September Pilgrimage

[Dolphin9898]

Hi, my name is Richard from Canada.
I am planning to do the camino walk from St. Jean Pied de Port in France in September and would like to find out if it is better to fly to Paris or Madrid. I would also like to know when will be the best time to start the walk in September or October.
Your input will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Richard

 

[Albertagirl]

Hi, my name is Richard from Canada.
I am planning to do the camino walk from St. Jean Pied de Port in France in September and would like to find out if it is better to fly to Paris or Madrid. I would also like to know when will be the best time to start the walk in September or October.
Your input will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Richard

Richard,
I am also from Canada and I began my first camino from SJpdP on the last day of September, 2015. I had fine walking weather all the way to Santiago, with a few days of rain. I do not like very hot weather for walking and September tends to be hot on the Frances. On the other hand, the days were getting shorter and albergues starting to close for the season by the time that I arrived in Santiago in November. I flew to Madrid and went to St Jean by bus directly from the airport, but many pilgrims fly to Paris and find that that works for them. From what I have heard, it takes longer to get to SJpdP if you travel through Paris, but I have never tried it myself. For my second camino, on the Aragones, I flew through Paris, with a connection to Pau, as that was the closest airport to where I was starting. You can try Rome2rio.com to compare travel routes. If you are going this year, you have left it somewhat late to buy your air ticket, as prices are going up. All the best with your planning and Buen camino.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I have done both Madrid and Paris, and much prefer to fly into Paris (CDG). From CDG, I can catch a quick flight to Biarritz. From Biarritz, I take a quick Express Bouricott shuttle into St. Jean Pied de Port.

As to when to walk, I prefer starting in the 1st week of October.

 

[Marie_pri]

I flew to Madrid - got train to Pamplona -bus to st Jean. It was easy and did not take long at all. Train ticket to Pamplona I booked at the station in person, bus also the same. No need to book on line ahead.

It was not costly either.

I flight madrid
2 train Pamplona
3 bus sjpdp


Recommend a few days in Madrid first for jet lag, and sight seeing.
Relax - enjoy-go with the flow.
I did my first Camino 2018 and stressed over beds,flights, trains, bus’s. I now have learned there is no need to stress the Camino provides and my next Camino will be very different. And most of all I recommend to not overpack, I filled my bag with all my fears, now I understand what the Camino taught me and is still teaching me. Also I walked September, weather was fantastic, had some very hot days.

 

[Marbe2]

Hi and welcome to this wonderful source of information for your Camino, Richard. You don’t say whether you plan to walk the whole Camino and how long you anticipate it will take you? Assuming you will stop in Santiago de Compostela, then it depends on how many days you will need to do it? Early September can be quite hot still...so weather wiselate September to the beginning of October would be best. Keep in mind that some Albergues start closing the beginning of November but there should be availability just fewer options.

I have traveled from east coast USA to Paris, stayed overnight and then trained down and picked up Express bouricott shuttle. You will likely need time to rest and deal with jet lag anyway, so a night in Paris is an option. Last year we flew directly to Madrid, used prepurchased train tickets for the Spanish Train system,Renfe, and we took a 3hour Trip by train to Pamplona. From there you might decide to stay a night in Pamplona and take the bus the next day to SJPdP. We have also overnighted in Madrid a couple of times.

Ultimately you need to look at what works best for you re: airlines
ground transportation and your interests.

Here are some resources:

Express Bourricot |

www.expressbourricot.com

Renfe.com
Loco2.com (easy to purchase train tickets on from N. America)
Seat 61.com excellent resource for using trains in Europe and getting great prices.
Alsa.com Alsa has bus between Pamplona and SJPdP

Rome2rio.com can will assist you with many local transport needs alongthe Camino.

Happy planning!

 

[Jan_D]

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum!

I suppose it also depends on whether you've been to Paris or Madrid before, and whether you have a desire to spend a day or two in either one of these cities. I personally try and arrive before the starting point to avoid 'spoilers' (I like being surprised by new landscapes), but that's probably just me being sentimental...

The others on this thread have given you the basics, but here's a (hopefully helpful) summary of the details:

If you choose Paris: it's relatively easy to get from Paris to Bayonne, from where you catch the train to Saint Jean Pied de Port. If you want to spend a day or two in Paris, you could opt for the train (SNCF) to Bayonne. The train departs from Gare Montparnasse, and the faster ones only take 4 hours. If you want to avoid going into Paris city centre, you could fly directly from CDG to Biarritz, either as part of an Air France transfer, or organise your own flight with a company like Easyjet. From Biarritz airport it's only about 20 minutes to Bayonne - otherwise, as mentioned, you could use the Express Bourricot shuttle directly from Biarritz to SJPP.

