Getting to St. Jean

[Gerhard58]

Hello my friend

how are you ? I share your problems about getting to the place where you want to start. I wonder if someone can assist me in which is the easiest way to get to the starting point at St Jean in France??

I want To do the French way from St Jean.

I have two alternatives e g I can fly from Johannesburg in South Africa to either Paris or Madrid. From Paris I'm more or less covered because I know I can take the train down to Biarritz and from there a taxi to Bayonne and from there another train to St Jean. ?

But from Santiago de Compostela to get back to Biarritz or Bayonne ( on the other side in France) seems to be quiet a grey area and I would rather try and finish in Spain and fly out of Madrid if at all possible



My problem is that I would have a return ticket to either Paris or Madrid. I am now looking at the Madrid option and I would like you to assist me please on how do I get to for instance to Pamplona and from there to the start in St Jean?. Because I want to do with the French way and I want to start in St jean .

So my question is how does one get from Pamplona or the nearest town on the Spanish side to St Jean in France ? Must one take a taxi or are there buses running across the Pyrinees from Spain to France and specifically to St Jean??
Can anyone assist me please

From the finish in Santiago de Compostela I will be covered because I will be in Spanish Territory again and I'm sure that there are trains or buses from Santiago to Madrid from where I can take my return flight back to Johannesburg in South Africa


I hope that you can help me with some advice please in this regard. I think my only sticking point is to get from Spain to St Jean to start the French Camino

Thank you very much

 

[whariwharangi]

Hello my friend

how are you ? I share your problems about getting to the place where you want to start. I wonder if someone can assist me in which is the easiest way to get to the starting point at St Jean in France??

I want To do the French way from St Jean.

I have two alternatives e g I can fly from Johannesburg in South Africa to either Paris or Madrid. From Paris I'm more or less covered because I know I can take the train down to Biarritz and from there a taxi to Bayonne and from there another train to St Jean. ?

But from Santiago de Compostela to get back to Biarritz or Bayonne ( on the other side in France) seems to be quiet a grey area and I would rather try and finish in Spain and fly out of Madrid if at all possible



My problem is that I would have a return ticket to either Paris or Madrid. I am now looking at the Madrid option and I would like you to assist me please on how do I get to for instance to Pamplona and from there to the start in St Jean?. Because I want to do with the French way and I want to start in St jean .

So my question is how does one get from Pamplona or the nearest town on the Spanish side to St Jean in France ? Must one take a taxi or are there buses running across the Pyrinees from Spain to France and specifically to St Jean??
Can anyone assist me please

From the finish in Santiago de Compostela I will be covered because I will be in Spanish Territory again and I'm sure that there are trains or buses from Santiago to Madrid from where I can take my return flight back to Johannesburg in South Africa


I hope that you can help me with some advice please in this regard. I think my only sticking point is to get from Spain to St Jean to start the French Camino

Thank you very much

SNCF operates trains from SJPdP to Bayonne, 4 trains daily all year.

Note that if you take the train from Paris ... you can get off in Bayonne .... no need to go to Biarritz. If you fly from Paris to Biarritz consider taking Chronoplus bus 14 from Airport to Gare Bayonne.

CONDA (ALSA) operates buses from SJPdP to Pamplona bus station on a seasonal basis. Schedule is not usually available more than a month before the service starts. Usually there is one bus starting in March and ending in early November. Mid summer there are at least 3 buses daily.

Note that if your schedule has you arriving in Pamplona after the last bus to SJPdP is gone ... you might want to consider going to Irun for the night instead. SNCF trains leave from Hendaye early enough to catch the 0745 train from Bayonne to SJPdP ... arriving at 0845 leaving enough time to walk to Roncesvalles. Otherwise the earliest bus leaves Pamplona at 1000 (in summer).

Renfe operates trains from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Pamplona.

-EMT airport express bus 203 from Airport to Puerta de Atocha
-Renfe Cercanias from Airport T4 to Puerta de Atocha
-Madrid Metro from Airport to Puerta de Atocha (involving transfers)

ALSA and PLM Autocares operate buses from Madrid Intercambiador de Avenida de America to Pamplona bus station. Some of the buses make a stop at Madrid Airport T4. ALSA has a (seamless) transfer point at Soria or Zaragosa.

