Planning a trip to do the Camino Frances in September 2023

[nandogdc]

Hi Guys, My wife and I are planning our first Camino in September. I have some backpacks and other things that are making this trip more real . I hope I can draw some wisdom from Camino experts. I look forward to meeting and chatting with as many people as possible and hope to see some on the Camino.

Buen Camino.

PS. We speak Spanish if that could be of help ;-)

Fernando and Liza

 

[dougfitz]

You will find the Australian Friends of the Camino (https://www.afotc.org/) is a useful resource as well. There is a local pilgrim group on the Sunshine Coast - you will find a contact form on the AFOTC site. Even if you cannot attend their meetings, it would be worth getting in touch with them.

On this forum there is a wealth of information, and the moderators are always making improvements to help people find that. I find the basic search function works well enough, and there is a tag cloud if you prefer that approach.

You can also search the site using a search engine like DuckDuckGo by parsing an enquiry that specifically searches the site. The DuckDuckGo search syntax guide is here. For example, a search for backpack information would look like this backpacks site:https://www.caminodesantiago.me/ in the DuckDuckGo search bar. I am sure Google will have something similar. And note, this is a trite example. It could just as easily be done using the forum search engine.

 

[pepi]

Welcome to this forum, browsing thru the threads surely has already given you lots of information and you'll get plenty of advice for your specific questions.
I suggest that you first narrow down your choices:

• Which Camino? The most popular are the Camino Frances (it has the best infrastructure), the Portuguese, Via de la Plata, the Norte, etc. Look up the many online maps and www.gronze.com, which also recommends the stages. (You already decided on the CF) There is absolutely no requirement to walk the entire distance indicated, you can start and stop anywhere you want. If you care to receive a Compostela in Santiago, check out the rules in this forum. (You must walk the last 100km and get min. 2 sellos (stamps) per day). www.rome2rio.com helps you to check out and book your way to the starting– and your return from your finishing point.
• Accommodation. Decide what is right for you: Staying in modest Albergues with dormitories and bunk beds or private rooms – or a mix thereof. (Gronze gives you a good list and description of both) Couples btw have the advantage that along the Caminos, you are generally charged by the room and not by the person, which ends up being only very slightly more expensive than albergues, where you pay for the bed.
• Reservation. September is a busy month. Staying in Albergues is more flexible, book the first few nights and play it by ear thereafter, you may call ahead a day or two. Rooms require reservations and walking in September, I book ahead for the entire journey by toggling between Gronze and booking.com.
• Carry or not? If you decide to book ahead, you might decide to take advantage of the services of Jacotrans et al. to forward your main pack(s) from one stage to the next, its easy and reliable @ 3 to 5 € per bag and shot; couples may decide to share and forward one larger rucksack and to carry small daypacks for water, snacks, rain gear, etc.​

Once you have decided on the aboves, you are practically set. Now you can work on the finer details, you'll find answers to all FAQs on cost and money matters, communication, packing, etc., and get advice on specific questions right here in this fabulous forum. For instance, you may want to plan in one or several rests, sightseeing in larger cities on longer Caminos, etc.? (Note: Albergues let you stay for one night only). Or to alternatively shortcut a stage before a large town by hopping onto a bus (the hardcore Peregrinos here will have me tarred and feathered, but I don't see anything wrong in skipping the industrial outskirts of Burgos, Leon, etc., in order to have more time there without staying an extra night)

Above all, plan and do the Camino the way that suits you best!
Enjoy your planning.

 

[nandogdc]

Thanks a lot for all this great advice.

At this stage, I need to arrange the travel from Brisbane/AU to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I will search here, but I need advice on what would be the best route. From Brisbane to Spain( Madrid or Barcelona) or France (Paris)? Then how to get to SJPdP from either of these cities? and then the way back. That is giving me a headache LOL.

 

[trecile]

There's lots of good information in the Traveling & Transport to/from/along the camino subforum.

 

[Jerrip]

Hi Guys, My wife and I are planning our first Camino in September. I have some backpacks and other things that are making this trip more real . I hope I can draw some wisdom from Camino experts. I look forward to meeting and chatting with as many people as possible and hope to see some on the Camino.

Buen Camino.

PS. We speak Spanish if that could be of help ;-)

Fernando and Liza

I am so happy for you and your wife. My friend and I are planning for my first walk in August. I hope to get wisdom and advice as well! Happy New Year! Buen Camino. Jerri and Mary

 

[dougfitz]

Thanks a lot for all this great advice.

At this stage, I need to arrange the travel from Brisbane/AU to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I will search here, but I need advice on what would be the best route. From Brisbane to Spain( Madrid or Barcelona) or France (Paris)? Then how to get to SJPdP from either of these cities? and then the way back. That is giving me a headache LOL.

It is difficult to tell, without knowing what evaluation criteria you are thinking of, what might be 'best'. Certainly all the entry point options you are considering, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris, are workable from Australia. I have gone through both Barcelona and Paris to get to SJPP. This year my wife and I will fly in through Madrid, but not to walk a camino unless I can get a short leave pass at some stage while we are in Portugal.

I have found the next important question is whether you want to return through these same airports, eg to take advantage of a cheaper return air fare deal, or you have an open jaw and return from somewhere else. Again, I have done both, and both options are workable.

If you don't feel comfortable doing the booking yourself, find a good travel agent, preferably one who has some experience working with pilgrims and who isn't going to try and arrange every element of your trip. You don't, normally, need or want them to do that. They just need to get you to somewhere where you are comfortable taking over, and get you back, typically from SDC at the end of your pilgrimage. On my first camino, that was just to get me to and back from Paris. I managed the connexions from CDG to SJPP, and from SDC back to CDG with a short stay in London. More recently, online booking engines have improved to the point where I no longer feel the need to use a travel agent. When I flew into Barcelona, I had an open jaw to LHR and filled in the other bits when the time came.

More, as @trecile has already said, there is a wealth of discussion already here on the forum about the very options you are considering. You should find plenty to think about and help make any decision about which way to go.

 

[dick bird]

Thanks a lot for all this great advice.

At this stage, I need to arrange the travel from Brisbane/AU to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I will search here, but I need advice on what would be the best route. From Brisbane to Spain( Madrid or Barcelona) or France (Paris)? Then how to get to SJPdP from either of these cities? and then the way back. That is giving me a headache LOL.

Madrid or Paris? probably not much in it. From Madrid you can get a bus or train to Pamplona then bus to SJPdP and from Paris train to Bayonne or Biarritz then another train. Spain and France both have much better overland transport systems than Australia. rome2rio is your go to website for bus and train. Main criterion is how good a deal you can get for the flight to Europe. For getting home, Santiago has a biggish airport with flights all over Spain and Europe (including the UK) as does A Coruña which is just up the road. As you speak Spanish, you'll be able to use gronze.com, which is a brilliant website for the camino, not to mention have much more interaction with local people and Spanish and Spanish speaking pilgrims and above all order meals and reserve accommodation. Between now and September you have lots of time to research etc etc.

One tip, for what it's worth - research the history and culture especially of the towns and villages along the way. I got back to Oz before I did that and kept kicking myself for the sites I'd missed through not knowing about them.

And feel free to post any more questions, we love showing off.

Buen camino.

 

[Eddiew]

Is there a Calendar SEptember 2023 Start (SJPP) available yet? I understand this is where an intending Camino traveller can link with others starting on the same date. I cannot seem to find one if there is. Apologies for my ignorance in advance.

 

[C clearly]

Is there a Calendar SEptember 2023 Start (SJPP) available yet?

We try to have about 6 monthly calendars running at a time. We'll get the September 2023 one up soon.

 

[Eddiew]

Ok thanks

 

[Cathy G]

Hi Guys, My wife and I are planning our first Camino in September. I have some backpacks and other things that are making this trip more real . I hope I can draw some wisdom from Camino experts. I look forward to meeting and chatting with as many people as possible and hope to see some on the Camino.

Buen Camino.

PS. We speak Spanish if that could be of help ;-)

Fernando and Liza

Hola Fernando y Lisa!
My husband and I are also walking September - we walked SJPP to Logrono in 2016, so picking up from there around Sept 26. Maybe see you on the trails!
Cathy y Chuck

 

[pkonopka]

Thanks a lot for all this great advice.

At this stage, I need to arrange the travel from Brisbane/AU to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I will search here, but I need advice on what would be the best route. From Brisbane to Spain( Madrid or Barcelona) or France (Paris)? Then how to get to SJPdP from either of these cities? and then the way back. That is giving me a headache LOL.

Lots of ways to get to SJPP - although most are a bit awkward if coming from outside the EU (multiple legs and variety of transport). I flew into Biarritz, France from USA (California). Then a car service to SJPP (not very long - good time to open your eyes and enjoy). A member on here pointed me to https://www.expressbourricot.com/ so I used them - perfect service. They combine pilgrims headed to SJPP into one lift, so I had to wait a bit at the airport, but it was inexpensive, and they dropped me very close to my albergue. Buen Camino

 

[vkimble]

Hi Guys, My wife and I are planning our first Camino in September. I have some backpacks and other things that are making this trip more real . I hope I can draw some wisdom from Camino experts. I look forward to meeting and chatting with as many people as possible and hope to see some on the Camino.

Buen Camino.

PS. We speak Spanish if that could be of help ;-)

Fernando and Liza

I am also planning my pilgrimage for this September, starting from Leon. I have been listening to podcasts and I have learned a lot from them: "El Camino People" (episode #51 is all about backpacks) and "El Camino de Santiago Pilgrims' Podcast". You can listen on Spotify or any Podcast player. Buen Camino!

 

[MARSKA]

Hello! Me too - Starting Sept 24 from SJPdP. You guys will be WAAAY ahead of me but Buen Camino!

 

[Consigliere]

Holla,

I’m planning my third Camino in late September as well.

Anyway, the first 2 times I did the Camino I flew to Paris and took a train to Bayonne. Then a train to SJ. But honestly, after flying from Melbourne I’d seriously consider if the extra 100 euro for a plane to Bayonne (or less if your lucky) is worth it, considering exhaustion, food costs, and the proverbial hotel should you end up being late - I’m still peeved about a cancelled train, mid France in 18, leaving me in a dodgy hotel.

I haven’t bought tickets yet, but im hoping to fly all the way, train to SJ, and sleep off the jet lag. Then again i guess I’m trying to limit my travel time… too icky after the first 30 hours