Madrid: if you want to spend a bit of time in the city, then the train to Pamplona is the best option. It only takes 3 hours, as opposed to the bus which takes over 5 hours. However the length of the journey might be a small price to pay if you want to leave directly from the airport. Alsa has buses to Pamplona that leave directly from Terminal 4. There are about three or four buses per day. Alsa is also responsible for the buses from Pamplona to SJPP. They do the trip three times a day in September (10am, 14:30 and 17:30), and twice in October (14:30 and 17:30) - so just make sure your transport to Pamplona arrives in time to make the connection!

 

[Mark Barnes]

Hello, I walked the Frances starting Sept 22, 2017. I flew into Madrid and caught bus from airport to Pamplona (you have to change buses once in some small town). Then there is a bus from Pamplona to SPdP. If seems in most cases once you get to Pamplona most people take the bus to SPdP the following day Due to times bus is offered. Note I started in Pamplona. •Take a head lamp at that time of year as they wanted us out of the Albergue by 8:00am and due to time change it was not sun up till around 9:00 or so when I walked.
Starting the end of September worked out well for me. It seemed busier than I had expected but I did not knowingly run into any closures. I walked September 22 - November 03, 2017.

 

[lt56ny]

I think you have to look at your budget and time and preference. I agree with Davebugg. If you can start in October, the later the better. There crowds will be thinning out and the temperatures will be cooler. When it comes to where to fly to, I think that budget and time come into play. I have flown to both locations but now I always fly into Madrid because it is much cheaper from where I live on Iberia than flying into Paris. I always take a few days to acclimate to the time change as I have a long way to go.I also need a little time to get a Spanish SIM card and if I need any last minute things. Last year I had to buy hiking poles. I personally would rather be in Paris but budget constraints tell me otherwise. I live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and my flight to Madrid was about $250.00US less than it would have been to Paris. I rented a private room on AirBnB from a Superhost in a great location for about 30 Euros a night. Staying 2 nights. I got a flight from Madrid to Pamplona for $41US that arrives at 10AM giving me plenty of time to take the bus to St. Jean.

 

[Marbe2]

Last year Orrison closed the beginning week of October...so do be aware of this if you plan on stopping there......reserve early for that Albergue.

 

[VAtoNC]

Hi, my name is Richard from Canada.
I am planning to do the camino walk from St. Jean Pied de Port in France in September and would like to find out if it is better to fly to Paris or Madrid. I would also like to know when will be the best time to start the walk in September or October.
Your input will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Richard

Hi Richard, I'm walking from SJPP starting September 7, ending Santiago or Finisterre/Muxia at the end of October. After much research I decided to fly into Paris/Charles de Gaulle, bus to the Montparnasse train station in Paris, train to Biarritz, then shuttle to SJPP. You can take the train all the way to SJPP but it ends up taking longer than the Biarritz/shuttle route.
Davebugg has a great suggestion too, but with my schedule I would have had a 6-hour layover in Paris before my flight to Biarritz. I'd rather sleep on a bus/train than hang out in an airport for 6 hours! Plus, the flight to Biarritz had a layover in Lyon, so that added another 2 hours to a potentially miserable day. FYI: the flight schedules to Biarritz change after the "season" ends in August. Fewer flights.

 

[slrivers]

We are working on our plans to get to SjPDP. If you go into Madrid do you prebook your train or bus to Pamplona or get that ticket upon arrival? If you fly into Paris do you pre-book your train or flight to Biarritz? When traveling on a previous trip, our flight out of US was delayed a day and we missed our prebooked train.

 

[Dolphin9898]

I will be flying from Canada. I have not check yet if I will fly to Madrid or CDG

 

[VAtoNC]

We are working on our plans to get to SjPDP. If you go into Madrid do you prebook your train or bus to Pamplona or get that ticket upon arrival? If you fly into Paris do you pre-book your train or flight to Biarritz? When traveling on a previous trip, our flight out of US was delayed a day and we missed our prebooked train.

I did a lot of research on this! After digesting a lot of information, here is what I've decided to do. I'm going to fly into Paris from the US arriving at 7:00 a.m. I'll take the bus from the airport to the Montparnasse train station in Paris (about 1.5 hours away). Then I'll take a train to Bayonne where I'll spend the night after an exhausting travel day. Early the next morning, around 7:00 a.m., I'll take a train from Bayonne to SJPP arriving around 8:30 a.m. That will give me time to see SJPP and get my Compestela stamped. I'll be on the way the next day!

 

[slrivers]

I did a lot of research on this! After digesting a lot of information, here is what I've decided to do. I'm going to fly into Paris from the US arriving at 7:00 a.m. I'll take the bus from the airport to the Montparnasse train station in Paris (about 1.5 hours away). Then I'll take a train to Bayonne where I'll spend the night after an exhausting travel day. Early the next morning, around 7:00 a.m., I'll take a train from Bayonne to SJPP arriving around 8:30 a.m. That will give me time to see SJPP and get my Compestela stamped. I'll be on the way the next day!

Are you getting your train ticket to Bayonne ahead of time?

 

[VAtoNC]

Are you getting your train ticket to Bayonne ahead of time?

