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How much does ease/cost of arrival affect your choice of camino?

jungleboy

Spirit of the Camino (Nick)
Time of past OR future Camino
Some in the past; more in the future!
I wrote an article this week about camino starting cities as alternatives to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (and alternative routes to the Francés). The idea of the article is to suggest that if getting to SJPdP sounds like a hassle, you can instead fly into a major city in Spain or Portugal, spend some time enjoying that city, and then start walking directly from there.

While I was putting it together I reached out to @Rick of Rick and Peg to ask about his Camino Catalán and he said two of his reasons for choosing that camino were that he found a good flight deal and because he liked Barcelona.

So my question is: how much does the ease/cost of arriving at the starting point, or the desire to spend time in that starting point, affect your choice of camino?

The article is here: Camino Starting Cities
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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I am one of those who picks a camino first and then figures out how to get to what is the generally accepted “starting point.” That must say something about my personality, but I don’t think you have posed this question for the purpose of a psychological analysis. :D

Usually it is straightforward and there are flights or trains from my arrival point in Madrid — to Valencia, Almería, Sevilla, hopefully Alicante this year. But for others it requires some combination of train, bus, and/or taxi. For the Ebro, it required taking a train from Barcelona to Deltebre and then a taxi to Riumar, where the Ebro empties into the ocean. We could have easily started in Deltebre, but the idea of walking Mediterranean to Atlantic is one whose lure I find very compelling for some reason.

I know there are lots of people who very sensibly propose a Francés start in Pamplona. But I totally understand the decision to get to SJPP and then start walking. I think it has something to do with the non-spiritual side of a camino — how many times do people on the forum say they want to do the “whole thing?” Pointing out that there is no “whole thing” has no effect on anyone‘s plans, IMHO.

I’ve been adding people to the monthly start lists that we have recently set up, and as among Pamplona, Roncesvalles, and SJPP, SJPP is the winner hands down.
 
Mmmm. I don’t think this has been a consideration for us. First, we have tended to save our tourist time for the end of our casinos.

But more than that, we have focused on a host of other factors in picking our caminos — mainly timing and how our abilities go with the Camino. For example we haven’t walked the Portuguese because of reports of lots of cobblestones. I have a total ankle replacement and couldn’t handle this type of surface. My ankle has also kept us off the Norte because of its long stages and pavement. Also, until recently we were still working so fitting a walk into our available vacation time was important — the Primitivo was perfect for this.

We also really like to consider cultural richness. We walked the Hærvejen in Denmark, to explore My husband’s Danish roots. We are starting on the Vasco this time because we loved the Basque portion of our first Camino. It also has some unique scenery and architecture along the way. We’re walking the Invierno because of its beauty and so my metallurgist husband can spend a day at Las Medulas.

I guess the other thing is that getting to or from the Camino from anywhere in Spain, or Europe for that matter, is pretty easy and generally inexpensive. We are finishing on the Invierno, spending a few days in Santiago (unless we use them up dawdling on our walk) and then heading to Barcelona by train to relax and be tourists.

LizB
 
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Although I enjoyed my start in 2016 SJPDP, it was a hassle getting there and I am unlikely to start there again. We did not realize how many transfers and details it would entail flying at that time from Boise to Seattle to Iceland to Paris to Biarritz and then a transfer ride to SJPDP. On the way home it was only slightly easier from Santiago to Paris to Iceland to Seattle to Boise. Now we just fly to Madrid more directly and then take a train or bus to our destination. I would probably not start in St Jean again as it is an expensive and crowded first few days of the pilgrimage. I've not been interested in the Portuguese, but would probably start in Lisbon due to connections if I was going to do that route.

We will do the Argonnes this year so fly into Madrid then train to Canfranc Estacion and start there. It is still several legs from Laramie, WY, to Denver to Frankfurt to Madrid, but once in Spain we have a routine and know and understand transit well enough to get where we want to go. We usually stay one night in Madrid at a hotel and then travel on from there the next day to the starting point.

