Overnight in St. Jean or Bayonne?

[sonhador]

Planning question, I'm starting my first Camino this summer from St. Jean. I am hoping to stay at Orrison my first night, mostly for an easier start to the Camino. With flight connection times, the earliest I can arrive at St. Jean is on the 7:15 pm train. The other option I have is to spend the night in Bayonne/Biarratz and take the first train in the morning. Especially with staying at Orrison, that would still leave me time to get my credencial/sello and tour St. Jean for a little bit before heading out. So thoughts? Spend some time in Bayonne? Or just head straight to St. Jean?

 

[Saint Mike II]

Planning question, I'm starting my first Camino this summer from St. Jean. I am hoping to stay at Orrison my first night, mostly for an easier start to the Camino. With flight connection times, the earliest I can arrive at St. Jean is on the 7:15 pm train. The other option I have is to spend the night in Bayonne/Biarratz and take the first train in the morning. Especially with staying at Orrison, that would still leave me time to get my credencial/sello and tour St. Jean for a little bit before heading out. So thoughts? Spend some time in Bayonne? Or just head straight to St. Jean?

This decision depends upon hour you get to Paris and then Bayonne/Biarratz. If you have flown across more than 4 times or more than 10 hours then an over night in St Jean or Bayonne plus the short day to Orisson will help overcome any jet lag. Hope this helps the decision making. (BTW I am doing both - overnight in St Jean and Orisson). Cheers

 

[Kiwi-family]

Overnight in Bayonne and then walk La Voie de la Nive to Saint Jean (3 days)! You'll probably overnight in both then.

 

[sonhador]

Overnight in Bayonne and then walk La Voie de la Nive to Saint Jean (3 days)! You'll probably overnight in both then.

I've got all summer, but there is quite a bit I want to do on this trip. I really don't think adding more to the Camino is going to be feasible! The current plan is to hike the Frances to the Inverno and then finish with Finesterre and Muxia assuming I have time. I think that'll be enough for me!

This decision depends upon hour you get to Paris and then Bayonne/Biarratz. If you have flown across more than 4 times or more than 10 hours then an over night in St Jean or Bayonne plus the short day to Orisson will help overcome any jet lag. Hope this helps the decision making. (BTW I am doing both - overnight in St Jean and Orisson). Cheers

I think I'm going to have to choose either Bayonne or St. Jean. Currently, I leave the western US on Monday, arrive in Stockholm at noon on Tuesday, fly to Paris and then take the train to Bayonne on Wednesday arriving around 5:30 pm. So I already have a relatively slow start to the trip to help overcome jet lag - and there is enough sight seeing I want to do on the back end, I really don't want to delay my start another day. So it really does boil down to spending the evening in Bayonne or St. Jean. Regardless of where I stay Wednesday, unless Orisson is full, I'll plan on departing St. Jean around noon for Orisson.

Thanks!
Erin

 

[superleggera]

Hi, I posted this as a reply to someone who was arriving a couple of days before me, but it's relevant to your question too:


Hi, why don't you stay the night in Bayonne? Bayonne, if you have never been, is a fantastic small city and arguably one of the jewels of SW France. It also has a rich history and religious/pilgrim heritage. There is at least one small private albergue in Bayonne, the one I know of is right in the centre near the Cathedral but it only has space for a few pilgrims. There is actually a lot of very reasonably priced, very good accommodation in Bayonne too on Airbnb, plenty of it cheaper than the albergue- I checked a couple of days ago. Just google 'bayonne france' and then click on images and see for yourself how nice it is. I'm doing my first one too in March but a few days behind you, my flight is to Bordeaux and I'm getting the TGV from there to Bayonne station, arriving at around 1730 so I could catch the train to StJean if I wanted to. It'll be a long 13hr day of travelling for me so staying in Bayonne will suit me fine. I'm planning to head to StJean the following day, around lunchtime maybe later and then spend the remainder of the day checking out StJean (also supposed to be nice) before getting an all important early night before heading out the next morning.

I'm reading a lot of stuff posted by people who seem absolutely desperate to get to StJean the same night they land and willing to pay exhorbitant prices for taxis etc and then they are walking out the next morning. I just don't get it....by doing that they won't get to see any of StJean (or Bayonne/Biarritz) and they will be engaging in the first long stage of a long walk possibly still tired from all the travelling the day before. From what I can gather, the first part of the Camino, the arrival in StJean and the town, the morning you leave are significant points in your Camino and should be savoured...we'll see I guess.

I'm on a limited schedule to complete it all and might get shot for saying this, but I'd rather jump on a bus and miss out on one of the later less appealing parts of the walk and make a day back up that way than rush the start of it, but other opinions are available of course

By the way, I don't work for the Bayonne tourist board...and Biarritz is also great too, a bit more geared towards the summer etc but stuff is open, I've stayed there twice before at the end of Feb/beginning of March and it's been OK.

For an idea of what kind of prices you're looking at, I saw rooms starting at around 18 EUR on airbnb within 5 mins walk of old town and the station, the albergue is 20 EUR I think.

BC!!

 

[superleggera]

This is the link to the actual thread:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ving-in-biarritz-on-february-27th-2017.45192/

 

[happymarkos]

Planning question, I'm starting my first Camino this summer from St. Jean. I am hoping to stay at Orrison my first night, mostly for an easier start to the Camino. With flight connection times, the earliest I can arrive at St. Jean is on the 7:15 pm train. The other option I have is to spend the night in Bayonne/Biarratz and take the first train in the morning. Especially with staying at Orrison, that would still leave me time to get my credencial/sello and tour St. Jean for a little bit before heading out. So thoughts? Spend some time in Bayonne? Or just head straight to St. Jean?

My suggestion is to go to St Jean as it has a real air about it. Providing you book ahead you will have a bed.
No problem about obtaining your pilgrims passport from the Pilgrims office who will also provide updates on the weather as well as a list of all the albergues, phone numbers etc.You can obtain a shell there also by donation.
That way you wake in this amazing historic town and go exploring for a few hours before heading off to Orrison late morning; about 8km and steep in places. If you allow 3 hours you can also enjoy the view and arrive in plenty of time to wash your clothes and relax. Might have jet lag also to deal with so a slow first day is the way to go.
Buen Camino
happymarkos