Yes, I'm all set. People will recommend various sites to make your reservation but I found this one the most helpful. https://en.oui.sncf/en/train-ticket

 

[John Hawke]

I did a lot of research on this! After digesting a lot of information, here is what I've decided to do. I'm going to fly into Paris from the US arriving at 7:00 a.m. I'll take the bus from the airport to the Montparnasse train station in Paris (about 1.5 hours away). Then I'll take a train to Bayonne where I'll spend the night after an exhausting travel day. Early the next morning, around 7:00 a.m., I'll take a train from Bayonne to SJPP arriving around 8:30 a.m. That will give me time to see SJPP and get my Compestela stamped. I'll be on the way the next day!

You can catch the train to Bayonne at CDG very easily.

 

[VAtoNC]

You can catch the train to Bayonne at CDG very easily.

How, please? Everything I found said it was bus to Montparnasse then train to Bayonne.

 

[John Hawke]

I have gone thru Paris twice and Frankfort once my son went thru Madrid. As my Father was fond of saying "all Beer is Good and some are better"! You might consider going thru Paris and returning via Madrid, I did that easily. My experience has been that there are more ways to Madrid from Santiago than to Paris.

 

[VAtoNC]

I have gone thru Paris twice and Frankfort once my son went thru Madrid. As my Father was fond of saying "all Beer is Good and some are better"! You might consider going thru Paris and returning via Madrid, I did that easily. My experience has been that there are more ways to Madrid from Santiago than to Paris.

I booked an Iberia flight to Paris direct from Santiago.

 

[John Hawke]

How, please? Everything I found said it was bus to Montparnasse then train to Bayonne.

How, please? Everything I found said it was bus to Montparnasse then train to Bayonne.

I took the TGV thru Bordeux there was a change there. We left CDG at noon and got to Bayonne around 5:00

 

[John Hawke]

Paris CDG Airport (CDG) to Bayonne - Discover the best way to travel in 2022

There are 7 ways to travel from Paris CDG Airport (CDG) to Bayonne. Flights are the quickest and take just 1h 50m. Find the best travel option for you with Rome2rio!

www.rome2rio.com

 

[VAtoNC]

I took the TGV thru Bordeux there was a change there. We left CDG at noon and got to Bayonne around 5:00

Where do you get the TGV at DeGaulle?

 

[John Hawke]

Where do you get the TGV at DeGaulle?

[QUhttps://easycdg.com/ground-transportation/train-station-terminal2/OTE="Evvie, post: 756699, member: 87761"]
Where do you get the TGV at DeGaulle?
[/QUOTE]
Under terminal 2. Buy your ticket online in advance

 

[John Hawke]

Train station Terminal 2 at CDG Airport - CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT (Paris CDG)

Map and orientation TGV-RER railway station Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, terminal 2.

easycdg.com

 

[VAtoNC]

[QUhttps://easycdg.com/ground-transportation/train-station-terminal2/OTE="Evvie, post: 756699, member: 87761"]
Where do you get the TGV at DeGaulle?

Under terminal 2. Buy your ticket online in advance
[/QUOTE]
Thank you so much for this!! I've been promoting the bus/Montparnasse departure to Bayonne and this makes it so much easier. When I get to Bordeaux can I really get to the Bayonne train in 10 minutes!?

 

[John Hawke]

I have gone thru Paris twice and Frankfort once my son went thru Madrid. As my Father was fond of saying "all Beer is Good and some are better"! You might consider going thru Paris and returning via Madrid, I did that easily. My experience has been that there are more ways to Madrid from Santiago than to Paris.

Under terminal 2. Buy your ticket online in advance

Thank you so much for this!! I've been promoting the bus/Montparnasse departure to Bayonne and this makes it so much easier. When I get to Bordeaux can I really get to the Bayonne train in 10 minutes!?
[/QUOTE]
Yes you can you go down the stairs under one or two tracks and pop back up. It takes about 3 mins and is easy as you just follow the group with back packs and camino shells.
Buen Camino!

 

[Portia1]

I flew from Washington, DC to Madrid and flight to Pamplona—was cheaper than bus or train when booked as final destination and fewer arrangements. Then, took B express to SJPP that afternoon. Gave me a chance to nap on the grass and see Pamplona and still arrive in SJPP before dinner.

 

[slrivers]

Yes, I'm all set. People will recommend various sites to make your reservation but I found this one the most helpful. https://en.oui.sncf/en/train-ticket

Thanks!

Yes, I'm all set. People will recommend various sites to make your reservation but I found this one the most helpful. https://en.oui.sncf/en/train-ticket

I'm concerned about connections.. my flight is scheduled to land in Paris at 1:20pm. Assuming everything is on time, we can book a 5 or 6pm train from CDG to Bayonne. (or a flight to Biarritz). I know doing this must be easier after you've done it once, but it's a little overwhelming. Maybe I should just "let go" and trust that all will be on time and perfect.