It is the same with our hospitalero assignments. Once we get to Madrid we feel comfortable figuring out transportation and I'd rather fly in and out of Madrid than Santiago or one of the other airports due to connections back to Laramie.
 
SJPP is the winner hands down
I think The Way has a lot to do with starting in SJPP.

Coming from the US my wife and I have landed in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Madrid, Malaga, and Porto. Since we walked while retired, we spent time in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Lisbon, Paris, and Porto when we finished walking. Admittedly, after our first Camino of 36 days, we walked in 10-14 day segments so as to accompany a French group whose members were still working. We have been fortunate to add an urban experience in some great European cities at the end of our walks. Finally, I was living on an austere student budget when I studied French in Paris a lifetime ago. To go back there with ample sous in my pocket creates a kind of bookend experience for me.
 
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We’ve chosen our “start city” based on how much time we had to walk as well as what cities interested us and where our international flight from the USA dropped us. In a way, the difficulty of reaching a city didn’t prevent us from traveling to it, but it does factor into the decision since it would eat up resources to get to a specific spot. For example, we walked from Biarritz to SJPdP and onward on the CF because it seemed simpler and more “organic” than taking transit to there - we simply started where we landed. The same on the Norte - started walking from the airport in Biarritz
 
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Generally there have been other considerations about selecting where to start my pilgrimages, then the search for cheaper travel options. Coming from Australia, this normally involves transiting through Singapore or the Middle East, when there are options in Spain, France and Portugal that are convenient to a range of start points. The cost of getting the bus or train at that point fades almost into insignificance compared to the airfares from Australia.

I have always visited my son in England, normally after I have walked, and mostly flown from London, which isn't always the cheapest option for air-fares. On my first camino, I took the Eurostar to Paris, stayed a couple of days and flew from there at less overall cost than flying out of Heathrow!

It will be the same this year. I knew that I wanted to walk the CP. Once I had sketched out a walking plan, and when it looked like travel was going to be possible, only then were the travel arrangements put together.
 
Some good answers here, thanks for getting the conversation started!

Living in Lisbon, it's relatively easy for us to get to any camino starting point, and we were certainly spoilt by being able to walk out of our front door for our CP two years ago! It's interesting to read the views of those coming from further afield.

Mmmm. I don’t think this has been a consideration for us. First, we have tended to save our tourist time for the end of our casinos.
Hopefully you do well enough at the casino to fund your tourist time! ;)
 
I found flying in to Madrid and taking a bus to Pamplona to be pretty easy, and Pamplona is a great place to start the Frances. Same with Porto. Fly to Madrid and on to Porto and start there. Easy. The only negative factor is jet lag, but that is going to occur anyway. Cannot control that. Part of traveling.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I always choose the Camino first, then figure it out from there. And thus far, for any Spanish Camino, I always end up flying into Madrid from Colorado. It is so much cheaper to take public transportation from there. That said, I have never done the Francés and probably never will! Psychoanalyze that one! 🤣🤣
 
Like others, I choose the camino first, then plan for travel. I plan and make a few arrangements for the start of my camino. When these fall apart, as they did for the Madrid, and last-minute accommodation proves challenging and expensive to find, a lot of re-arrangement of plans can be necessary. I prefer not to have bookings in advance for most of my camino- just arrive early.
 
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I do realise that I'm a complete outlier, but my own ideal in this respect is - - travel expense to starting point AKA home nil ; difficulty in relation to that, well, obviously maximum.

I'd suppose that the opposite end of that would be el cheapo transport to Sarria and a Camino over a long weekend holiday.

What they have in common though far transcends the differences - - both are Pilgrimages on the Way of Saint James.
 
I know there are lots of people who very sensibly propose a Francés start in Pamplona. But I totally understand the decision to get to SJPP and then start walking. I think it has something to do with the non-spiritual side of a camino — how many times do people on the forum say they want to do the “whole thing?” Pointing out that there is no “whole thing” has no effect on anyone‘s plans, IMHO.

