I'd Love some help

[Filby5]

Hey! I am planning on doing the Camino in spring (april), I am flying from Canada and was wondering if someone can give me advice on where to start from within Spain. I am traveling with my fiance and we are leaving our selves six weeks to complete it. Is that too much time? how much money should we expect to spend? any advice you can give is more than appreciated. Thanks! and can someone please help me figure out the train! we are flying into Santiago and don't know how to get to SJPdP or any other starting places.

 

[Anniesantiago]

If you haven't purchased tickets yet, may I suggest you fly into Pamplona and take the 15 Euro (or is it 20 now) to St. Jean Pied de Port or to Roncesvalles to begin your walk.

You could fly OUT of Santiago.

Six weeks is about right if you travel 20-25 k per day, which is what Brierley suggests. I just returned and spent about 20 euros per day. Will you stay in private lodging or in albergues?

 

[fraluchi]

I am traveling with my fiance and we are leaving our selves six weeks to complete it. Is that too much time? how much money should we expect to spend? [...] how to get to SJPdP or any other starting places.

It's my experience that after a transatlantic flight and with time difference, the first three days should be taken at ease. Starting from Roncesvalles (and not SJPP) there are 800 km to Santiago. At an average of 20 km a day, you manage this distance under 6 weeks. For the two of you, budget an average daily expense of 20 Euro at "albergues de peregrinos", 40 Euros for food and beverages, and 10 Euros for sundry expenses. Add to this 10% for "unforeseen", which leads to a minimum daily average of 100 Euro.
If, as you mention, you fly into Santiago, you should bus to Pamplona and then Roncesvalles. Check with Alsa (to Logroño) and PLM (to Pamplona). The easier way would be to fly into Pamplona (from Madrid).

 

[tyrrek]

I agree with the above. If you can, change your booking to arrive somewhere closer to SJPP. Apart from a long onward journey from Santiago there's something special about seeing Santiago for the first time when you finish your Camino.

Flights to Pamplona are relatively few and limited to a few airlines, so check the difference between the cost of doing that compared to just flying to Paris or Madrid, and winding your way to SJPP/Roncesvalles by train/bus over the next day or so as you recover from the jetlag. You'll still have time for the walk.

Accommodation is the biggest influence on costs. In albergues you should probably budget for up to 10 euros per night each. Double that for a private room in a hostal. Apart from that it's just food and drink really, plus washing machines, pharmacy stuff etc.

Enjoy your planning. Buen Camino!

 

[Filby5]

We, are planning on doing it as simple as possible, and even camping some of the nights. We drink only water, and heard from that the hike from SJPP is very difficult but rewarding, is it worth it for our first time?

 

[Penny71]

We walked from St Jean to Orisson on the first day, then to Roncesvalles on the second. I would do those two days again in an instant. Staying overnight in Orisson was, for us, a wonderful way to start. If you want to do this, you need to book into the albergue at Orisson. (This was the only reservation we made until Santiago.) We took six weeks from SJPP to Finisterre at an easy pace with several rest days.

 

[rachcarter]

Hi

If you haven't already booked your flights then I'd really recommend getting a flight to Pamplona and then taking the bus or taxi to SJPP. SJPP is a beautiful place to start - and the walk (pushing my bicycle most of the way) from SJPP to Roncesvalles was my favourite.

The Spanish airline Iberia fly into Pamplona.

Cheers,
Rachael

 

[newfydog]

We, are planning on doing it as simple as possible, and even camping some of the nights. We drink only water, ?

I would either camp a lot of nights or none of them---the weight of the gear is important.

If your preference for water is not set in stone, try a little wine in the Rioja. It is part of the culture, and very good.

 

[cecelia]

Hi Filby5,
Here's my easiest way: I fly in from the west coast of Canada to Biarritz (through London or Paris) in one day arriving about 10:30 at night. I stay that night and one more (for jet lag) in Biarritz which is a lovely spot - especially the historic part of town. I have stayed in a hotel in the old town and at the youth hostel (being youthful in my sixties ). The youth hostel is two blocks from the train station. During the day while I'm staggering around in a jet lagged blither, I wander over to the train station to check leaving times and buy my ticket for the next day. I usually leave at about 8:00am. The train gets to Bayonne in about ten minutes and you change trains for SJPP. It's a short turn around time so you need to hustle a bit to find the right gate. You get to SJPP in about an hour and a half I think. So you have time to get to the Pilgrims' Office, buy a few supplies for the day as there is nothing on the way up the hill, and even have lunch if you want to, then walk up to Huntto or Orisson that day with time to spare. But as mentioned above, make sure you have a reservation well in advance if you want to stay at Orisson. Either spot takes a nice bite out of the walk for the following day.
Yes - the hike over the Route Napoleon is very worth it!!
Buen camino.

 

[Mmc_56]

So many options We flew Calgary to London, then on to Barcelona to recover from jet lag and sightsee... Barcelona is a must see for newbies flying all that way I think Then, train to Pamplona, bus to SJPDP. I, like previous posters, highly recommend staying at Orisson as the walk to Roncesvalles is very demanding... You will arrive at Orisson early, but will appreciate it the next day ! Also, we found that the people we met at the communal meal at Orisson were the some of the best friends we met on the way. I can't imagine missing the walk from SJPDP as it has some of the most stunning views, even in the fog ! Well worth the challenge.

 

[poogeyejr]

I flew from Vancouver to Paris, then took a train to Heyende. But I walked the Norte from Irun. I am dreaming about doing it again, and found Vancouver to Bilbao return for $1128. Enjoy your planning and your Camino.

 

[fortview]

Hi, my husband,John,and I finished our camino a month ago. He started in SJPDP, and posted a question before we left, which had a lot of responses on this wonderful forum " To start SJPDP or Roncevalles that is the question" . Worth reading all the useful replies. My start was always going to be Roncevalles. We allowed 7 weeks and took 6 and a bit, to allow some quiet time in Finisterre at the end. I had a few problems at times with my back or knees and it was great to be able to take either a rest day, or a short day, so as to recover. At no point did we feel the urge to rush, which is such a luxury, if you have that amount of time.
About the cost, as a couple, staying in albergues , it is easy to manage on 50 euros a day. But now and then we stayed in hostels or hotels and they obviously cost more.

We found this forum invaluable in addressing all our questions !

Enjoy your planing,

Buen camino,
Helen

 

[tyrrek]

Glad you enjoyed it Helen! Buen Camino peregrina!

 

[fortview]

Glad you enjoyed it Helen! Buen Camino peregrina!

Thank you tyrrek it was, quite simply, the time of our lives !

 

[jdpiguet]

We, are planning on doing it as simple as possible, and even camping some of the nights. We drink only water, and heard from that the hike from SJPP is very difficult but rewarding, is it worth it for our first time?

The difficulty is very depending of your condition: I reached SJPP after 6 weeks on the "Voie de Vézelay" and I'm living in the Alps, so I felt it as a long day, but not difficult.

I was really lucky with the weather: it was a beautifully sunny day, with a lot of wind, but not too warm, so I enjoy it so much that I was surprised to reach Roncevalles so quickly...

As it is generally in the mountains: the weather can change very fast, so don't hesitate to ask in SJPP before you choose your route or wether to start from Roncevalles... There is bus connections between both.

Ultreia!
Jacques-D.