Genevievala
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances - 2023
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The flight part I can help with. Air France has a direct flight from Vancouver to Paris Wednesdays and Sundays and will probably add another day for summer. Book your connecting flight to Biarritz on the same ticket. Bus to Bayonne.Hello! Looking for some friendly advice as we move ahead with our flight purchase. Traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Europe to start CF in SJPDP early July.
Debating a flight that bring us to Bayonne (right after Tour de France goes through) where we could have a rest day - or - coming via Madrid and having that rest day in Pamplona (right before Festival San Fermin).
When we walk through Pamplona a few days later we will be in the middle of the festival. We anticipate adjusting our stops to avoid the crowds which probably means missing out on experiencing Pamplona.
Have read many wonderful things about Bayonne, would hate to miss a visit there but it seems we have to choose between the two. Any suggestions?
I fly out Vancouver to Madrid May 15 and arrive next day May 16 at 10:20 AM. Taking train or bus to Pamplona and spend a rest day there before heading to SJPP to start my Camino.Hello! Looking for some friendly advice as we move ahead with our flight purchase. Traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Europe to start CF in SJPDP early July.
Debating a flight that bring us to Bayonne (right after Tour de France goes through) where we could have a rest day - or - coming via Madrid and having that rest day in Pamplona (right before Festival San Fermin).
When we walk through Pamplona a few days later we will be in the middle of the festival. We anticipate adjusting our stops to avoid the crowds which probably means missing out on experiencing Pamplona.
Have read many wonderful things about Bayonne, would hate to miss a visit there but it seems we have to choose between the two. Any suggestions?
As it’s said, “timing is everything.” Because of Saint Fermin, Pamplona will not be as easy to enjoy even right before the festival. Therefore, my choice for a rest day, based on when you are traveling, would be Bayonne. It’s a charming French town and one that is easily reached from Paris by plane (Biarritz) or by high speed train (TGV) out of the Gare Montparnasse. After a rest there, it’s little more than an hour train ride on to SJPP where you can finish your preparations for your Camino.Hello! Looking for some friendly advice as we move ahead with our flight purchase. Traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Europe to start CF in SJPDP early July.
Debating a flight that bring us to Bayonne (right after Tour de France goes through) where we could have a rest day - or - coming via Madrid and having that rest day in Pamplona (right before Festival San Fermin).
When we walk through Pamplona a few days later we will be in the middle of the festival. We anticipate adjusting our stops to avoid the crowds which probably means missing out on experiencing Pamplona.
Have read many wonderful things about Bayonne, would hate to miss a visit there but it seems we have to choose between the two. Any suggestions?
I started in Pamplona and spent two nights there before setting out. The old city is wonderful, and I hope to go back and spend a bit more time. I would recommend visiting the Ultreia Pilgrims Visitor Center there for information, a credential (pilgrim passport) which you can buy for 2E. There are also two interesting and informative short videos about the history, from the beginning, of the Camino. If the website pops up in Spanish, click on the word "Idioma" in upper right and change to English. Staff speak English and Spanish and...?Hello! Looking for some friendly advice as we move ahead with our flight purchase. Traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Europe to start CF in SJPDP early July.
Debating a flight that bring us to Bayonne (right after Tour de France goes through) where we could have a rest day - or - coming via Madrid and having that rest day in Pamplona (right before Festival San Fermin).
When we walk through Pamplona a few days later we will be in the middle of the festival. We anticipate adjusting our stops to avoid the crowds which probably means missing out on experiencing Pamplona.
Have read many wonderful things about Bayonne, would hate to miss a visit there but it seems we have to choose between the two. Any suggestions
You got my attention with chocolate.Rest day - Bayonne, a small peaceful quaint village and famous for chocolates. Check out: Chocolat Cazenave, 19, Rue Pont Neuf, Bayonne, France.
Thx for this advice. I hadn’t looked into the festival schedule yet so this is good to know! As early birds we will probably want to adjust that dayIt you walk through Pamplona during San Fermin, avoid doing so early in the morning when the bulls are running. Midmorning would be better as the crowds have thinned a little.
I like to fly into Madrid, but others prefer to come through France. I have flown into Paris and then Biarritz, when we started in St Jean 2016, but have not been back to start there since. Madrid gives me more transportation options to Camino locations in Spain.
Appreciate it! Thx for video and pic, that was nice to show my mumIf you didn't have the complication of being on the Camino during San Fermin, I would vote for Bayonne, since you would have time in Pamplona while walking.
I walked through Pamplona during San Fermín in 2017 - it took quite a while to get through and the streets were super crowded, but it was so much fun to see everyone celebrating in their white and red clothes.
View attachment 140542
It was probably around 11am when we walked through and the streets had been cleaned from the previous night's revelry and the morning's running of the bulls. If you aren't comfortable with crowds it would be best to find a way around the city.
We spent the night before in Larrasoaña and then slept in Cizur Menor after walking through Pamplona.
View attachment 140541
Thank you that’s very helpful to knowI'm only here to add that many of the businesses in Pamplona are firmly shuttered during San Fermín, and restaurants can be booked up. But if you're there at other times, the food is phenomenal and the churros at this place are very fine:
El Churrero de Lerín
+34 618 43 49 76
https://g.co/kgs/hzPo2a
West Jet has a flight to Barcelona. We booked from Barcelona through Toronto to Victoria, on a weeks notice, last fall for under $500 one way. I believe this flight will go from Calgary to Barcelona this summer so you may want to consider this flight.Hello! Looking for some friendly advice as we move ahead with our flight purchase. Traveling from Vancouver, Canada to Europe to start CF in SJPDP early July.
Debating a flight that bring us to Bayonne (right after Tour de France goes through) where we could have a rest day - or - coming via Madrid and having that rest day in Pamplona (right before Festival San Fermin).
When we walk through Pamplona a few days later we will be in the middle of the festival. We anticipate adjusting our stops to avoid the crowds which probably means missing out on experiencing Pamplona.
Have read many wonderful things about Bayonne, would hate to miss a visit there but it seems we have to choose between the two. Any suggestions?
West Jet has a flight to Barcelona. We booked from Barcelona through Toronto to Victoria, on a weeks notice, last fall for under $500 one way. I believe this flight will go from Calgary to Barcelona this summer so you may want to consider this flight.
I suggest starting in Bayonne and walking the Camino Baztán route which ends in Pamplona. This is a very beautiful camino which goes through the Basque regions to Pamplona. From there you can continue on the Camino Frances. And take plenty of rest days anywhere you find interesting.Rest day - Bayonne, a small peaceful quaint village and famous for chocolates. Check out: Chocolat Cazenave, 19, Rue Pont Neuf, Bayonne, France.
Like others shared in this thread, Bayonne is a "sweet" stopover to savor the French Basque region including SJPDP before the Camino Frances. Buen Camino!
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