Trains, Planes, Buses and Taxi Sharing and getting to your start point

[William Marques]

As it is getting towards the start of another walking season I wanted to point out a number of forums and threads which are devoted to these topics.

The "Travelling to/from the Camino" forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/traveling-to-from-the-camino.19/ is the place to look for information and post questions relating to travel by plane, bus and train to your starting point.

There is a sub forum of the Travelling to/from the Camino called - "How to travel from Paris to SJPP" whose purpose is obvious https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/how-to-travel-from-paris-to-sjpp.113/

"Taxi Sharing" is another sub forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/taxi-sharing.121/ this forum has threads devoted to taxi sharing from Biaritz to SJPP and Pamplona to SJPP if you post your dates and times in those threads people can look for shares in one place. If you want to start from and finish in another place please start a new thread in that forum

 

[Dutch]

I feel this forum needs something like a "Camino 101" topic on the front-page of the forum with a few sticky threads on it for all the basic pilgrim needs. These "travelling to..." subjects should be there also as a sticky so it is way easier to find then using the search function.
And how about some sticky threads about shoes, poles, socks, backpacks ect. The basic pilgrim needs where people tell their experiences with what they use. Threads without discussion and (dis)agreements, just experiences. Call it equipment reviews.

Maybe you all think its a terrible idea, maybe not, just trying to help. I think some questions do not need to be asked several times a week with something like that.
Don't get me wrong, I answer the same questions over and over again with much pleasure and try to be as helpful as I can just like all of you, but.... Awell, I'm just rambling now. Better stop I'm sure you get what I mean....anyway, Its just an idea.

 

[txpeah]

Great suggestion Dutch! I am a new pilgrim but I started reading the forum almost 2 years ago. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of this generous information. But also, you forget all early basis stuff one you have been active on the forum for a while. Almost like forgetting to go back to the table of contents in a new guide book.

A 101 reference and/or more sticky threads sounds great to me, as a non-expert.

 

[William Marques]

There is a FAQ forum, are there any additional topics you think should be there or made sticky? Or do you mean an "Camino for Dummies" thread with some basic information in it?

 

[naplesdon]

I feel this forum needs something like a "Camino 101" topic on the front-page of the forum with a few sticky threads on it for all the basic pilgrim needs. These "travelling to..." subjects should be there also as a sticky so it is way easier to find then using the search function.
And how about some sticky threads about shoes, poles, socks, backpacks ect. The basic pilgrim needs where people tell their experiences with what they use. Threads without discussion and (dis)agreements, just experiences. Call it equipment reviews.

Maybe you all think its a terrible idea, maybe not, just trying to help. I think some questions do not need to be asked several times a week with something like that.
Don't get me wrong, I answer the same questions over and over again with much pleasure and try to be as helpful as I can just like all of you, but.... Awell, I'm just rambling now. Better stop I'm sure you get what I mean....anyway, Its just an idea.

Great suggestion Dutch! I am a new pilgrim but I started reading the forum almost 2 years ago. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of this generous information. But also, you forget all early basis stuff one you have been active on the forum for a while. Almost like forgetting to go back to the table of contents in a new guide book.

A 101 reference and/or more sticky threads sounds great to me, as a non-expert.

There is a FAQ forum, are there any additional topics you think should be there or made sticky? Or do you mean an "Camino for Dummies" thread with some basic information in it?

I have suggested this several times recently due to the quantity and quality of first time questions and the answers they have received (during 2015 it seems to be the dumbest on both sides of the equation) from pilgrims who have never completed a Camino. There should be some sort of filter/threshold for coming onto the forum after checking out the resources. I don't mean to suggest a test and I don't want to sound like I'm an elitist and out of touch but that being said I am currently being asked questions via the Conversation link by people who have never posted a question on the Forum. This is really obnoxious because it shows up as a notice in my inbox in email account.
Yes, there is a need for change, after all how many times can someone ask, "Are the mountains that tall in the Pyrenees?"
Ivar, I hope you take this issue into consideration.

 

[movinmaggie]

I'm starting to feel a bit pesky, but I am having challenges with trying to book the train from Madrid to Pamplona for Sept 23. When I put in the renfe.com site, other entities seem to be overriding it. More tries….I did finally get to the Renfe site, but all in Spanish. Could not find the option for English. My Spanish is not that trustworthy yet. I entered my departure point (Madrid) and date, but found no 'Pamplona' in their destinations?? Also they list departure times but not arrival times (that I could see). Could not find the option for 'One Way'. I know there is another sit for Rail Europe, but I think it is more expensive. I would great appreciate any and all suggestions…..Maggie

 

[mspath]

Perhaps this RENFE site in English will be of assistance.

