C2, 0.07 on the arrivals level

Oh, one side note, when I landed in CDG, my plane was pushed through customs very quickly. We were herded through the baggage pickup and then through some double doors. I found myself in teh airport itself, without an arrival stamp in my passport. This made for a slightly awkward few moment when i was trying to fly home to Canada from Germany...

Once you arrive in Biarritz, you need to grab a cab to the train station. I had 20 minutes from landing to get to the train station so make my connection, which I mentioned to the cab driver, He got me there in under 10 minutes in a mad dash. I think my stomach is still somewhre in Biarritz... Then you the take the train to Bayonne, and then finally change trains for the final leg to SJPDP.

You also have the option of taking the train right from Paris. It may be a bit less hectic.

Buen Camino!

 

[Dale]

Way to Go Yellowknife. I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience planning and then walking your Camino. Not sure if you are aware of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims or not so I will give you this link to their website:http://www.santiago.ca/ the site is a good source of information and you can get your credential through them as well.

Buen Camino and Ultreia !!

 

[mrbillyto]

Hi Jeanne,
Wow, sounds like a great family experience!
I am doing my Camino in September and will be flying from Toronto to Paris and then taking the train to SJPP. Unfortunately, the flight schedule doesn't quite match the train schedule so I have to overnight (aw) in Paris. Since there is a shuttle bus from the airport (CDG) to the train station (Gare Montparnasse) and that's where I will be catching the train from the next morning, I got a hotel near the train station for a resonable price. The area is great and convenient to Notre Dame, etc. so I will have the day to explore Paris, get some rest and then head to SJPP the next day.
Enjoy your Camino!
Regards,
Bill

 

[Dale]

You can also take the train from the airport for the same price as a metro ticket, it goes to Le Gare Du Nord and from there you can take the metro to anywhere in the city also there are several low priced hotels in the area. I stay at Le Hotel de l'Europe Paris http://www.europe-paris-hotel.com/ a nice little 2 star hotel about a ten minute walk from Le Gare Du Nord. When you click on the link the man pictured at the front desk got me an ambulance in the middle of the night and saved my life 3 years ago I had a pulmonary embolism after an 18 hour train ride from Italy. If you stay there say Hi from Monsieur Calder. :mrgreen: