Pamplona-SJPP

[Tamassina]

Can you please advice how to get from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port on a budget? From what I've found so far, the bus is 22e and it looks a bit expensive for 1.5 journey, giving that the same company asks for 24e for the trip from Madrid to Pamplona that is waaay longer. Should I just live with it or there are any cheaper options?

 

[nycwalking]

I think this is the cheapest. Taxi is about 100+ euros. Even if you split the cost with others you still pay same.
Buen camino

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I'm pretty sure there is a bus for 7 euros. If I remember correctly it left Pamplona around 6pm and arrived around 7:30pm. You get your tickets in the main bus station.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Should I just live with it

Probably, yes; or walk it!

You can get to Roncesvalles for less:
SUMMER SCHEDULE (From July 1 to August 31)

PAMPLONA RONCESVALLES:
- Monday to Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Sundays and Holidays: No service
Departure from the Pamplona Bus Station
C / Yangüas y Miranda, 2 Pamplona (City center)

RONCESVALLES PAMPLONA:
- Monday to Saturday: 08:30 h and 11:30 h (Departure from Roncesvalles)
- Sundays and Holidays: No service

FREQUENT QUESTIONS
- The journey lasts approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- The price is: 4.65 euros / passenger and 6 euros / bicycle
- The sale of tickets for passengers will be made at the single Box Office of the Bus Station.
- Bicycles will be billed in the same place. They will have to remove the front wheel and saddlebags.
- Pets are not allowed inside the bus. They can travel in their own transport in the trunk of the bus (under the responsibility of its owner)
- It is only allowed to travel inside the bus to guide dogs.

 

[Felipe]

Where did you get this 22e tarif?
See here http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles
No rides in Sundays or holidays
No reservations, you buy the ticket in the station. Cost: 4,65e.
Holiday for this semester: August 15, October 12, November 1, December 6, 8 and 25.

 

[Tamassina]

Where did you get this 22e tarif?
See here http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles
No rides in Sundays or holidays
No reservations, you buy the ticket in the station. Cost: 4,65e.
Holiday for this semester: August 15, October 12, November 1, December 6, 8 and 25.

This is to Roncesvalles. How to get from there to Saint Jean Pied de Port is still a mistery. It just seems strange that ALSA asks for 25-30e for 6.5h trip from Madrid to Pamplona and then 22 for only 1.5 h from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

This is to Roncesvalles. How to get from there to Saint Jean Pied de Port is still a mistery. It just seems strange that ALSA asks for 25-30e for 6.5h trip from Madrid to Pamplona and then 22 for only 1.5 h from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port.

Hi @Tamissina - not a big mystery, just go to the ticket window in the Pamplona bus station and ask for a ticket to SJPDP. They will take your money and the bus will drop you in SJPDP. When I was there last the bus left around 6opm and cost 6 Euros (I have read since the price is up to 7 Euros). Nice and easy so you can start your Camino experience without stress. Have a great time.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Also website and goeuro.com have it at 22€. It maybe because of the cost of insurance or permits crossing into Spain?

 

[Felipe]

@Tamissina is right. The cost to SJPP is 22e -just looked at the Alsa webpage. Why? I don't know.
Some kind of calculation from the company, I guess...

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Rome2rio has it listed much lower (note these prices are in Canadian currency) but prices for Conda starts at 6€ and Alsa starts at 12€.

 

[jo webber]

If you know when you will be ready to get on the bus, you can reserve a seat on the ALSA web site. Pretty easy to do. 22e

 

[Anemone del Camino]

View attachment 35352 Rome2rio has it listed much lower (note these prices are in Canadian currency) but prices for Conda starts at 6€ and Alsa starts at 12€.

But once you go to the Conda/Alsa site it is 22€.

 

[jo webber]

View attachment 35352 Rome2rio has it listed much lower (note these prices are in Canadian currency) but prices for Conda starts at 6€ and Alsa starts at 12€.

ALSa on Rome to Rio shows only once daily, there are 3 times a day the bus leaves.
I think the price is due to everyone getting a 1 way ticket. This means the bus returns empty of paying passengers.

 

[HedaP]

Argh I wish I'd known about the 7 € option. I paid 22 € earlier this year for the Alsa bus. Regardless of which option you choose, if you get car or bus sick, make sure you pack some travel sickness pills. Hairpin bends doesn't even begin to describe this trip. Wonderfully skilful bus driver though. Felt in safe hands the entire way.

 

[Tamassina]

Hi @Tamissina - not a big mystery, just go to the ticket window in the Pamplona bus station and ask for a ticket to SJPDP. They will take your money and the bus will drop you in SJPDP. When I was there last the bus left around 6opm and cost 6 Euros (I have read since the price is up to 7 Euros). Nice and easy so you can start your Camino experience without stress. Have a great time.

Sooo... If I got it right it's basically the same local bus that goes to Roncesvalles, but if there are people who need to go to SJPP they will go a bit further down and drop you in France?

 

[hotelmedicis]

This is to Roncesvalles. How to get from there to Saint Jean Pied de Port is still a mistery. It just seems strange that ALSA asks for 25-30e for 6.5h trip from Madrid to Pamplona and then 22 for only 1.5 h from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port.

Supply and demand. High demand for the Pamplona - Madrid route will lower prices through competition and economy of transport while low demand for the Pamplona t0 SJPP route will inevitably keep the price high.

(And speaking of competition, PLM buses will get you from Madrid to Pamplona for as little as €22.19. A little healthy competition for Alsa!)

 

[Kanga]

I paid the lower price (about 6 euros) last year when I purchased my ticket at the bus station. The bus stopped at a few villages, and did go all the way to SJPDP. Perhaps the more expensive ticket is the "international" fare, purchased ahead of time and online.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

(And speaking of competition, PLM buses will get you from Madrid to Pamplona for as little as €22.19. A little healthy competition for Alsa!)

I have paid under 10€ for Madrid-Pamplona, but buying my ticket minths in advance. If you buy it a few days before it is much, much expensive.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Cheapest to SJPDP: bus to Roncesvalles and get weather report, walk to SJPDP by best route and walk back the next day the other way.

As for fares, you leave from the same station in Pamplona anyway. Check there. There are no cheaper options.

 

[Felipe]

Taking a page from Rick of Rick...PLM autocars has a ride from Pamplona to Valcarlos (in the "lower" Camino route). From V., there are 13 km to SJPP, a pleasant, downhill walk by farms and villages; about 3 hs, I guess. Just follow the signposts in reverse.
The webpage does not show the reservation info, but rome2rio puts the ticket in 5-6 euros.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I did some more thinking. After hiking from Roncesvalles to SJPDP via the Route Napoleon you might be able to catch a cheap bus back to Roncesvalles from there or Valcarlos. Depending on timing that might save you a night's lodgings.

Also depending on timing you may share a taxi and if it leaves early enough from Pamplona you could walk from SJPDP to Roncesvalles the same day and again save yourself a night's lodging in SJPDP, making the extra fare economical.

 

[whariwharangi]

Can you please advice how to get from Pamplona to Saint Jean Pied de Port on a budget? From what I've found so far, the bus is 22e and it looks a bit expensive for 1.5 journey, giving that the same company asks for 24e for the trip from Madrid to Pamplona that is waaay longer. Should I just live with it or there are any cheaper options?

SJPdP is connected to Bayonne by SNCF train usually 4 times daily all year. It costs 10 Euro.

SJPdP is connected to Pamplona by CONDA bus. CONDA schedule and price is listed under ALSA (which has majority stake). Price is 22 Euro. Sked varies on season from none to several daily. The 7 Euro price posted earlier in this thread is not up-to-date information. Its 22 Euros for the bus from Pamplona to SJPdP.

SJPdP is connected to St Palais by Transports64 bus #810. Twice per day. Connect via #811 from Bayonne.

There are not any other public transport options.

Madrid to SJPdP via Bayonne (as well as San Sebastian, Irun, and Hendaye):

ALSA bus (or Renfe train to Irun) from Madrid to San Sebastian.