Good luck!

 

[movinmaggie]

Perhaps this RENFE site in English will be of assistance.

Good luck!

Hi mspath, I'm about to give up on renfe. I've been at it most of the day. The virtual assistant is really no help. I can find the timetable, but when I enter the date, departure location and destination, the schedule and train # comes up, but from that point I can't seem to complete it. It asks for what looks like a return date. I see no option for one way, so I get stuck at that point. For an Invoice, you need to register, to register you need a tax I.D.#?? I'm sure it must be me, but I've given it my best. I may just go to Rail Europe, which I know will costlier. But I do appreciate that you wanted to help.

 

[movinmaggie]

Perhaps this RENFE site in English will be of assistance.

Good luck!

Hi mspath, I did finally get booked on a train, but alas, had to go through Europe Rail. I know it's much higher, but at least it's done. The Renfe site is great for finding schedules, fares and such; the glitch? a problem with the credit card process, but that's all very boring to read. Suffice to say it's done. Also just made my reservation from Santiago back to Madrid for my return flight Nov 3, day after my 80th! yeeeaaayyyyy Thanks again for your help.

 

[mspath]

Maggie,

Glad to learn that you are now set! At least you can tick both those reservations as completed on your to-do list.

Happy packing and Buen camino!

Margaret Meredith

 

[Jerry B]

I'm starting to feel a bit pesky, but I am having challenges with trying to book the train from Madrid to Pamplona for Sept 23. When I put in the renfe.com site, other entities seem to be overriding it. More tries….I did finally get to the Renfe site, but all in Spanish. Could not find the option for English. My Spanish is not that trustworthy yet. I entered my departure point (Madrid) and date, but found no 'Pamplona' in their destinations?? Also they list departure times but not arrival times (that I could see). Could not find the option for 'One Way'. I know there is another sit for Rail Europe, but I think it is more expensive. I would great appreciate any and all suggestions…..Maggie

Maggie,

Glad to learn that you are now set! At least you can tick both those reservations as completed on your to-do list.

Happy packing and Buen camino!

Margaret Meredith

Has anyone noticed that the afternoon bus out of Mdarid at 4 is twice the price as the morning one ? The weekends are all more expensive but I was curios as to the difference being it's the same day

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I don't see the morning bus except the ones very early, which are Supra service. In the afternoon the price difference is based on regular service and Supra service.

 

[CaminoWalks]

As it is getting towards the start of another walking season I wanted to point out a number of forums and threads which are devoted to these topics.

The "Travelling to/from the Camino" forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/traveling-to-from-the-camino.19/ is the place to look for information and post questions relating to travel by plane, bus and train to your starting point.

There is a sub forum of the Travelling to/from the Camino called - "How to travel from Paris to SJPP" whose purpose is obvious https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/how-to-travel-from-paris-to-sjpp.113/

"Taxi Sharing" is another sub forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/taxi-sharing.121/ this forum has threads devoted to taxi sharing from Biaritz to SJPP and Pamplona to SJPP if you post your dates and times in those threads people can look for shares in one place. If you want to start from and finish in another place please start a new thread in that forum

I still can't find any bus service from Pamplona to Roncesvalles. Can someone give a link to a bus company?

 

[William Marques]

Bus company from Pamplona to Roncesvalles
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles

I understand ALSA also operates a bus

Check out this as an alternate option

http://www.corazonpuro.es/Enghome.html

 

[Jeanette Irwin]

Bus company from Pamplona to Roncesvalles
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles

I understand ALSA also operates a bus

Check out this as an alternate option

http://www.corazonpuro.es/Enghome.html

I just checked the Alsa website and it doesn't look like they offer bus service from Pamplona to Roncesvalles, only to SJPdP.

Word to the wise: if you are using the Alsa website to book bus tickets and using a non-Spain or EU-issued credit card you may have difficulty. I ended up using my PayPal account and that worked just fine. It took me days to figure that out, though.

 

[jim-459]

I'm starting to feel a bit pesky, but I am having challenges with trying to book the train from Madrid to Pamplona for Sept 23. When I put in the renfe.com site, other entities seem to be overriding it. More tries….I did finally get to the Renfe site, but all in Spanish. Could not find the option for English. My Spanish is not that trustworthy yet. I entered my departure point (Madrid) and date, but found no 'Pamplona' in their destinations?? Also they list departure times but not arrival times (that I could see). Could not find the option for 'One Way'. I know there is another sit for Rail Europe, but I think it is more expensive. I would great appreciate any and all suggestions…..Maggie

Hi, there is an alternative to RENFE it's called ALSABUS. Buses go from the airport ( T4) to Pamplona. Good luck with your pilgramage.

 

[movinmaggie]

Hi, there is an alternative to RENFE it's called ALSABUS. Buses go from the airport ( T4) to Pamplona. Good luck with your pilgramage.

Hi Jim-459, I finally booked with Rail Europe; three times the price, but at least it's done. I am a lover of trains, so I'm happy. Thank you.

 

[peregrina2000]

I just checked the Alsa website and it doesn't look like they offer bus service from Pamplona to Roncesvalles, only to SJPdP.

Word to the wise: if you are using the Alsa website to book bus tickets and using a non-Spain or EU-issued credit card you may have difficulty. I ended up using my PayPal account and that worked just fine. It took me days to figure that out, though.

Hi, Jeanette, though the ALSA website may not indicate it, there is definitely a bus from Pamplona to Roncesvalles, in fact it's a stop on the bus route to SJPP. There are lots of threads here with the information -- this bus is seasonal, and starting and stopping dates seem to vary from year to year. It is definitely pilgrim-driven, so it's sensitive to the amount of pilgrim traffic in Pamplona. Good luck with your planning, buen camino, Laurie

 

[Kathy Beno]

I'm starting to feel a bit pesky, but I am having challenges with trying to book the train from Madrid to Pamplona for Sept 23. When I put in the renfe.com site, other entities seem to be overriding it. More tries….I did finally get to the Renfe site, but all in Spanish. Could not find the option for English. My Spanish is not that trustworthy yet. I entered my departure point (Madrid) and date, but found no 'Pamplona' in their destinations?? Also they list departure times but not arrival times (that I could see). Could not find the option for 'One Way'. I know there is another sit for Rail Europe, but I think it is more expensive. I would great appreciate any and all suggestions…..Maggie

Hi! I'm traveling from Madrid to Pamplona on Sept. 23 also. What time do you leave? Are you then going to SJPP? It's getting close, so I really should get some plans made!!

Kathy

 

[movinmaggie]

Hi! I'm traveling from Madrid to Pamplona on Sept. 23 also. What time do you leave? Are you then going to SJPP? It's getting close, so I really should get some plans made!!

Kathy

Kathy, I am already booked for Sept 22nd at a hotel in Madrid near the Atocha train station. The folks from Corazon Puro who are picking me up in Pamplona, could not pick me up in Madrid in the early evening, which is when my flight arrives. I didn't know about all the train and bus schedules at the time, so I had to reserve a room. I'll take the train morning of Sept 23rd to Pamplona. They will pick me up and I will stay with them for that evening. On Sept 24, we drive to St. Jean where I will spend another night. I start my walk Sept. 25. The last I heard, Corazon Puro is are pretty booked up for Sept. If someone on this thread has their link, perhaps they could post it and you can check it out. Good luck. Perhaps we cross paths.

 

[ed of Virginia]

As it is getting towards the start of another walking season I wanted to point out a number of forums and threads which are devoted to these topics.

The "Travelling to/from the Camino" forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/traveling-to-from-the-camino.19/ is the place to look for information and post questions relating to travel by plane, bus and train to your starting point.

There is a sub forum of the Travelling to/from the Camino called - "How to travel from Paris to SJPP" whose purpose is obvious https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/how-to-travel-from-paris-to-sjpp.113/

"Taxi Sharing" is another sub forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/taxi-sharing.121/ this forum has threads devoted to taxi sharing from Biaritz to SJPP and Pamplona to SJPP if you post your dates and times in those threads people can look for shares in one place. If you want to start from and finish in another place please start a new thread in that forum

Having suffered brain freeze from reading all the postings about the difficulties for foreigners (i.e.., Americans, Canadians, and Aussies) in using the renfe.es website to purchase rail tickets, etc., I finally found a guide on how to do this. It is worth reading all pages--which tells you something about the renfe website. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online.html
I followed the advice about using fake Spanish telephone numbers rather than your actual US numbers (incompatible format) and a PayPal account, and lo and behold it worked. (Perhaps the author cracks codes for a living!) What's more, I could print out what I purchased, which appears to be another problem frequently cited by users of the Renfe website. What is also useful in this regard is that you pay no travel agent fees on top of the Renfe price, tho RailEurope is very, very close on price. September 14 is approaching.