I’ve been adding people to the monthly start lists that we have recently set up, and as among Pamplona, Roncesvalles, and SJPP, SJPP is the winner hands down.
I looked into this for a previous article (Best Starting Points for the Camino Francés) and Pamplona was not even in the top six most popular CF starting points. I'm a 'whole thing' pilgrim myself (as mythical a concept as that may be) so I also understand the allure of SJPdP.

The point of this latest article wasn't about CF alternatives, but route alternatives, whereby you still get a whole camino and an easier/cheaper to reach starting point and a great city to explore first (Madrid/Barcelona/Seville/Lisbon/Porto).

For example we haven’t walked the Portuguese because of reports of lots of cobblestones. I have a total ankle replacement and couldn’t handle this type of surface. My ankle has also kept us off the Norte because of its long stages and pavement. Also, until recently we were still working so fitting a walk into our available vacation time was important — the Primitivo was perfect for this.
That's definitely true of the CP central north of Porto. South of Porto, the CP doesn't have many cobblestones but has a fair bit of asphalt, which may be similarly harsh on your ankle. If you're looking for a Portuguese route that has very little road walking overall, and if you're up for a big adventure, the Caminho Nascente could be for you!
 
We decide on the camino we want to do (usually a not so popular one to avoid crowds), and then figure out how to get there. Flying from Vancouver is expensive compared to the cheaper within Spain travel costs.
 
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I think it’s hard to tease out this factor when you consider how people choose their camino.
For me, it is an issue. I am considering walking the Podiensis this fall and its location in France is both a gift and a challenge. Yesterday I discovered that I can fly from Calgary to Lyon with one change in Montreal, then a train to Le Puy; and I can return home from Madrid to Frankfurt to Calgary. France having dropped most of its covid regulations makes this easier. Of course, there is no guarantee that Europe will not be into another wave of covid by fall. I have not settled in my mind how I shall get to Santiago from the end of the Podiensis, but I am considering finding my way, either on foot or by public transport if necessary, from there to Oloron Ste Marie and another walk on the Aragones, then on to Santiago. Yes, the routes that I want to walk come first. But as pilgrim routes, and ending in Santiago. I shall have to be confident that there is a doable combination before I buy my air tickets. If it does not seem to be practical, I shall begin to plan again, hopefully still to be walking this fall.
 
I decide on the route, then figure out how to get there. However, I have advised other pilgrims with very limited time that walking from Porto is great for a couple of reasons.

There are quite a few international flights directly into Porto, saving a day of traveling to the starting point.
Most pilgrims on the Portuguese route start in Porto, therefore for someone who only has a couple of weeks for vacation they can start with a group of "newbies," and form the kind of camaraderie that those walking longer distances on the Frances have.
 
The flights from NZ to France/Spain are so long and expensive that everything else seems almost trivial by comparison (OK so that's a slight exaggeration!), so we just pick where we want to start from and work out how to get there.
Having said that though, I've gotten a lot better and more confident at working out the faster/cheaper options once in Europe.
We couldn't believe it when talking to an Irish girl who chose the Camino because it was so cheap to get there - not even 20 Euros. She told us the airline was 'rubbish' but the fare so good she couldn't pass it up.
We were gobsmacked - and ever so slightly envious. I think if I lived so close I'd be there half the year.
A Camino isn't a particularly cheap option for us, with airfares and currency conversion coming into it.
But I do it because I'm hooked, and my only regret is that I didn't start doing it years ago.
 
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I think for a first time Camino pilgrim, it mostly has to do with time. The shorter Camino from Porto is chosen by a lot of people because it fits into the allotted vacation time. And there is that “whole thing” thing mentioned above for the Frances.

For my first Frances Camino, I chose to start in Burgos because I had a time limitation and I wanted to end in Santiago.

For my second, time was not an issue. I chose to do the “completist” thing and started in St Jean and ended in Burgos. Thus, completing the Frances…except for that 60/k I skipped with a bus because of a health issue I was having. That’s nagging at me and I may go back and pick up those miles

For my upcoming third, I chose the Primitivo because the countryside looks too pretty.
 
I just walk out of my front door. From there I can join any of the French routes somewhere on foot or by bike and then return the same or a different way, or get a train. There are plenty of secondary routes.
 
