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Last minute help please.....My traveling partner has had to postpone due to family emergency and I will fly solo tomorrow. Cancelled the rental car and bought a bus ticket from Madrid to St Jean for myself. Looking for any directions/suggestions getting through the airport and to the bus. (My friend is the one who speaks spanish......) Many thanks for help with this last minute panic.
elsbeth
Hi, elsbeth, I'm sure this has caused a bit of anxiety, but it is not the last curve ball the Camino will throw your way. Deep breath, you will be fine. I assume you want the bus to Pamplona, and there are several that leave from the airport.
First questions -- which airline are you flying? I ask because of the terminal differences. If you are flying Iberia, American, BA, or another One World partner, you will arrive in T4, which is the new fancy terminal. It is separated from the older airport, T1, T2, or T3, by a bus ride of about 15 minutes.
Second question -- do you have a reservation on a specific bus? Can you tell us your schedule and itinerary? I hope this link will take you to the schedule for busses on the 19th from Madrid to Pamplona, you can see which ones stop at the airport.
https://www.alsa.es/checkout?p_auth=RwCXgzPf&p_p_id=PurchasePortlet_WAR_Alsaportlet&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=3&_PurchasePortlet_WAR_Alsaportlet_javax.portlet.action=searchJourneysAction&originForm=journeySearchForm&_JourneySearchPortlet_WAR_Alsaportlet_code=&serviceType=&accessible=0&originStationNameId=Madrid+(todas+las+paradas),+Madrid,+España&originStationId=90155&destinationStationNameId=Pamplona+(todas+las+paradas),+Navarra,+España&destinationStationId=93100&departureDate=19/04/2017&travelTypeOutward=OUTWARD&numPassengers=1&passengerType-1=1&passengerType-3=0&passengerType-2=0&locationMode=1®ionalZone=&travelType=OUTWARD&promoCode=&jsonAlsaPassPassenger=
If you are on a bus that leaves from the airport (not all buses from Madrid to Pamplona stop there), you will need to get to the bus stop at T4. If you arrive in T4, you will take the train to baggage claim/exit and be right there. If you arrive in the other terminals, you will have to get any checked luggage and then go outside for the intra-airport bus. It runs very frequently and is free.
Lots of people here to help you out, so don't panic! Buen camino, Laurie
Here is Aena Madrid Airport website. Find a button for airport map bottom right. http://www.aena.es/en/madrid-barajas-airport/index.html
Take EMT Madrid #200 from one of several bus stops shown on the airport map to Intercambiador de Avenida de America where it terminates.
PLM Autocares and ALSA (via Soria) provide bus service from Avenida de America to Pamplona.
Only some of the buses call at the airport and it may be much faster to go to Avenida de America than to wait at the Airport T4 bus station
Elsbeth, your plans sound very good and even though your partner can't be there to help navigate this time, try not to worry and just take each step as it comes. Somehow, most of us make it to where we're going in spite of the inevitable uncertainty and occasional mishaps. There are information desks there at Barajas too. Just so you're prepared, the ALSA buses from T4 to Soria and on to Pamplona don't have bathrooms like intercity buses often do in the U.S. I was dismayed to realize this after had just had a strong cup of Spanish coffee whilst waiting in T4. Also, it takes sometimes a very long time for the baggage carousel to start up for some reason, so it's good that you have this 2 hours lag time at Barajas. Buen Camino to you!Thank you for your quick reply. I am flying on Delta airlines. I bought a ticket through Alsa and it names the company as NEX Continental, Madrid - Barajas Airport T4 to Soria. I will then change in Soria and again in Pamplona as I had previously purchased a ticket for St Jean.
If my flight is on time I will have about 2 hours to make my way to baggage claim (for my poles) and on to T4, if I don't land there.
I know this is just a small hiccup and there will be more to come - I anticipate those. Looking forward to my walk and thank you for your advice.
elsbeth
Sounds like you have it all under control. Just one last thing, in the days when I used to check my hiking poles in cardboard tubes, sometimes those would not show up at the regular luggage carousel. There's a special place for odd shaped and oversized items, which may be where your poles go. One bad experience a few years ago with The airlines losing my poles changed my practice, so I now always carry them on, but hopefully you will be OK.Thank you for your quick reply. I am flying on Delta airlines. I bought a ticket through Alsa and it names the company as NEX Continental, Madrid - Barajas Airport T4 to Soria. I will then change in Soria and again in Pamplona as I had previously purchased a ticket for St Jean.
If my flight is on time I will have about 2 hours to make my way to baggage claim (for my poles) and on to T4, if I don't land there.
I know this is just a small hiccup and there will be more to come - I anticipate those. Looking forward to my walk and thank you for your advice.
elsbeth
Sounds like you have it all under control. Just one last thing, in the days when I used to check my hiking poles in cardboard tubes, sometimes those would not show up at the regular luggage carousel. There's a special place for odd shaped and oversized items, which may be where your poles go. One bad experience a few years ago with The airlines losing my poles changed my practice, so I now always carry them on, but hopefully you will be OK.
Elsbeth, your plans sound very good and even though your partner can't be there to help navigate this time, try not to worry and just take each step as it comes. Somehow, most of us make it to where we're going in spite of the inevitable uncertainty and occasional mishaps. There are information desks there at Barajas too. Just so you're prepared, the ALSA buses from T4 to Soria and on to Pamplona don't have bathrooms like intercity buses often do in the U.S. I was dismayed to realize this after had just had a strong cup of Spanish coffee whilst waiting in T4. Also, it takes sometimes a very long time for the baggage carousel to start up for some reason, so it's good that you have this 2 hours lag time at Barajas. Buen Camino to you!
PS: Is your travel partner joining you on the camino later, or did he/she have to postpone altogether?
Pamplona is a beautiful spot to start a camino, and easily accessible from Madrid. It's 3-4 days of walking from St Jean. So that could be a good "meet up to start" spot. Logrono is a few days after that, and almost as accessible. Good luck.Time will tell = we're hoping she can follow me in a few days.
elsbeth
I have stayed out of the last few debates over whether you can carry on hiking poles or not, since tempers sometimes flare and I know I've said it all a million times. But I am in the "never had a problem carrying on poles in plain view through TSA in numerous US airports" sub-group of this forum. Some forum members insist it is prohibited by TSA regulations so I shouldn't carry them on, but I have specifically asked TSA people who have told me I can bring them on. Since I routinely carry them on so that all the world can plainly see them, either the many TSA people who have now let my poles through don't know the rules or the rules are different than what we think they are. But... in any event, I always have an easy way for a last-minute check-in in case of a problem, so I do have a Plan B. So far, and this is after trips through 15 or more US airports, most recently in March, I have not had to check them.Would love to carry them on - will try......
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