There are several options to go from San Sebastian to Bayonne.

ALSA (sked varies by season) and PESA (twice daily) operates bus schedule from San Sebastian/Donostia to Bayonne.

There is a CONDA bus that goes from San Sebastian to SJPdP via Bayonne ... its the same price as going via Pamplona. Summer sked only.

Renfe Cercanias goes from San Sebastian to Irun. Every 20 minutes.

Transports64 buses #816 (hourly) and SNCF trains (several daily) go from Gare d'Hendaye (3km from Irun Renfe station) to Bayonne.

You could cross the river in San Sebastian and catch the Metro Donostialdea (every half hour) from Amara to Hendaia (co-located with Gare d'Hendaye.) Its a km from San Sebastian bus station to Amara.

There is not a central bus station in Bayonne. PESA and most #816 buses go to Place de Basques, about a km and across the river from Gare Bayonne. The ALSA site states that their bus goes to TGV Bayonne (which I assume means Gare Bayonne where the TGV trains transit) but Google Earth places the stop on the south side of the river. #811 goes from Gare Bayonne. Some of the #816 buses terminate at Gare Bayonne.

PLM Autocares provides direct bus service from Madrid Avenida de America to Pamplona while ALSA has a transfer at Soria. The only benefit of ALSA is that more of its buses pick up at Madrid Airport T4. So you might want to compare prices.

PLM Autocares lists Pamplona Valcarlos as a stop on their website. I can't get the website to show any bus service actually exists ... it might have done for a short period but doesn't appear to be operating now. There is another old thread on this website that states the bus runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Google Earth shows PLM Autocares bus stop in Valcarlos. The Pamplona bus station does not list any bus company providing service to Valcarlos including PLM Autocares. Essentially, unless someone can find another thread (and I did try Valcarlos Ayuntamiento), PLM Autocares to Valcarlos is out of date information.

 

[lynee]

I just booked the bus online 22 euros , but I wanted to get the 10 am bus to have time to have a quick look around Saint Jean and then have time to walk to Orrison that afternoon. so I did not want to miss out on a seat . 22 euro is for my peace of mind .

 

[Tamassina]

I just booked the bus online 22 euros , but I wanted to get the 10 am bus to have time to have a quick look around Saint Jean and then have time to walk to Orrison that afternoon. so I did not want to miss out on a seat . 22 euro is for my peace of mind .

yeah, I've already booked mine for 22e as well. I had same thoughts about my peace of mind=) I'll start walking on the 13th!=)

 

[MaryJo Jerro]

Hi @Tamissina - not a big mystery, just go to the ticket window in the Pamplona bus station and ask for a ticket to SJPDP. They will take your money and the bus will drop you in SJPDP. When I was there last the bus left around 6opm and cost 6 Euros (I have read since the price is up to 7 Euros). Nice and easy so you can start your Camino experience without stress. Have a great time.

Doe you know if there is still a bus from Pamplona bus statio to SJPP operating September 4th after 4pm? I can not locate a schedule and might pre-book a taxi to share.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The last bus that day is 1730.

 

[Sailor]

September 4th [see link]

DEP Pamplona 1730
ARR SJPDP 1915

https://tinyurl.com/y8p7ypyc

Good luck y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[whariwharangi]

Doe you know if there is still a bus from Pamplona bus statio to SJPP operating September 4th after 4pm? I can not locate a schedule and might pre-book a taxi to share.

Use ALSA website. Destination is Saint Jean de Pied de Port.

 

[mspath]

Use ALSA website. Destination is Saint Jean de Pied de Port.

Remember also that this is an international trip.

 

[MaryJo Jerro]

Flying into Madrid and arriving on the 4th. Going to try to catch the ALSA bus from T4 to Pamplona (with a change - somewhere). From Pamplona, my cousin and I would like to either share a cab to St. Jean de Pied Port or find a shuttle. Let me know if anyone is up for sharing.

**Anyone interested in a Taxi Share from Pamplona to SJDPP?

 

[MaryJo Jerro]

The last bus that day is 1730.

Thank You!