 

[movinmaggie]

Having suffered brain freeze from reading all the postings about the difficulties for foreigners (i.e.., Americans, Canadians, and Aussies) in using the renfe.es website to purchase rail tickets, etc., I finally found a guide on how to do this. It is worth reading all pages--which tells you something about the renfe website. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online.html
I followed the advice about using fake Spanish telephone numbers rather than your actual US numbers (incompatible format) and a PayPal account, and lo and behold it worked. (Perhaps the author cracks codes for a living!) What's more, I could print out what I purchased, which appears to be another problem frequently cited by users of the Renfe website. What is also useful in this regard is that you pay no travel agent fees on top of the Renfe price, tho RailEurope is very, very close on price. September 14 is approaching.

ah, but where were you when I needed you? I have not read the whole thing yet. If it's just one thing I wish I had known in the beginning, it would be that it requires a PC (and not a Mac) to book on their system; it would have saved hours. However, now I'm booked, unfortunately at three times the price because of having to go through Rail Europe. Many thanks for putting this info out for others..

 

[gagseymt]

As it is getting towards the start of another walking season I wanted to point out a number of forums and threads which are devoted to these topics.

The "Travelling to/from the Camino" forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/traveling-to-from-the-camino.19/ is the place to look for information and post questions relating to travel by plane, bus and train to your starting point.

There is a sub forum of the Travelling to/from the Camino called - "How to travel from Paris to SJPP" whose purpose is obvious https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/how-to-travel-from-paris-to-sjpp.113/

"Taxi Sharing" is another sub forum https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/taxi-sharing.121/ this forum has threads devoted to taxi sharing from Biaritz to SJPP and Pamplona to SJPP if you post your dates and times in those threads people can look for shares in one place. If you want to start from and finish in another place please start a new thread in that forum

I have unable to gain a flight from London Stanstead to Biarritz in either May June or July all Ryan Air flights taken up in one day. Plan B

 

[Angel-hart]

Bus company from Pamplona to Roncesvalles
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/
http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles

I understand ALSA also operates a bus

Check out this as an alternate option

http://www.corazonpuro.es/Enghome.html

Thank You for posting is great option, it fits my traveling partner and I perfectly. It's postings like this that are so helpful, and helps us focus on beyond the beginning few days( arrival, getting from Hub airports to destination cities, and finally to SJPP).
Thanks Again
Angelhart

 

[Christian Hiriart]

Hi all
Coming from Canada, would it be better or easier to fly to Madrid or Paris on the way to St. Jean? Or are both about the same. Tanks for any suggestions
Chris

 

[Castilian]

Coming from Canada, would it be better or easier to fly to Madrid or Paris on the way to St. Jean? Or are both about the same

Paris is better connected with Canada than Madrid. OTOH, Madrid might be easier to reach from Santiago de Compostela than Paris (in order to take your flight back home) although Vueling has some fligths (not daily) from Santiago de Compostela to Paris... Your travel date would be relevant because if you fly to Madrid, the bus route from Pamplona to SJPP is seasonal and if you fly from Paris, flights from Santiago de Compostela to Paris aren't daily...
You might also research the price of an open-jaw ticket (outbound to Paris; inbound from Madrid)...

You can also fly from Canada to London and, once in London, take a low cost flight to Biarritz (for SJPP). On the way back you would take a low cost flight from Santiago de Compostela to London. Both low cost fligths with Ryanair and you'll have to change airports in London and, maybe, depending on the schedules, stay overnight too. It all depends on your travel date(s), preferences...

 

[scott almburg]

I've purchased Spanish train tickets on the www.loco2.com webpage. You can print at home and take with you. No problem with credit card payment, as the Renfee site can have problems with credit cards.

 

[Maiz]

Hi mspath, I did finally get booked on a train, but alas, had to go through Europe Rail. I know it's much higher, but at least it's done. The Renfe site is great for finding schedules, fares and such; the glitch? a problem with the credit card process, but that's all very boring to read. Suffice to say it's done. Also just made my reservation from Santiago back to Madrid for my return flight Nov 3, day after my 80th! yeeeaaayyyyy Thanks again for your help.

Congratulations Maggie - you are an inspiration! I am just starting to look at reservations for train and flight back to Madrid. This is my first Camino and will be starting in April still a lot to organise. Maiz