-EMT bus 200 from Airport to Avenida de America
-Madrid Metro from Airport to Avenida de America (involving transfers)

 

[FrederickK77]

Hello my friend

how are you ? I share your problems about getting to the place where you want to start. I wonder if someone can assist me in which is the easiest way to get to the starting point at St Jean in France??

I want To do the French way from St Jean.

I have two alternatives e g I can fly from Johannesburg in South Africa to either Paris or Madrid. From Paris I'm more or less covered because I know I can take the train down to Biarritz and from there a taxi to Bayonne and from there another train to St Jean. ?

But from Santiago de Compostela to get back to Biarritz or Bayonne ( on the other side in France) seems to be quiet a grey area and I would rather try and finish in Spain and fly out of Madrid if at all possible



My problem is that I would have a return ticket to either Paris or Madrid. I am now looking at the Madrid option and I would like you to assist me please on how do I get to for instance to Pamplona and from there to the start in St Jean?. Because I want to do with the French way and I want to start in St jean .

So my question is how does one get from Pamplona or the nearest town on the Spanish side to St Jean in France ? Must one take a taxi or are there buses running across the Pyrinees from Spain to France and specifically to St Jean??
Can anyone assist me please

From the finish in Santiago de Compostela I will be covered because I will be in Spanish Territory again and I'm sure that there are trains or buses from Santiago to Madrid from where I can take my return flight back to Johannesburg in South Africa


I hope that you can help me with some advice please in this regard. I think my only sticking point is to get from Spain to St Jean to start the French Camino

Thank you very much

Hi Gerhard
I'm walking in February. I have a ticket from Cape Town to Paris. Then taking the train to Bayonne and another from there to St Jean.
I fly back from Madrid. I'm taking a bus from Santiago to Madrid.
I booked my flights with Emirates and the split tickets are the same cost as this return.
Happy to provide further details.

 

[Mark Lee]

I've done both.
I flown to Paris and then took a train to St Jean and I've also flown to Madrid and then took a bus to St Jean.
Don't know about flying there from South Africa, but I can tell you flying to Madrid from the US and then busing to St Jean from there was definitely easier and cheaper.
From Santiago I flew to Madrid for my flight back to the US.

 

[trecile]

For me, the most hassle free way of getting to SJPDP from Madrid was the train to Pamplona, then I pre-booked at Pension Corazon Puro, where they provide a pick up service in Pamplona at the train or bus station. After spending the night at the pension, along with a delicious dinner and breakfast in the morning they will drive you to SJPDP. I found it an excellent way to begin the Camino.
Since I didn't arrive in St Jean until around 9:00 in the morning, I also booked in at Orisson, which is about 8 km up the mountain towards Roncesvalles, allowing me to divide up the hike over the Pyrenees. I poked around St Jean, until about 11:00, and had coffee with the other pilgrims that I had met the night before at Corazon Puro. I arrived at Orisson early afternoon.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

....which is the easiest way to get to the starting point at St Jean in France??

I flew to Paris from Aus, got a connecting flight to Biarritz and booked the shared Express Burricot taxi service.

 

[Kanga]

Just as a general comment, land travel through Spain is usually cheaper than through France. For that reason for my flights from Australia I usually favour entering and exiting through Madrid.

 

[movinmaggie]

Ditto everything Trecile wrote. I've suggested this to many who attend our Camino 101 sessions. It is a wonderful way to begin the journey; meeting so many folks from different countries whose paths you'll cross the whole way to Santiago. Loved those Pilgrim dinners! They are treasured memories.

 

[alexwalker]

Book at Corazon Puro. Fly into Madrid and take the train to Pamplona, being picked up there by Istvan at the railway station. Completely hassle-free. Then train or plane from Santiago to Madrid, and fly home.

This will be the cheapest AND fastest AND easiest AND most pleasant solution.