I think The Way has a lot to do with starting in SJPP.
Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.
 
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Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.
I started in SJPdP before I had heard of the movie, let alone seen it. But I think it has had its impact.
 
I started in SJPdP before I had heard of the movie, let alone seen it. But I think it has had its impact.
It certainly seems to have raised awareness of the Caminos amongst Americans and to a lesser extent amongst other Anglophones. I don't think that the film had much impact in other language areas. As an English-language forum I feel we tend to overestimate the significance of this film (and the Brierley guides) in the growth of interest in the Caminos in recent years.
 
Perhaps that is true for fans of the film but SJPDP was already firmly established as the main starting point for international pilgrims by the time of my first Camino in 1990. 20 years before the movie. The Spanish mostly started from Roncesvalles. I think that the chief reason is that it was one of the two starting points given by Don Elias Valiña in his very influential guidebook published in 1984.
In Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage, the starting point for the CF is very clearly mandated as SJPP. (Interestingly, the end point is not even included in the book, but magical realism tends to be shaky on details. 🙃) He walked it in 1986 and the book was published in 1987. I think along with the things you mention, it probably contributed to establishing SJPP as the main starting point.
 
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I wrote an article this week about camino starting cities as alternatives to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (and alternative routes to the Francés). The idea of the article is to suggest that if getting to SJPdP sounds like a hassle, you can instead fly into a major city in Spain or Portugal, spend some time enjoying that city, and then start walking directly from there.

While I was putting it together I reached out to @Rick of Rick and Peg to ask about his Camino Catalán and he said two of his reasons for choosing that camino were that he found a good flight deal and because he liked Barcelona.

So my question is: how much does the ease/cost of arriving at the starting point, or the desire to spend time in that starting point, affect your choice of camino?

The article is here: Camino Starting Cities
My first Camino will be in Sept this year. When beginning to plan, the ease & cost of arriving at the starting point was a major factor! I also considered the sightseeing opportunities in the starting point. Ease & cost I anticipate to always be a factor. Especially cost (airfare from the US to Europe, not transport within Europe). In fact, my starting point is the result of hours of research into flight costs & schedules from the US to many European cities.
Sightseeing not as much.
 
In Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage, the starting point for the CF is very clearly mandated as SJPP. (Interestingly, the end point is not even included in the book, but magical realism tends to be shaky on details. 🙃) He walked it in 1986 and the book was published in 1987. I think along with the things you mention, it probably contributed to establishing SJPP as the main starting point.
He also, if I recall correctly, took something like a week to cross the Pyrenees. It isn't a book I would use as a guide when planning a Camino. ;)
 
I wrote an article this week about camino starting cities as alternatives to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (and alternative routes to the Francés). The idea of the article is to suggest that if getting to SJPdP sounds like a hassle, you can instead fly into a major city in Spain or Portugal, spend some time enjoying that city, and then start walking directly from there.

While I was putting it together I reached out to @Rick of Rick and Peg to ask about his Camino Catalán and he said two of his reasons for choosing that camino were that he found a good flight deal and because he liked Barcelona.

So my question is: how much does the ease/cost of arriving at the starting point, or the desire to spend time in that starting point, affect your choice of camino?

The article is here: Camino Starting Cities
Better late than never with this response...

The desire for time in the starting point doesn't play into my decision because I usually leave my tourism time for after the Camino rather than before. I would rather have it as a cushion while walking to be spent after if available.

In general, ease/cost isn't too much of a factor. At least not compared to others. Although it can be a nice bonus like for my immanent Camino de Madrid where I can fly to Madrid and just walk from there.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Better late than never with this response...
Maybe you have reinvigorated the discussion!

It certainly helps when the starting point is easy to get to. That's why we found it strange that the Caminho do Mar to Fátima, which we walked recently, officially starts in Estoril. There doesn't seem to be any particular reason for that and it could be easily extended to Lisbon (which is what we did). That adds another day's walk but it just makes more sense from a marketing and practical perspective, and the extra day is along the river and goes through Belém and there are no industrial areas to walk through.
 

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