Need help planning for Camino from St Jean Pied de Port

[Angelus]

Hi pilgrims
I am plan to walk the camino starting from st jean de pied, france after serving in Lourdes.2 of us.not experience. Just hv desire to do the walk. Plan start on 04.06.23.Any advise greatly appreciated. . I've few questions if anyone can help
1. Heard have van we can rent to put our luggage while we are walking.How we rent this van? About how much? The van will waiting in next stop point? 2. Can we sleep in church at night? How to? Or any motel along the way? Can just walk in? Roughly about how much? We plan for the 800km. 3. Where to get the passport to stamp to complete the journey? Thank you. Really appreciate any advise & help. God bless

3. Where or how to get the passport to collect stamps from each stop so we can complete the journey

[Moderator note: Personal email address removed.]

 

[Molly Cassidy]

1. To use luggage transport you usually need to have a booking for accommodation and they deliver the bags to your albergue or hotel. The cost is something like €5-7 per day, but if you book your whole journey in advance (usually you can update stops as you go) it might be cheaper.
2. Usually you can't sleep in churches. There are albergues which have dormitories with bunkbeds. You can usually pay between €10 and €20 per bunk per night. You can just walk in. Many towns have more than one place, so if the first is full you can find another place.
3. There is a pilgrim welcome office in St Jean. They will sell you the pilgrim passport (credential) and give you a list of places to stay.

 

[Angelus]

1. To use luggage transport you usually need to have a booking for accommodation and they deliver the bags to your albergue or hotel. The cost is something like €5-7 per day, but if you book your whole journey in advance (usually you can update stops as you go) it might be cheaper.
2. Usually you can't sleep in churches. There are albergues which have dormitories with bunkbeds. You can usually pay between €10 and €20 per bunk per night. You can just walk in. Many towns have more than one place, so if the first is full you can find another place.
3. There is a pilgrim welcome office in St Jean. They will sell you the pilgrim passport (credential) and give you a list of places to stay.

Thank you so much. How i can book this luggage transport?

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Paq Mochila from Correos - Backpack transfers

Keep your Camino de Santiago experiences in your backpack, without having to carry it. Backpack transfers along the Camino de Santiago

www.correos.es

This is one option, but they only operate in Spain, so you'd need to carry your bag to Roncevalles.

 

[Angelus]

I m start from st jean de pied - france. Any in there?

 

[C clearly]

You should go to the Pilgrim Office in SJPP (St Jean) to get the credencial or "pilgrim passport." You need this in order to stay in the pilgrim albergues along the route.

In the Pilgrim Office, you will be able to get answers to all of these questions.

 

[trecile]

I m start from st jean de pied - france. Any in there?

Yes, there is Express Bourricot in St Jean Pied de Port.

LUGGAGE TRANSPORT - Express Bourricot

www.expressbourricot.com

 

[J Willhaus]

Express Bouricott has a bag transfer service to Roncesvalles. From there you can arrange with one of the other bag services such as Jacotrans, Correos, etc.

LUGGAGE TRANSPORT - Express Bourricot

www.expressbourricot.com

 

[Angelus]

You should go to the Pilgrim Office in SJPP (St Jean) to get the credencial or "pilgrim passport." You need this in order to stay in the pilgrim albergues along the route.

In the Pilgrim Office, you will be able to get answers to all of these questions.

Thank you

 

[trecile]

Read this forum as much as you can, and most of your questions will be answered. The forum is divided into many sub-forums such as gear and transportation. In addition there are many "tag topics" such as luggage transport/storage, bed bugs, and clothing. You can find all of the tag topics here.

 

[Angelus]

Read this forum as much as you can, and most of your questions will be answered. The forum is divided into many sub-forums such as gear and transportation. In addition there are many "tag topics" such as luggage transport/storage, bed bugs, and clothing. You can find all of the tag topics here.

Thank you

 

[woody66]

Hi Anelus!
To help you find places to sleep along the Camino use this website Gronze ;it is an excellent resource! ( it's in Spanish but the Google chrome web browser will automatically translate it to English)
It shows you the whole route of the Frances: distance between towns and villages, what accommodation types are available in each place close to the Camino with some Pilgrim reviews and contact details.

Camino Francés | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés es el Camino de Santiago en el que confluyen la mayoría de las vías medievales de peregrinación europeas, siendo por tanto el camino de mayor relevancia histórica y el más seguido por los peregrinos. Su punto de inicio, hoy en día, tanto puede considerarse Roncesvalles como...

www.gronze.com

Booking.com is also a useful tool
One advantage is you can book with a free cancellation option;usually up to a couple of days before you intend to stay there without losing money if something happens and your plan changes!!
It might be advisable to book the first few nights to Pamplona; as i was advised to do until you get some idea of how busy the Camino is.
Hope this is helpful.
Buen Camino
Woody
You can get a Pilgrim credential/passport at the Pilgrim Office in Saint Jean Pied de Port 39 Rue de la Citadelle

 

[henrythedog]

Hi pilgrims
I am plan to walk the camino starting from st jean de pied, france after serving in Lourdes.2 of us.not experience. Just hv desire to do the walk. Plan start on 04.06.23.Any advise greatly appreciated. . I've few questions if anyone can help
1. Heard have van we can rent to put our luggage while we are walking.How we rent this van? About how much? The van will waiting in next stop point? 2. Can we sleep in church at night? How to? Or any motel along the way? Can just walk in? Roughly about how much? We plan for the 800km. 3. Where to get the passport to stamp to complete the journey? Thank you. Really appreciate any advise & help. God bless

3. Where or how to get the passport to collect stamps from each stop so we can complete the journey

[Moderator note: Personal email address removed.]

You do have enough time to prepare. As others have said; all the answers are on here and a combination of the ‘tags’ and the search function will be very helpful.

Might I recommend a slightly old-fashioned approach: buy a guidebook and read it. A selection are listed on Ivar’s shop (at a discount currently) and there’s always Amazon or - if you’re lucky enough to be near one - a real book-shop.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Not much planning is needed, but of course it can be fun and can help to reassure yourself that everything is going to be fine, also.

Walking the Camino Francés is not that complicated, thankfully

If you like to read in the evening, it's good to have a good old fashioned guide book. You can order that online before or buy in St. Jean.

But basically all you need is a comfortable backpack with one change of of clothes apart from the one you wear, some sort of rain gear (many use ponchos), a lightweight sleeping bag, hygiene kit (toothbrush+paste, soap, lightweight tiny towel (for example a dish towel or a microfiber one is enough), comfortable shoes, and a set of shoes to relax in the evening (sandals, flip-flops or similar). And a basic first aid kit. Maybe a hat (sun protection).

If you pack light, you might realize you don't even need the luggage service or at least not every day. Extra luggage you have from your stay in Lourdes can be sent to Santiago and be stored there until you arrive.

In the pilgrim's office in St. Jean you will get a list of the accommodation and also a sheet with the etappes/ elevation gain. That's basically all you need. Then just follows the signs (or other pilgrims) and that's it.

When you want to stop, walk into an albergue and ask for beds. Or call them midday to ask if they have beds and make a reservation, whatever you prefer. If a place is full, simply ask at another.

Then shower, wash clothes, eat, sleep, repeat.

And before you know it you're in Santiago

Buen Camino!

 

[Angelus]

Thank you so much